Chapter Four: The Breakdown

A week later.

“So, looks like the damage control in San Andreas is the last thing on your to-do list for today,” Rita said jokingly.

Luna looked up from her laptop to give Rita a dry look.

“Yeah, it would have to be, now, wouldn’t it?”

Rita gave Luna a pitying look. “I know, babe, I’m sorry.”

“I’m telling you, that saying, ‘If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself’? It’s on point.”

Rita gave a dubious look. “I’m not sure that’s a saying, per se.”

“Ugh!” Luna explodes, slamming her hand on the table. “Those reps in San Andreas are going to hear it from me.”

“Yeah, you get ‘em, babe,” Rita said in support. “Anyway, I think I have something that will make your trip a little easier. I booked a ritzy hotel for you to stay in, breakfast in bed and the whole deal. Now, do you love me, or do you love me?”

Luna leaned back in her seat, the hint of a smile flittering around her lips as she looked at her best friend.

“I do love you,”she said. “You’re probably the only efficient person around me.”

Rita shrugged and smiled. “I know,” she said. She chuckled a little. “But then again, I have years of knowing you, working for me. I mean, from college, babe. That’s a lot of years. And your other employees don’t have that, so I’ll cut them a little slack. And by ‘your other employees’, yes, I do mean Jaden, cause I know he’s not efficient enough for you.”

Rita was actually Luna’s personal assistant, Jaden was like an assistant to her assistant.

Luna shrugged. “Yeah, whatever. I mean, I understand what you mean when you tell me to cut them a little slack because they don’t know me as well as you do, but wanting a perfect job done is not too much to ask for, is it?” Luna sighed and sat up in her seat. “Now I have to fly to San Andreas, something I hadn’t planned to do before, because someone screwed up.”

“That’s what being the boss entails,” Rita said, shrugging again.

Luna scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Yeah.”

“Anyway,” Rita said and looked down at the tab in her hand, “since you’re going to be staying over in San Andreas overnight, tomorrow’s workday will just have to not be a full day anymore. So, yay, right?”

“Yay,” Luna said dryly.

Rita smiled and continued. “So, in that case, you’ll be having just the meeting with the chefs for the XO Fashion Company’s anniversary party and the quarterly reports for the performance review here at HQ on your schedule tomorrow.”

Luna nodded as she listened to Rita. “Okay. The chefs for the XO party didn’t have any problems last time you heard from them, right?”

Rita shook her head. “Nope, they’re all good. That Franco is a blessing from God, the way he handles his team is impeccable.”

“Yeah, well, if only we had about fifty Francos working for us, right?” Luna said dryly. “The-”

She got cut off by the knock on the door of her office, just three light raps. Luna and Rita exchanged a look, Rita stood up to open the door to reveal Matt Rivers standing on the threshold. Matt was Luna’s personal driver and pilot. After five years of working for her, he was the only one Luna trusted enough to allow drive, or fly, her. And since he had adequate license in both, she felt safe with him.

“Matt,” Rita said. “Come in.”

She smiled at him and opened the door to let him in.

“Hey, Rita, thanks,” he said, walking into the office.

Luna stood up from her chair, immediately noticing the worried look on his face.

“Hey, Matt,” she greeted him, “what’s going on?”

“Hey, Luna,” he answered.

“Are we all ready for takeoff? Or is something wrong?”

Matt was a tall man with dark hair and green eyes, his dressing ran to the simple variety. He was around Luna’s and Rita’s age and he was a dependable and efficient employee. His handsome face scrunched in worry.

“Actually, yes,” he replied. “The plane has a minor technical fault. I didn’t catch it on time, if I had, I would have had time to fix it.”

Now Luna was the one worried. “Minor technical fault?” she asked. “How minor are we talking here? Would we still be able to fly in it today?”

Matt shook his head at that. “Unfortunately, no, we won’t. I mean, the problem is minor, but it’s still not safe to travel in it the way it is. The area the fault is in is a very important part of the plane.”

“Oh, that’s dangerous then,” Rita said from beside Matt.

Matt looked at her and nodded. “Yeah.”

Luna sighed. “Well, what are we going to do now? I have to be in San Andreas today, and it’s too late to book a flight now.”

“The notice for the trip was last minute, and I would need at least a day to fix what’s wrong with the plane.”

Luna sighed again, rubbing a hand over between her forehead. A tiny throb was starting to brew there.

“I know, I know it was. The situation I’m going to fix there was last minute too, and I have to be there no matter what.”

“I’m sorry, Luna,” Matt said. “I wish I had better news for you.”

Luna shook her head. “It’s not your fault, Matt.”

“Well, okay, let’s just try to think of solutions here,” Rita said.

Just then, Matt’s phone rings.

“Excuse me,” he said and turned to answer the call.

He talked to the person on the other side for a while, before finally hanging up and turning back to Luna and Rita.

“Good news,” he said.

Luna’s gaze sharpened on him. “Yes?”

“Turns out there’s a friend of yours, Luna, who’s available to take you to San Andreas. He’s going there himself.”

Luna’s brows furrowed. “What? Who?”

“A Mr. Justin Lucius.”