The meeting room the woman – who’d introduced herself as Angelique – showed Finn to looked even more plain and unassuming than the office space around it. Even if the office block was relatively new, it was neither big nor extravagant, just a simple, functional, four-story building set back from the coastline and surrounded by other similar structures, each housing one or a multitude of businesses. Local businesses, in the main, but also outposts for a few larger brands.
To many it probably didn’t look like the type of office to find one of the world’s most prominent billionaires working from – no gold-lined toilets here. But perhaps that only showed Victor Travers’s lack of long-term commitment to Cancun. Even if the man had spent a lot of time in Mexico recently, it certainly wasn’t his primary place of work, and Finn knew the man enjoyed his extravagances still – both in Mexico and further afield.
Just not in this office, it seemed.
‘Would you like anything to drink?’ Angelique asked Finn, as he put his laptop bag onto the plasticky tabletop.
‘Whiskey?’ he asked, and noted the quizzical expression on her face. ‘I’m joking,’ he added quickly. ‘First day nerves showing, that’s all. A coffee would be fantastic, thank you.’
‘I’ll be right back,’ she said.
And she was. Less than two minutes later she returned carrying a tray with a classic white china mug and saucer, a little milk jug, a dish of brown and white sugar cubes and a plate containing two cookies.
‘Amazing, thank you,’ Finn said, beaming her a smile.
‘He should be with you shortly.’
She stepped out, closing the door behind her.
Finn poured a drop of milk into the cup then took a sip of the too-weak coffee as he scanned the room again. He felt like he’d been transported back a decade or three, with the coffee tray and the basic-looking room. Prefabricated walls and ceiling, a whiteboard hung across the space at the far side with green and red smudges where people had only half-heartedly cleaned up. Two walls were almost entirely taken up by stacked boxes, which he presumed contained files for him. The final wall housed a small window. It was a sunny, hot day outside, once again, but not much of a view – only the car park and the adjacent buildings.
He heard a female voice outside the closed door. He sat back in his seat and waited, and a few moments later the door opened and he spotted the familiar face, the woman staring at her phone screen still. He stood from his seat as she pulled the phone down and finally clocked him, doing a double-take before a deep frown set in.
‘Good morning,’ Finn said, with a wide, relaxed smile.
‘You?’ Mariana said, eyes pinching.
‘Wait.’ He feigned surprise, held a finger up as though in a eureka moment. ‘Didn’t we… Aren’t you…’
She closed the door behind her and folded her arms as she glared at him.
‘So, what’s the game?’ she asked.
‘Game? Your name’s Mariana, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, Finn, my name is Mariana.’
‘What a coincidence, seeing you again.’
‘You think?’
‘Is it just you coming?’
‘No. Victor will be here in a few minutes. He got caught up with something.’
‘But you didn’t know you’d be meeting me?’
‘I only knew we were meeting with…’
She shook her head and looked away.
‘With?’
She didn’t finish whatever she’d been about to say; clearly she hadn’t been given Finn’s name by Victor, otherwise she may have already put the pieces together.
She took a seat opposite and Finn sat back down, just as a light knock came on the door. Angelique popped her head in.
‘Would you like—’
‘I’m fine,’ Mariana said. ‘Victor will have some sparkling water. Please.’
The belated pleasantry sounded somewhat forced. She was angry. Angelique quickly left again as though chastised.
‘So you’re the new export trade consultant,’ Mariana said.
‘Apparently so.’
‘And you knew that two days ago when you came up to me in the hotel.’
‘Yeah.’
‘You didn’t think then it’d be a good time to tell me who you were?’
‘You never really asked.’
‘And what? You were spying on us? On me?’
‘On you? Why would I be spying on you?’
He took a sip from his coffee, holding her eye. She still looked angry, but he definitely saw chinks in the steely facade. Perhaps because of his own upbeat demeanor.
‘So what was the point of you coming up to me like that then?’
‘Truthfully?’
‘No, I’m asking you to lie to my face. Yes, of course truthfully!’
‘I’m… interested. In you.’
She paused, then, ‘The way I remember it, you were mostly asking questions about Victor like a proper little stalker.’
Finn shrugged. ‘Small talk. Perhaps I need to work on that.’
She jumped a little when the door behind her opened and Victor Travers strode in unannounced, like he owned the place.
Well, obviously he did.
He wore tight chinos and a short-sleeved white shirt – a plain look, except for his chunky and glitzy watch which was most likely ludicrously expensive. In his fifties, Victor was tall – six four perhaps – and rake thin, and his face had heavy lines on it, as did his bare lower arms, as though his skin had lost its elasticity and didn’t fit his skinny frame. His silver, slicked back hair and his piercing blue eyes finished off an overall relaxed but confident look.
‘Finn, how are you?’ Victor said, his English good but his accent not hiding it wasn’t his native tongue.
Finn got to his feet and Victor gave a bone-crushing handshake, his long, spindly fingers encircling Finn’s hand like an octopus’s tentacles.
‘Very good, thank you.’
‘So you’ve met Mariana now?’
‘Actually, we met previously, didn’t we?’ Finn said, looking at her.
‘Yeah, we did,’ she said, no hint of discomfort or embarrassment at him bringing that up. ‘When I went for lunch at Oasis with Patrick and the others a couple of days ago, Finn was there, in the hotel bar.’
‘You were?’
Finn opened his mouth to speak but Mariana cut him off. ‘Why were you there?’
‘Just having a relaxing drink by the sea,’ he said. ‘It’s a nice spot. My favorite hotel.’
‘It’s wonderful, isn’t it?’ Victor said. ‘We only opened it a couple of months ago. I can’t get enough of that place.’
‘You own it?’
Mariana rolled her eyes at the question.
‘One of a few in Cancun, actually. Not all are under the Travers brand, but… Anyway. So you two met already, that’s good.’
‘We didn’t talk about work though,’ Mariana said. ‘I had no idea that he was the new trade consultant. He tried to chat me up while I was having a smoke.’
There was a real snideness to her tone, but it only drew another smile from Finn and a laugh from Victor.
‘Is that right?’ he said.
‘I don’t think I succeeded,’ Finn said. ‘As you can probably tell, I don’t think she likes me very much.’
Victor slapped him on the back.
‘Don’t be silly. Mariana’s got a tough exterior – she wouldn’t be where she is without it – but she has a warmer side too. I actually think you two are a lot alike. I think you’ll be great working together.’
‘Working together?’ Mariana said. ‘I thought… I knew you were bringing in a trade expert—’ she grimaced a little at that last word as though she didn’t want to stroke Finn’s ego by using it ‘—but I thought Ed was—’
‘Ed needs to go to the Far East,’ Victor said, waving away her protest – was it a protest? – as casually as anything. ‘Probably for a few months. So I’m moving you over to consumer electronics for a while. You’re the only person I trust enough to do what he does. We can discuss what that means for your contract, but you and Finn will be working side by side until we get all the agreements we need in place, and the operations on the ground here up and running.’
‘Sounds good to me,’ Finn said. ‘Mariana?’
‘Yeah. Wonderful.’
‘Good, then let’s sit and discuss the plan,’ Victor said.
* * *
Half an hour later and Victor was in mid-spiel again about something or other to do with the last time he’d played golf with the American president. How had they even got to that? Just as well Finn didn’t really need much information from the man in order to get his work rolling, as it’d take an age to get there with Victor’s wayward mind.
‘But the plan is to get operations started before the end of the year?’ Finn asked when the interlude had finished. At least, he thought it had finished.
‘Actually, the original plan was to be up and running by the summer,’ Victor said. ‘We wanted it all live early so we’d have smoothed out any kinks before the end of the year rush. No chance of that happening now, I’m told—’
‘By who?’ Finn asked, and Victor looked a little put out at the interruption.
‘Ed. He’s had a lot of trouble ironing out the import and export licenses we need because—’
‘Which is why you’ve brought me in, isn’t it?’ Finn said.
‘Yes, it is.’
‘Are you trying to suggest we still aim for the summer?’ Mariana asked, as though the prospect were an impossibility.
‘I tell you what,’ Victor said. ‘You get us going even by early autumn, so we’re fully ramped for the Christmas rush, and I’ll double your fee.’
‘Sounds good to me,’ Finn said, holding his hand out to Victor.
The slight pause suggested perhaps Victor’s offer had been tongue-in-cheek, but he shook Finn’s hand still. More apprehensive and not as bone-crushing this time.
The next moment, Victor’s phone chirped on the desk and he didn’t hesitate before answering it. After a thirty-second chat the call ended and he got to his feet.
‘I think you have everything you need from me,’ he said to Finn. ‘I know it’s a bit backward these days, but the majority of the records you need should be in these boxes. And, Finn, if you need anything at all, try Mariana first. She knows this business as well as anyone else.’
And with that Victor turned and left.
Finn held Mariana’s suspicious gaze through the silence that followed.
‘If you’re up to something, I want to know now,’ she said.
‘Up to what?’
‘You wouldn’t be the first person, and you probably won’t be the last, who tried to get close to Victor to scupper him or to scoop some dirt for their own gain.’
He put his hand to his heart. ‘I’m offended you think so little of me.’
‘You’re not though, are you?’
He shrugged and smiled.
‘So you really didn’t know, then?’ he asked.
‘Know what?’
‘That Ed had gone and you’d be taking his place.’
‘No, I didn’t. Did you?’
‘Never met the guy before. Had no idea who I’d be working with. This is a promotion for you, then?’
‘I guess so.’
‘Congratulations.’
‘Thank you.’
‘Seems like we’re going to be spending a lot of time together, doesn’t it?’
‘Yeah. In a professional capacity.’
He looked over the boxes then back to her. ‘I’m looking forward to you showing me everything.’
‘Excuse me?’
‘In a professional capacity,’ he added, with air quotes.
‘Yeah, I’m sure that’s what you meant,’ she said, finally letting a full smile slip through.