Chapter 10 – “You Would Rather See Them Dead?”
Anna confronted Elisa two days later.
Not alone.
Marco came with her.
They met inside the rescue office.
Elisa looked exhausted.
There were dark circles beneath her eyes.
“You’ve destroyed us.”
Anna stared.
“We?”
“Yes. You.”
“I haven’t posted anything.”
“You’ve been talking.”
“To whom?”
“You think I don’t know?”
Marco said:
“We have questions about the fundraising.”
Elisa laughed.
“Oh, now you’re accountants.”
“We have the invoices.”
Her expression changed.
“What invoices?”
“The clinic invoices.”
“You had no right.”
Marco answered:
“I process them.”
“You had no right to photograph them.”
Anna stepped in.
“Why did you say Argo hadn’t received diagnostics when he had already been discharged?”
“Because he needed follow-up.”
“Then say follow-up.”
“You think people donate to follow-up?”
The room went quiet.
Anna stared at her.
Elisa realised what she had said.
Then doubled down.
“No. Let’s stop pretending.”
She pointed toward the kennels.
“You know what happens when I post a healthy dog?”
Anna said nothing.
“Nothing.”
Elisa slapped one hand against the desk.
“Nothing happens.”
“When I post vaccinations, nobody cares.”
“When I post food bills, nobody cares.”
“When I say we need money for electricity, nobody cares.”
“But show them an animal that looks like it’s dying?”
She snapped her fingers.
“Ten thousand euros.”
Marco looked disgusted.
“So you lie.”
“I make people pay attention.”
“You lie.”
“I make people care.”
Anna said:
“You delayed things for photographs.”
“For minutes.”
“You kept using suffering after treatment.”
“Because the bills still existed.”
“You said animals were deteriorating when they weren’t.”
Elisa stood.
“And what exactly do you want?”
“The truth.”
“The truth doesn’t raise money.”
Anna stared at her.
Elisa pointed toward the kennels again.
“You know what the alternative is?”
“No. Tell me.”
“They die somewhere nobody photographs them.”
“That doesn’t give you permission to exploit them.”
“Exploit?”
Elisa laughed.
“You want to talk about exploitation?”
She stepped closer.
“Where were all these outraged people before I posted them?”
Anna did not answer.
Elisa continued.
“They didn’t know Argo existed.”
“They didn’t know Bruno existed.”
“They didn’t know Pippo existed.”
“I showed them.”
“And they paid.”
“Yes.”
“And we saved animals.”
Anna looked at her.
“You needed them to look broken.”
Elisa’s jaw tightened.
Anna repeated:
“You needed them to stay broken long enough to raise money.”
Elisa stared at her.
Then said:
“You would rather see them dead?”
Anna whispered:
“No.”
“Then don’t judge how I keep this place open.”
That was Elisa’s final defence.
She never changed it.
