Page 80 of Worth Fighting For

Mushu peers over the menu, then ducks behind it again. “You’re right.”

“Just when I thought the day couldn’t get any worse.”

“Well, at least he hasn’t seen us.”

I nod, thanking my lucky stars that Ginger Flower keeps its lighting very, very dim. The place is only half full, and most patrons are speaking in low voices, unlike James, who seems to be the only person speaking at full volume. I roll my eyes at his obnoxious loudness. But then I catch more of his conversation and for the first time, I think that maybe there is some good to James’s loud voice after all.

“I think he’s…” My voice trails off as I peer over the menu, this time to look at the man sitting across from James. My mouth drops open. “No way.”

“What?” Mushu says.

“He’s having drinks with Richard Foreman.”

“Who?”

I sigh. “Mushu, I love you, but you are in the wrong industry.”

“Tell that to someone who cares. Who is it?”

“It’s our biggest rival? Remember? The guy who was so obsessed with my mom that he tried to destroy Facai Capital?”

Mushu’s mouth turns into a perfect circle. “Ooh, that guy. Yeah, I remember now. Why is James meeting with him?” She gasps. “Do you think they’re plotting revenge?”

A pit opens up in my stomach and despair floods me. “Very possible.” I can definitely see James talking with Richard about what I’ve done, and Richard using it to his own advantage, maybe giving James advice on how to use this as an opportunity to sue the hell out of us.

I listen harder, closing my eyes so I can better focus on the two men. There are gaps in the conversation, but I manage to catch the gist of it, and somehow, it’s even worse than I’d expected.

James: “Thank god that deal fell apart.”

Richard (laughing): “Facai Capital is small fry, not worth spending time talking about.”

James: “I don’t know why Shang didn’t take you up on the offer to meet up. I swear, I love my cousin, but he’s just not a visionary.”

Richard: “No, he isn’t. He shouldn’t be the CEO of your company.”

James: “Fucking right he shouldn’t. I don’t know why they voted him in. My whole family acts like sunshine comes out of Shang’s ass.”

Richard: “It’s a good thing you and I see eye to eye. Your company is too traditional, it’s a relic, a dinosaur. It won’t make it past your generation. You know that, don’t you?”

James: “I do, that’s why I’ve been urging them to sell for the longest time. I just didn’t foresee Shang wanting to sell to Facai Capital.”

Richard: “Well, now that that’s no longer on the table, we should make our move. My team is drawing up a proposal as we speak, and I will have it sent to you by Monday.”

James: “And you’re still good on our deal?”

Richard: “You will get a very nice cut of the package.”

James: “Good. I fucking deserve it, after all the shit I’ve had to put up with.”

They clink glasses.

James: “Out of curiosity, what are you going to do with Wutai Gold? That Facai Capital bitch, whatever her real name is, kept yammering on about diversifying our customer base.”

Richard: “Like I said, Wutai Gold is a relic. Your brand is worth very little, given your aging customer base. The real value is in the proprietary information. Your recipe, your technique. Everything else will be broken down into parts and sold off.”

There is a beat of silence.

James: “Damn. The end of an era. Can’t say it won’t make me sad.”

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