Two.

That's how many weeks advance notice the Federal Reserve Bank of New York gives Carter Jeffries and Union Airlines to prepare themselves to testify in front of a full investigative committee. Of course, they named Lucas as the person who would testify on behalf of Carter Jeffries.

And they named me as the person who would carry the flag for Union Airlines.

It’s going to be a circus. A shit show. Pretty useless. More like a witch hunt than anything.

But we have to go.

To not go means that the Federal Reserve can place both Carter Jeffries and Union Airlines in positions where we’d go out of business. They could declare that Carter Jeffries, with its operations in money markets, is systemically important to the United States economy. That’s a fancy way to say “too big to fail," which is a fancy way to say increased regulatory oversight.

If we still don’t cooperate, the Fed could place us on a lending watch list. Which means that banks and other financial institutions that lend to us would face greater regulatory and financial oversight. All that means is that banks would stop lending to us. So they wouldn't be harassed by the Fed. Which means we’d go out of business without the ability to borrow money.

But even more damaging, the Federal Reserve could bring about financial crimes indictments against both companies if they wanted to and felt there was due cause.

That’s right.

This shadowy group of bankers controls most of the United States economy. And people have always said things about them, but I’d always just shrugged it off because it didn't affect me.

Until it did.

This shadowy, secret, cabal of bankers can bring about indictments that lead to the loss of business licenses by corporations that do business in the United States.

You know how you have a Social Security Number? Corporations have a FEIN. It’s registered with the IRS.

If we don't testify, they’ll take away the FEIN. Which means we would no longer be a corporation in the eyes of the government.

Killing us.

Destroying at least 300,000 jobs at Union Airlines. And at least 100,000 at Carter Jeffries. We wouldn’t be able to pay salaries because the bank accounts would be frozen. We wouldn’t be able to do anything.

They’re threatening at least half a million Americans. All to get Lucas and I to testify.

With two weeks to go.

One billion.

That’s how many dollars the government of the United States is now offering to purchase Union Airlines.

This is the revised bid that was delivered to my office 48 hours after the Federal Reserve called on Lucas and I to testify.

“One billion dollars?” Lucas asks, that night as I tell him over dinner. “That’s a steep drop.”

He’s understating the obvious, of course. For a government that was willing to pay $1.1 trillion to purchase the globe-girdling airline to now offer a paltry one billion dollars. It’s basically fuck you money.

“You know why Seymour is offering this, right?” I ask. Lucas looks at me and nods.

“He doesn’t think that Carter Jeffries will be around much longer to deliver any sort of counter proposal. That we won't be able to make much of any counter bid after the Fed is done with us.”

It’s a depressing thought.

“And Ares?” I ask, looking at Lucas. “What about Strong Capital?”

Lucas shrugs. “Seymour is assuming that Strong Capital won’t be in the running for the airline anymore. For the same reason that Ares is helping the government. And with no other company out there who made it to this round, once Carter Jeffries and Strong Capital are eliminated from consideration, all you have left is the government.”

They told me to not go up against the government. That you’d never win. That simple individuals stood no match to the power and might and soul-crushing ability of the nations institutions to just crush our spirit.

But I didn’t listen. Because I was Daphne Kane. I was the CEO extraordinaire.

Well, now I was paying the price.

Twelve.

That’s how many hours a day Lucas and I are spending preparing for testifying in front of the Fed.

What?

You thought we were just going to head on over and get crucified without putting up a fight. Honestly, hun, if that’s what you thought then you haven’t really gotten to know either Lucas or I at all. Because we would never do that. I don’t think Lucas for one moment considered throwing in the towel.

“At the heart of the matter is the basic fact that they don’t like the fact that you had sex with both the suitors for Union Airlines,” Vicky Ketchum is telling Lucas and I one afternoon during lunch. Vicky is my personal lawyer who is handling all matters about the Federal Reserve investigation as it pertains to me.

“What do you mean, babe?” I ask Vicky. She and I go way back. She was my big sister in my sorority and we used to be roommates. We used to get wild together—for a while we used to suck the same cock together whenever we had a guy. We would both use our mouths simultaneously and then bet how long he would last seeing us use our tongues on his cock. He’d explode in one of our mouths and we’d swap the cum back and forth until he was hard again. If he was able to cum again then he was a keeper. Otherwise, we’d usually toss him out.

Now Vicky is a lawyer at Quinn Harris Stevens and looks at me with a studious look.

“It basically means that the only thing the government can really say is that you don’t fit the moral criteria to hold high office within your corporations. That your very presence creates a negative equity in your companies that destroys shareholder value.”

“And this is because we all had sex together?” Lucas asks incredulously.

Vicky shrugs. “The government can use any line of attack it wants. But this is the simplest, and easiest to prove. Namely because all they have to do is put Ares on the stand and get him to admit what everyone already knows happened. At that point, the Federal Reserve can take any action it wants, including revoking your FEIN, and then Union Airlines assets can be purchased for pennies on the dollar.”

It’s not a pretty picture going on in my head.

“So how do we stop them?” I ask.

“It’s going to take work and a lot of hours,” Vicky says, taking the check as it comes. “You might as well let me pick up lunch because of what I’m gonna have to bill you.”

Ten.

That’s how many times I know for certain that Ares has tried to contact us. When I say us, I mean either myself of Lucas. I’ve gotten one ring on my phone before the phone hangs up. Or an email that gets deleted before I read it.

I know that Ares is trying to reach out. And the one time I do get the phone before he hangs up, I don’t let the opportunity go.

It’s three days before I have to testify in front of the Federal Reserve.

“Ares,” I say into the phone. “Don’t hang up.”

There’s silence on the other end of the line.

“Listen, I don’t know what Seymour has told you, Ares,” I say into the line. I notice Lucas come behind me. “Don’t hang up, okay?” I ask.

I can hear his breathing. I can imagine him on the other end of the line. Probably drinking a scotch. Probably missing us. I can tell that he misses us. Because deep down, I know he loves us.

But maybe he doesn't realize how much we love him.

“Ares, don’t answer if you don't want, just listen okay?” I say, hoping he doesn't hang up. “I love you.”

Silence. Not even breathing now. Not even the faint tinkling of the ice in the cup that I thought I heard before.

“I love you so much. And, Lucas loves you too,” I say into the phone. “I know what happened between you two and I love that you found love. I love that the three of us can be comfortable with each other. That we can be together, whether all of us, or just two of us at a time.”

I can’t hear Ares and I hope he hasn't hung up.

“If you’re still there, please know that no matter what, Ares Strong, I will always love you. And Lucas will always love you, whether we have Union Airlines and Carter Jeffries or not. Please know that,” I say.

That’s all I hear. And then I hear a click as the line dies.