A Similar Company

Charleza’s p.o.v.

“When was the last time Grandma Rozena joined one of these gatherings?” I ask the question that has been on my mind ever since Yoanie told me about them.

“Over twenty-five years ago,” Malane responds, and I understand why she stopped coming.

It meant explaining why Aler refused to raise his daughter, and somewhere down the road it would have meant explaining why Rivanon mistreated her baby sister or why Riog ignored her.

“Did Aler and Calyree ever join one of these gatherings?” I have no idea which answer I am hoping for, but I am curious if anyone ever saw my brother or sister.

“No, not even after they had children. I don’t even know what they look like.” Malane answers.

“Rivanon looks like Calyree, but I can’t tell you what Riog looks like. I have only seen him from a distance, and usually from the back or the side.” I say as the next group of relatives sit down.

One of them is more interested in her tablet than asking me questions, and I smile when her mother growls softly.

Her mother has to put her hand in front of the screen when Malane asks her a question, and she has to repeat it.

“What is so interesting on that screen of yours, Aimil?” She asks when she finally looks up.

“I am looking for an internship position, but I haven’t heard back from the company,” Aimil answers. “If I don’t have a spot in two weeks, I have to redo my year.”

I remember Ealish talking to Lochlin about internship positions and whether or not we would be open to accepting a few students.

“Where did you apply?” I ask. “I don’t know if we have the time and ability for interns, but if they close in two weeks, I might need to take action if we do want them.”

“I am waiting for a response from A. Mildglow of Ironshield Constructions,” Aimil answers.

Thurian moves across the room, and Yoanie steps into his path before he reaches Aimil, but he isn’t the only one who heard Aimil’s answer.

“Aimil, sweetheart. I hate to say this, but he doesn’t work for Ironshield Constructions, and I don’t believe it exists.” Malane says, reaching for her granddaughter.

“It does exist, Grandma. He owns it.” Her response makes me gasp, but before I can say or ask anything, Younie beats me to it.

“Aimil, what do you mean he owns it? Who told you that?” Yoanie asks, and everyone waits for Aimil to answer.

Instead of turning to her tablet, Aimil takes a file from her bag and hands it to Malane, who hands it to me without hesitation.

The logo uses a shield like mine, but other than that, it doesn’t even come close. The shield and lettering are orange and silver, and the name uses two different letter heights.

“Aimil, can you show me their webpage? I’d like to know what they claim to own.” I ask before I start reading through the printed emails.

I have a very bad feeling about this, and I might need legal representation to fight this.

Aler presents himself as the company's owner, but the emails don’t include details about the business. He approached the school himself for an intern, and an email confirms that Aimil is among the last five students competing for a position.

“Here it is, Charleza,” Aimil says while holding out her tablet.

He claims to own the five properties in Ebonpost and makes it look like he runs a large company that builds commercial buildings.

The homepage is filled with talk about opportunities and future plans, but it contains no real information about what they've accomplished. It mentions nothing about what the company does with the five properties or what the future holds for them.

I take a picture of the screen and send it to Aldyn. He will contact our legal department for further action, and when necessary, he will involve me.

What I would like to know is how he can claim to own five properties, and no one has ever contacted me about it.

“Aimil, I have no idea what is going on here, but those properties he is referring to. They belonged to Grandma Rozena, and she signed the deeds over to me when I turned eighteen.” I have pulled up my own webpage and hand the tablet back.

A few other relatives look over her shoulder as she reads the main page. She taps the screen, and some lean closer to keep reading while others step back to explain what they saw.

A few more tablets are pulled from bags, and within a few minutes almost everyone is reading about Ironshield Structures.

“Impressive.” “I want to live there.” “Nice color.” “Look at her office building.”

Malane smiles as relatives compliment my business, and I shift in my seat as Aimil stares at me for a moment.

“You did all this? How long did it take to expand it?” Aimil asks, turning her tablet and pointing at the rental listings.

“Yes, I did all that. You know I started with five properties at eighteen, and when I left the Dark Wind territory, I owned twenty-three properties and bought two more within weeks before moving to Littlefair.

In the past year, we have started renovating buildings for owners, and we are going to expand to rebuilding damaged buildings after disasters.” I answer her.

A few relatives whistle when they understand what I have managed to build on my own.

“Excuse me, Malane. Can we start placing the snacks and refreshments on the tables?” A man in a two-colored suit asks.

I blink twice, looking at the red-and-black suit with a white rose print. It is a three-piece suit, and he wears a white shirt and a black tie. It is gutsy, but it suits him.

“He owns many suits in similar styles, but I believe this is my favorite,” Malane says after telling him it's perfect timing. “That is Jamys Willowbeam, by the way.”

I know the name because I had read an interview about the Willowbeam Estate a few years back. He owns the estate with his sister, and he was responsible for the sunken garden with a fountain in the middle of the circular driveway.

Yoanie holds my phone in front of me, and I see I have missed four calls from Aldyn. Then his name lights up the screen, and I shake my head as I answer him on speaker.

“Where the hell did that come from?” Aldyn asks, and everyone falls silent when I tell him about Aimil and her search for an internship position.

“I don’t think she knew it was fraudulent, but she knows now. Tell legal to take action, and only involve me if there is no other option. I’d rather not be faced with the idiot.” I inform Aldyn.

“Is Aimil willing to provide us with any correspondence between them and maybe from other students who applied at the same time?” Aldyn asks.

“On it. You will get it as soon as possible.” Aimil answers him herself, and then disappears to a table in the corner with two cousins.

While Aimil tries to gather as much information as she can about the internship position from her fellow students, I talk with relatives about their jobs and, since some are still in school, about their studies.

Most work for, or want to work for, Future Landscape, and Thurian explains how it all started decades ago.

Like my great-grandfather and my grandfather, Grandma Rozena’s brother wanted something to do after retirement, and with Malane’s love for gardening, they chose a landscaping business.

It started out with helping out family or friends, and slowly people started paying them for their help. Then someone asked for help with designing a garden, and then another and another after that.

Thurian didn’t take over from their father, Gilbrid, the oldest, so he expanded the family business, and now many family members work for the company.