Bad Plans Lead to Bad Results

"See, you call it crime, I call it smart business."

"It's Illegal."

"Not if you don't get caught."

"The things you say astound me."

Riku and I had been debating this for quite some time now. We needed to make a move, a big one. We made it to the top, sustaining two of the biggest companies in japan. We got sloppy, comfortable. I needed to remind everyone who I was and he just wasn't getting it.

"Everything we do is illegal, you really want to pick a bone with me over this one?"

"Illegal in moderation, you over do it you get caught. It'll cost us more money to get you out of it if it goes wrong than what we'd make if it's successful."

"You have to spend money to make money! There's always a risk."

"Precisely, and we take calculated risks. That's why we were successful. We take chances because we have to, chances that are clear and concise. We have a high return on our money because of our networking, you're trying to break out of that not only making us vulnerable but risking our safety net."

"You think I have not calculated the risks? I know what I'm doing, and it's my company."

" And I'm one of the main chair holders of that company, you're not just playing with your money, you're playing with evryones. They already don't like the power you have so why are you being reckless? They are waiting for you to fail, if you go for this you'll prove them right."

"Nice to know you're going to support me in this Riku, thanks."

"You know I don't mean in that way, don't be difficult."

"No, you think I'm going to fail because you don't trust my judgment. Now if youllexcuse me I have better things to do so if you would politely fuck off that would be great."

"You are unbelievable." He said finally before walking out of my office.

I knew it was easy, but where there's no risk there's no reward. I understood that, Riku didn't. What he didn't know was that we were losing money faster than it was coming in and if I didn't act soon we were all going to lose money. If we started to fall back the company would sink. Our reputations would be ruined, we'd lose our protection, our income, our real estate, and our reputation.

I took a few hours to weigh my options, I could be stubborn and maybe he had a point. I decided to sleep on it. I was lying in bed when Riku joined me. He was lying there next to me, he broke the silence with a sigh. "I trust your judgment, I just don't want to get yourself into something I can't get you out of."

"I don't need you to save me, I was perfectly fine before your name was attached to mine, and I'll be perfectly fine in the event my name gets unmatched."

" what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing Riku, go to sleep" I rolled over facing away from him.

"So?"

"What?" I really just wanted to sleep at that point.

"Make up sex?" Was he serious, he sounded serious.

"No."

"I could just-"

"No."

He gave up and went to sleep, thankfully. In the morning during breakfast we sat in silence at opposite sides of the table, just awkwardly staring at each other. He was looking at me as if he knew I wasn't going to do it, and that he had won, and it's true. After sleeping on it I had decided that I Wasn't going to make such a drastic move it was an irresponsible risk i wasn't going to take, at least i wasn't going to take it until I saw him. Sitting there with that smug expression, if there's one thing about me I'm plenty stubborn. He looked up and the eye contact we shared made the last of my patience disappear. "I'm going to do it." He threw his hands up in the air.

"Of course you are, you have no restraint."

"Don't talk to me about restraint, you're the most reckless person I know and I know plenty!"

"You just don't get it!"

"No you don't get it! When you take risks you get a pat on the back, when I take risks I get told I'm impulsive, irresponsible, and reckless and you know what I'm reckless but I know the risk and it has a far greater reward. I will not run this business in fear of what all these men think of me. I'm the only woman doing this, I'm the only one on my side so you're damn right I'm going to do it. I'd rather risk everything and fail than be undermined and pushed aside in this man's world I've taken over."

"I am on your side I just-"

"Then back me on this!"

"I can't! It's too big of a risk and I refuse to get behind something I don't support!"

"Really?You Get behind me every night."

"Don't make the business personal."

"It's always personal."

The argument dragged on and on for hours and as mad as I was I couldn't help but notice him. In the midst of all his yelling all I could think about was how he hates double talk, but is so good at it. How he switches his coffee to decaf after 11, the way he always tries his shoes right over left. I was going to give in, I was. I love him for all he is and I can live with letting him be right this one time, that is until he said that one thing that set me off.

"You are too emotional, this job isn't fit for women. You can't keep trying to prove yourself in a game you were never intended to play, it's unethical. Frankly you're a liability." there it is, all my sanity gone. That was the last straw. I took a deep breath, and stopped towards him. I caressed his face in my soft, delicate, manicured hands. I spoke soft, and passionately. "I'm so sorry that your internalized misogynistic ideology does not fit the person you decided to marry. You can have your flawed opinion and think whatever you want of me but do not ever disrespect me like that again or I promise I will make you regret it. You think getting kidnapped was bad. You have no idea what I can do or how far I'm willing to go to prove this point. I've been proving it my entire life and I'm not about to stop now because you can't see the forest for the trees." I punched him in the face. It was reflexive, I was pissed. He was out cold and I went out to the garden as if he was lying on the ground unconscious.