High Flyght – Chapter 5

It’s one of those moments where you can see your future shifting, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

“Think about it while you eat,” Alipha urges me from across the table.

And I do. I slice into the lamb, and I remember the family farm, the animals we raised for ourselves, both as pets and as meat. We had a prospering business as grain and vegetable farmers and supplied most of the planets in the Duo Systems. And for a long time, my family took that for granted.

We were weak and unsuspecting. We were far too trusting. And we let a greedy man take everything from us.

Anger boils in my gut, and it reminds me of why I’m here. I’m here to get the family legacy back intact. At all costs. Ken’s arrival sucked away the rage, rage that has been fueling me for the last few weeks. I tried to resurrect the old Vivian, the complacent one, the one I felt he was more in love with.

That’s not who I am anymore.

Malina finishes her meal and rises from the table.

“Can everyone please give us the room? We have business to discuss.”

If anyone is offended by being kicked out, they don’t show it. Malina’s network is full of classy adults. The woman next to Ken offers to host everyone at the bar for drinks and desserts, and she’s sure to smile at Malina before ushering everyone out. Having an extra wife looks fantastic from the sidelines.

Jinzo, Ken, and Marcelo all make eye contact before walking out, and I lift my chin to show them I can handle this.

Business is something I’m good at. I suck at so many things, like making friends or wooing men or keeping my temper in check.

But I can wheel and deal.

Alipha stands up and shoos the waitstaff out of the room, picks up a bottle of wine from the table, and fills our glasses.

“Vivian, we know you want your farm back, and we have a good idea that it’s going to take a lot of money to buy the mortgage.”

I huff a laugh, and both women raise their eyebrows. I sip my wine and sit back in the chair.

“You won’t believe how much. And it’s a pittance compared to what we used to make. Tomu sold us out for so little, and yet it’s such a large amount if you have no income.”

Both women wait, and I decide to be honest.

“Five million credits.” The total is actually down to three-point-three million credits now but telling everyone five million is a lot easier.

Alipha groans and drops her head.

Malina laughs. “Tomu’s your brother, right? How in the hell did he manage to do that? Your land and business are worth far more than that!”

I sit in silence.

“It’s true that your brother stole the money and ran, right?” Malina asks. I nod. “Okay. For a moment there, I wasn’t sure if the OEN segment was correct or not.”

I sigh. “The OEN segment was, unfortunately, completely true. My brother took the money and ran. Left me and my parents penniless and homeless. Really, the land and the business are worth a hundred times what he got, but I think he needed money quickly and this was what he could finagle. My aunts and my father’s family have kept us on our feet. And since I have no friends to speak of, I had to accelerate the acquisition of a relationship network. As you can see, that’s proceeding at a slow pace with very little to show for it.”

Oops. The wine made me too open. I clear my throat.

“Lee Shipyards is a catch, Vivian. I’ve dealt with Hera Lee before. She’s going to love you.” Malina’s cool confidence is buoying, but I hold on to my hope and clutch it to my chest. “You’ll need to deal with Cressida, obviously. And if you can find out what’s troubling Ken Mata, you’ll have a fine match there.”

I’m not the only one who can tell Ken is not totally with me.

My scalp crawls as I come to my senses, and the room snaps into clear focus. I am in a swanky restaurant, divulging my secrets to two women who would’ve found me detestable a year ago. This is not something I should be doing. I should be circling my wagons and staying out of sight until the lawyer I hired on Rio can get back to me. Really, that’s my only viable strategy now. Sell the seeds, buy the farm and business, and return to real life.

I don’t like what’s happening at this table. Alipha and Malina are not my friends. Sure, they’re being kind to me now, but they would never back me up in public. They would never admit to anyone that they were here with me. I doubt their sincerity.

But I’m going to keep that to myself.

“You said you wanted to talk business.” I shift the subject back to the beginning, and Alipha squirms in her seat. “I’d love to hear what you have to propose,” I say, softening my tone.

If Malina is put off, she doesn’t show it.

“We do have a proposal. You need five million credits, and we need you back in business. We can each give you three hundred thousand credits for a total of six hundred thousand credits.”

I hold my face in check.

“Then, once you get the family farm back, you return the initial investment of three hundred thousand each plus five percent of profits for five years.”

“Not each. Total,” I say, not blinking.

I do the math in my head. Kawabata Holdings’ annual revenue was about ten million credits. Once shipping fees, salaries, property overhead, and expenses were dealt with, the family made almost one million credits each year. Spread out between the four of us in the family, with my parents banking the majority, it wasn’t a lot of money. The only advantages we had were that we lived on the farm and our extended family profited because they were involved in shipping. My mom saved every credit, so I could go to school, and my brother could live a comfortable life.

So assuming I would still make one million in profit each year, this means they would each earn a total of four hundred and twenty-five thousand credits.

“You’re willing to give me three hundred thousand credits for a forty percent profit? Why?”

Suspicion knocks at the back of my head, comes in, and sits down for a spell.

Alipha leans forward. “We stand to lose a whole lot more than that.”

“The market is in distress,” Malina says, and her voice is deep with emotion. “Without Kawabata Holdings in the mix, our customers are looking to the new farms on Rio and exports from Sonoma and Palo Alto. They’re threatening to take all their business to the Californikos System because paying shipping fees from two systems is costly.”

I bob my head while I swirl the wine in my glass on the table. If only my family had invested in something more lucrative like wine or liquor, maybe my brother would’ve been entertained and happy, less likely to betray us.

I’m going to kill him for putting me in this position.

“I understand. What about our other competitors on Ossun? I know you’re my two biggest here on the Eastern Continent.”

Shifting my weight, I wince at the acute ache in my leg. Alcohol has numbed most of the pain, but I can tell it’s worse than it was this morning.

“Well…” Alipha draws out the word. That’s not good. “There is Patras Agriculture.”

Of course, there is. Renata Dellis, of the Ossun Dellis family, runs Athens Industries. Her sister, India Dellis, runs the homestead, Patras Agriculture. But here’s the thing with Patras, it’s a small holding. Smaller than Kawabata by about fifty percent. This was the reason the Dellis family started Athens Industries about eighty years ago. Their ambition was bigger than a tiny farm on Ossun, and without the ability to buy out other farms that have been locked in for centuries, they could grow no larger.

I hardly ever thought about them. Patras were never on my radar.

But now the Dellis family has a lot to gain from me. Between the seeds and my farm, they could own everything. A knot forms in my throat. I know where this is going. It’s going to come down to a choice, and the Dellis’s will hold every advantage.

These two ladies are my only hope.

I push away from the table and stand up. “I will accept your offer, and I thank you both for coming to me with this. It was… very generous of you, especially since we barely know each other.”

Malina looks sideways at Alipha for a moment, and Alipha drops her eyes.

“Let’s all join the rest out at the bar for a drink and dessert.” Malina stands up to join me. “I’m sure we’ll all become fast friends in no time.”

I’m sure that’s the biggest lie I’ve ever heard.

Alipha rounds the table and joins us at the glass double doors. Only a few meters away, the bar is hopping with everybody drinking and talking, but Ken and Jinzo draw my attention. They’re deep in conversation and ignoring everyone else. Jinzo is gesturing with his hands, and Ken’s jaw is tight, his eyes dark. His frown deepens as he responds to something Jinzo says, sets his empty glass on the bar, turns and heads to the front of the restaurant.

“Oh fuck. What now?” I mumble, craning my head to watch Ken exit to the sidewalk, hail an autocab, get in, and speed away.

At the bar, Jinzo sighs, his shoulders drop, and he has words with Marcelo.

Embarrassment covers me from head to toe. Here are Alipha’s and Malina’s men and women chatting amiably and having a great time, and the two men I have are arguing and pissing each other off. I look at these successful women, and I cringe. I am so much less than they are.

Alipha opens her mouth to say something, but I charge forward through the doors and approach Jinzo and Marcelo.

“Business is complete, and I’m ready for bed. Would you both mind escorting me home?”

Marcelo takes the hint. “I’ll go get our coats.”

I skirt along the bar, saying goodbye to everyone, and I cover the bill for dessert despite Alipha’s protests. I’m going to exit this restaurant in an orderly and elegant fashion. I want these men and women to remember me fondly. It’s the least I can do for my reputation now.

Out on the sidewalk, I’m determined to hold it together until I can get in an autocab, but Jinzo starts up immediately.

“I’m sorry, Viv. I didn’t mean to spook him.”

I can’t open my mouth because I’ll cry.

“He was talking about how his parents can’t wait to see you again, and how he was planning to visit your parents tomorrow. I suggested that he bring a gift because your mom still seems to want to keep you two apart, and he lost it.”

I sigh and step away from the curb as an autocab pulls up.

“Fucking hell, Jin. Why did you say anything?”

His eyes widen. “I thought he knew.”

“He should have known,” Marcelo says, holding the car door open. “Did you tell him?”

“I… I,” I stammer to a halt. “I didn’t have time. He kicked me out of his room this afternoon.”

“Kicked you out?” Marcelo’s eyes widen too.

“I’m a complete and utter fucking failure, Marcelo. I can’t even hold on to the ones who want to be with me.”

I slip into the car, and the two men follow me in.

“What am I, then?” Jinzo asks.

“I don’t know yet,” I say with total honesty. “I’m waiting to see if you stick around. I won’t be surprised if you leave me and go back to Cressida. We’ll see how long it takes.”

Silence fills the car. I regret letting my lips fly, but between the alcohol, the events of the evening, and the pain in my leg, I am irritable as hell. I should lean on Jinzo for comfort, not push him away. Everyone leaves eventually, though, right? They only want me around to cry on my shoulder and then hurry off to get on with their lives without me.

Depressed Vivian is ready to climb into bed, pull the covers over her head, and sleep for a million years.

“I’m not going anywhere, and I’m not going back to Cressida.” Jinzo folds his arms over his chest. “I’m afraid you’re stuck with me.”

I could argue with him, but I won’t. He’s more stubborn than I am.

I lean my head against the window. “Find out where the hell Ken went, and I’ll deal with him.”

“He’s hiding something, Ms. Vivian. I don’t want to see you get hurt,” Marcelo says, looking at Jinzo. “We have to protect the network.”

“I know.” I shift my hips into the seat and sit up. “Something has always bugged my mom about him, and I’ve never known why. Even though she’s not running the show anymore, I have to assume there’s more here than I know about.”

I access my wristlet and Carlos’s homegrown interface, Estrela. No new messages from Ken.

“We’re going to take care of this.” I put strength back into my voice. “Ken wants to be here, with me, with us. And we need to get rid of whatever is standing in his way.”

For good.