Conor walked down the hall to his old office and knocked just as Kerrigan was hanging up with Natalie. “Got a minute?” “I suppose.” “Issues back at Dragon Corporation?” “Kelan is being an ass to my staff, and my chief of security is missing. But all sunshine and rainbows. So, what's up?” Kerrigan said with a forced smile. “Well, Peter Miros stopped by.” “The AperturePhoto guy?” “Yep. He had a curious visitor. One Andrew Harden.” “Harden… that family does construction for the Benedicts, right? What did he want?” “You know your stuff!” “It pays to know one’s enemy,” Kerrigan said with a smirk. Conor explained briefly what Peter had told him. Kerrigan sat back in the chair and steepled her fingers in contemplation. “So, the runt of the litter is making a play for the throne. Sounds like Harden Corporation will be in dire straights if they don’t get a major injection of funds.” “Or they will just keep playing lackey to the Benedicts,” Conor suggested. “True, but Ezra Harden i
Conor looked around the table at his team, as well as at Kerrigan and her guards sitting stoically at the far end. He had chosen the conference room with the large oval table for a reason and he hoped it would become apparent shortly. “Everyone, I realize that Vokrizin is growing faster and larger than I could have ever hoped or believed. I am also painfully aware that Celia and Abrasax are in meditation for the foreseeable future. When I ran Celia’s Herbals, it failed because I lost track of the business, and was not as involved as I needed to be. I want to ensure that doesn’t happen. Miss Lokir, I am hoping you would be willing to assist me in this.” “Depends on what you had in mind. I do at some point still have Dragon Corporation to consider and manage,” She said seriously. “Of course, and I wouldn’t want to keep you from those duties. No, what I could use most right now is guidance on how you manage to keep such a large conglomerate moving, and offer advice on how we can prepa
Mr. Nuri arrived early at the court house and found his place behind the defendant’s table. He laid out his notes and began reviewing. He always made a point of arriving well before anyone else to make sure he had everything set. On many days like this Jarad or one of his other paralegals might have joined him, but they all had tasks to attend to in preparation for the Gala and Conor’s upcoming business moves. Even his new apprentice was busy trying to solve the conundrum that was the task of reacquiring full control of Dragon Corporation. Mr. Nuri scratched his head as he looked over the notes from discovery. This should be an open and shut case, but this judge he had been assigned was a newer one. Judge Marrow according to the notes his team had compiled for him was raised in Pinon Province but had attended the capital’s renowned school of law, the same that he had attended, though a few years before himself. The small audience began filtering in, many graduate students trying t
Kerrigan sat behind Conor’s large oak desk reviewing the papers Natalie had sent over and trying to figure out what Kelan was doing to her company. Some of the decisions he was authorizing made no sense at all and she wondered if he was just agreeing to anything people asked of him, regardless of how asinine the requests might be. She was certain that if he kept up like this the board would remove him without her ever lifting a finger. There was something that kept nagging at the back of her mind but she could not figure out what the issue was. One trade he had authorized moved some of Dragon Corporation’s spice business to a third party who was then paid to move the product to Pinon Province, where it was then re-acquired by another subsidiary of Dragon Corporation. The final sale still showed a 10% profit, but the effort to achieve that seemed asinine to Kerrigan. A knock sounded at the door and she looked up to find Anna Brooks peaking around her door. “Do you have a minute?” she
Kerrigan walked out of the office suite for perhaps the last time on Saturday morning. Today, Conor was due to pick her up for their outing to the mountains north of Jinstain. She had found a cute black tennis skirt that should work well for outdoor adventuring. She had also managed to find a thin gray sun shirt the nice girl at the clothing shop had called a rashguard. She had assured Kerrigan that it would help prevent sunburn, and if they were going to be out for a few hours, she would want the extra protection. Back at the temple, Kerrigan had to worry about wind burn, chapped lips, and frostbite. Sun exposure was a prized time in the all too short summer months. The girl had insisted though that here in Jinstain, as summer came on, the risk of sunburn and heat stroke was all too real. She sat on the edge of the desk waiting for word that Conor had arrived for their outing. Evelynn walked in and smiled. “Someone looks nervous today,” she jested. “I am not! It's just a chance t
The mountainside to the right began to turn into a sheer face that towered over them as the left side fell away down to a strong moving stream below. At one point Parker looked up and pointed at the sheer rock wall. “See those small metal bits on the wall?” Kerrigan strained her eyes but noticed the metal glinting. “What are those?” “Anchors. Some of the more adventurous climbers have been out here and did everyone a favor by drilling those into the wall. Now anyone with the knowledge and skill can try to climb that wall with much more confidence. It is actually becoming a popular sport in some circles. Perhaps I can requisition some ropes and quickdraws from Colonel Eli. You two will likely need to visit an outfitter to get some proper shoes if we come back out here,” Parker explained. “You climb that? All the way up there? What if you fall?” Kerrigan asked in trepidation. “Ropes. It’s the same method we use for special operations. Of course, the stakes are much lower, and it's h
Evelynn picked out a spot on the large flat rock near Kerrigan and set down her own backpack, laid out a towel, and then glanced around for Parker before stripping off her shirt, revealing her bikini underneath. She then took a running leap and dove into the depths of the pool. “Well, that is one way to brave the cold.” Conor chuckled as Evelynn broke the surface halfway across the pond. He stood and stripped off his own shirt revealing an impressive set of abs. Kerrigan realized that since they had been training together, Conor had developed a lean, powerful build with his naturally wide shoulders and strong arms having been concealed so often beneath his business suits. “You going to join us?” Conor called to everyone else. Gabriella shook her head with a smile. “Not today, sir. I will keep an eye on the path, but you all go ahead.” Parker nodded at Gabriella in acknowledgment before stripping off his own shirt and diving in. Kerrigan hesitated for a moment, “What about this sur
“Or what? You were sticky and needed a rinse.” Parker quipped, popping another chip ladened with chicken salad. “You knew perfectly well that a dunk in cold water is not what I was after,” Evelynn said, snatching the chicken salad from Parker and taking a scoop for herself before passing it to Kerrigan. “I wasn’t done with that. As for you, if that is what you wanted, you could have just asked me back to your place AFTER work. Perhaps there I could have given you a proper shower.” Parker said straight-faced. Evelynn squirmed uncomfortably, “You know perfectly well that I am stuck in the barracks at Volkrizin. Colonel Eli doesn’t tolerate ANYTHING.” “So am I. You likely didn’t realize it as our entrance is from the other stairwell, but I am under the same roof as you, just on the other side of a wall,” Parker explained. “Wait, Conor, ALL of our guards are housed at Vokrizin? Why doesn’t Parker have a home of his own?! Colonel Eli? The other 100 or so I see around?” Kerrigan asked i