I stared into the void where Yonker's presence loomed, the weight of his demand pressing down on me. I knew he was right; he held all the cards, and I was playing a game with no hand to speak of.
But such extravagant, predatory interest would effectively turn me into a debt-slave for him for the foreseeable future. I had to at least try to mitigate the damage.
"I can agree on the principle of the interest, but lower the rate to half," I proposed, my voice tight. "That is the only way this remains a viable partnership."
[That won't do,] Yonker replied instantly, his voice dripping with a casual arrogance. He knew he held the upper hand here. [Don't try to bargain with me, little human. You simply have no capital to do that. You are a beggar asking for a kingdom; you take the terms I offer or you remain in the dirt.]
He was right again, damn him. His refusal was a cold reminder of how rude and brutal life outside the system's immediate protection truly was.
