Urban God of Rebate: Infinite Returns Of Women And Powers

Men like Anthony always believed they’d managed the situation. That the withdrawn police report meant the situation was managed. That the girl who filed it had been handled. That the specific kind of pressure they applied was sufficient to keep things from moving.

They were always surprised when the situation kept moving anyway.

Sean put his phone back in his pocket and returned his attention to the lecture.

Market equilibrium. The model where every transaction had a counterpart. Where what you extracted from a system eventually balanced against what the system extracted from you.

He thought that was a reasonably accurate description of what was happening to Anthony Ruiz on a Wednesday morning while Sean sat in an economics lecture taking notes.

His phone buzzed.

Olivia. A single text.

He just told three people on campus that the charges are fabricated and politically motivated. He used the phrase politically motivated. To describe a fraud charge.

Sean looked at that for a moment.

He’s scared, he replied.

Should he be, said Olivia.

Yes, said Sean.

Good, said Olivia.

He put his phone away.

The professor moved on to the next segment of the model. Sean wrote down what was relevant and let the rest flow past him and thought about Margaux Devlin in her office with the forty-three page documentation package and the specific quality of someone who took cases because they needed to be won.

She would win this one.

He was quite certain of that.

He texted Max after the lecture.

How’s Amara.

She finished two more Chapters of her current novel, said Max. She has opinions about the protagonist’s decision-making in Chapter fourteen. Detailed opinions. With subsections.

Sean smiled at his phone.

Tell her to write them down, he said. Organized thoughts deserve proper documentation.

She already has, said Max. She’s been keeping a reading journal. Four pages so far for this book alone.

I kindaof miss her company said Sean.

She says the same thing about you, said Max.

When will she be free said Sean.

Two weeks said Max. She’s counting.

Sean put his phone in his pocket and went to his next class.

===========================

The news came through Olivia first.

Which was not how Sean expected it.

He was between classes Monday morning, walking toward the library with his laptop bag, when his phone buzzed.

Anthony got arrested this morning.

A pause. Then three more texts in quick succession.

Like actually arrested

Police came to his apartment apparently

Sean why are you never surprised by anything

He looked at that last message for a moment.

Then he typed back. I’m surprised.

You’re not, she replied immediately. I know what your surprised looks like over text and this isn’t it. This is your I-was-wondering-when-that-would-happen face but in text form.

He sat down on a bench outside the library.

How did you find out, he typed.

Yuna, said Olivia. She knows someone in Anthony’s building. Apparently there were two police cars and a detective. She said and I’m quoting her directly that it was very cinematic. A pause. She’s on her fourth text update. I think she’s live-reporting from her kitchen window.

Tell her to go to rehearsal.

I’ve told her twice. She says Kwon hasn’t noticed she’s not there yet because he’s doing the vocal warmup section and she has four more minutes. Another pause. Sean.

Yeah.

You knew this was coming.

He looked at the campus around him. Students moving between buildings. Someone’s coffee getting cold on a wall beside them while they scrolled their phone. The ordinary machinery of a Monday.

I helped it come, he typed.

A longer pause from Olivia’s end. Longer than usual.

How, she said.

Fraud charges. Through an attorney. Proper legal process.

He waited.

That’s why you went to meetings last week, she said. Not a question. The ones you said were about something finishing.

Yes, said Sean.

Another pause.

You didn’t tell me, she said.

He thought about how to answer that.

It wasn’t done yet, he typed. I don’t talk about things I’m building until I know they’re going to hold.

That’s a rule you have.

Yes.

Is it a rule about trusting people or about not wanting to be wrong in front of people.

Sean looked at the screen.

Then he looked at the campus.

Then he typed back: Both probably. Mostly the second one.

A pause. Then: Thank you for telling me that honestly. Another pause. Also I already knew. I just wanted to hear you say it.

He almost laughed.

Yuna, he typed.

Kwon has spotted her, Olivia replied. She’s been summoned. Going to rehearsal now. I’ll call you tonight.

Call me tonight, he said.

========================

Max’s text arrived at eleven.

Margaux Devlin’s investigator submitted the supplementary documentation on Friday. The fraud charges had a supporting affidavit about the physical abuse pattern attached. The detective assigned apparently moved faster than Margaux expected. She just texted me to say Anthony Ruiz was taken in at seven forty this morning.

Then, after a brief pause in the thread: She said he seemed very surprised. She said that like it meant something specific about his character.

Sean looked at that.

It did mean something specific.

Men like Anthony operated on the assumption that pressure was always theirs to apply. That the people they pressured stayed pressured. That a withdrawn report meant the situation was handled and the world had agreed with his management of it. The specific surprise of someone like that, standing in his apartment at seven forty on a Monday morning watching two police officers and a detective arrive, was the surprise of someone whose model of how things worked had just been revised against their will.

He texted Max back.

How are you today.

Good actually, said Max. Amara made breakfast again. She’s been doing that. She says my kitchen was wasted on me and she intends to correct that during recovery. A pause. She also has opinions about how I organize my cutlery. Extensive opinions. With historical context about why her preferred system is objectively superior.