Aaric
I looked out a window on the private jet, seeing mountains protruding from once flat prairie.
When Simon told me back in September that I’d be leading the founders’ retreats, it made sense.
I was the chief operations officer, the one in charge of ensuring cross-team collaborations went smoothly.
Managing a company of this size was no easy task, but this retreat might prove my hardest challenge yet.
Aboard the private jet, Jude and Bryce were as far apart as possible without sitting on the wings.
Jude wore headphones, his laptop in front of him on the table. His lips were drawn into a firm line, pretending to be absorbed in work.
And I say pretending because every so often, his eyes drifted to Bryce.
Bryce sat across from Cruz at a small table with a game of chess between them. Bryce’s sole focus was on the game—that, and tossing good-natured jabs back and forth with Cruz. The two were the most competitive players I’d seen.
Quentin sat in one of the reclining chairs with an eye mask on and bright-orange earplugs shoved into his ears.
A light-blue weighted blanket was pulled up under his chin.
Cruz had made a joke earlier about Rei keeping him up all night, only for Quentin to glare back at him.
But I swore I saw Q’s lips twitch like he was holding back a smile.
The pilot’s voice came over the intercom. “As we approach the mountains, expect some turbulence.”
I straightened in my seat, bracing myself for a drop. I didn’t mind flying so much; it was the feeling of the plane dropping in the sky that I didn’t like.
“YES!” Cruz shouted, jumping to his feet.
I snapped my gaze toward them and saw Bryce glaring good-naturedly at our friend. “Remember this moment. Won’t happen again.”
Cruz danced, pointing at Bryce. “I beat you! You said it wouldn’t happen, but look who proved you wrong!”
Jude pulled off his headphones, giving them an annoyed look. Neither of them noticed.
“Rematch on the way back?” Bryce asked Cruz. “I can’t let you bask in victory too much longer.”
Laughing wickedly, Cruz said, “Maybe I won’t ever play you again, and I’ll be the winner for the rest of time. A painful reminder of the time you lost.”
Bryce rolled his eyes, lips twitching like he was fighting for his life to hold back a smile.
I looked back down at my computer, putting the final touches on the retreat itinerary. Simon had told me that each retreat needed to have a written goal or it was just a pointless vacation. So I wrote my goal in a private note on my computer: a reconciliation between Bryce and Jude.
I approached the floor-to-ceiling windows lining the dining room and gazed at the view. Miles of snow-covered mountainside was visible with the sun edging ever closer to sunset. Dallas was home, but it didn’t have vistas like this. I’d happily spend the next few days enjoying it.
Turning back toward the twelve-person table, I saw a private chef bringing a bowl of salad. She went back to the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on our first meal here.
Knowing my co-founders wouldn’t be fond of my plans, I set printed itineraries by each place setting. They were all in their rooms unpacking, but at six, they started coming out for dinner.
One by one, they picked up the itineraries, scanning them over. Brows furrowed. Lips pursed. Sighs were breathed.
Bryce was the first to complain. “I can’t put my devices on lockdown, Aaric. I have a newborn at home. What if something happens to her while I’m gone?”
I patted his shoulder because I could tell just the thought had him on edge. “I’ve already discussed it with Jada. You will have scheduled check-in calls with her twice each day. If she needs to contact you for any reason, she has my emergency line.”
His face relaxed a little, and he opened his mouth to respond, but before he could speak, Jude said, “You’ve got to be kidding me with this horse shit.
Simon’s in the hospital! The police are still trying to find Damien’s drug dealer.
Our security team is actively investigating espionage.
This couldn’t be a worse idea if you tried. ”
I leveled a hard stare at him. “All of those things are true. We’re facing more outside pressure than ever before with a weaker team than we’ve ever had.
If you hadn’t tried to vote out our main founder, then skipped out on his wedding, we would be in a much stronger position to deal with these challenges. ”
Cruz looked physically uncomfortable at the altercation, but Jude only blinked as if unfazed. “Fine. Take our stuff. But I don’t want to hear a word from Quentin when this affects Q1 earnings.” He slid his phone roughly over the table at me, and I pushed it back.
“I don’t need it until tomorrow morning,” I said. “And regardless of how important you are to the organization, our strength as a unit is more important.”
Bryce’s jaw clenched. Jude’s hands flexed on the table. Only Quentin seemed at ease, hands loose in his lap.
“Thanks for putting this together, Aaric,” he said.
The unexpected compliment meant more than I could say. “Thanks, Q.”
The chef brushed by, putting finished dishes in front of us. Our first meal was a steak or tofu bowl with mixed vegetables and a side salad.
Cruz took a bite and said, “Cute and a good cook. Good work, Chef.”
The woman’s cheeks flamed.
I glared at Cruz. “You’re an HR complaint waiting to happen. Back off.”
“Yeah? Well you’re a party pooper complaint in progress,” he replied, holding back a smile.
I rolled my eyes. “You’ve been spending too much time with your nieces and nephews. Find a better comeback next time.”
He stuck his tongue out at me.
Bryce stifled a chuckle, and Jude shook his head. “Children,” he muttered.
I held back a smile because my plan was working. If they were mad at me, maybe they’d stop being so angry at each other.
Quentin’s gaze narrowed as he looked out the front window to the driveway. “Did you have a delivery coming?” he asked me.
I got up from the table, going closer to the window. The sunset glinted off a black SUV with mirrored windows pulling slowly into the driveway.
“No one else should be here,” I said. With all we’d been through in the last couple months, my mind instantly went to the worst-case scenario.
But I forced myself to think positive. “Maybe the landlord heard it was us and is looking to network...” I walked to the front entrance, planning to see them off, but when I opened the door, I froze to see who was getting out of the car.
Aleyna stepped onto the snowy gravel drive in thick, furry boots and skintight black clothing. And on the other side of the car, the driver was helping Simon into a wheelchair.
Jude approached behind me, saying, “What the fuck are they doing here?”