Silent Flyght – Chapter 4

Decadent — that’s what my brother would call this afterparty. He would sneer at the dark decor and the waitstaff all in black. He would find the silver chandelier and the mirrors on the walls gauche. I can imagine him laughing at me consuming high-priced Sonoma champagne and Laguna caviar. Of course, if this were his party, he would outdo me on every level. The party would be bigger, with more people, and more expensive, for sure. Only the best for him, but certainly, not for me.

“Vivian,” Jinzo says, startling me out of my head. He smiles at me, an aggressive smile, prompting me to school my face. Was I scowling? Probably.

I inhale through my nose and invent a smile out of nothing.

“Credit for your thoughts?” he asks, leaning closer. His smart suit is dashing, and his hair is now curling over his forehead in a swoop I’m envious of. Jinzo has amazing hair for someone who had to shave his head for his job.

“I’m afraid it’s going to cost a lot more than a credit for these thoughts.” I sip my champagne and stare down the length of the table. Maybe he’ll leave the subject be.

Nope.

“Thinking of our uninvited guest?”

I sniff a laugh. “Who else? And the protest we witnessed today. The contract signing. The next man I’ll meet. Growing old with you guys. The farm. The bank…”

A million worries are flowing through my head at every moment. I wish I had more peace in my brain. I could use the break.

Jinzo’s hand rests over mine. “Any chance you can give it a rest for the evening?” He lifts my hand to his lips, and my heart squeezes. “It’s so nice to see you dressed up and looking amazing.”

He rubs my hand between both of his, and his eyes consume me. I have never known Jinzo to be misleading, so his statement makes me reevaluate myself. Me looking amazing? Maybe I’m not so much the ugly duckling of the family anymore. Perhaps, despite the ridiculous amount of stress in my life, I’ve managed to flourish as a woman. I tear my gaze from Jinzo and direct it at the mirror along the adjacent wall. My face has thinned out, but it’s brought out my cheekbones, and my neck has become slender. With all the work Marcelo has put into my appearance, I look almost pretty. Or maybe handsome is a better word.

I can be handsome and be okay with that.

My hair is falling out, though. I have to do something about that.

“I can try.”

Jinzo leans forward and kisses me on the neck. “I’m going to go mingle.”

I take a break from socializing to let my brain chew over our current predicaments. I’m sure that’s not what Jinzo wants, but that’s what happens when I’m left to my own devices.

First up, Mom and Dad. I have Tomu back on the shuttle, and I’m not sure if I should tell our parents. Just down the table, they laugh at a joke Ken’s dad tells them, and their smiles bring me up short. When Tomu stole everything from us, I worried they would never be happy again. The future looked bleak and cold for my parents, stripped of their comforts, their home, and their retirement. But now, they almost seem happy again. There’s still the film of sadness about them that will never go away, but they seem to have come to grips with their fate. They’re doing a lot better than I am.

Should I destroy all of their peace with the knowledge that their son is an awful, lying, sack of shit? They know what he did, but if they knew why… If they knew how much he hates women and did everything just because he hates me and wanted to see me fail, that would crush them.

His reasons for ruining everything are so selfish, so perverse, I think Mom, especially, would be disturbed enough to fall into a depression and never resurface.

No, I shouldn’t tell them. I sit up a little straighter in my chair. I won’t do that to them. I’ll pretend like we never found him. They’ll believe he’s gone or dead, and they’ll never have to think otherwise. I will not ruin this peace they’ve found.

Jinzo has settled down the table with Asteria, his mother, and father, so I’ll leave them be. My cousins are chatting with Ken’s brother. But there’s an open seat next to Gus and Marcelo.

I thank the waiter who comes by and fills up my glass of champagne before I make my way over and sit with the two of them.

“Hello, you two. What are you up to over here?”

Gus beams at me, and I want to tell him to stop, that I don’t deserve this kind of attention. But I promised myself I would stop self-sabotaging. I promised myself I would be better. I smile back at him and lean in to give him a kiss. Nothing too risque. This is a public place. Gus takes my hand and meets my lips quickly, but judging by the force of his grip on my fingers, he’s excited and happy.

“Marcelo is giving me tips on managing network outreach.”

“You don’t say.” I lean back in my seat and assess the two of them. Marcelo had said this was something Gus could do if I added him to my network, but I’m surprised it’s something Gus wants to do.

“Yeah. Don’t get me wrong. I’m going to continue with my career in medicine and focus on pediatrics so I can take care of all our children…”

I have to catch my breath. He’s already thinking of the long term for us, just like Jinzo and Ken. Jinzo was right. This initial two-year contract will be nothing in the grand scheme of things.

If I can get back the farm.

If I can get us out of this mess.

So many ifs.

“But I think it’s important that you have someone who can interface with other networks.” I nod and squeeze his hand to keep him talking. “When I worked at the hospital, I was told I did a good job of interfacing with doctors and administrative staff while still having a kind, bedside manner.”

“All the things I think are important,” Marcelo interrupts, “for an outreach position. I’ve been telling Gus about what the role entails, and he’s more than qualified.”

I wasn’t expecting anything to happen this fast. We only signed the contracts a few hours ago, and we’ve been eating and drinking ever since. I figured most of us would be hungover for a few days, and then the real planning would begin. Well, except for me. I’m drinking this last glass of champagne, and then I’m done. I have work to do tomorrow.

“Marcelo has already given me a task.”

I raise my eyebrows. “What’s that?”

“I’m helping him plan our trip to Sonoma in a few days. He’s told me all about your next contact.”

I turn my smile on Marcelo. Gus knows all about this new guy, and I do not. Marcelo’s eyes dance with an unrealized smile.

“And that’s fine with you? Being involved with the next suitor?” I lean forward so I can see Gus’s reaction.

“Of course, Vivi. I want to be a part of a network. And I want to see you happy and back on your farm. I can’t contribute money to the cause, so this is the least I can do.”

If he feels bitter at all about his position in life, I can’t hear it in his voice. He acts as if this is his purpose, what he was meant to do.

“I just want you to be happy, Gus. So if you’re okay with everything, then I am, too.”

Marcelo looks ready to dismiss himself and give us some private time when Gus turns to him.

“Shall we brief Vivian on Suitor Number Four?”

Marcelo opens his mouth to respond, but I hold up my hand.

“You know what, gentlemen? Don’t tell me anything.”

Gus tilts his head to the side.

“I trust you both. So, surprise me.”

“Really?” Marcelo asks. I’ve asked him to surprise me, but he looks the most surprised.

“Really. For once, I want to know nothing.” The rock that’s been sitting on my chest for the last few weeks loses a few kilos. “I don’t want to know his name or where he’s from or what his hobbies are or…” I throw my hands up. “Fucking anything.”

“Vivian.” Gus’s voice edges on annoyance. “We have an entire brief set up for you. This is not something you should go into blind.”

I shrug, the bubbles of the champagne lifting even more of the weight off my mind. “I’m not blind. And it used to be that relationships were random, a chance meeting, or a glance across the room. Why not let me figure him out on my own?”

Marcelo does a terrible job hiding his smile. I raise my finger to him.

“Just as long as you’ve given him the stamp of approval and he’s not some serial killer, I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

“As you wish, Ms. Vivian.”

“Excuse me. Are you Vivian Kawabata?”

I jump at the low voice and its intrusion on my private conversation with Marcelo. Turning my head, I have to look up at the tall man hovering over me. Something about him feels off, cold and distant. He wears a collared shirt under a long coat, dark pants, and boots that look like they’ve seen wars.

I swallow, wondering if I should say yes.

His lips twitch. I don’t have to answer the question because he knows exactly who I am.

“Gabriel Almas requests the pleasure of your company tomorrow at noon.” He pulls a business card from his coat pocket and hands it to me between two fingers. Rude.

“Who?”

I edge back as Gus and Marcelo stand up to meet the guy eye to eye. He doesn’t budge.

“You’ll find the address right there on the card.”

I laugh as I set the card on the table. “I’m busy tomorrow.”

“Yes, you are. Busy meeting with Mr. Almas.”

“Fuck off.” The words flow right off my lips. I’m tired of outsiders deciding what I do and when I do it. Who the fuck is this guy, and why does he think he can order me around for his boss?

More people at the table have caught on to the disturbance. Ken has moved forward, along with his father and my father.

“You are intruding on a private party. You will leave,” Gus demands, stepping in front of the guy. The guy makes eye contact with Gus, his gaze curious, like Gus is some strange animal he’s never seen before.

“I don’t take orders from whipped men,” the man says to Gus. Gus’s hands clench into fists. The man directs his words back to me. “You will come.”

He turns and strides off through the crowd of the restaurant, turning heads as he sweeps the door open.

“What the fuck was that?” Skylar asks, hustling around the table. Her slinky silver dress swooshes about her knees.

I pick up the business card and touch the corner to activate it. The display shows Gabriel Almas at an address to the north of Sakata City, in the hills, high-rent district. CEO of Viper, a major technology manufacturer.

Wait. I know this guy. I tap the business card against my wristlet, ignoring the murmuring around me as everyone wonders what happened, and the restaurant staff hustle over to apologize.

His bio pops up when I search the duonet. Gabriel Almas is not just famous for his burgeoning technology empire, but also for losing a landmark land dispute case in a military court. His mother did not have female offspring to hand the land down to. So she left the family house and land to Gabriel’s future wife or relationship network leader. He was adamantly single, so the court had ruled to sell the estate to another female. Gabriel had argued that land rights should pass to descendants regardless of gender. There was no reason to take the estate from him if he was going to have daughters of his own. The court disagreed with him. To keep the land, he married a woman with no relationship network of her own.

I recognize her name, Lena Almas. Lena, Lena, Lena… Yeah, she was on the same society circuit as Alipha. I think they were on a swim team together as kids? Hmmmm. It’s interesting she changed her name to Almas. Usually, women keep the family name. I try to dig up a little more on her, but it seems she stays in her house every day, all day. The gossip mill theorizes that Gabriel only used her to keep the land that’s in her name now.

I swipe through recent stories about him, and one headline was posted only a few hours ago. It shows him standing at the front of the protest crowd, giving a speech through a bullhorn.

Well, shit. Gabriel Almas is also the head of the Reformers.