Ben Madoff laughed out loud. That little girl had eyes far bigger than her stomach. So she was expecting a thousand dollars pocket money every month just like that. Just because she was the fiancée of a billionaire. Effortlessly ! Even the best and top paid employee of Madinvestment after working days and nights nonstop for a good month wasn't getting such a salary. Last month the most successful trader got a check of eighty thousand dollars. But Joanna was expecting from him as her fiancée or spouse one hundred thousand dollars that she would probably spent in shopping, spa, and other expenses activities.
"You're really a special one, future Mrs. Madoff. So that's the kind of money you're expecting monthly from our union. Humm, alright!" Ben Madoff answered as he kept laughing.
Then he recomposed himself, looked Joanna straight in the eyes and asked her in a low voice: "But a thousand dollars, isn't that a little too much, Miss Norton? How much do you think Madinvestment top worker gets in a single month? Well, let me inform you since you don't know that: eighty K. And you need a hundred K simply because you're Mrs. Madoff. Humm...very interesting situation!"
Joanna was shocked by the crude statement. She took a little time to reconsider her expectations, at the end of which she recognized that she had been a little too avid and lowered her pretensions.
"Uh well, after reconsideration you get it right. I'm really sorry. I said a figure a little hastily. In fact, what's really important to me is that you commit to pay my mom's medical bills because that's actually for what I intend to spend the pocket money. You know how dear is my mom to me. For her I can do the craziest thing," Joanna reacted with emotion.
A few drops of tears popped up from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks as the image of her mother in her sickbed came across her mind.
Ben Madoff heard his spouse to be justification and felt sad for her. The man could be harsh sometimes but he wasn't insensitive to people's issues and even more that the needy person was no more nor less the woman he pledged to marry.
"It's alright. I've heard you, I'll definitely provide for you and your mother. I will order the chief finance officer of the city's general hospital to put all expenses relating to your mother's treatment on my account," said Ben Madoff before adding "Otherwise, is there anything else that you would like I do for you?"
"My mom's hospital bills is enough. That's frankly the most important thing for which I greatly need your assistance. The rest is bonus for me, like getting the name of Mrs. Madoff's wife," Joanna confessed as she recomposed herself.
The young woman's statement confirmed to Ben Madoff what he had already suspected. Their union, although he was the one to offer her that option, was simply based on what she could gain from it. She wasn't in love with him but needed him to climb to the top of the society and avenge herself from the people who had hurt her and her mother Cecilia.
Ben Madoff unexpectedly got a temper tantrum. He could no longer hide his true feelings about their shady union. Out of anger, he began to call her names.
"You're nothing but a gold digger. You are just after my money and my patronym. You're a pathetic human being. You want to use me for fame and glory, right? Okay but it has a cost little witch. I hope you will be able to pay back what you take from me" shouted Ben Madoff.
Shocked by the high decibels of the tycoon's voice, Joanna couldn't let it go and talked back to him. They hence began arguing and their voices could be heard in the corridor.
"But Ben, I can't deny that what I am clearly after is your money and the title of the chairman of Madinvestment wife. However, let me remind you since it seems you have forgotten everything, you're the one to vow to give me a check of one million dollars for saving your life against those thugs in white gowns before later giving me the option to marry you instead. As far as I know, I never asked you anything. You pledged all these things unilaterally," Joanna defended herself with a high tone of voice.
"You want now to show yourself as a victim, don't you? You want people to believe I'm the big wolf in this matter, don't you? That's a good play from your side. And moreover, who abused of me and stole my virginity? Was it not you, little pervert? Is that how you pay back those who help you? I just wished I could go back in time and erase this dark part of my life," said Joanna as she began to weep.
Ben Madoff was now speechless and ashamed of himself. He then tried to bring the tension down.
"If it wasn't because of my mother's bad health condition, which stresses me so much, do you really think I would want to put myself with an old and ugly man like you? I know countless young women of this city jump to your feet but I'm not part of them. Please, let's just marry and everyone stays in a different house," Joanna shook the walls of the office with her thunderous statement.
And then, seeing that she had gotten the upper hand over the mogul who had now lost his tongue, happy with herself, she stopped talking to him and began putting in order her work space that was still in a mess after the former director of the city's general hospital out of anger turn the office upside down for being sacked.
A climate of strong tension hovered over the strong character couple as Joanna and Ben Madoff were now ignoring each other. While the young woman was busy tidying up the office, the mogul was strolling around contemplating the paintings on the office's walls. For a good time both of them didn't exchange a single word.
It was only when someone finally came to bang the door that the two strong-headed, although upset with each other, reconciled to show to the external world how happy they were.
"Who's that? Please walk in!" reacted Joanna as the newly appointed director of the city's general hospital.
It was then that a mature woman dressed in a large black robe with a small white stripe in the middle of the collar came inside the office.
Although Joanna had no idea who she could be, she could deduce pretty easily from the old woman's clothing that the latter was an attorney.
But before Joanna had a chance to talk to her, Ben Madoff had beaten her to it. Indeed, in a light speed, the chairman of Madinvestment had already rushed towards the visitor to welcome her.
"Barrister Lara, here you are at last! I have been waiting for you too long but now that you are here, it doesn't matter. Please have a seat!" said the tycoon excitedly.
"And see, here is the beautiful young woman with whom you are going to stuck me forever!" he exclaimed with excessive joy, pointing to Joanna.
The latter lost her voice as she heard Ben Madoff for the first time making compliments about her.