Sugar

Tokyo, Japan PT. 3

Tiffany’s PoV

I sighed while drinking my cup of tea as I waited for the prime minister to come. I’ve talked to his assistant, but that man gave me a vague answer. I have no choice but to wait for him after he’s done with his meeting. It’s a problem when his bodyguard doesn’t have any sense of respect for me. I need to tell the prime minister about this.

After waiting for almost thirty minutes, I finally heard a commotion outside the lounge. I smiled when the prime minister entered the lounge room with his head low.

“I heard that my bodyguard made a mistake when you first arrived. Please forgive me, Miss Iscariot.” The words this man utters seem a little insincere.

“I’ve been waiting for almost thirty minutes, and that’s your first question?” The minister continues to apologize until I raise my hand.

“It’s been two days since I arrived, and you never make an effort to meet me until I reach out to you. Why? Are you running away from me? Are you scared?” The minister shakes his head no.

“Heavens no. Why would I do such things to my savior? Please forgive me for my delay, but I have some urgent matters to deal with, and it only comes to me that you’re here in Tokyo, miss. Please forgive me.” I’m tired of listening to such empty words like that.

“Did you feel bad, or yours worried that I might spread unnecessary rumors about you to the public? I know it’s almost time for the election, and you want to keep your place as the minister. Remember that without my family’s help, you won’t be able to sit in your current seat. Also, teach your guards and those who work for you proper manners.” The minister nodded his head.

“Lia tried to call you. Why didn’t you accept her call?” The minister then explained how busy he was, which annoyed me.

“Busy? No- you’re never busy when I need you. Now, I was hoping you could sit down and listen to what I say. I want to buy a particular piece of land and redevelop it myself. Lia tried to do the transaction, but the owner refused to let go of that land. Even though I increased the amount of p*****t, that bastard refused. Help me get that land from the owner, and you will be rewarded.” The minister nodded.

“Consider it done.” That’s what I like to hear.

“Good. Now tell me more about Star Construction.” The minister’s reaction was priceless.

“Star Construction? Why? Did they do something to you?” That’s a weird question.

“Your question just confirmed the answers I seek. They’re going against the law, and you know it. Why did you let them go rampant?” The minister sighed.

“I tried to do my best to stop them, but I couldn’t. Even though I am the prime minister, there’s so much I could do that parallels with the law. I’m not going to do anything that will hurt my reputation. I’ve worked hard to have this job, and I intend to do my best to keep it.” I scoffed.

“Even though your people are being oppressed by those who work for Star Construction? Come on! Don’t be a p***y. Let me tell you something- the managers who worked for that company bribed the police department and continued to hire gangsters to scare the people away. They gave unreasonable amounts of money to the business owner and forced them to leave their shop. What kind of leader are you? And you know they’re doing whatever they want in your country that you’re supposed to protect! What are you scared of? Is there anyone more dangerous than me?” The minister finally looks up to me.

“Miss- you’re going to deal with the Star Construction president? No- I can’t let you do that. He has a connection with the Japanese yakuza. You’re going to get into trouble!” I smiled at the minister.

“It’s cute that you’re worried about me. All you have to do is make sure that I will be the new landowner. There’s an orphanage that I have decided to sponsor. So I must have the land. Let me think of the consequences myself. Alright?” The minister nodded.

“I’ll do my best, Miss.” Now that it’s settled, I should have invited him to the opening of the branch company.

“Here.” I placed a card on the table.

“You’re invited to the opening of the branch company. You have no choice but to show yourself. You must be there because it will make me feel important. My mother is well known to be a ruthless businesswoman, and I will not stand in her shadow. Help me, so people start to see my effort and not compare me with my mother or father.” The minister nodded.

“I will bring my wife with me. She will talk to the other wives while I strike a conversation with the other guests and help you gain more favors. Besides, having the wives by your side will prove to be a weapon in the future.” I smiled. It seems this man is speaking from his own experience.

“That’s an interesting idea. Do what you must. I expect nothing but good news.” I smiled before I finally offered them minister a glass of water. The minister seems confused since this is his office and not mine.

“What? Just take it. There’s no need to be shy. I didn’t put any poison in the drink too. Would you want time to drink it before you do?” The minister shakes his head no.

LATER THAT NIGHT,

I went to the hotel cafe to find Lucia. I hope I’m not too late for dinner. My meeting with the prime minister ends a little late, and I know Lucia is not the type to be upset but still, I promise to have dinner with her.

“I'm sorry for being late.“ Lucia smiled.

“It’s okay. Should we order now?” I nodded before calling for the server. We ordered our food and drinks before I asked about her day.

“Did you have fun with your friend?” Lucia nodded.

“She gave me a thorough tour of Akihabara. I bought a lot of things too.” Luckily Lucia mentioned Akihabara. Thomas asked me to find this type of doll he collects. I should ask one of the guards to find it for me.

“What sort of things did you buy?” I asked after thanking the waitress for our drinks.

“Clothes, shoes and some momento from this trip. Oh! I also bought a couple of magnets to put on the fridge.” Magnets? I see.

“What about you? How did your day go?” I sighed.

“It went well, I guess. I made sure that I got what I wanted before our trip ended.” Lucia hummed as she played with her drink with the straw.

“So, do you want to help the orphanage?” I nodded.

“Really?” Again I nodded.

“What’s wrong?” I asked since Lucia seemed a bit surprised.

“I thought you would find a new place for the children, but I didn’t expect you to buy the land itself. What are you going to do with it? Will the former tenant be able to go back to their shop?” Oh- it seems Lucia is curious about my plan.

“Why should I let such a rare opportunity goes to waste? I could redevelop the land and build a new building for all the tenants. They can keep paying me at the same rate as the former landlord. I don’t mind at all.” Lucia seems surprised yet again.

“But by doing so, you will have to suffer many losses.” I shrugged my shoulder.

“So? Does it matter? Sometimes you have to suffer losses if you want to be the greatest at your job. That’s how my mother taught me. And that’s how I’ll do my job.” Moments later, our food came, and it didn’t take long for us to dig in since we were both hungry.

MOMENTS LATER,

After dinner, we decided to walk around the hotel area since we ate too much food that we normally should have. We couldn’t control ourselves since the desserts seemed too delicious to pass on.

“My stomach is about to explode. Gosh- I never thought I would eat so much.”

“We should have drank some vodka. The alcohol will burn away the uneasiness we’re feeling.” Lucia sighed at my suggestion.

“Stop thinking about alcohol at this hour. Gosh- how could you even think of drinking after such a hearty meal?” I was built differently.

“I have a quiz to take tomorrow. And I haven’t studied at all. I should study the moment we came back to the hotel room. I can’t procrastinate again tonight. My future is determined ag the quiz, and if I fail yet again, perhaps such progression isn’t suitable for me.” Lucia sighed.

What should I say to comfort this woman? For me, quizzes and exams aren’t a problem at all. I’m worried that the teachers caught me cheating on some of my answers from the smart kid. Everyone cheats at least once on their school exams.

“Is the quiz usually that difficult?” Lucia nodded.

“Yea. The lecturer doesn’t care about the students feeling, but he is a great teacher. It’s just people tend to interpret her way of teaching differently.”

“If it makes you feel better, my history teacher used to make fun of her students and talk down to anyone who didn’t do her assignment.” Lucia chuckled.

“What? Did I see something wrong?” Lucia shakes her head no.

“It’s just your way of telling me is amusing. How could you say such stuff with a stoic expression like that? Then what happened to that teacher?Huh? Is there any other way to say it?

“Nothing. Even if we tried to tell the principal, nothing could be done since she’s a senior staff. It’s not far but hey, life is never fair to begin with. Sometime we have to take action with our own hands if we want to survive.” Somehow Lucia seems worried.

“What did you do tjat teacher?” Why does she always assume I’ve done something?

“Because you’re Tiffany. Of course I would think that way.” I just realised what sort of person I am to this woman. Am I resonating such negative vibe to everyone around me? I don’t think so. Children likes me. There’s no reason for children to hate me. Right? Who am I convincing even?

“No- I didn’t do anything. But the parents did. They decided to take action and inform the school superintendent. It didn’t take long for the teacher to be reprimanded and fired from her position. Things went well after that. We got a nice and young history teacher too.” I explained.

“I think we should go back to the hotel.“ Lucia agreed and we went on our way back to the hotel.

“Did you notice it too?” Lucia nodded.

“Somehow has been following us and it’s not the bodyguard. Right?” I nodded.

“The hotel is the safest place for us now. It’s my bad for not telling the guards about our departure. This wouldn’t happened if I just text one of them.” I blame myself.

“Stop blaming yourself. It’s not your fault. Since they keep a distance from us, they’re probably keeping spying on us.” It seems the people from Star Construction has finally showing their true colours.

This could be fun.