Chapter 2
There was a dynasty in the hot Arabian sands that spanned generations. It fell from father to son for two hundred years. In the turn of the century, the head of the household did something unheard of, and following the progressive ideals of the Western world, split his empire between his eight children; three of them women.
Not only was this unprecedented, but it was not well received, either.
The empire fell into inner turmoil and civil war. As the attentions of the world were sensitive to obvious lashing out, it was fought entirely in the shadows, and under the cover of night. Some of the most devious tactics were performed under the guise of business dealings.
So dangerous were these that to survive, the eight children were forced to learn the intricacies of their business. No longer could they rely on the expertise of others. If they were to each control a portion of their family’s empire, it fell on the shoulders of each of them to take the reins and guide their people into riches and peace.
It was a bloody time, and one that bred paranoia, but also tenacity and a heartfelt desire for the peaceful times to return. Each sibling in turn did just this. Walid, second to youngest, yet some would say the cleverest of them all, was the one to volunteer his holdings in favor of monetary compensation.
His siblings, suspicious of his intentions, yet trusting of their blood, agreed, and bought out his physical holdings. Walid then took his closest warriors, all of them under the cloak of business partners, and set out to start business in the United States. His family still attempting to recover from the conflict, he thought it best to let them have the larger portions, as that would appease them, and he could claim a small branch of the empire all for himself in a new land.
At first his siblings were furious, certain they had been deceived. Yet when each of their piece of his holdings paid out over time, they learned that he had not cheated them, but simply made a business deal that solved everyone’s immediate needs. The only fault of theirs was having not thought of it first.
His riches now numbered in the billions, Walid sat on a plane, not a single commercial passenger aboard, his guards, warriors, and advisors beside him as they crossed the ocean to New York. He’d made some contacts, and had a few options as to the best locations for his buildings. In addition, there were some ventures most advised to invest in, that would return him the most money per dollar invested.
Of course, American business laws were entirely different than those in his country. First he would have to meet with his corporate lawyer before they could proceed. He was looking forward to that the least. To study law was to dance with the greatest sand devil, the burning sand forever scorching the feet, threatening to devour whole anyone who made even a single misstep. To do this for corporations was to carry the devil on their back as they did this.
All of this produced either the most graveling suck-up in existence, or to create someone so cold-hearted, so unfeeling in life that they would sell their own grandmother to get out of a parking ticket. Still, it may be an evil, but it was a necessary evil. Such was the dangers of doing business in a new land.
After landing and checking into their hotel, of which Walid had bought out the entire top floor for he and his men, they set out to meet with their lawyer. Her firm had setup a meet and greet, complete with lunch buffet and alcohol. Walid walked into the convention hall, his men close at hand, and was at once rushed by bootlickers from the firm. They told him how much they appreciated his business, and welcomed him in. As he expected.
He scowled at the decorations, as though he needed a party thrown for him. A lovely young woman took a sip from her glass, looking bored by all of it, and didn’t seem to notice he’d arrived. Perhaps part of the catering team. No matter how menial her task, he appreciated her frankness for how she felt regarding all of this ridiculous celebration.
Were they so desperate for business that they would do all of this?
The bootlick ushering them along guided Walid and his men to the young woman. She, in turn, startled and hurried to swallow her sip of champagne as they approached.
“Hello,” she said, holding out her hand. “I’m Lacy. I’ll be your contact here at the firm for your day to day needs. I’m sure it was explained to you that were anything major to come along, you have the full power of Johnson and Stash at your disposal.”
“You,” Walid said slowly, shaking her hand, “are my lawyer?”
“Yes sir,” she said, and fixed him with a solid look. “Is that a problem?”
The fierce gaze, the empowered posture, she reminded him of the strength of his sisters taking their piece of the empire. They were not to be trifled with, and neither was this woman. In his experience, every woman that had ever been near him was only so because of his power and money.
This woman, though, looked as though she was simply doing the job assigned to her. It was a strange thing to be made so happy by such a small thing, but he was.
Walid smiled, the first genuine smile he’d given since landing in this country. “No problem at all. I’m quite pleased to have met you.”