Bette answered simply, “Yes, I can.”

He continued, still excited, “Well …we are fortunate the family offices who have used us are those that manage wealth of families at the top 1%, who own the lion’s share of that 87% of the country’s wealth — and we now service a couple in the 1% of the 1%, who are amongst those whose wealth has been reaping the major benefits of this economic rebound.”

He took a breath and settled down, “It is really quite something to ponder. One thing to keep squarely in mind is that it is a fairly concentrated world, where people know each other. I will do pretty much anything to make sure my firm stays golden, in their eyes.”

The man paused, and then unleashed another threat, “So you see Tina is really quite central to our conversation, Bette, because you’ll very shortly have to make a choice that affects her.”

“I’m sorry to be the one to tell you that her mom has a terrible terminal disease, and her step-father, has, unfortunately, come to owe serious money to a lot of people, amongst them the wealthy in the South. He has a way out of his very serious predicament, but only if my firm continues to keep rolling over his debt to us. There is an investor from Canada who seems willing to buy his stake in his shale gas project. But only if he passes an audit, now ongoing, which he will pass if our firm allows our credit to himto just keep rolling over. But if we call it in, not only will he not pass the audit, and therefore lose everything, he will most likely end up in jail, because he has been basically running a pyramid scheme over the last few years, Bette.”

He was on a roll, and continued, “Even if jailed he … and his wife … will still owe a lot of money to a lot of people. And heaven only knows what will happen to Tina’s poor mother then. She’s going to need a lot of expensive care, treatment….”

He sounded like he wanted to continue, and keep twisting the knife he had metaphorically slipped between her ribs. Bette didn’t need to hear more, and she cut in, “Your point being?”