Page 40 of Final Installment
He opened a stall door at the end and stepped into the space.I followed reluctantly, and to my surprise, there was no toilet or urinal.There was another door that Kristo knocked on before holding up his phone to a small and barely visible camera mounted in the corner of the stall.I noticed the QR code on his phone screen.A secret access key?
The door opened, revealing a bored looking man in a dark track suit.He waved us through, but he gave me an approving once-over that made my heart flutter a bit.He was cute in a bad boy accountant sort of way.
The secret club had the most unexpected preppy 80’s vibes.It was very yacht rock, and I wasn’t at all surprised by theBreakfast Clubcosplayers on the LED dance floor.
“What do you think?”Kristo called out over a man who was a dead ringer for James Spader inPretty in Pinkbelting out a Kenny Loggins cover.
“I think I’ve stepped into a Brat Pack fever dream.”
Kristo laughed and guided me toward the bar that was serving all sorts of 80’s themed cocktails.I settled on a fruity Blue Lagoon and then spun around on the bar stool to take in the decor and enjoy the karaoke performance.“Cheyenne would love it here.”
“Oh?”
“She’s obsessed with the eighties.The hair, the fashion, the music, the movie stars.She’s a walking encyclopedia when it comes to that decade’s films.She threw the best themed movie nights at our sorority, and not just the usual Molly Ringwald fare.I’m talkingTop Gun,Predator,Caddyshack.Mad Max.”
I smiled at the memory of her wildly popular Beauty and the Beat nights where she paired skincare and beauty treatments with cop movies likeDie HardandRobo Cop.
“I think Rina is in a sorority now.”He scrunched up his forehead as he wracked his memory.“Or maybe it’s some other kind of girl group.Something feminist that Marley dragged her to...”
I had looked up Marley online after that disastrous dinner at my mother’s house.To say that I had been shocked by her CV was an understatement.I couldn’t quite make sense of how she had ended up with Besian Beciraj of all people.I was certain it was a damn good story.
Our drinks arrived, and I took a small sip to test the electric blue concoction.It was so good, and after that horrible business dinner, I craved a little alcohol to take the edge off.
But as I enjoyed my drink, I noticed how tired Kristo seemed and decided to throw him a bone.
“Did you try the Philippines or Vietnam or Malaysia or Indonesia?”
“I went to Manila, Hanoi and Dong Nai.I couldn’t get any interest.”
“Because of the money involved?I meant the amount, not where it comes from,” I clarified.I doubted anyone really cared to do much digging into where the funds actually came from for the shell company Kristo was undoubtedly using.
“I couldn’t even get meetings,” he admitted glumly.
“Ouch.”I grimaced in sympathy.“What about Turkey?”I asked over the electric guitar and synthesizer riffs.“Or Italy,” I added, thinking of the countries that held the largest import shares to Albania.
He made a face.“We have trouble with Italy.Old family disputes, you understand?”
The Raffaelli family?The ones who held my brother hostage for the Beciraj family and held all that money our families had put into a trust?“What sort of dispute?”
Kristo shot me a withering look, making it clear he was not going to answer that question.Instead, he said, “Everyone works with Italy or Turkey or Greece.I wanted something different.”
“Everyone works with them because it’s easy.Everyone knows the rules, the percentages, the parameters.”But, seeing that Kristo was stuck on the idea of doing something different, I offered, “Bangladesh?India?”
Kristo looked up from his Long Island Iced Tea.“What’s there?”
“Fast fashion.”I wrinkled my nose.“It’s terrible for the environment and even worse for the workers—but it can be profitable.Can,” I emphasized, “and, frankly, you’re not really looking for that much money in profit from the product you’re selling anyway.”I took another drink of the dangerously delicious cocktail.“Plus, you have Rina.”
“What about her?”
“She has great taste.I doubt she’s wearing fast fashion, but she has a good eye.Get some meetings set up and take her with you.She’ll know which factories are making things you can sell quickly.You don’t want products sitting in the warehouses.Maybe investigate home goods.”
“Home goods?”
“Do you ever get on TikTok?”
“No.Never.”Kristo looked like he’d rather swallow broken glass.“Why?”
“You should check out home organization or restock videos.It’s like an addiction for some people.Make it easy to click and buy.You could set up some sort of drop shipping scheme from your warehouses.Run some social media accounts targeting young women with fashion and home goods.Hire young people.Don’t try to do it yourself.You need to be authentic.”
