Chapter 192: 193 | I’m Not Asking You To Trust Me; I’m Asking You To Use Me
"The problem is that Father has scheduled the wedding for February. After your graduation. After the trust clause activates or doesn’t. If you claim the inheritance, I become less useful as a bargaining chip and the engagement becomes unnecessary. If you fail, Father consolidates control and the marriage locks in the Park partnership permanently."
February.
My graduation was in May.
The trust clause required Three-Star provisional certification by age twenty-five.
I was eighteen.
"How does that timeline work."
"It doesn’t. Not for the certification. But the trust has a secondary provision. If an Angelo heir demonstrates sufficient public merit, defined as top-five graduating rank from an accredited Hero Academy, the board can vote to grant early access to the trust at their discretion."
"Discretion meaning."
"Meaning four out of seven board members would need to vote in your favor. Father controls three seats. I know one board member who would vote against Father on principle. Two others are persuadable with the right argument."
"Which leaves one."
"Which leaves one. A woman named Margaret Chen. She’s been on the board for eleven years and has never voted against Father. But she’s also never had a reason to."
"And I’m supposed to give her a reason."
"You’re supposed to give her a D’Angelo heir who represents a better investment than the current management structure." Vivian’s blue eyes held mine. "That’s not a hard sell, Rome. Father has run Angelo Corp like a private kingdom for twenty years. Board members tolerate it because the stock price stays up. But if a younger D’Angelo with a hero license and agency backing and a public profile that generates positive media attention presented an alternative vision."
"Margaret Chen might see an opportunity."
"Margaret Chen didn’t get to where she is by missing opportunities."
I finished the wine.
The plan was insane. The plan was layered. The plan required me to win an exhibition match, secure a Vanguard contract, graduate top five, convince a board member to betray my father, claim the trust, and free Vivian from an arranged marriage. All while hiding an unregistered SS-rank drain ability from the NEA, managing six romantic relationships, and completing a system quest that would kill me if I failed.
Normal Tuesday.
"Why should I trust you."
The question sat between us. Vivian didn’t flinch from it.
"You shouldn’t."
I blinked.
"You have no reason to trust me. I contacted you through a burner number. I demanded you come alone to a private club. I’ve spent the last hour telling you things that could be fabricated or exaggerated or planted by Father himself as a test of your loyalty." Vivian set her wine glass down. "You don’t know me. The original you didn’t know me either. We grew up in the same house and spoke less than most strangers."
"Then why."
"Because I am telling the truth. And you know it. Because every survival instinct you possess, and I suspect you possess several that the original Rome did not, is telling you that the information I’ve provided is consistent and verifiable. You can check the Meridian Group operatives yourself. Look for a silver Lexus parked on the south side of your building between eight PM and four AM. You can check the blood work. Ask your professor friend with the thermal modifications to run a comparison against your current markers. You can check the wedding. It’s in the Park family’s social registry already."
She was right.
Every claim she’d made was testable.
A liar would have given me things I couldn’t verify. Vivian had given me things I could check within twenty-four hours.
"One more thing."
"What."
"Your ability. The drain. Father’s lab will figure it out eventually. Morita is slow but not stupid. When he cross-references the spatial and thermal signatures with the Essentia types of people in your proximity, the pattern will become obvious." Vivian stood. Walked to the window. "You have a narrow window to get ahead of that conclusion. If Father figures out what you are before you’re positioned to defend yourself."
"I’m aware."
"Good." She turned. "Then you understand that I’m not asking you to trust me. I’m asking you to use me. The same way you use everyone."
Ouch.
Accurate. But ouch.
"I don’t use everyone."
"Spare me." A thin smile. "I’ve seen the surveillance photos. You are extremely good at getting what you need from people while making them feel like it was their idea. That’s not a criticism. That’s a compliment. Father does the same thing except he doesn’t bother making people feel good about it afterward."
My phone buzzed.
Mera: 29 minutes. im getting itchy.
Cheon: Status update please.
I responded to both.
Me: coming down in five. everything is fine. have a lot to tell you.
Mera: define "a lot"
Me: surveillance. blood tests. secret facility. arranged marriage. corporate conspiracy.
Mera: ...so a normal tuesday
That girl was going to be the death of me. In the good way.
I stood. Vivian watched me rise, her blue eyes tracking the movement with the same analytical intensity I’d seen in Cheon’s grey ones and Noel’s sharp gaze. The D’Angelo gene pool apparently produced people who looked at the world like it was a puzzle they were already solving.
"I’ll verify what you’ve told me. If it checks out, we talk again."
"The Meridian operative will be in the silver Lexus. South side. Between eight and four."
"I heard you the first time."
"Just making sure." Vivian picked up a small clutch from the table. "One more thing. And this isn’t part of the intelligence briefing."
I waited.
She walked toward me. Slow. The heels clicked on the hardwood with a sound that reminded me of Noel’s boots on the training room floor, that same controlled rhythm of someone who knew exactly where each step would land. Vivian stopped close enough that I could smell her perfume. Something dark and layered. Jasmine under woodsmoke.
"The women in your life. The ones whose signatures are in your blood." Her voice went quiet. "Are they safe."
"Yes."
"Are they happy."
I thought about Mera singing in my shower. Cheon’s hand on my collar that morning. Noel’s laugh during training. Aurora’s fingers on my face before she walked away. Laurana’s red lines glowing in the dark.
"I think so."
