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The movement down south is almost violently painful.
What the hell is going on?
Her chest heaves from how hard she’s breathing. Long black hair swings over cheeks the color of brown maple leaves in autumn.
Time slows again.
Makes me extra-aware of her.
Collar dipping way too far in the front, enough to drive a man wild. Dark lashes thick over light brown eyes. Curves that would make a winding mountain road jealous. Everything about her is perfect.
I already know she’s going to ruin me.
And I already know I’d let her.
What’s wrong with me?
I’m a businessman.
I need to see the money to believe, but I also made my biggest returns when investing on a gut instinct. Venture capitalism is all about taking calculated risks.
The bigger the risk, the bigger the gain.
But this…
This is too much.
Maybe I’m experiencing some kind of delusion.
An early sign of a heart condition.
A warning from my body that I should get a physical at the nearest hospital ASAP.
Behind us, pounding footsteps scatter on the ground and a woman screams, “Yaya!”
Two people enter my line of sight. A woman with an afro tipped blonde at the ends and a man in an all-black suit.
I recognize the man on sight. Ryotaro Sazuki. A musical prodigy from the renowned Sazuki clan. The rumors of how deep the Sazukis’ pockets go is something of a legend.
Dad revered that family. He had all their albums and was one of the few benefactors chosen to fly to Japan for an in-person concert hosted by the very secretive celebrities.
It was the highlight of his life.
Because of dad’s love for their music, I was one of the first investors begging to buy into Sazuki’s foundation. The pianist played hardball and kept his foundation closed to investors. Now that I’ve moved to the city, I’m hoping I can pry those doors open.
“Yaya,” the woman with the afro moves her hands as she speaks, “what happened here? Are you alright?”
Yaya?
The name suits her.
Strong. Lyrical. Different.
Yaya signs back to the woman. Is she… deaf? The gestures she was making earlier suddenly make sense.
I notice the hearing aid in her right ear. It knocks me off-balance.
I stare in wonder as they communicate with their hands. It’s… strange. Foreign. Despite wanting to invest in Sazuki’s foundation for the deaf, I’ve had zero interactions with the deaf community.