Chapter 12 - Nerves Of Steel

"Have you ever leaped off of a cliff into the freezing, murky Scottish waters below? I have. When we went skinny dipping while we were all very drunk and very unaware of our surroundings and someone had by accident or in purpose (I may never know) pushed me off of the pier side into the darkness down below. It was the last weekend of our Business in Society Module and also our last weekend stint up in Glasgow. We'd sailed away to an island and gotten so pissed that night that the whole thing was a crazy blur of stumbling on uneven tracks, being scared to death of those massive hairy cows that kept mooing at us and whispered ghost stories with far too many jump scares to be effective. I remember the first plunge, the suspension when all the air had been sucked clean out of my concave lungs. I remembered screaming so loudly and yet the silence that bore into my ears was deafening. When I smashed into the water it was like a thousand tiny daggers had stabbed me at the same time. I came up panting for breath, spewing salty seawater, focused and raring to go again and again, the pain of the first impact fading with my new found enthusiasm. I think I'd gone mad and by the time the novelty had worn off, I am reassured that I came out looking like a cross between a drowned rat and the ghost of Mrs. Havisham. I must say though, it takes nerves of steel to do jump off of a pier without knowing whether whatever lay below could kill you, and, it makes for a great hangover cure too. So long Bloody Maries."

Zhao Yingyue had made a been attempting a speedy, inconspicuous departure from the headquarters building of her late father and now her company, Zhao Hai Industries. Apparently, she hadn't done very well, or there was a mole at the meeting. The most probable explanation of all, the media have a bloodlust equivalent for the latest slivers of news and probably go to some kind of boot camp/academy type thing to learn the skills. She was bundled into a taxi, Elise following in a much less hurried and flustered manner and as the door of the car shut and the engine revved.

"How on earth did they manage that?" Yingyue asked quite breathless as she fanned her face from which she could feel the heat radiating off of. "I thought they would be way more interested in Adrian Lee. Damn, I've still got his tuxedo jacket, from the funeral."

Elise looked up from her work phone and sighed slightly. "I've already arranged the customary meeting that a new CEO would have with their board of directors and shareholders to discuss where the company is headed next for three days' time. He'll be there again."

"Wait, Monday? How on Earth has it been a week and a half since the funeral already?"

"Well, you've spent most of that time moping in the flat and running from the media. We're going to meet some people just now actually, you need to be on your best behaviour for this one, they are people you'll want to impress and have on your side for some time in the future."

"Geez, Elise, you make it sound like we're going to meet the Mafia boss or something, or maybe the secret service."

"Nope that's Tuesday, we're going to see the PR and legal team and also the technology department to get you kitted up."

"Wait, hold up, what?"

"We're going to hold a mini press release and conference with a few questions this evening so, Selena, I suggest that you put on a demure smile when we get there and turn on the professionalism and charm - "

"No. no." Yingyue cut Elise off impatiently, "I meant the bit about the Mafia."

"No, no the PR Team, they are the one's you've got to impress today, James and Marcus can wait, it's not like they'll kill anyone..."

"WHAT! nobody is killing anybody, do you hear?!"

"That is literally what I just said, no like I said this is Tuesday."

"Since when did Zhao Hai Industries have ties to any kind of criminal activity? And the Mafia? Where in hell do they fit into the equation?"

"So no one's ever told you?" There was a shocked look that passed momentarily across Elise's face before she schooled her features back to indifference.

"No, of course, no one's ever told me! Why on earth would I have suspected anything like that! THE MAFIA!?" Yingyue all but screamed.

Elise clamped her hand over Yingyue's mouth just as the taxi driver turned around quizzically.

"I'm so sorry about my friend, she's still a bit loopy, still high on all her meds..."

The driver gave the pair an odd look but just chalked it up to two uni students being stupid, at least they hadn't puked in the cab and for that, he would be eternally grateful.

Elise and Yingyue stopped the cab, swiped her card on the reader and they stumbled out of the cab.

"Right, business world etiquette 101, you cannot, I repeat cannot go around yelling about the Mafia."

"Actually I think that's just normal common sense to be frankly honest, but also since when was this a thing?"

"You really have no idea, do you?"

"No, if I did this conversation would not even be happening!"

"Your father and three others began in the underworld but right now is not the time to be figuring out your father's origin story, we have a meeting to attend now and the team will not be understanding if you are late. You are not quite as imposing as your father, certainly not at the moment and you have to have them on your side if you want any hope of not being voted out of the office and being forced to be a silent partner. "

After the mini-lecture, Elise was fairly out of breath and she was dragging Yingyue by the hand forcefully and dragged her towards a non-descript white building.

"This looks like such a sketchy place. Are you sure we're not going to meet the Mafia?"

"Busted, not let's get going, they don't deal well with latecomers."

"I thought - " Yingyue wasn't given the opportunity to finish her sentence before she was dragged into the building and the roller shutter clanged deafeningly. So much for nerves of steel, there were more butterflies than ever before.