“Hey, this isn’t a board meeting,” said Orion. “But it’s clear, honey, you’re ours.”
Tashi sighed and leaned her head back on her pillow. “A girl can get used to three outrageously handsome men making love to her. However, I’m not so sure that the rest of the world will accept this situation.”
“Who cares?” Ares said.
“I do.” Tashi insisted. “Look, I lived for several years with Daniel’s weaponized manipulation, and the only way to get out from under was to leave him. Now, I find myself and the men I adore subject to the same manipulation, albeit on a grander scale.”
“She’s right,” Orion said. “We have our controlling interest and property ownership, which should have solidified our position here. Those trying to unseat us are exploiting public perceptions of morality to remove us from the Olympus Royale.”
“I see what you’re saying,” I said. “Three billionaires living in a hotel and casino is glamorous. Three rich old men exploiting a young employee is scandalous.”
“You’re not old,” Tashi protested.
“We are twenty years older than you, sweetheart,” I said. “Some consider that predatory.”
“As predatory as a twenty-five-year-old gold digger?” Tashi said.
Ares shook his head. “All the angles are covered, aren’t they? No matter where we turn, we get a losing hand.”
“Gentlemen, we need to fight back.”
“Of course,” Orion said. “We’ll have our lawyers.”
Tashi shook her head. “Think, Orion. We have to prevail in the arena of public opinion. The Gaming Commission won’t want to look like the bad guys if people support us.”
I smiled. “We speak the same language when it comes to the public. The thing is, how do we get the message across?”
“We don’t,” Ares said flatly. “Not directly.”
We all turned to look at him.
He continued, “Sun Tzu said, ‘All warfare is based on deception,’” He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “Henri thinks he’s won. He’s the interim CEO, we’re out of management, and he controls the narrative. That’s what we want him to think.”
“I’m not following,” Tashi said.
“‘Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak,’” Ares quoted. “Right now, we look defeated. Humiliated. Publicly shamed. Henri expects us to lawyer up, fight back, and make noise. That’s what powerful men do when they’re cornered.”
“So, we don’t fight back?” Orion’s tone was skeptical.
“We don’t fight the way he expects us to,” Ares clarified. “Sun Tzu also says, ‘In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.’ Henri created this chaos to destroy us. But chaos cuts both ways. While he’s busy playing CEO and convincing the board he’s the savior, we’re gathering intelligence he doesn’t know about.”
“Marta in New York,” I said, understanding dawning.
“Exactly. And Neville is tracking the digital forensics and also finding out more about Marcus Talbor. It’s just too convenient that he pops up with his manufactured allegations. We’ll investigate any other aspects related to Henri’s past, including his finances and connections.” Ares looked at each of us. “Henri’s made one critical mistake—he thinks we’re fighting for the hotel. We’re not. We’re fighting for us.”
“And once we have the truth?” Tashi asked.
“Then we weaponize it,” Ares said. “But not in a courtroom. Not where Henri expects it. We leak it naturally. Social media. Investigative journalists. Anonymous tips to the right people. We let the public discover what Henri really is.”
“That could take time,” Orion pointed out. “The Gaming Commission hearing is in two days.”
“Then we don’t win at the hearing,” Ares said bluntly. “We survive it. We tell the truth about our relationship. We demonstrate that we have violated no policies. We make ourselves look as sympathetic as possible without looking weak.”
“And we take our lumps,” I added, seeing where he was going with this. “We accept whatever sanctions they impose. We look contrite but not defeated.”
“Meanwhile,” Ares continued, “Marta’s digging into Henri’s past. Neville’s tracking the money and the video leak. And we’re quietly gathering evidence of the conspiracy. When we have enough?—”
“We go nuclear,” Tashi finished. “Not in a hearing room. In the court of public opinion.”
