I am a popular yet poor celebrity

"So what are you going to give me in return" Alexander asked while looking at me with a grin on his face.

'What should I do?' I thought. I didn't have any money to give Alexander and clearly Alexia and Daniel doesn't have any money either. I was worried. Then, a thought struck to me

'What if I give him.... Information'

That would be very good because information is more valuable than money.

"Um.... Alex..... What if I....I give you some.... Uh... Information?" I said to Alexander while praying in my heart for him to accept.

Alexander looked at me for a while and chuckled.

"Information you say. What kind of information do you want to give me that is more valuable than money"

I looked around and saw that no one was there. It was only then I was relieved.

"Information that your cousin Leon needs" I said to Alexander.

Alexander's expression remains unchanged, a mask of controlled curiosity. He doesn't flinch, doesn't interrupt, simply waits for me to elaborate. The silence stretches, charged with anticipation. The air in the pawn shop feels thicker, the scent of stale cigarettes suddenly overpowering.

I decided to tell him part of the information.

"It's about Leon's gambling debts".

When I said those words, Alexander's carefully constructed facade finally cracks. A flicker of something akin to fear ir perhaps it's just intense irritation crosses his face before he masks it again but the change is unmistakable. He leans foward, the calmness in his voice gone, replaced by a shaper edge.

"His..... gambling debts?" he repeats, the question laced with suspicion.

"And what precisely do you know about Leon's gambling debts that I, his cousin and closest confidante, do not?"

I take a breath, gathering my thoughts.

"I know the names of his creditors" I state, keeping my voice calm despite the tremor in my hands. "I know the amounts he owes. And I know that he has been trying to cover them up, moving money around, taking increasingly desperate methods"

Alexia widens her eyes in disbelief when looking at me. Daniel, always the silent observer, remains still but his knuckles are white as he grips his own hands. I can feel the tension in the air crackling like static electricity.

I am worried. Will Alexander help us or is the information not enough?