Chapter Text
The party was full of rich entitled wine drunks laughing boisterously. It made Ava’s skin crawl. She hated parties, especially ones that her parents put on to show off their ever-successful empire. No, she much preferred sitting in her favorite bar downtown where no one cared enough to know who she was. But really, who was she? Ava had spent nearly a decade and a half being forced to learn the ins and outs of her adoptive parent's empire. After her graduation from Stanford last year at just nineteen years old her father made her the COO. He’s told her after a few more years of experience he’d step down and it’d be her turn. Her turn. Those two words made her stomach twist in a tight knot. This wasn’t her passion, in fact, Ava loved beer, not wine. Fantastical Finish Company was easily a top three wine company in the world known for their top-notch finish with every wine bottle. If Ava wasn’t the only adopted child of the owners of a giant wine company she would laugh at the name, but finish in wine terminology meant something completely different than what her broken humored mind immediately went to. The definition: the impression of textures and flavors lingering in the mouth after swallowing wine.
It was Ava’s twentieth birthday, that’s why her parents threw this giant party. Ava’s only problem was that she had no friends that were a part of this scene. None of her friends were a part of the upper class, and most certainly not part of the one percent. She had just two friends, and they both worked at her favorite bar. Camila, who actually owned the bar and lived above it, was a beam of sunshine and loved when Ava came in. There were plenty of times when Ava had spent the night at Camila’s due to being way too drunk. Then JC, who worked the bar. The three of them were practically inseparable. It’s where she longed to be on a Saturday night. On her birthday night.
When no one was looking, she slipped away to her room to change out of a custom-made suit that made her feel claustrophobic. Her style was more of a t-shirt and leather jacket type anyways. She wasn’t made for this type of fancy world and her mother, Ella, knew it. Ava loved her mom because the woman was more understanding than her father. Her father, Vincent, was more complicated and his dream was for Ava to be like him. Instead, Vincent got a gay rebellious daughter who barely made it through school. It was too late to change now, it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission. That was Ava’s motto and she has lived by it for years. With that, she opened the window in her room and climbed onto the tree like she’d done so many times before. The consequences could be dealt with tomorrow. For now, she felt completely herself.
Upon entrance into the Cat’s Cradle, she immediately saw JC making a mixed drink, and it wasn’t just any mixed drink… It was an Adios Mother Fucker or an AMF for short. Someone in here was trying to get blasted. Ava recalled the first time she had a few of those. A shudder went down her spine at the memory as she took her regular spot in the corner. The atmosphere felt more like home, the smell of beer and bar food put her soul at ease. She saw JC give the drink to a young woman before slowly turning her way. “My favorite customer!” He exclaimed, walking over to her. “Happy birthday! A free shot and beer on me.” A shot of vodka was pushed my way along with a Corona and one lime slice.
“Did Camila finally harvest her lime trees?” The heiress asked picking up the prestigious-looking sliced lime.
“I sure did!” The cheery voice came from afar, “I know Ava Silva didn’t just walk into my bar without greeting me!” Out of the corner of Ava’s eye, she saw a head snap up at the sound of her name, but she shook it off as Camila came out of the storage closet carrying three big boxes of beer and liquor. She immediately hopped down from her seat and helped the bar owner out with one box as JC grabbed the other. They walked them behind the counter and placed them down gently so they could be unloaded into shelves and fridges.
Ava was greeted by a tight hug, one of which she returned. “How’ve you been Camila? It’s been busy lately and I haven't been able to come by as much as I wanted to. Camila began to tell her all the stories about the Cradle. The gossip, the tea, the everything. They had yet another birthday shot before Ava went for her third beer.
“How’s your wine stuff going?” JC finally asked her. The question made her groan. He knew she hated everything about being a part of an empire. Plus, she didn’t have the palate for wine. The woman sitting a bit farther down the bar drinking her second AMF again looked at them, but Ava again paid no mind. Her name was known throughout the wine world for being the most promising soon-to-be young wine company owner. “Not well, huh? Why don’t you tell your dad?” Ava damn near laughed at him but settled for a scoff.
“Right… I’ve told you about him, he’s already gonna kick my ass when he finds out I left my own stupid wine birthday party. I hate wine… Trust me, no one knows more than me how ironic that sounds. Hell JC, grape vines are ugly, raisins are gross, and I don’t even eat grapes anymore… But somehow! By the grace of the almighty sky daddy, I’m going to run one of the biggest companies in the world. Can I have another beer, please? At least it tastes good.” JC complied leaving another Corona in front of her. He’d also noticed how she ignored her buzzing phone on the counter.
“Ava, if there’s anyone smart enough to figure this all out, it’s you.” He really did feel for her. JC doesn’t know what it’s like to be forced into doing something, sure Ava’s got all the money in the world but doing something you hate for the rest of your life? There’s no amount of money that’d make it all okay. The night began slowing down once 1:30 AM hit, Ava was a little more than tipsy. Her drunk self loved to talk and the poor three AMFs girl was her victim.
“Hey AMF girl!” Ava got her attention and locked eyes with her. She was pretty, Camila’s type, tall, tan, black hair, and dark eyes that were kind of cold looking. “Why that drink?” It seemed like the girl contemplated telling her before rolling her eyes.
“If you ever want to forget something, this is the drink that works. And you Corona girl? Any specific reason for vodka shots and Corona with lime?” Her British accent was immediately noted in Ava’s drunk mental notebook along with her smooth tone that held a little bit of don’t fuck with me vibes.
“If you ever want to dull the pain, these drinks work.” The taller woman let out a single chuckle and tipped her glass to the COO before taking a drink. Ava quickly finished her beer before looking at the time on the wall. “Shit.” She pushed herself up from the bar while putting on her jacket and checking her phone seeing at least two dozen missed calls from her mom and around the same from her father. “Double shit,” she whispered before placing a one hundred dollar bill under her glass.
“Heading out?” JC asked her. Ava nodded before they completed their handshake. Camila hugged her tightly and told her to come back soon as she quickly disappeared into the streets of San Francisco.
The next morning when Ava got woken up by loud pounds on her door, she groaned at the sluggish feeling in her head. “Ava, you should be up and ready in twenty minutes! We have a huge meeting today and then we get to see your new penthouse today,” Ella called out to her. This made the heiress start moving faster hearing that she only had twenty minutes to get ready, she hadn’t even showered plus she didn’t know there was a meeting going on today. Her father probably set it up at her birthday party that she ditched.
In the shower, she scrubbed her body of the alcohol smell and washed her hair hoping that a classic braid would suffice. Once she was out she picked a nice white button-up and a black suit to go over it. Ava grabbed a pair of dress shoes before rushing down the steps with her phone and wallet in the other hand. Her mother and father were waiting for her in the foyer. Ella smiled at her daughter as Vincent left for the car. “Here, I’ll braid your hair,” Ella gestured her over and expertly weaved Ava’s curly hair into a braid. “Your father isn’t very happy with you right now, but he’s letting you take your bike to the meeting location which is StoneRidge Winery Headquarters.”
“What why?” She asked in shock. StoneRidge was the wine company that rivaled theirs. Known more for their sweet wines versus theirs that focused on the finish. They had Greek vineyards as well where their sweet wines came from.
“Business offers and such, now let's go.” She handed me my helmet and bike keys. Ava smiled and took them before heading to the garage where her bike was sitting. It was almost weird that StoneRidge wanted to talk business with them. Both companies were fine with being competitors, probably even better off because they fed off of each other. It was a beneficial relationship, by no means were they friends, but in a way they were.
Ava started the bike up before slipping on the helmet and taking off after her parents' vehicle. She coordinated the GPS because she knew she’d pass them due to the San Francisco traffic. It was a nice twenty-minute ride where the beer lover didn’t have to hear anything, but her own thoughts and the sound of traffic. StoneRidge HQ was on the opposite side of downtown as the Fantastical Finish HQ so Ava did end up taking two wrong turns, but found her way to their private parking garage. A security guard stepped out as I turned off my bike and took off my helmet. “Oh, you’re Miss. Silva,” he spoke formally.
“Please, call me Ava, I’m here for a meeting, my parents are right behind me.” He nodded and raised the arm for her to go into the garage. Ella and Vincent were just pulling in as she drove into the parking garage. Ava didn't bother waiting for them, she was still nursing a hangover and this surprise meeting was not what she wanted to be doing right now. When she entered the headquarters she was surprised to see the dimly lit lobby. A circular stone thick pillar contained a fireplace and the front desk was a sleek glossy black granite that went along the leather furniture.
“Excuse me, ma’am,” the man behind the front desk broke Ava out of her observations, “can I help you?”
“Oh, yes, hi! I’m Ava Silva the COO of Fantastical Final, I’m here for a meeting. My parents should be coming in shortly.” The man behind the desk seemed to get a little flustered as Ava leaned on the counter. He made a call while sparing glances at the young COO. Ava knew she was decent looking. She was blessed with honey-brown eyes and a proportional nose and mouth. Her jawline complimented those features, all the same, making her according to Camila ‘a catch,’ but Ava considered herself average. There was nothing special about the heiress, maybe getting into Stanford at sixteen and finishing her bachelor's at nineteen, but people would say she got in due to ‘her daddy’s money.’ In reality, Ava was on average a 4.0 GPA student. She skipped the first grade when she showed her capabilities in math class and reading. The final straw was when she called her classmates a bunch of dumbasses for struggling with The Very Hungry Caterpillar. That was one of the few times where she’d seen her father truly laugh and mean it.
Her parents walked in as the man working the front desk finished the call telling them that Mr. Young is on his way down for us. “Ava, please do not make a scene today,” Vincent asked, which already annoyed her to no end.
“Don’t even start with me,” Ava snapped as the elevator opened revealing an older man. He was at the party last night and he was talking to her father for maybe a good hour. Right before Ava slipped away from the terrible birthday party she saw them together. Plus, she’d placed his face in magazines and online news articles she’d seen at stores or on her phone.
“Hello, I’m Brian Young, the CEO of StoneRidge,” he introduced himself and shook our hands. It wasn’t even sweaty… “Miss. Silva,” he turned to Ava with a small smile. “I apologize for not making my acquaintance at your very own birthday party last night. I hope to make an impression today,” he spoke with a British accent reminding her of the AMF girl from last night at the Cradle.
"Certainly, Mr. Young, it’s quite alright. I was quite busy," Ava responded with a smile, knowing that her response would get under her father's thin skin. Brian led them to the elevator and pressed the number, almost to the top, but not quite. He and Vincent were talking about their vineyards and how particular grapes were growing. There was nothing new, everything was old and annoying. They got off the elevator, on level forty-something and Brian led them into a conference room. There were a few other people already in the room, but none that Ava paid attention to. She went to the window and looked out at the horizon before her. It was a clear day in San Francisco. It was also June which meant ‘crush season’ also known as grape harvest season was drawing near. Every August through October seemed to drag for Ava because that is when work got all crazy. If Ava were to reach out of this window she would feel as if the Golden Gate Bridge was just a foot away.
“Ava,” her mother broke her from her thoughts. She turned back to the bleak-looking conference room. With a single nod, she took a seat and folded her hands. Brian stood up from his spot and smiled at everyone making Ava finally observe the room. A woman who was no doubt his wife. Actually, all of the room with the exception of her father and Brian were women. Her eyes finally found a woman who literally took the air out of her lungs. They locked gazes and Ava saw how they looked like chocolate. Chocolate just became her favorite candy after twenty years of despising it. The girl had a poker face on, and while Ava was good at reading people, she couldn’t get a single emotion from her.
Vincent passed her some files making her let a silent sigh come out of her mouth. She flipped open the Manila folder that was perfectly new without any wrinkles. Her eyes were met with a rough outline of her own damn job. Her father had sketched up a business strategy and listed the pros of working with StoneRidge. Just like that, Ava was way more than pissed off.
The fire in her eyes was lit. She didn’t even wanna be here, but for her father to steal her job and make it seem like she was a shit worker. Everyone felt the air shift. Both of the families were speaking about negotiations while wearily glancing at Ava.
Right when Ava was about to pop off, the girl with chocolate brown eyes spoke. “Hello, I’m Beatrice Young, I’m the COO for StoneRidge.” Just like that, the English accent locked her back into place as a calm wave washed over her. “I wanted to speak to you about the pros that we both gain from working with each other.”
“Certainly,” Vincent replied with an encouraging head nod. He shot Ava a look as she folded the file back shut. A subtle way of defiance.
“Yes, well since we are known for two very different things when it comes to wine, it’ll be good to collaborate on a brand new wine and branch out to a new crowd. Furthermore, if we work together, we both can gain experience in each other’s worlds. And eventually, that will also bring people with different taste palates on both sides.” She spoke with educated elegance, hands clasped behind her back as she stood there not stumbling over a single word. It put Ava in almost a trance-like state until she realized it was her turn to respond.
She stood up and didn’t even glance at the manila folder. Ava knew they all took notice of this. “I’m Ava Silva, I’m the COO for… Fantastical Finish Company.” She moved to the middle of the meeting table. “Miss. Young, may I play Devil's Advocate with you? I’m going to rebuttal, do you think our loyalists on both sides would enjoy a collaboration from companies that are so different?”
Ava knew they hadn’t expected to take this route. This method was a gamble, but if there was one thing about the rebellious woman, risk was kind of her thing… However, this was a challenge that she figured her opposing COO would like, a challenge she’s probably never had before, not at this level with these stakes. She stood up meeting Ava on the opposite side of the table. “Our wine communities are greatly connected, Miss. Silva, once they hear that StoneRidge and Fantastical Finish are working together on a collaboration, curiosity is sure to spark.”
The beer-loving COO put her hands on the slick black tabletop and leaned forward a little bit with a small smile. “Certainly curiosity doesn’t spark profit?”
Beatrice clasped her hands in front of her and smiled at Ava. “Of course it does Miss Silva. Wine is so diverse throughout the world, certainly, wine enthusiasts on ALL sides will be gunning for our collaboration.”
“Okay, I’ll flip the script and bite… I think we should do limited releases. Four different wines, for four different seasons. Each one has a different finish and each one has a different level of sweetness or dryness. Would you say yes or no?” Ava asked with a small smile.
“Limited releases are always wonderful Miss. Silva, but can we salvage four worthy wines within budget to push to our consumers?”
“If I may interject this… debate,” Mr. Young spoke up. Ava and Beatrice both turned to him giving a look like he killed their cat. The CEO cleared his throat and looked at the two COOs who were waiting for him to speak.
“Bea, we should call Lilith about this? She’ll provide proof that our budget is well over the amount needed for limited releases, I do like the idea of that. Well thought, Miss. Silva.” Beatrice nodded and both of the young heiresses went to take their respective seats. Both the StoneRidge CEOs excused themselves to find Lilith leaving Beatrice alone with the dysfunctional family of Fantastical Finish.
Immediately, once the door closed, Vincient whipped his head towards Ava. “Ava!” He growled. It made the other COO leap out of her skin, but Ava was so used to this by now she just laughed from her seat. “It was all right there!” He yelled at her making her light up again and whip towards him standing.
“Don’t you ever fucking try to do my job again Vincent! This!” She picked up the manila folder and chucked it at his spot. “This is a load of bullshit. The Devil’s Advocate method during a business negotiation is unexpected and unorthodox and let me tell you something that you haven’t realized in the last three years. I hate my fucking job, I never asked for this, but I am damn good at it. I didn’t go to Stanford at sixteen because I’m a bonehead.” Ava seethed, shaking from anger before turning away to watch the skyline.
The Devil’s Advocate Method was unorthodox, but Ava Silva was damn good at it. She evenly matched Beatrice in a very short spitball match, The girl was short and petite, all whilst being able to hold her ground in a debate. Her eyes were light brown like caramel and her hair followed suit. The adopted woman felt misunderstood most of her life. Lost, stumbling through the days that grew longer…
Camila and JC kept her grounded to her roots. Ava remembered the first six years of her life before the accident back in her home country, Portugal. Her family wasn’t from a rich household, they were barely considered middle class. She preferred simplicity, peace, and actual happiness. Then the crash happened… They say she should’ve died. Coming out of it with broken legs and ribs and a concussion was an absolute miracle.
“I wish I would’ve died in that fucking car accident. So I don’t come home every night to see your disappointment.” The statement put a heavyweight in the air, and everyone knew she had meant it.
“Ava please,” Ella whispered out painfully.
The door opened making Ava snap out of her slump and put on a poker face. She was sure it wasn’t as convincing as Beatrice’s, but it would have to do. She whipped around displaying no emotions making everyone at the table jump just a tiny bit. Brian came back in without his wife this time, but another woman followed him in. “Ava, you enjoy the observation window?” Brian asked with a smile.
“Very much, I like to cherish the beauty of nature… All aspects, not just grape vines.” She sat down and looked at the new face that entered the room before pausing just enough for Beatrice and everyone else to notice. “Nice to see you again, and it’s also nice to finally have a name to put to your face.” Lilith chuckled a few times, making the two Young’s heads snap over in shock. Lilith never laughed, it was rare.
“Miss. Silva,” Lilith looked at her with those dark almost black eyes and a small quirk in her upper lip. “How’s the pain?” Lilith referred to what Ava told her about vodka shots and Coronas at Cat’s Cradle last night.
“Flourishing at the moment, Lilith, thank you!” Ava chuckled. “And you, did you forget?” Lilith raised an eyebrow.
“I did until you said something,” she joked, making Ava let out a laugh that was joyous to her family’s ears, especially after the statement she had dropped before Lilith’s appearance. “Alright then, shall we?” A budget presentation presented itself on-screen before Lilith stood up. “I’m Lilith Mendoza, I’m the Chief Financial Officer for StoneRidge. Let's continue.”