The Love Of Money - S02 E201

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The Love Of Money - S02 E201

Read Story: SEASON 2 EPISODE 201

Sachiko’s dark eyes flashed up to me. “I’ll need better proof than this. It could be recorded footage.”

“Yeah,” I sighed, turning the phone so I could see it. Ryo was currently tied to a chair. He looked tired, but other than that, relatively well cared-for.

“What do you want as proof?” I asked her.

“Can he hold up today’s newspaper?” Sachiko asked.

It was my turn to arch an eyebrow at her. “What is this? Nineteen eighty-three? Who gets newspapers? Just ask them to do something. Like this…”

I turned the screen back toward her. “Hey. Whoever this is, can you punch Ryo in the face?”

Sachiko’s lips tightened as she watched the screen. Judging by the muffled groan coming from the phone and the dull thud of someone hitting flesh, I assumed she’d just seen her brother get cold-cocked.

Helen flashed me a warning look. Sachiko may not have been her father, but the last thing I needed to do was piss off his daughter by flexing too hard; she was the closest thing I had to an ally in that family.

I sighed and looked back at Sachiko. “Good enough? Need more proof that this is live? If you do, you might want to ask him to do something else. If I ask, it’ll probably involve pulling teeth.”

“No,” Sachiko said. “This is fine.”

I nodded and said into the phone, “Thanks. That’s it.”

Hanging up, I placed my phone back on the table. “Now that you know your brother is alive, can we talk?”

“You should know,” Sachiko said, “that my father’s old offer is no longer valid.

“I thought as much,” I said, trying to sound like I didn’t care.

“And you’re willing to part with more?”

“For this war to be over so you’ll leave me the fuck alone?” I asked. “Of course.”

Sachiko nodded once. “Good. My father will want an additional five percent of the company, as well as all the other items he’s already requested. Ryo and Carla would also be returned.”

She continued, “And once the dust has settled, we would like to discuss a future relationship between our organizations.”

And there it was.

Not only were they asking me to hand over a massive chunk of my company and practically sign the death warrant of someone who didn’t deserve to die… now they wanted ongoing tribute. The kind conquerors extract from their victims.

I glanced at Helen. Her wary look said it all… that she’d been right. Hiro Tanaka would bleed me dry.

Unless, of course, I gave him something that would make him consider backing off permanently.

“I have a counteroffer,” I said.

Sachiko’s gaze hardened. “I can’t accept any other offers without consulting my father.”

“By all means,” I said. “Take it to him. I think he’ll want to hear this one.”

“…What is it?”

I looked from Erin to Helen, then back to Sachiko. “I want your father to cease all hostilities immediately. No more industrial sabotage. No more economic warfare. He doesn’t breathe in my direction. It ends. All of it.”

“I get the picture.” A hint of impatience dripped off Sachiko’s words.

“Ryo stays under my protection for six more months after the deal, and he stops pursuing Carla entirely. He divorces her. She gets nothing.”

Sachiko shook her head slowly. “Whatever you’re about to offer won’t—”

“In exchange,” I cut in, “I’ll gift Carla’s and Rajesh’s shares of VistaVision. And I’ll sell him all of my shares for a fraction of their value.”

Gasps erupted from Helen and Erin. I didn’t have to look to feel their shock, their disapproval, or the sting of being blindsided by such a drastic move.

But Sachiko’s reaction… I savored that. The dismissiveness was gone. She looked at me like she wasn’t sure what planet I’d come from.

“When you say a fraction,” she asked quietly, “what do you mean?”

“The fact that I’m willing to sell at all is a miracle. Your father can afford it. If I offered half its value, he’d be a fool not to jump. We can negotiate the number later. He just needs to know the offer exists.”

“VistaVision is one of the most lucrative, culturally relevant companies in the world,” Sachiko said. “By selling it, you lose billions in revenue. By selling at half price, you lose billions more. This is your grandfather’s legacy. Why give that up?”

“Three reasons.”

I lifted a finger.

“First—I can’t hand him Carla. He’d kill her, and I’m not carrying that on my conscience.

“Second: I want nothing to do with the Tanakas. No partnership. No tribute. No future. Whatever deal we make, it includes some kind of poison pill, or something, that prevents our entities from having anything to do with each other ever again.”

I paused long enough for her to feel the weight of it.

Helen’s hand brushed my shoulder. “Marcus—”

Sachiko ignored her. “And the third?”

“Even without VistaVision, I’m not broke. Maybe I won’t be the richest man in the world, but I’ll still be wealthier than I ever dreamed.

My grandfather built one of the biggest, blood-soaked, skeleton-stuffed economic empires on the planet, and it’s been used against me since the day I inherited it. I want to start fresh. This feels like a good first step.”

Sachiko stared at me, unreadable.

Helen tried again. “Marcus, maybe we should talk about—”

“You didn’t consult your lawyers before making this offer?” Sachiko cut in.

I glanced at Helen. “It wouldn’t have mattered. If we reach an agreement, this is happening.”

Placing my elbows on the table, I met Sachiko’s gaze and leaned forward. “Everyone else will just have to get on board.”

Sachiko studied me for so long that it started to knot my stomach even more. I needed this. I needed it over.

So I threw her off.

“And once this is all over, and the dust settles,” I said, using her own phrasing, “maybe we can grab dinner. As long as it’s not sushi.”

She blinked, a tiny, stifled smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. I only hoped that it was amusement and not scorn; my pride was already hanging by a thread.

However, she let the invitation pass without comment. “I’ll take the offer to my father.”

“I’d appreciate it.”

“You do realize this is quite possibly a historically bad business move.” She tilted her head. “It could become your new legacy.”

“You trying to talk me out of it?”

Sachiko shook her head, almost rueful. “I just believe people should understand what they’re getting into.”

“Honorable,” I said, “but some things matter more than a pile of money.”

“Says the man with all the money.”

“Say that again after our deal.”

She smiled for real this time, small, but it felt genuine. “Perhaps I’ll have to buy you dinner.”

Now I was thrown off. Was she flirting with me?

“I’ll hold you to it.”

She rose. “Once again, I’m sorry we met under such unfortunate circumstances, Mr. Upton.”

“I am too, Miss Tanaka. I feel like, in other circumstances, we would’ve gotten along pretty well.”

She gave me a slight bow—a remnant from her origins. “Thank you. I’ll be in touch.”

Nodding to Helen and Erin, she then vanished into the crowd.

The moment she was out of earshot, Erin leaned forward. “Marcus, what the—”

I shushed her. My eyes were still on the direction Sachiko had disappeared.

Then I rose from my seat. “Walk with me.”

Chairs scraped across concrete. I grabbed my half-finished coffee and led the women away.

We’d barely made it ten steps when Chloe fell into stride beside me. She checked over her shoulder. “They’re gone.”

Helen looked between Chloe and me. “Care to explain yourself?”

“You’re selling the entire thing?” Erin hissed, voice low and incredulous.

My hands sank into my pockets, already heavy with self-loathing, but with an undercurrent of satisfaction. Even if this entire thing turned out to be the dumbest move in history, it was kind of nice to have the ladies, who were so much smarter than I, flat-footed for once.

“Marcus…” Erin’s voice cracked with alarm. “This is insane. You can’t give that man majority control of one of the most powerful companies in the world.”

“Well,” I said, “I am. And you’re going to help me.”

“Marcus,” Helen warned, “we need to talk about this.”

“We will.”

On cue, a black Suburban rolled to the curb. The door opened, and Henry Psalter stepped out. “Mr. Upton?”

I turned to Erin and Helen. “I need you to go with Psalter.”

Helen looked so alarmed that I thought she might refuse.

“Helen,” I said softly, tilting her chin up. My thumb stroked along her jaw. “I’m trying to do something here, and I need you with me. I’m not just making a desperate decision.”

At least… I hoped I wasn’t.

But if I were going to turn a potentially dangerous idea into something actionable that had any prayer of working… I needed her with me. I needed a team of competent people to bring my hair-brained idea to reality.

“Do as I say.” My tone was soft, but it was unmistakably a command.

Her ice-blue eyes flicked from me to Psalter. Her lip caught between her teeth.

“Yes, sir,” she finally said.

“Good girl,” I murmured.

A faint smile flickered across her lips, and then she climbed into the Suburban.

“Marcus?” Erin said. Hurt and annoyance warred across her face.

“Erin… I’m going to need you so much on this.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me what you were doing?”

“Because I needed her to think I was acting rashly—that I felt too trapped to think through things properly, so I needed you guys to look genuinely shocked.”

“But you’re not consulting anyone.”

“I am,” I said. “I have an appointment I can’t miss a couple of blocks away, and then Chloe will bring me to where Psalter is taking you. Then we can discuss it, and all of you can walk me through how we’re going to make this happen.”

“You don’t have a plan for whatever you’re doing!?”

“No. I have an idea, and you’re going to hate it, but this is what we’re doing.”

“Marcus…”

“Please, Erin,” I said. “Just go. I’ll be there soon.”

She gave me a long, lingering look of disapproval, and then she got into the Suburban without saying another word.”

Psalter gave me a nod. “See you in two hours?”

“Save me a seat,” I said.

He climbed in after Erin and the Suburban took off.

Chloe and I watched it disappear into the traffic.

“So, what’s this plan?” Chloe asked, her amber eyes scanning the surroundings.

“Kill Hiro Tanaka,” I said.

Chloe glanced at me, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

“My way,” I clarified.

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To Be Continued...