Hoarding Resources In Apocalypse

Chapter 7

Sarah showed up Friday morning with her phone already out and her most helpful expression plastered across her face. "Baby I've been thinking about your business and I have the perfect idea."

Ciro looked up from his coffee. "Yeah?"

"You need catering for your big corporate event right? I know a hotel manager through Natalia's cousin. Grand Heritage Hotel, five-star service, they do massive events all the time. Let me help you coordinate everything."

Ciro set down his mug slowly. "What kind of scale are we talking?"

Sarah's eyes lit up. "However much you need. Premium gourmet food, full service, white glove treatment for your high-end clients. What's your budget?"

"Four hundred thousand dollars."

Sarah's smile froze for half a second and her eyes went enormous before she recovered with forced casualness. "That's... that's a substantial event. But absolutely, I can arrange that. Let me make some calls today."

She pulled out her phone immediately and started typing notes like she was already planning the logistics. 

Ciro watched her think she was positioning herself for kickbacks and finder's fees and deeper access to his business operations while she was actually just becoming the procurement manager for his apocalypse survival feast.

"You're amazing," he said and meant it in ways she'd never understand.

Three hours later Sarah had Ciro on a video call with Dylan Rivera, the General Manager of Grand Heritage Hotel. Dylan was in his forties with slicked-back hair and a professional smile that looked practiced in a mirror.

"Mr. Novelli, Sarah tells me you're planning a significant corporate event. I have to say a four-hundred-thousand-dollar catering budget is quite impressive. 

That's enough food to serve five hundred guests for multiple days." Dylan's confusion was barely masked by politeness. "Can you tell me more about the scope of your event?"

Ciro kept his voice casual. "Corporate retreat. High-end clients from overseas. Multiple meal services throughout the weekend. I want the absolute best of everything money can buy."

Dylan relaxed slightly. "Understood. Let me walk you through our premium options." He pulled up a presentation showing photographs of elaborately plated dishes. 

"We're talking prime aged steaks, fresh lobster, beluga caviar, imported French cheeses, vintage wines, specialty desserts from our award-winning pastry chef. Everything perfectly preserved and packaged for transport to your venue."

Sarah jumped in eagerly. "Dylan, my client wants only the finest quality. What kind of guarantees can you offer on freshness and presentation?"

Ciro watched her negotiate on his behalf thinking she was proving her indispensability and probably mentally calculating whatever commission she expected to earn from facilitating this connection.

Dylan quoted prices and package options for forty-five minutes.

 Sarah took detailed notes and asked questions about delivery logistics and storage requirements like she was a professional event coordinator.

Finally Dylan said, "I'll need an eighty-thousand-dollar deposit to secure the order and guarantee availability. Full delivery within ten days."

Ciro opened his banking app on his phone and transferred the money while they were still on the call. "Done. Check your account."

Dylan's eyebrows went up. "That was... remarkably efficient. Pleasure doing business with you Mr. Novelli. I'll have my team begin preparations immediately."

After the call ended Sarah was practically glowing. "Baby that went perfectly. Your clients are going to be so impressed with the quality. I'm so glad I could help coordinate this for you."

Her phone buzzed and Ciro knew without looking that it was Natalia texting to ask if she'd secured any commission on the massive order.

Sarah texted back while Ciro pretended not to notice: "Not yet but I'm proving myself essential to his business operations. He literally can't coordinate this stuff without me. I'm becoming indispensable."

Ciro went downstairs to check on a delivery and encountered Mrs. Patricia Rodriguez from Apartment 3C standing in the lobby with her twelve-year-old son Danny. She was holding one small grocery bag but she stopped dead when she saw Ciro coming through the door with another stack of supply boxes.

"Ciro! Perfect timing. I've been meaning to talk to you." Her voice came out sweet and friendly but her eyes were sharp and calculating. "I've noticed you've been doing very well for yourself lately. All these contractors and deliveries and renovations. Business must be absolutely booming!"

Ciro set down the boxes. "Just some home improvements."

"Home improvements! How wonderful for you." Patricia edged closer and her smile widened. "Actually since I have you here I wanted to ask a small favor. Danny's birthday is coming up next week and things have been extremely tight financially. Single mother income you know how it is." She laughed but it sounded forced. "I was wondering if you could help out with maybe two hundred dollars for a proper birthday cake and some presents? You clearly have plenty of money now and we're neighbors. Neighbors should help each other out right?"

Ciro's expression stayed completely flat. "No."

Patricia's smile froze on her face. "I'm sorry?"

"I said no."

Danny tugged at his mother's sleeve. "Mom can I have money for the new PlayStation game? Everyone at school has it and I'm the only one who doesn't."

Patricia ignored her son and kept staring at Ciro with her smile turning brittle. "But Ciro we've lived in this building together for two years now. Surely you can spare a little bit for a child's birthday celebration? What's two hundred dollars to someone who's spending thousands and thousands on fancy renovations?"

"My money isn't your business Mrs. Rodriguez."

Her face hardened and her voice went cold. "Well. I see exactly how it is. Get a little bit of money and suddenly you're too good to help your struggling neighbors. How typical." Her voice rose sharply. "You know what? Those renovations you're doing are disrupting the entire third floor. The noise, the workers, the constant deliveries at all hours. I'm calling an emergency building committee meeting about it. We'll see if all your permits are actually legitimate."

Danny pulled at her arm harder. "Mom I really want—"

"Not now Danny!" Patricia snapped without looking at him. She glared at Ciro. "This conversation isn't over. The committee will be hearing about your attitude."

 She turned and marched toward the elevator with Danny trailing behind looking sullen and resentful. The kid glanced back at Ciro with angry eyes before the elevator doors closed.

 Ciro picked up his boxes and went upstairs feeling nothing but cold satisfaction at her outrage.

That evening Marco showed up without calling first. He walked in like he owned the place and dropped onto Ciro's couch. "Yo man, Sarah told me about that insane catering order. Four hundred thousand dollars on food? You're planning something absolutely massive."

 "Just a corporate event."

Marco leaned back and draped his arm across the couch. "Listen I've been super patient with you but I gotta be straight up real right now. That real estate investment opportunity I told you about? We're closing the round next Friday. After that date the opportunity is completely gone forever. You're sitting on serious cash from your crypto windfall plus that eight hundred thousand from mortgaging your apartment. You need to put that money to work generating returns."

"I'm still considering my options."

Marco's smile tightened and his voice took on an edge. "What options? What's there to consider? I'm offering you guaranteed twenty percent returns in six months. You could turn your eight hundred thousand into nearly a million dollars with zero effort. That's free money."

"I have other plans for the capital."

"Plans like what exactly? Spending four hundred grand on a single catering order? Come on man that's not sustainable financial planning. You need real investments that generate consistent passive income." Marco leaned forward and his eyes went hard. "Look I like you. Sarah's one of my closest friends and you're good to her so I want to help you secure your financial future. But this opportunity will not wait around forever."

Ciro met his eyes without blinking. "I appreciate the offer but I'm not interested."

Marco stood up abruptly. "Not interested. In guaranteed returns. On nearly a million dollars." He laughed but it came out bitter. 

"You know what man? Do whatever you want with your money. Blow it all on renovations and catering and whatever other stupid shit you're spending on. But when that crypto windfall runs out and you've burned through everything, don't come crying to me about missed opportunities because I tried to help you."

 He walked out and slammed the door.

Ciro waited thirty seconds then checked the spyware feed on his phone.

Marco to Sarah: "He turned down the investment completely. Just straight up rejected it. Something's seriously wrong here. Nobody with that kind of liquid capital turns down guaranteed easy returns unless they're hiding something major or they're a complete idiot."

Sarah: "Maybe he's just scared? First time having real money and he doesn't know how to handle it?"

Marco: "Or he doesn't actually have as much as we think and he's burning through it way faster than we calculated. Either way we need to move much quicker on this. 

Get full access to his bank accounts before all the money disappears. I don't care what you have to do. Seduce him, manipulate him, guilt trip him, whatever it takes. We're running out of time."

Sarah: "I'll handle it. He's completely dependent on me now for all his business coordination. Give me one more week maximum and I'll have access to everything."

Marco: "One week. That's it and after that we move to plan B."