*...* internal thought
----- flashback
**** identifies a break in scenes
[1,2,3,4,...] author notes at the bottom of fic
A Class Act Part 4
An Old Nemesis
Heero swallowed a yawn as the rangy tour guide launched into another diatribe about the cultivation of the vineyard's grapes. The small group of adults was moving slowly through the building, learning about the workings of Sank's premiere winery. Not exactly something thrilling to the young computer genius, but it had been a planned activity and he had promised to go along on the activities, no matter how boring some of them were.
The group was led into the cellar where the wine was properly aged. The cool, windowless space held an agreeable, sweet-musty aroma that was typical of its kind. Heero rolled his eyes as the guide expounded on the kinds of wood used for the barrels the wine was aged in, as well as the length of time various wines were allowed to age.
What Heero couldn't believe was the fact that some of his fellow classmates were actually interested in this stuff. Wine was wine to Heero, who was more interested in the computer software the winery used to fill its order requests. *Though,* he thought with a touch of surly sarcasm, *I suppose that if you did nothing all day but choose what type of wine to serve at a party, then this kind of thing would be right up your alley.*
Heero caught the muted ringing of a phone, and turned to see Hilde fish a cell phone out of her shoulder bag. Though the dark-haired woman turned her back and kept her voice low, Heero could clearly hear her side of the conversation.
"You're missing a terrific morning, Duo. We've already been to two of Sank's best wineries and learned alot."
At this, Heero had to roll his eyes again. He should have known that this type of activity would be right along Hilde's alley.
"If you'd brought those files out with you on Saturday, you wouldn't have had to go back for them. You know what they say - the memory's the first thing to go." After a moment, Hilde gave a high, trilled laugh and amended, "Okay, the second thing."
A flash of irritation swept through Heero as he listened to Hilde banter over the phone with Duo. *Work colleagues only, right,* he snorted, thinking. Heero found that hard to believe. Even harder to believe was that he was feeling jealousy at the ease that Hilde spoke with his former boyfriend. An ease that he himself used to have, though no longer.
At the very least, Duo and Hilde must have remained close friends, being comrades in arm and all. They had attended university and law school together, before joining the family firm. They must also work closely together on cases, not to mention that they probably spent a lot of time outside of work together too. Especially since their fathers were law partners and buddies.
"Okay Duo, floor it and join us at the restaurant. Our reservation is at 12:30. See you there!"
Heero bristled at knowing that Duo would be rejoining the group for lunch. Resolving to ignore the sudden stab of pleasure in knowing that Duo would be coming back, he focused in on the tour guide. The group was entering the last stage of the winery tour, the tasting. The guide announced that there were six wines for sampling and began to pour the first one.
Heero took a tiny sip from his glass and instantly regretted it. The white was dreadful and Heero was immensely grateful for the basket of bland crackers on the bar. As he munched on one, his gaze caught Wufei's and smirked at the Chinese man's expression of torture.
Setting his glass far from him, Heero returned his attention to the guide who was explaining that wine was meant to be served with food rather than on its own, because of how it reacts with the carbohydrates in food. Heero was listening with half an ear when he felt a sharp tap on his shoulder.
He turned around to see Hilde standing behind him, beaming up into his face. He quelled an urge to grind his teeth. The diminutive German girl had been doing that all morning, catching his eye and smiling at him like they were the best of friends.
Hilde beamed and said, "I've been waiting for a chance to chat with you. To kind of, you know, get caught up."
As Heero fumbled for any excuse to the contrary, Hilde merely grabbed his arm, urging him away from the rest of the group. She was babbling on about tiny things, jabbering like they were two buddies. It irked Heero, to say the least.
"You know, I absolutely love this look on you, Heero. The tank top is so... relaxed looking!"
"Hmph."
A muscle near Hilde's eye twitched, even as her smile stretched wider. "You're just... the same talkative Heero, aren't you?" she gushed. She continued on her tangent, completely unaware of the rigidity in Heero's stance.
"I can't tell you how many times I've meant to pick up the phone and give you a ring, but, well, you know how it is. Life just happens and before you know it, ten years just go by!"
Heero plastered a pleasant expression on his face, keeping his voice light and friendly as he retorted with, "Well, actually Hilde, I haven't thought about calling you at all. Not even once."
Hilde gave a strained chuckle that died a pathetic death. Swallowing her resolve, she continued with, "Well, there, you see? We all get so caught up with work. Speaking of which," she pounced, "I heard about your corporation, Zero Industries." Hilde gave Heero a sly look and a playful shove. "Who'd have thought that Heero had it in him?"
Heero's eyes narrowed dangerously as he curtly replied, "No one, it would seem."
Hilde continued on, completely ignoring the danger signs emanating from Heero. "From sales clerk to owner of a computer software enterprise worth five point three billion dollars and growing! I nearly collapsed in shock when I heard the news."
"Really? What a pity," Heero drawled out in a sarcastic tone.
Heero shrugged and added in a more normal tone, "I'm not so easily surprised like that. For example, it doesn't shock me at all that you lost no time in finding out what Zero is worth."
Hilde beamed and said, "I knew you wouldn't mind!" She spread her hands out in an appealing gesture and said, "Now, I'm going to ask you straight out, and feel free to tell me to go to hell. But, are you happy with your current legal representation, Heero?"
"Hilde, go to hell," he deadpanned.
Hilde launched into her sales pitch, without bothering to even react to Heero's blunt reply. "Because I'll be honest with you, and this is advice I'd give my own mother. The firm you're currently with - Darlian and Dermail - is a fine one. Darlian is a really smart lawyer -"
Heero interrupted with a droll, "Yes, he's done very well for me."
" - but every firm has its weak points. And I can tell you this confidentially, their track record with companies that are growing as fast as yours -"
Heero had had enough and he said bluntly, "Hilde, please tell me you're not trying to get me to switch my business to your firm."
Hilde smiled indulgently at Heero, as if she knew he wouldn't understand. "I've seen it before, Heero. Companies take off unexpectedly and an inexperienced entrepreneur suddenly finds himself struggling to cope with rapid expansion, site acquisition, tax repercussions, and all kinds of liability... It's all too easy to rely upon the law firm to make all your decisions. However, at Maxwell Schbeiker we -"
Heero abruptly cut her off, making a time-out sign with his hands. His blood was boiling by this point and he couldn't believe the woman's audacity.
"Okay, as for my 'unexpected' success. Let me share something with you, Hilde. My first rule of business is that if success comes as a surprise, you don't have the right to it. Being a business is not something you can do willy-nilly and hope that it works. It takes planning and strategies and commitment."
"Well, there's no question of that."
"Wait a sec, I'm not finished. As for inexperienced little me struggling to cope with the 'suddenness' of it all - I've worked for ten years to get where I am now. Days, nights, weekends, holidays, the works."
"Oh, I know how hard you must have worked -"
A sudden thought occurred to Heero, one that made his stomach roll. "Did you discuss this with Duo?"
"Well, naturally we talked it over. Bringing new businesses into the firm is a very high priority for us."
Anger rose quickly in Heero and this time he fanned the flames. Back at the house Duo had seemed so sincere and endearing, truly wishing to smooth over the past and begin a new friendship based on equal terms! But now the true reason behind his actions was being revealed. He'd been actively wooing a prospective client! No doubt he and Hilde had strategized and discussed what it would take to win his trust and get him to switch firms.
In a deadly cold voice, backed by his white-hot fury, Heero moved closer to Hilde and said, "Listen carefully, because I don't want any misunderstandings. I will never, ever give my business to your firm. Don't ask me again."
Hilde sighed and rolled her eyes upwards. "Is this about what happened when we were kids?"
Heero growled under his breath and shifted even closer, forcing the smaller woman to back up against the bar. "You slept with my boyfriend, Hilde," he bit out.
"We were kids! Don't you think it's time to move on, Heero?"
Heero snorted and continued to rip into her. "It wasn't enough that you had everything that I could only dream about in high school. You had the money, the prestige, the name, the adoration, the house, the clothes. Every boy in the school was drooling over you, eager to take the precious Schbeiker heiress out. You could have had your choice of partners and you did. But you had to set your sights on the one thing I had, you had to take the one guy I loved."
A fierce blush stole across Hilde's cheeks as her own eyes narrowed. With a nasty hiss, she retorted with, "And it was wrong! Guys aren't meant to be with other guys! Everyone knew that, everyone knew that you had somehow managed to ensnare Duo in a trap and he would eventually break free of your spell. I just helped to speed things up. Besides, when Duo invited me to the reception, I asked him why he wasn't taking you. He said something to the effect that you were out of the equation. I thought he had finally come to his senses and was listening to his father."
It was depressingly easy for Heero to imagine Duo saying something like that. Far be it for him to directly disobey his father and scandalize his family's friends by taking another boy, not to mention the janitor's son, to something as prestigious as a reception.
He's out of the equation.
So sure of himself. So arrogant.
Heero took a long slow breath, trying to remind himself that it didn't matter anymore. It was in the past and that was where it was going to stay, especially now.
Hilde placed a hand on Heero's bare arm, adopting a friendlier tone. "Let's let bygones be bygones, what do you say?"
Heero noticed that the group was starting to disperse, the tour over. As he planned on joining them back to his car, he hissed one last statement to the crafty woman before him.
"Some people may consider the term, 'ethical lawyer', to be a contradiction, but let me assure you, Hilde. I require some degree of honesty and honor in anybody I do direct business with. And believe me, you and your partner aren't even in the running."
TBC...
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