Monachopsis

Chapter 3

But the current state of our company is another matter.

Since our presence in the American music industry is secure, we were already planning on coming back home to Japan and leaving a trusted advisor in place back in Los Angeles. But a month ago, we discovered that someone in our corporate headquarters here in Domino City was leaking lyrics and music that had been written by our songwriters to our main competitor, Royalty Records. When my uncle and I found out what was happening... I don't think I've ever seen him as angry in the entire time I've known him. He was livid, and I felt the same way; one thing about our family is that we hold loyalty in the highest regards. So for one of our trusted employees to betray us in such a way sent us on the warpath.

I convinced my uncle to give me time to not only find and destroy the spy in our midst, but also to give me time to plan retaliation against Royalty Records. It took some serious use of my persuasive abilities but I succeeded on getting him to not tear through the company like a hurricane.

But until I had hard evidence in my hands I couldn't act. No matter what the circumstance, without concrete proof to back up your words, making accusations against those who were considered your seniors was asking for trouble. To save my reputation, and to give myself time to plot a fully realized revenge I would have to be patient. It's actually not as hard as some would think to get someone to slip up and implicate themselves. You add just the right amount of pressure, let a rumor or two slip and BAM! They begin panicking, and being emotionally compromised makes people slip up and become sloppy. Then all that's left to be done is sit back, make some popcorn and watch as their world implodes around them.

I never claimed to be nice; in fact, I'm a pretty vindictive bitch when you mess with my family's livelihood. But while I'm destroying someone's life for attempting to mess with mine, I have the sweetest smile on my face and that's why no one suspects me until it's too late.

In the meantime, as the sole female in the family it was expected of me to oversee the domestic side of our family. I handled the hiring and managing of the household staff, managed the household expenses and hosted all charity and company functions. This role was a purely traditional one, and my uncle had only recently handed over the domestic domain into my care, but so far I'd done well and had impressed him with my ability to multitask so well. Of course I couldn't tell him that it was from having over forty years' experience, so I just accepted his praise with a smile.

Turning my thoughts back to the present, I walked along the hallways and admired the job the interior design company I had hired and worked with had done. The goal had been to make the home both reflective of our status, but also relaxing for us when we came home; that meant lots of warm, neutral colors which I adored. The rich carpeting, tasteful paintings and overall atmosphere was exactly what I had wanted.

Spotting Hojo I made my way over to him, standing by his side and watching the movers unload his monster of a bed. Why he felt the need for such a large bed I didn't want to know. "Seriously cousin, what's wrong with a California king bed? But no, you just had to have a custom made mattress that's even bigger. I hope you appreciate how much of a nightmare it is to get linens for it."

Hojo turned a mischievous grin in my direction. "Well that's your department. I enjoy the bed; you find solutions for the problem of sheets to fit it." I rolled my eyes, but when he bumped his shoulder against mine I returned his smile. Hojo may be a pain in my ass at times and a certified playboy, but so long as he wasn't being insanely stupid I took his joking manner in stride. He meant well, and would outgrow his childish ways someday. Or at least that's what I kept telling myself.

Hojo turned with me as I made my way to the kitchen, hunting for a cup of coffee. I didn't really need the extra energy, but I drank it more for the flavor than the caffeine jolt. There was something soothing about a freshly brewed cup of coffee, and as much as I enjoyed tea, coffee still won over in my mind. "So, have you made any headway on finding our mole?" Hojo asked, keeping his voice low. Although we trusted our household staff, there were some things that we didn't want them overhearing; less from fear of them gossiping, more from not wanting to give them information that they might be tempted to sell. A good household staff could be trusted, but I hardly trusted anyone outside the family.