He led me into a spacious office, covered with a heavy carpet and furnished with solid wood furniture. The air smelled of old paper, leather, and the faint scent of cigars. Behind a large desk sat a man of about sixty, with graying hair and sharp, tired eyes. He stood up as I entered.
– Ana, this is Mr. Stoyanov. – Maria introduced us. – He is a family friend and one of the best lawyers in the country. We can trust him.
Mr. Stoyanov offered me his hand. His handshake was firm and confident.
“Madam, please sit down.” Maria briefly told me about the situation. I understand that you are very scared.
I nodded, unable to speak. All the stress of the day seemed to wash over me in that moment.
“You did a very good job hiding the documents,” he continued in a deep, calm voice. “Now we have to decide what our next step is. But to do that, I need to know everything. What exactly did you see in that folder?”
I told him. About Ivaylo's corruption scheme, about the bribes, about the offshore accounts. And then, with difficulty in my voice, I told him about the second part. About the compromising material against Petar's company. As I spoke, I watched Maria. She stood by the window with her back to us, but I could see her shoulders shrink with every word I said. She didn't know that part. Petar had obviously spared her.
When I finished, a heavy silence fell in the room. Attorney Stoyanov looked at me thoughtfully, tapping his fingers on the desk.
“So we have a classic situation of mutual annihilation,” he said finally. “The folder is poison for both sides. Ivaylo wants to destroy it to save himself. Peter wants to use it, but he risks destroying himself in the process.”
“Is there a way out?” Maria asked in a trembling voice, turning to him.
– There is always a way out, my child. But it is rarely easy or pleasant. Ivaylo is a very dangerous man. He will stop at nothing to get those documents back. The fact that he directly threatened Ana's life proves it. He is backed to the wall and is the most dangerous.
