Page 67 of Save Me

He’s lying. Something about this doesn’t work for him either.

“What about your relationship with Daniel Lee? Will he see this as wonderful also?” I ask.

All heads in the room turn to me. Blackmon’s eyebrows balloon.

Again, he quickly disposes of the look of surprise. “Yes, of course. My partners in Seoul are ready and willing to open the market up to us. We’ve gathered some great contacts in China.”

I don’t trust a word that’s coming out of his mouth.

“That’s wonderful to hear,” Will says. “Dae, since Taehyun is already in Seoul, perhaps he can meet with Sebastian’s business liaison before he comes to Williamsport in a few months.”

That news catches me by surprise.

“Excuse me?”

Blackmon speaks up, “Daniel is coming to Williamsport for the city's annual children’s gala. The Blackmon Group is always a huge supporter and financial backer of the gala and the cause as a whole.”

A few heads nod. “That is why you coming on as a partner is vital to our growth,” Will says. “The years of charity work you do through financial donations and your church endeavors all serve to gain the public’s trust in anything you put your name on.”

Blackmon nods. “Yes, but that’s not why I do it.” Fake humility wraps around every word. “I do my best to infuse my personal values into my company. As all of you know, I am very attached to the church I attend back home, and we do a lot of great work with troubled children and adolescents.”

I never trusted Blackmon, not from the first time I met him. Though I never had proof or reason for my distrust, I trust my instincts. They told me to stay away from him. I related as much to my uncle, who was a highly skilled businessman.

He had to be someone who came to the U.S. in his twenties, knowing only two words of English, to build up a multimillion-dollar company by the time he died.

Yet, he could never see through Blackmon’s bullshit.

He always dismissed it whenever I told him about my suspicions. Said I needed proof to accuse someone of being a crook.

“That’s wonderful, Sebastian,” Will points out before turning to me. “And, Dae, with your business sense and connections already established in the entertainment industry in Williamsport and beyond, we know this will be a match made in heaven.”

He’s so proud of himself as he says this.

“I’m sure it will,” I reply. To keep myself from calling the bullshit out, I start to take another sip of my wine but stop.

“What brand of wine is this?” I ask no one in particular.

“We ordered the Saint-Estèphe,” Will answers.

“Straight from France,” Blackmon boasts.

“It shows,” I lie.

I know Saint-Estèphe wine. At best, this is a watered-down version. Either the rest of the men at the table don’t realize it or are willing to overlook the poor wine and mediocre food for a business venture.

But I’m not. Especially not when Blackmon is working with that fucker Daniel Kim.

“We realize this joint venture may not be what either of you anticipated,” John says as he stands from his chair. He looks between Blackmon and me. “Yet, we at Global Group truly believe this is the team we’ve searched for, for years. One that will lead us into the future and expand our international endeavors.”

He lifts his glass of wine. “To the future.”

I hold my glass and allow those around me to cheer, but I don’t take another swallow of that shit wine.

I remain there for another thirty minutes, eating the mediocre tart served as dessert. The entire time my senses keep telling me that something isn’t right.

“Are you leaving, Dae?” one of the Global Group partners asks when I stand.

“Yes, I have a prior engagement.” I look between all of them. “This meeting has been utterly enlightening. I look forward to doing business with the Global Group.”

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