Chapter Six
The Heir and the Spare
Friday, September 3, 2017, 11:45pm
Makinohara Roof Top Bar
...
"No."
The word reverberated in his mind, drowning out the loud clamor of the other occupants of the rooftop bar. Sylas was quite familiar with the word 'no'; it could be easily argued that it was one of his favorite words to use. Unfortunately, it wasn't one he was used to hearing it directed towards him. Whether in work or life, Uris were never denied much of anything. Yet he had been left with his pride chipped and a painful erection in the middle of a children's park without so much as an explanation. He gulped down the rest of his drink and ordered another one. Was this what embarrassment felt like?
"Slow down bastard! You can't start without me!" A boisterous voice called as they roughly slapped his back and settled into the bar stool beside him.
Sylas looked over at the man to his right and smirked. The man was flanked on all sides by three burly men dressed in all black with conspicuous earpieces and walkie-talkies. The blonde himself was way too overdressed for their location but once he had heard that Sylas was back in town, he dropped everything to meet him for a drink. Noah always had a bad habit of shirking off his responsibilities for more interesting avenues anyway so Sylas didn't feel too guilty.
"Dobe." Sylas greeted. The three men that had accompanied Noah began making wide breadth around the two companions to keep the other curious occupants of the bar at bay.
"Hey, bartender!" The blonde man called. "Two whiskeys on the rocks! I gotta catch up with this guy!"
The bartender nodded absently but then did a double take when he realized who was ordering. Sylas rolled his eyes as the man almost dropped the glass he was holding. Since he was the Govenor's son, the blonde should have more tact when being out in public and not scare people. Noah seemed oblivious to the stares he was garnering as he removed his tuxedo jacket and loosened his bow tie. Sylas couldn't help but appreciate the swiftness that their drinks were delivered despite the high volume of people at the bar. Even though it was troublesome, some perks came with being friends with the Govenor's son.
"What did you skip out on this time?" Sylas asked over his cup. Noah chuckled and scratched the back of his head.
"Just some campaign fundraiser... or maybe it was a charity fundraiser... I don't know they all look the same after awhile." He said wryly. "I'm sure no one will notice."
"Doubtful." Sylas snorted. Noah flashed him a sly grin. They both knew he would probably get a lecture later from his father.
"So to what do I owe this meeting?"
Sylas rolled his eyes and rested his head in his hand.
"I need a reason to call you now?" He said sarcastically. "And here I thought you would be happy to see me."
"You know what I mean! You're usually so anti it's like pulling teeth to get you to come anywhere."
"Hn."
"It's true!"
Sylas smiled inwardly as he listened to Noah rant on and on about what an ungrateful bastard he was. He and Noah were polar opposites but somehow forged a friendship that would undoubtedly last a lifetime if the idiot had anything to say about it. Fortunately for Noah, Sylas wasn't willing to put up that much of a fight to get rid of him. Even though Noah could be incredibly annoying, he was loyal and wasn't pretending to be his friend for power and connections. That was a rare find in the circles they walked in. He needed Noah's company tonight. Anything to distract him from that damn Hato woman was more than welcome.
"What's with that face?" Noah grinned and poked Sylas on his cheek repeatedly. Sylas swatted his hand away but the blonde kept doing it.
"My face is my face. There is nothing wrong with it."
"No. That's a girl trouble face. I'd know it anywhere."
Sylas nearly spat his drink out at the accurate inference but kept his composure.
"Haha! I'm right!" Noah cheered.
"What are you talking about you idiot?" Sylas sneered as he rubbed his chin with the back of his hand.
"I know the girl trouble face. Sean has that look on his face often." Noah explained and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "Who is she? Is she hot? Knowing what a bastard you are she must be something special to get your attention!"
"I never said there was a girl." Sylas countered but Noah just waved his denial away. The blonde man gave him a pervy look and leaned in close.
"So... is she good?" He grinned suspiciously, groping the air as though it were a part of the female anatomy.
The man was becoming more and more like his notorious godfather each day. The bold statement made the tips of the Uri's ears burn and he pushed Noah away. The man laughed and downed the last of his first drink before moving on to his second.
"Aw, you're no fun Sylas!"
...
Saturday, September 4, 2017, 2:54 am
Hato Compound
...
"Ah!"
She rubbed her breasts over her shirt as his tongue and fingers plunged in and out of her from down below. His dark eyes looked up at her hungrily. At the same time, he continued to drink in her essence with an appetite that she knew would not be satiated by this act alone. She tried to stifle her moans but it was no use. The things he was able to do with his tongue were beyond her ability to temper. He picked up the speed of his fingers and soon she found herself unable to hold back her orgasm.
"Oh no-" she moaned as her toes curled in her heels.
She was so close to coming...
"Amia!"
"Amia!"
"Amia!"
Amia felt her eyes shoot open, roughly shaken awake from a dream she shouldn't be dreaming. Her body felt clammy and damp from sweat; as her thighs touched, she felt a foreign stickiness between them. She blushed knowing the reason for the uncomfortable mess. Before she could move to clean herself up, a heavyweight jumped onto her and knocked the air out of her stomach.
"Amia!" Her sister whined. "Wake up dammit!"
Amia glared at the seventeen-year-old girl sitting on her stomach with her arms crossed over her chest. She was dressed in pink and orange teddy bear pajamas and her hair was a wild mess on her head. Amia would have found the sight cute if the girl hadn't woken her at the most inconvenient time.
"I'm up Aviva. What's wrong?" Amia groaned as she gently pushed Aviva off of her and sat up.
"I need your help!" She whined.
Amia glanced at the clock on her wall and noticed it was almost three in the morning. The sun hadn't even risen yet! She had been getting up at obscene hours all week to beat her partner to work. Why oh why couldn't she sleep in today of all days?
"It's so early Vi. Can it wait until the sun rises?" Amia asked as she tried to sink back under her blankets. Her sister was not having that and ripped the sheets away.
"Please! You're the only one I can go to!" She pouted and pulled out the bubble eyes she used to frequently employ as a kid. Amia sighed and grabbed her sheets back.
"Okay. Okay. I'll help. Now, what's wrong?"
"Really?! Yay!" Aviva cheered and ran out of the room.
A second later, she jumped back on the bed with her phone in hand. She swiped through the device until she opened a photo of a brown-haired boy with a cheeky smile and a mischievous look in his eye. Amia noted that he looked somewhat familiar but didn't dwell on it. It was much too early to rack her brain to connect this boy's face with a name.
"Okay, so...it's about a boy." Aviva started, a faint blush flashing across her cheeks. Amia frowned. What had she just agreed to help with?
"I want him to notice me, the real me. Not the Hato daughter me. Everyone at school treats me differently because of my last name but he's different. I-I don't know how to explain it."
"It sounds like you have a crush."
"It's more than a crush!" Aviva insisted, a look of determination in her eye. Amia knew that look.
She had seen it in her own reflection when she herself had been in love. The eldest sighed. That felt like so long ago.
"Alright. So why do you need my help?"
"You are so girly and nice to everyone. I want to know how to do that. Guys like nice girls right?"
Her little sister blushed and picked at her big toe. Aviva was not the girliest of girls. In fact, she had been raised as the son Arlo never got to have. She excelled in everything but being feminine was undoubtedly not one of those things. Amia suspected it had something to do with a lack of their mother's soothing presence that made Aviva as harsh as she was at times. She didn't think that there was anything wrong with her though. Aviva was everything she wanted to be. Headstrong. Confident. She was their little firecracker just as her name suggested and, in Amia's eyes, her little sister was perfect.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
"You shouldn't try to change yourself for some guy Vi." Amia said gently as she tried to smooth down Aviva's wild brown locks with her fingers.
"But-" Aviva protested and Amia just shook her head.
"No buts! If he can't take you as you come, rough edges and all, he doesn't deserve to have you."
"You sound like a mom!" Aviva pouted. "I'm not trying to change. I just don't want to be one of the boys anymore."
Amia smiled. If only their mom was here. Would she reiterate what she had just told Aviva? Would she know what to do about her intrusive new partner? Sometimes she wished she did have a motherly shoulder to lean on but alas it wasn't so. A cough from the doorway caught the sisters' attention and they both looked up to see a rumpled Ezra standing in the doorway.
"What are you two doing up?" He yawned and groggily scratched his stomach.
"Go back to bed old man!" Aviva teased and wrapped her arms around Amia's waist. "I haven't seen my sister all week. I can be in here if I want to!"
"You have Saturday school you need to get to in a few hours. You don't have the luxury of laying in bed with Amia." Ezra reprimanded. Aviva stuck her tongue out at him and he growled.
"You little brat!"
The next moment Ezra was chasing a wily Aviva around the room, an amusing sight to behold on an early Saturday morning. Aviva snatched one of the many pillows off the bed and threw it at her cousin. It would have hit him square in the face if his reflexes weren't so good. Undeterred and full of rebellious energy, Aviva kept throwing more.
"I don't want to go to Saturday school!"
"You wouldn't have to if you just did as you were told!"
"But I'm smarter than everyone there! It's a waste of my time!"
"Get back here!"
"No!"
...
After Aviva had been forcibly coerced by Ezra to Saturday school, Amia found herself alone again. Alone but not unoccupied. The best way to get her mind off of recent events was to keep her hands and mind busy. Baking fulfilled both criteria. Although her father employed a full staff to take care of everything from the cleaning to the garden- she still liked to try her hand in the kitchen. It was one of the few memories she had of her mother that was untarnished by illness and her father's all but abandonment.
She could remember watching her mother waddle about the kitchen, her stomach rapidly growing Aviva at the time. Ami had enjoyed helping her mother reach things that were too low and stir things she claimed were 'too tough'. Her father would always come in during these sessions and reprimand her mother for doing too much but it was said with such warmth Ami had never seen since. When her mother passed away, she took all those happy moments.
Amia sighed as she popped a batch of sugar cookies into the oven. Perhaps one day she could see a return to those happy days in the kitchen. Days when she wasn't alone and had her own little helper.
"Amia." A deep voice called from the kitchen entrance, snapping her from the trip down memory lane.
There stood her father. His face was as unreadable as ever though she would venture a guess that he disapproved of her actions.
"Hello, Father." she greeted, following his grey gaze to the mess on the kitchen island.
Cracked eggshells and flour coated the usually pristine marble surface. He then looked back at her, a slight downturn of his lips. It looked like he wanted to say something but decided she wasn't worth it. She never was. He left without a word and Ami brushed aside the slight just as she had a hundred times before. The smell of baking cookies filled the kitchen and lifted her spirits.
"I wonder what time Aviva will be home?"
...
Monday, September 5, 2017, 5:05am
Hato Enterprise
...
Amia gulped as she placed her hand on the cold handle of her office door. She had been dreading this moment all weekend, the moment she would face the ramifications of her actions. Maybe Sylas had forgotten what had happened? Doubtful. Would he be angry with her for the rejection? That was a much more likely reaction. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about her actions either.
On one hand, she was happy that she had been able to show restraint and not give into her baser instincts. Yet, at the same time, she was now plagued with inappropriate thoughts of what could have been, thoughts that made her blush whenever she closed her eyes. Maybe Ellie was right. Perhaps she was just lonely and needed to get back out there. If she spent time getting to know someone else maybe she wouldn't feel this pull towards him.
Sighing, she turned the doorknob and walked into the room. Sylas was rapidly typing away at his computer, her mug in his hand and his brow furrowed in concentration. Sara was sitting on the edge of his desk with her legs crossed, rattling off the opening trades of Uri shares for that morning and projected outlooks for the day. Amia wondered absently just what time her friend woke up to get her makeup that perfect. The woman in question looked up from her tablet when Amia entered the room and smiled brightly.
"Morning Amia!" Sara greeted cheerfully. "Want a bagel?"
"Good morning. I'm good for right now, thank you." She replied softly, noting that Sylas didn't even seem to have acknowledged her arrival.
Brushing off the apparent snub, she made her way to her desk and powered on her computer.
"What did you get up to this weekend? I went furniture shopping! My mom is beyond happy to have me out of the house again. Can you believe that? I'm her only daughter, she should be happy that I returned!" Sara prattled on happily as she uncrossed and crossed her legs. "We should have a house warming party to celebrate. It'll be fun! What do you think?"
"Sara." Sylas grumbled and the pink-haired woman slapped a well-manicured hand over her mouth.
"Oh, here I am rambling! You've got a busy day today!"
"M-me?" Amia asked, genuinely surprised by the statement since she didn't have any meetings set up for the day.
Sara nodded as she swiped on the tablet and held up a complicated, multicolored schedule.
"Yup!" She smiled. "You and Sylas here more specifically. There's a lot going on this week!"
"B-b-but-" Amia stammered but was interrupted by Sylas' deep baritone.
"You got me into this mess Hato, the least you can do is get me out of it."
Amia gulped as she stared into his dark eyes. It was clear that he didn't take rejection well. Sara didn't seem to notice her boss boring holes into his partner from behind her. She merely slipped off the desk and scurried over to show her their schedule for the day.
"Don't worry! I've got you covered!"
...
Monday, September 3, 2017, 9:35 am
Sabaku Incorporated: New York City Division
...
The car ride to their first meeting was...awkward. Neither one of them wanted to be in an enclosed space with one another and Sara wasn't even there to dispel the negative tension. The bright woman was back at their office to hold down the fort while they were away for the day. Amia looked out the car window at the city scenery passing swiftly, a sense of dread filling her. Their first stop was not one she had committed Sylas to, so she had no idea exactly what they were in for.
This was a task sent down by Felix himself. She glanced over at her partner who was scrolling through his phone and doing an excellent job at ignoring her. Amia bit her bottom lip nervously and took a deep breath. Shouldn't they at least address the elephant in the room? She cleared her throat and opened her mouth to speak.
"Um, Mr. Uri-" she began.
"We've arrived!" The driver called and both occupants were snapped out of their own little worlds.
Amia looked out the window at the sprawling sky scrapper before them, the Sabaku name stamped boldly on the side of the building. She didn't have much time to gawk at the behemoth structure for Sylas was already getting out of the vehicle and walking towards the entrance. She quickly unbuckled her seat belt and followed behind him.
Inside, the building was teeming with people running this way and that; nearly ramming into each other with briefcases and stacks of paper. Amia could barely dodge a poor intern carrying multiple trays of coffee and donuts as she struggled to keep up with Sylas' long strides. He seemed to have no trouble navigating through the chaos since everyone gave him a wide breadth. He didn't acknowledge how the others whispered behind their hands and did double-takes when he walked by. When they reached the elevators, they crammed themselves in and Sylas pressed the button to take them to the top floor.
"What is he doing here?" A voice grumbled pointedly behind her.
"Shhhh!"
'That's odd.' Amia thought to herself.
There were more incomprehensible murmurings in the elevator until finally the occupants were cleared out one by one and it stopped at its last destination on the top floor. The pair exited the silent elevator and were greeted by a man with messy brown hair and broad purple eyeliner smudged around his eyes.
"Glad you could finally join us Uri." The man said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
His lazy gaze slid over to where Amia stood beside Sylas and smiled at her. Amia felt an uncomfortable shiver run down her spine as he looked her over.
"And who do we have here?"
Sylas sidestepped in front of her and blocked the hand he was trying to extend.
"Where is your brother?" He asked flatly and the brown-haired man's smile widened even further as he retracted his hand.
"Always straight to the point." He grinned. "Right this way."
The man led them down the hall, past rows and rows of honeycombed cubicles whose occupants stopped mid-task to see what they were doing. Amia did her best to ignore their oppressive stares but she couldn't help but feel like they had walked into a lion's den. Just what exactly was the dynamic between the Uri and the Sabaku? Why were they so hostile towards one another? After passing through the open-concept office space, they turned down a hallway devoid of ringing phones and prying eyes. At the end of the hallway was a door that the man leading them opened with a sarcastic flare.
"After you." He smirked and gave Amia a wink as she passed through the door.
The room was dim and contained a long table with several older men seated along the sides. At the head of the table was a man of slim build and fiery red hair. His hands were clasped together on the table and his eyes remained closed until they approached their end of the table. When he opened his eyes, Amia was taken aback by how intense they were. She had never seen eyes that vibrant of a shade of green before and they contrasted violently with his hair. George Sabaku, the youngest owner of a competitive multinational conglomerate, possessed a stare that made grown men cower. Amia had only seen the man a handful of times at functions her father liked to host from time to time. She had never been in such close proximity before. He was much more intimidating up close, surrounded by what she suspected to be his shareholders and advisors.
"Sabaku." Sylas greeted and Amia bowed smoothly.
"Uri." George replied, his eyes not leaving Amia's face. "Ms. Hato, welcome."
The woman blushed from embarrassment under his gaze and tried her best not to fidget. She felt Sylas stiffen next to her from the exchange but dared not to look at him.
"That will be all, Kory. Thank you." George said, dismissing his brother from the room.
The man named Kory grumbled under his breath a bit but left the room without much protest. George motioned for them to sit in the two vacancies before them. Next to George, an older man stood and began languidly flipping through his notes. Sylas tapped his fingers impatiently on the table.
"Why have you invited me here?" He asked bluntly, startling the older man and causing murmurs to erupt between the other occupants. Amia cast him a furtive glance, astounded by his lack of tact.
"W-w-well!" The man flubbed before gaining his composure. "It has come to our attention that the Uri are beginning to lose their edge-"
"It is best that we cut our losses now before things go too far and connection to your name drags us down as well!" Another man spoke up, glaring at Sylas from across the room.
Amia looked around the room, shocked at the glares being pointed in Sylas' direction. The murmurs of the advisors grew louder as they agreed with the two men currently standing. While the other men were riling themselves up, Sylas and George continued staring each other down, impassively ignoring the bluster surrounding them.
"Who is feeding you this garbage?" Sylas asked smoothly, not breaking eye contact.
"Unfortunately, we are getting this information from a very reliable source." George responded.
"It is a tip from a source that even you would be hard pressed to label 'Garbage.'"
"You are willing to piss away a multimillion-dollar trade deal on a 'tip'?"
"It is more than just a tip young man!"
"How dare you question our decisions?"
"We are doing what is best for our company!"
The rabble-rousers cheered each other on, taking swipe after swipe on what they perceived to be the precipice of the Uri's downfall. Amia watched Sylas' jaw tighten as he tried to keep his short temper under control.
"We have advised George to pull out of all negotiations between our company and yours seeing as how your stocks are going to turn toxic."
"What you are saying is very far from the truth and in fact is rather insulting to our competence." Sylas sneered at the portly advisor that made the comment.
"An insult? An insult?! It is insulting that your father couldn't stand here like a man and face us himself with some kind of dignity. He thinks that we are beneath him and not worth his time since he clearly can't send anyone else except for his spare." The man spat and the room erupted into raucous laughter.
"An incompetent spare at that!"
"You have no right to even be in this room boy! Where is your brother? Too busy to grace us with his presence as well?"
Amia pursed her lips together at the insults that they continued to fling at the youngest Uri. Something wasn't right. She could tell that not everyone in the room believed in the noxious information being spewed. Still, none seemed to want to voice their opinions. They laughed uncomfortably with smiles that didn't meet their eyes and fidgeted in their seats. Sylas began to rise from his seat but she placed a hand on his arm and stood up instead. The men in the room continued to snicker but quelled a bit.
"Ms. Hato." George said with a slight nod of his head. Amia bowed gracefully at his acknowledgment before speaking.
"I am not aware of where you are getting this information, but the Hato stand firmly behind the Uri." Amia said, her voice firmer and more confident than she felt on the inside. The men around her scoffed in their seats and rolled their eyes.
"Pfft. Who are you to declare such a thing? You're nothing but a little girl. Have a seat and let the grown men finish talking." A skinny man sniffed as he looked down his nose at her.
"I am Amia Hato. Heiress to Hato Enterprises and I will remember every slight taken against us when I take my rightful place." Amia glared and the man had the decency to demure slightly.
"You will find this country a rather hostile place to do business if you continue down this path."
"That is all well and good," the portly man from earlier spoke up. "But the source we have foretells nothing but a disaster for the Uri Corporation, what incentive do we have to continue negotiations and bind ourselves further to a sinking ship?"
"You have the backing of my family. For the last five years, Sabaku has been trying to compete against us for several lucrative government contracts involving imports from where your main headquarters is in Dallas. If you continue your trade deal with the Uris you will have my promise that we will not try to block your entry and will not outbid you when the next contract comes up. You will have a guarantee of our collaboration."
The room vibrated with low mumbles between the advisors. Amia took a deep breath as she stared into the intense, unwavering eyes of Sabaku's leader.
"A promise?" one of the advisors scoffed. "What good is a promise from a little girl? Why-"
George raised his hand and the advisor immediately fell over himself to choke on his own words. Amia held her head high as George began to speak.
"It is a promise from the future leader of the Hato," George said simply.
"B-b-but sir!" One of the flabbergasted men protested but George silenced him with a glare. The other occupants held their breath.
"We will continue all current deals we have with the Uri but put any other potential avenues for new negotiations on hold until we see our source proven wrong." George announced as he leaned back into his chair and closed his eyes. "That will be all. You may now leave Uri, Ms. Hato."
The door to the conference room opened and Kory was standing there to usher them out. The door had barely been shut behind them when the advisers exploded. Amia released the breath she didn't realize she had been holding and placed a hand over her erratic heart. Kory snickered as he led them down the hall, through the gossiping employees, and back to the elevators.
"I heard what you said in there little Hato." Kory smirked. "You have some balls to stand up to those old farts."
"I-I-it was nothing!" Amia stammered, unable to accept his praise.
"How about you and I get to know each other better over coffee?" Kory asked suggestively as he pressed the button for the elevator. "I'm sure you have many other interesting things going on in that pretty head of yours. So what do ya say?"
"I-" she started but gasped when she felt Sylas' arm wrap around her shoulders and push her into the empty elevator as soon as the doors opened.
"Go fuck yourself Kory." He hissed and the Sabaku brother howled with laughter as the elevator doors closed.
Amia could barely question his rough treatment when she felt her back hit the elevator wall and Sylas' lips came crashing down on hers. He bit her lower lip, causing her to gasp and allowing him full access to her mouth. She clutched the front of his shirt, half of her wanted to push him away and the other wanted to pull him in closer. Amidst the coaxing of his tongue, the latter half won out and she found herself fully drowning in his violent embrace. Whatever he was feeling, whatever he couldn't verbally express, he was trying to get out in this one kiss. It was dizzying, to say the least.
As abruptly as it began, he broke away from her and schooled his face back to the impassive mask he always wore. She was left breathless, unable to compose herself like he seemed so good at doing. She blushed furiously and stared at her feet as she pressed her fingers to her lips. They tingled even more intensely than their first encounter. Sylas cleared his throat awkwardly and she looked up to see his broad back standing stiffly before her. His shoulders were tense as he shoved his hands into his pockets. The elevator dinged to alert them that the doors were about to open.
"Thank you."