The Love Of Money - S02 E159

Story 2 months ago

The Love Of Money - S02 E159

Read Story: SEASON 2 EPISODE 159

Erin caught my eye, and I glanced her way. Her eyes were wide, and the look on her face was easy to read. I could almost hear her voice in my mind: Go get it, king!

Or something like that.

I hazarded a quick glance over my shoulder to see if I could catch Chloe’s eye, but she was looking everywhere except at me—probably to avoid the smug look I was probably wearing.

“What would you like to know?” Sachiko asked.

I blinked, a little surprised that she wasn’t walking out on me when she didn’t get what she wanted.

“Well,” I said. “I guess you could tell me how you speak English so much better than the rest of your family.”

As our food came out, Sachiko launched into her background. She’d grown up in Japan, but was sent off to a few insanely overpriced boarding schools in Montreal, Syracuse, and Sacramento. That’s where she’d learned to speak English so well. As she got older, she’d gone on to study abroad in London, Copenhagen, and Zurich before finally returning to Japan to take her place tending the Tanaka household.

Her mother had died not long after she was born, which was why nurses and nannies had raised her until she was old enough to be sent away. By the time she returned home, it was to strangers. There were no warm, smiling faces. No friends to catch up with.

At least, that was my takeaway.

She didn’t give me the impression she was telling a tragedy.

As her story unfolded, there was no resentment toward her father. There were no notes of regret about her life—only simple acceptance. This was the way things were.

My attitude toward her privilege softened a little with each passing minute as I started to realize that this woman had undergone severe grooming—being molded and shaped into a tool to be used for the good of the family. As I listened, I saw no hints of a loving home or concern for her or her desires.

And yet, it was all told so matter-of-factly. It almost made the entire thing worse.

I found myself grateful for my mother and how she painstakingly worked to make sure I had the very best. She’d always encouraged me to pursue my interests and inspired curiosity in me. She was warm and affectionate—not… whatever Hiro had been to his kids.

No wonder Ryo was a fucking mess of a person.

And as I sat across from Sachiko, listening to her tale, I had to remind myself that she was probably just as messed up as her brother, in her own way.

Still… a few things became crystal clear.

One, she was a brilliant, capable woman who demonstrated considerable initiative by arranging to meet me behind her father’s back.

Two, she seemed a whole hell of a lot easier to deal with than Hiro or Ryo.

And three, she just wanted peace.

Ryo had blown up my helicopter, and Hiro had tried to use Rajesh to blackmail me.

Sachiko definitely seemed the preferable of the three, and ideas began percolating in the back of my mind.

As we continued to eat and exchange stories, I noticed Helen doing her thing—listening intently with her lawyer’s senses. She was looking for something… anything she could use against the Tanakas.

Erin seemed uncharacteristically quiet as she listened to us talk, while Sachiko’s mousy companion had not uttered a single word the entire time; I was starting to wonder if she was mute.

“So,” I said, turning my attention back to Sachiko, “Hiro married Carla while you were away. You find her annoying, and while you’re not particularly thrilled about her dying, you won’t lose any sleep over it. Does that about sum it up?”

Sachiko stopped eating, a piece of sushi hovering halfway to her mouth. “That’s about right. If he weren’t so determined, I would be happy for her to find a new life somewhere else. Unfortunately, bringing her back as well with Ryo would buy me a lot of credit with him and possibly get him to listen to me.”

“Credit, huh? Must mean a lot to you. What if he asked you to kill me?” It wasn’t an idle question. Sachiko was a broken woman, and I was testing just how far she would go to satisfy her father. It was one thing to hand Carla over to him so he could have her killed. It was another thing entirely to do the actual killing.

I only hoped this didn’t turn into another Astrid situation.

Sachiko shook her head. “That’s not in my skill set. He wouldn’t ask me to, and I wouldn’t do that. I’m here to provide comfort, handle any administrative duties my father has, and help our family to flourish. In my opinion, reasoning with you is the best approach. Our families have worked well together in the past. Perhaps we can even return to that one day.”

I watched her in silence as she ate another piece of sushi as if she didn’t have a care in the world. The ability to do that when so much hung around her neck was astounding.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“I can’t stop you,” she said.

“If Hiro passed, Ryo inherits everything, right?”

“Yes.” It was a measured response—one that told me nothing more than I needed to know. I couldn’t tell whether she was disappointed by that fact, disappointed… or relieved. 

“What if something happened to both of them?” I asked.

Suddenly, that stare felt much heavier… like an invisible weight on my chest.

“You don’t have any love for your brother,” I pointed out. “And I don’t think you really like your dad, either.”

She arched a single delicate eyebrow. “What are you suggesting?”

It was my turn to give her a look. “I think you know.”

“I won’t do that,” she said.

“Why not?”

“They’re my family.”

“No they aren’t,” I said. “They’re strangers you share blood with.”

She put her chopsticks down. “I think we’re done here.”

“Wait,” I said. “Seriously?”

“Seriously,” she said. “You won’t surrender my brother or Carla, and I won’t entertain this topic. We’re at an impasse, and I’m sorry I wasted your time.”

She stood up.

I did the same.