[everything goes jane's way]
Jane doesn't want to brag about it or anything, but she knows everything and she is always, always right. Truly. There's no better way to get through life than leveraging knowledge to her own advantage, and while that sometimes means she sticks her nose into places it doesn't belong, it always results in Jane being a step ahead of everyone, which is exactly how she likes it.
So, when Jane arranged to meet with Swansong - Bella Swan, who is just as sweet-tempered in person as she is online - she had done so knowing full well that she was stirring the pot. She did it deliberately, even, because her loathing for self-important asshats has been cultivated over a lifetime and she had very quickly reached the end of her admittedly short rope when she had to deal with Relentless and Cherry Lane, day in and day out. Of course, getting the better of those two entitled idiots was only one of her motivations.
Jane, without fail, always has at least three reasons to do anything. In this case, she probably has at least five. Beyond her own annoyance, she's been perturbed for months by the way her online friend is letting herself be treated, and she's grown tired of seeking it slide. And for another thing, knowing what she knows, she couldn't resist the chance to orchestrate a meeting between a few top players on the server.
Jane wishes she had been fast enough to snap a picture of when James Denali realized that Bella's boyfriend, Masen Cullen, was not only Master Culler, but the CEO of the little company competing for a special game development contract that just-so-happens. But since she wasn't quick enough, she'll have to settle for remembering that face with her prodigious memory.
It's probably for the best, anyway. Jane always needs to maintain plausible deniability, after all. Naturally, when she learned the whos-who through the Volturi grapevine, she couldn't resist killing a few birds with one stone. She does live for the drama.
Now all the players know each other. James Denali who is Relentless knows that Masen Cullen who is Master Culler is his direct competition in two ways - for the Volturi contract, and for Bella's heart. The part of Jane that binge-watches reality television and intrigue-ridden historical dramas is so very, very pleased. She has no doubts about who is going to win either of those prizes, either. She's done her research.
So when Alec saunters into her room with that annoyingly smarmy grin on his face and tells Jane that Uncle Caius has decided to change the deadline for the competing companies, implying that it's a favor to his old friend Eleazar Denali and his nephew James, Jane doesn't hesitate to propose a bet.
"Midnight Sun is obviously going to get that contract," she states, bold as brass, lifting her chin to her twin's challenge.
Alec shakes his head. "Please, Denali is the company with connections," he disagrees, spoken like a true student of business, where connections are often louder than a novelty. "They're obviously going to get it."
"How confident are you?" Jane taunts. "Because I'm confident to bet my Jag."
Alec squints at her. "You're putting your prized baby on the line for some rookie start-up?"
Jane lifts a brow. "I have my own connections, brother, and I have no doubt that me and my baby will not be parted. Because I'm going to win."
Alec, being the predictable idiot he is, eagerly rises to the challenge. He's been after Jane's precious car for two years, so of course, he can't resist temptation. "Fine, if I win, I get your car. If you win, you can have my Gucci belt."
Jane snorts. "Just the belt? As if. I want your entire collection," she counters because she knows how Alec feels about his couture fashion and she can think of nothing better than making him watch as she auctions his shit on eBay for ridiculously low prices.
"You're on," Alec agrees, too easily, too confidently.
Jane smiles, sugar-sweet.
She'll have to make sure she's in the building on the presentation day. She might not be able to vote for the winner, and she genuinely has no plans to whisper in her dad's ear to make Aro Volturi pick her favorite, but she definitely wants to see the reactions when Midnight Sun wins. Because they will. Rookie team or not, quality matters, and Jane knows what quality is.
Jane is right about everything, always. She has no doubts about the outcome.
Now, who will be the most outraged? She muses, her smile sharpening as her brother excuses himself. James or Alec? I hope it's James - humiliation is nothing less than what he deserves.
A/N: Update 1 of 3! We're getting a glimpse of the inner-workings of Jane's mind and her plans. I struggled to come up with things that rich people would consider both valuable but also not so valuable that losing them in a bet would *hurt*. The lives of the rich are ridiculous. But as a point of note, an F-Type Jaguar costs $60,000 USD, and a collection of Gucci jewelry, specifically one Gucci belt made with Swarvoski diamonds, can match that price. Like I said, rich people are ridiculous!
Stay tuned for more updates!
~Rae
