He wasn’t surprised when Kenzo stood and gestured for Alejandro to walk with him.
They stepped out into the balmy late-April evening, Kenzo’s steps slow but steady as they took a meandering path that led to a smaller, well-lit pagoda surrounded by stone statues.
Inside, the old man selected a seat, indicating the one opposite him. Once Alejandro sat, he said, ‘Speak, son.’
‘You know why I’m here.’
‘You think I’m the one getting in the way of the merger?’
‘I just want straight answers.’
Kenzo nodded. ‘Very well. You’re a lone wolf, Mr Aguilar. Your brother—’ he looked to where Gael was swaying on the dance floor, smiling down at the woman in his arms ‘—he has his issues, but he has a better understanding of what the term family means. You, on the other hand, do not. My grandsons may very well override my wishes—they have the majority vote, after all. But I mean to sway them to my way of thinking.’
‘Which is what exactly?’ He was only mildly curious, the decision to walk away solidifying with each passing minute.
‘That selling what I’ve spent my lifetime building to a man who is so determined to reject his blood and his past won’t end well. Ishikawa Corporation is about family. I won’t go to my grave without ensuring my legacy remains intact.’
‘And that’s your final word on the matter?’ Alejandro asked.
‘You’ll do one of two things. You’ll either walk away from this deal, or you’ll reassess your priorities and do what is necessary for your own soul. Either way, I wish you the best. But I urge you to do the latter.’
The old man’s parting words struck him hard. Alejandro sat, frozen in place, as Kenzo rose and shuffled off. He wasn’t aware how long he sat there, staring at the water. It might have been three minutes. Or three hours.
But words he’d pushed away for a long time suddenly surged back, pounding through his brain.
Family. Compromise. Brother. Legacy.
When he sensed a presence behind him, Alejandro didn’t need to look to know it was his brother. Gael took the seat Kenzo had vacated, his elbows braced on his knees. He looked as if he needed a drink.
‘You met with the old man?’
Alejandro nodded.
‘Did he give you the family spiel, too?’
‘Sí, he did.’
Gael sighed. ‘I guess you win this round. Kudos to you.’
Alejandro frowned. ‘What?’
Gael spread his hands. ‘I have to give it to you, it was a good move. Although, I thought...’ He shook his head. ‘Forget what I thought.’
‘Gael, what are you talking about?’
His brother froze. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever heard you use my name.’
The pang in Alejandro’s chest was deep and painful. ‘Well. Perhaps...’ He paused, not quite sure how to proceed. ‘When this is done, we need to talk.’
Gael’s smile was grim and unwelcoming. ‘So I can listen to you gloat? No, thanks. Your neat trick paid off. You bagged this one. Accept the congrats and let’s retreat to our respective kingdoms, sí?’
‘I don’t play tricks.’ He spiked his fingers through his hair. ‘Look, things didn’t happen the way you thought they did...those three weeks when your mother went missing.’
Gael frowned. ‘I was there, I know what happened.’
‘You thought I was too busy chasing girls to help you. I wasn’t. I was dealing with my own mother and the breakdown she was having over the whole thing.’
Gael’s mouth twisted. ‘Right.’