“And Peter?” I asked. “What will happen to him?”
Stoyanov looked at me sympathetically.
– It depends. It depends on what we do with this information. If we hand it over to the prosecutor's office, there is a good chance that both of them will be investigated. Ivaylo will certainly receive an effective sentence. For Petar… the violations you describe are serious. He could get away with a suspended sentence, huge fines and revocation of his license. His company will certainly go bankrupt. Not to mention the mortgage on your apartment, which, as far as I know, is tied to the company. You will lose everything.
His words were like an icy shower. To lose everything. Our home, everything Peter had worked for… even if it was through dishonest means.
“What’s the other option?” I asked quietly.
“The other option is to negotiate,” the lawyer said. “Use the information we have as leverage. Force Ivaylo to step down. Leave Petar and his business alone. Make a deal.”
“A deal with the devil,” Maria whispered.
– Sometimes, to get out of hell, you have to shake hands with the devil. – Stoyanov replied. – It’s a dirty option, but it could save your brother from prison and your family from complete bankruptcy. But it carries a huge risk. Negotiating with people like Ivaylo is like dancing in a minefield. One wrong step and everything explodes.
He leaned back.
“The decision is not mine. I can only advise you. But the file is with you, Ana. You are the one who holds the cards. You have to decide how you will play them. Will you be the prosecutor, the judge, and the executioner? Or will you try to be the savior, even if it means getting your hands dirty?”
I looked at Maria, then back at the lawyer. The weight of the world seemed to be on my shoulders. My orderly, predictable life was gone. In its place was a moral dilemma with unimaginable consequences. Whatever I chose, someone would suffer. And I had to decide who.
Chapter 6
