Silent Flyght – Chapter 15

The closest town to Casa Aravena is San Miguel, a bright and cheerfully posh place. Everyone here sports sunglasses and designer dresses. They laugh at inside jokes as they recline in their chairs at outdoor restaurants. Wine bottles pop, and glasses clink. Honestly, it all looks too fake to be real, but this is the life most of these people lead. They’re all wealthy. Either they have vast relationship networks that carry the burdens of this kind of lifestyle, or they invested in the right businesses at the right time. Sonomans are well known for being the best of the best.

I don’t fit in here.

But on the surface, I can get away without fitting in for an afternoon meeting with a man like Gabriel Almas.

A man like Gabriel Almas, who has hidden other women from his wife. Marcelo dug up quite a lot of dirt on him, and I’m determined to use it to get what I want from this meeting. Besides the philandering, he’s also running a dozen businesses under pseudonyms, gambling at the casinos, and having dinner with mobsters regularly.

And then his ‘other life’ is a leader of the Reformers. Marcelo determined that he’s not at the very top of that illicit organization, but instead, shares the power with several other men across the Duo Systems. It’s pretty smart. There’s not one person who can be eliminated and considered a martyr. They’ve fractured the movement enough to make it live on its own.

It’s smart enough for even me to admire, though I hate the whole lot of it.

Marcelo and I stroll up to the host at the chic restaurant boasting fresh salads, artisanal soups, and handmade local breads. Okay by me. I love all food and don’t discriminate. We give our names, and the host nods and brings us to a corner table near floor-to-ceiling windows at the back of the restaurant. San Miguel sits on a hill overlooking vineyards in every direction, and our table gives us an expansive view of everything Sonoma offers.

“Welcome to San Miguel,” Gabriel Almas says, standing up at the table. “My home away from home. Call me surprised when I found out you were here.”

A woman sits next to him, her eyes distant as she stares out the window. Her hair frames her face in choppy layers, and she wears a brown baggy shirt like it’s a potato sack over black pants. Everything about her is average — average nose, average brown eyes, and an average pout of a mouth.

“I go where I want to go. Aren’t you going to introduce me to your wife?”

His head draws back, annoyed that I’ve jumped ahead in this conversation. “Uh, yes. This is Lena.”

Lena tears her eyes from the scene outside and looks up at me. Her eyes widen, and her head tilts as we assess each other. When she snaps out of her head, she sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose.

“Really?” she asks Gabriel.

“Hi, Lena. I’m Vivian.” I hold out my hand to her, and she stares at me. The strength of her glare is enough to drain my confidence right on the spot. Gabriel’s jaw is already tight.

My bet? When people show up to meet Gabriel and do business with him, they don’t pay her any attention, if she’s there at all. He only brought her here today because he knows I value her more than I value him.

She extends her hand to meet mine, and her handshake is weak, almost nonexistent.

“It’s nice to meet you,” I say, being careful not to crush her hand. “Well, I would be rude not to introduce my confidant and matchmaker, Marcelo Silva.”

Marcelo nods to them both before pulling out my chair for me at the table. I sit across from Lena, ignoring the pointed stare from Gabriel.

“If this is your home away from home, you must spend a lot of time here, Lena.” I smile at her as I place my napkin in my lap and take the menu from the waiter. “A paper menu? How quaint.” But then most of the wood and paper available in the Duo Systems comes from Sonoma. They’re known for their foresting initiatives. It’s how Mat has barrels for his wine.

She turns her eyes to the window again. “This is my first time on Sonoma,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper. “It’s a pity I had to come here for this.”

“Darling,” Gabriel warns, covering up his tone of voice with a smile, “no need to bore Ms. Kawabata with small talk.” He turns to me. “She doesn’t like to travel, but I know how important it is for you to meet her and understand her.”

I blink my eyes at him. “Why would I need to do that?”

He continues to look over his menu. “For when you agree to marry me.”

Marcelo rolls his eyes. “You told me what happened, and I didn’t believe it.”

I sigh. “I know. It’s ridiculous.”

“Why is it ridiculous?” Lena asks. Gabriel holds still.

Her stare has gone from bored to piercing.

“I’m not going to marry your husband. I’ve already told him no, and he refuses to listen to me.”

She turns to Gabriel. “Gabe, you said she was open to the idea.”

Both Marcelo and I turn to him. Whatever could his response be? And what the hell is going on?

“Lena…”

“No. You did not drag me all the way here for some woman to say no to you.”

I set the menu down, knowing I won’t be ordering anything.

Once again, I have underestimated the situation. I never expected his wife to know or care what was going on. Every news story I read about her stated she was quiet, homely, and married Gabriel because he took over everything. She wanted nothing to do with his life, just his property and money.

That appears to have been a smokescreen to keep people away from them.

She points at me. “You will listen to my husband and follow through on his offer. Nothing you could gain in your life could be greater than your service to the Almas family.”

“Vivian,” Marcelo murmurs, but I hold up my hand.

“No. I’m interested in hearing more. Please. Go on.”

Usually, I wouldn’t let anyone talk to me the way she is, but lately, people have been showing their true colors as soon as they start ordering me around.

“The Almas family, my family, has plenty to offer. We’ll give you back the money your brother stole from you, in exchange for a marriage contract and a guarantee of goods from Kawabata Holdings when you get it up and running.”

I’m shocked into silence. What did I just say about people manipulating me? It was not even ten minutes ago that I was lamenting how this keeps happening to me!

These people are nuts if they think they’re going to manipulate me too.

I’d rather be celibate for the rest of my life than marry this guy.

“I spoke with your brother when he was a part of our arrangement.” She looks to the side at Gabriel. “He told me of everything you grow and make on your farm. It’s beneficial to us to have you run the company and funnel goods to us. I think it’s the best offer you’ll ever get.”

I clench my fist under the table. Everyone wants a piece of me and my business. “Then maybe you should have told my brother not to mortgage us into oblivion?”

She snorts a dry laugh. “Why would I do a thing like that? This is a much more advantageous situation. Now, we hold your future in our hands. You can either do it our way and get your farm back, or we can buy it out from under you and get your farm that way.”

Of all the nerve… Why is everyone determined to screw me over? Why?

I always knew there would be other people besides Renata and India Dellis willing to buy my farm. And now they’re coming out of the woodwork.

Marcelo’s stare is grim. Like he can’t believe this is happening right in front of him.

“What could you possibly want with my farm?” I ask, repressing the desire to get up and run from the restaurant. I’m struggling to stay afloat here. I’m drowning in a bottomless ocean of doubts, and every time I surface, someone pushes me back down again.

How can this be happening?

I’ve been working so hard the last few weeks, stretching myself and my plans to the very limit. Where did these people come from? Out of nowhere, I can tell you that much.

“The end is coming,” Gabriel says, setting down his menu and signaling for the waitstaff. “The military is scrambling. There’s unrest in the ranks, and the admiralty spends every day avoiding mutiny. Athens Industries has a stranglehold on the Duo Systems. And there’s some unknown threat we’re hearing rumors about.”

When the waiter arrives at the table, Gabriel and Lena order, but I refuse. “I’m not staying.” I wave the man off and push out my chair, ready to leave.

“The relationship network system is collapsing, Vivian,” Lena says, sitting forward. Though she’s taken control of this meeting, her eyes are still sad and distant, and her demeanor hasn’t budged. It’s almost as if she’s resigned to her fate. She’s not controlling anything; her future is controlling her. “You can be on the right side of the collapse. Your farm could feed and shelter our people when the government fails. That’s what we need you for.”

Our people? I’m not sure I want to know their people.

I lick my lips. “This is why Gabriel keeps women on every planet he travels to. He has his own harem.” The information Marcelo had for me, that I thought I could use to keep Gabriel away from me, is all for naught.

Gabriel spreads his hands wide. “Hope for the best. Plan for the worst. I have all the resources I need to survive the oncoming storm.”

He stresses ‘I’ and Lena closes her eyes for just a moment, enough for me to sense she’s unhappy with Gabriel and his selfishness.

Because that’s what this is. This is a selfish man who is helping along the end of our civilization, and he’s using everyone and everything to survive.

“Well, you won’t be surviving it on our farm, I can tell you that much.” I stand up, and Marcelo stands with me.

He leans into my ear. “Maybe we should discuss this before —”

“No.” I pull away from Marcelo and puff an exasperated breath through my nose. “Just no.” I look at both Gabriel and Lena and sweep my hand out. “Fuck you both. Go back to whatever hole you crawled out of. I am not talking to you ever again.”

I turn to go, but Gabriel calls after me. “You will talk to us again! I know more about you than you care to admit!”

Heads turn as we blaze a path through the restaurant and out the front door.

“Vivian,” Marcelo calls out, but I swipe my hand behind me. Back off for a moment, Marcelo.

I need to think.

Think. Goddamn it, Vivian. Think!

Every time I believe I have a handle on this madness, something comes along to bite me in the ass. I slay one dragon, only for another to spring from its ashes and charge at me again. And I’m tired. I cannot lift the sword anymore. My shoulders ache, and my arms are concrete blocks.

I round a corner to a deserted alley, stop, and press my forehead to the cool brick wall.

Marcelo’s footsteps pound up the pavement behind me. I try to slow my breathing before he sees me, but I keep my eyes closed because I’m raging mad, so angry my face is burning. Marcelo comes to an abrupt halt, and he waits.

“Fuck!” I let the wall take the brunt of my scream. “I’m so sick of people taking advantage of me!” I slap the bricks hard with my open hand. Once, twice, again and again. With labored breaths, I keep going until my hand is numb.

“Ms. Vivian, please.” Finally, Marcelo approaches me. He takes my hand in his and blots at my palm with a handkerchief that comes away crimson with blood.

“I’m so fucked. Tomu is the gift that keeps on giving. I cannot escape this vortex of shit he’s gotten me into. It’s like a black hole of doom.”

He presses on my hand to stop the bleeding, but his eyes are very far off. I wonder if he’s going to quit on me. I wouldn’t blame him if he did.

“You have to get rid of him,” he says, bringing his eyes back to me. “We have to eliminate one stressor in this situation, just one, and it’s Tomu. Remember our conversation in the car. You are worthy of the life of your choosing.”

My eyes fill with tears as my rage ebbs away.

“You’re right. He’s gotta go.” I nod and let the tears spill over my cheeks.

“And it’s time to play hardball with these people. Time to be unpredictable.” He tugs on my arm gently. “Do you hear me, Ms. Vivian? There’s no more staying ahead of them by a step or two. We have to call in favors and be gone, invisible, until the auction.”

I’ve rarely ever seen Marcelo anything more than calm, cool, and collected, but now he simmers with anger.

“We add Mr. Aravena to your network, we get rid of Tomu, and we get your farm back before anything else can happen.”

It’s a plan that’s too good to be true. Can I even execute something so deceptively simple?

Right now, I seriously doubt it.