The post-game celebration at Jay's house was less of a dinner and more of a theatrical production. Javier had invited himself, naturally, and had somehow managed to bring a case of "vintage" wine that he claimed was blessed by a monk in the Andes.
Gloria was in the kitchen, her emotions a whirlwind. She was thrilled I'd won the game, but the presence of Javier was like a ticking time bomb in a silk suit.
"Jay, please, stop looking at him like he is a bug under a glass!" Gloria hissed, stirring a pot of arroz con pollo.
"I'm not looking at him like a bug," Jay retorted, leaning against the counter with a beer. "I'm looking at him like a guy who just landed a helicopter in a residential zone. Do you know the FAA fines for that? He's lucky he's not in a federal holding cell."
[INTERVIEW - JAY]Jay is sitting on his recliner, looking exhausted.Jay: "Javier. The man is a human headache. He shows up once a year, makes a mess, tells a story about a bullfight, and leaves everyone else to clean up the confetti. And now he's acting like he taught Mason how to run a forty-yard dash. I'm the one who's been paying for the cleats!"
In the dining room, the Dunphys were already settled. Phil was trying to perform a card trick for Javier, who was watching with a patronizing smirk.
"Is this your card?" Phil asked, flourishing a seven of spades.
"No," Javier said smoothly, pulling a completely different card from Phil's own ear. "But this is the card you should have been looking for. Magic is about the soul, Phil. Not the fingers."
Phil's face fell. "He's good. He's very good. Claire, did you see that? He out-Philled me."
I sat at the end of the table, feeling Alex's foot kick mine under the wood. I looked at her. She tilted her head toward her phone. I checked mine discretely.
ALEX: 'Instacart.com' just went live. Someone else snagged it. We missed the window by six hours.
I felt a surge of frustration, but I kept my face impassive. MASON: Don't worry about it. Focus on 'Square.com'. The payment processing shift is coming. Double the bid on the proxy.
[INTERVIEW - ALEX]Alex is adjusting her glasses, looking intensely at the camera.Alex: "It's weirdly exhilarating. My family is arguing over whether Javier's suit is real linen or a blend, and I'm helping Mason move four thousand dollars into a digital escrow account. It's like being in The Godfather, but with more Manchego cheese and fewer horse heads."
Dinner was served, and the tension shifted to the head of the table. Javier was holding court, telling Manny a story about the time he nearly won a yacht in a high-stakes game of dominoes.
"And that, Manny, is why you never bet on the man with the missing finger," Javier finished, clinking glasses with a wide-eyed Manny.
"That's beautiful, Papa," Manny sighed. "The risk, the reward... it's so poetic."
"It's also illegal in forty-eight states," Jay muttered. He looked at me. "So, Mason. Great game. The scout from the local paper wanted to know where you learned that spin move. I told him it was the footwork drills we did in the driveway."
"Actually," Javier interrupted, his voice dripping with charm, "it is the Delgado hips. We have a certain... rhythm. It cannot be taught by 'drills', Jay. It is in the blood."
I set my fork down. The room went quiet. I could see Gloria's grip tightening on her wine glass.
"It wasn't rhythm, Javier," I said, my voice cutting through the charm. "It was the fact that I didn't want to get hit. And Jay's the one who made sure I had the film to study so I knew the blitz was coming."
Jay looked surprised, then a smug, satisfied grin spread across his face. Javier's smile didn't break, but his eyes hardened.
"You have become very practical, Mason," Javier said. "Is there no room for the joy of the gamble?"
"I gamble on things I can control," I replied, catching Alex's eye. "The rest is just noise."
[INTERVIEW - MASON]Mason is leaned back, looking cold.Mason: "Javier wants me to be a reflection of his own recklessness. He wants a partner in crime so he doesn't have to feel guilty about being a flake. But I'm not his 'leon.' I'm the guy building the cage. If he wants to be a father, he can start by remembering Manny's birthday without Gloria calling him three times. Until then, he's just a guest who talks too much."
As the night wound down, Javier stood up to leave, promising Manny a trip to the Santa Monica pier the next morning. I knew from my Total Recall that he'd likely oversleep or get "distracted" by a brunch invitation.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Mi hijo," Javier said to me, reaching for a hug.
I shook his hand instead. A firm, athlete's grip that forced him to acknowledge my strength. "We'll see, Javier. Try to be on time. Manny's already got his hat ready."
Javier left in a cloud of expensive cologne. The house felt quieter, but the air was still heavy. Jay walked over to me as I was helping clear the plates.
"You handled him well," Jay said, his voice unusually soft. "I know he's your father, and it's not my place to..."
"You're the one who's here, Jay," I said, looking him in the eye. "That makes it your place."
Jay nodded once, a sharp, decisive movement. He patted my shoulder—a heavy, solid weight. "Get some sleep. We have early practice Monday."
I headed upstairs, but I didn't go to bed. I stopped by Manny's room. He was already laying out his outfit for the pier.
"He's going to be there, right Mason?" Manny asked, looking up from his polished shoes.
"I'll make sure of it, Manny," I said.
I walked to my room and pulled out my laptop. I had a message for Javier, and I had a business to run. If Javier wasn't going to show up for Manny, I'd find a way to make it very expensive for him to fail.
The dynasty wasn't just about money; it was about protecting the people inside the walls. And I was the only one who knew how high those walls needed to be.
DROP A POWERSTONE TO SHOW SUPPORT!!!