The Couturier of Milan

by Ian Hamilton

  “I understand.”

  “But I can tell you that a container of Scottish whisky has been put in the wrong slot in the Port of Shanghai, and that a shipment of watches won’t be able to be found at Pudong Airport until her contact decides it’s time for it to reappear.”

  “That’s a start.”

  “You don’t sound particularly pleased.”

  “I’ve spent the past few hours going over the import records. A few lost containers and air shipments will probably just be an annoyance. We’re going to have to jack it up to get their attention,” Ava said. “Did Suki speak to anyone at Customs?”

  “She had coffee with a friend who’s a customs supervisor at the port.”

  “And?”

  “He can delay any number of shipments, but he really pressed her about why she wanted it done.”

  “What did she tell him?”

  “The truth. She said that VLG is screwing over a young Shanghai-based designer and a small Chinese company that she has shares in, and she’s looking for a way to get back at them,” May said. “She’s known this friend for a very long time. In fact, he’s her husband’s second cousin.”

  “How did he react?”

  “He was very sympathetic. And he told her that if she really wants to give VLG some grief there’s a far better of way of doing it.”

  “And that is?”

  “He didn’t tell her. He said it would involve several of his colleagues and that it would cost eighteen thousand renminbi to get them to go along. But he promised her she’d like what she got for the money.”

  “I thought he was family.”

  “Maybe eighteen thousand is the family discount.”

  “It’s only three thousand U.S.,” Ava said. “What do we have to lose? Tell her to tell him she’ll pay.”

  “I already did. She’ll be visiting him at his house tonight.”

  “How are you going to spend the rest of your afternoon?” Ava asked.

  “I’m going to stay here. Along with sticking it to VLG, Suki and I are going over the last-quarter results for her actual business and talking through her plans for next year.”

  “I’m waiting to hear from Gillian. The moment I do, I’ll be in touch with Xu.”

  “Keep me posted.”

  Yi Long Court was still quite busy when Ava approached the host, but a moment later she had a window table and a view of the congested Bund and the laboriously moving Huangpu River. She ordered hot and sour soup with abalone, sliced pork knuckle with shredded jellyfish, and Fukien-style fried rice. The dishes came in rapid order and Ava dug in as if she hadn’t eaten in days. The rice was heavy —fried egg, scallops, spring onions, and shrimp mixed in with a brown sauce —and she normally couldn’t get through a serving, but this time she had no problem. She was even considering ordering some custard tarts for dessert when her phone rang.

  “Ava Lee.”

  “It’s Gillian. I thought you’d like an update.”

  “You sound pleased.”

  “Well, we’ve got the names of three companies in Chongqing that are shipping silk to VLG, and we know who is making shoes for them in Huidong and where they’re buying leather in Shenzhen.”

  “What about the luggage and bags from Huadu?”

  “We’re still working on it.”

  “Email me everything you have so far.”

  “Right away. And Ava, how are May and Suki doing?” Gillian said.

  “They’re about to inflict a little pain on Mr. Ventola, and over the next two or three days we’re going to increase it. The information you’ve unearthed is going to make a major contribution.”

  “In what way?” Gillian’s abruptness surprised Ava.

  “I would prefer to tell you as things materialize,” she said. “But essentially our intention is to eliminate or disrupt as much of their Chinese supply base as we can.”

  “Do you really think we can do that?”

  Ava hesitated. She wasn’t sure how much Gillian knew about her previous life, and this wasn’t the time to start explaining it. “Yes, I think we can.”

  “And how soon will we start to see some results?” Gillian asked. “I’m sorry if I sound pushy, but Clark is anxious and I’m worried about him. He was fine when we left the hotel last night, but he’s been inundated with phone calls from friends, from people who went to Central St. Martin’s with him, and from some of our old private-label customers. They’ve all seen or heard what Ventola said and are appalled by it. The problem is that all their concern and anger is getting him wound up.”

  “And you can’t calm him?”

  “I’m trying, but every time he talks to one of them he gets upset all over again. Several suggested he call the newspaper, and one even said he should fly to Milan and confront Ventola.”

  “He wouldn’t do that, would he?”

  “Of course not. The point is that he’s getting increasingly agitated and I’m worried about him losing control.”

  “He needs to give our plan a chance to work. He needs to be patient,” Ava said. “Is he nearby?”

  “He’s in the boardroom with Chi-Tze and Amanda.”

  “Are you talking to me on your cell?”

  “Yes.”

  “Put it in speaker mode and carry it to the boardroom. I’ll speak to everyone when you get there.”

  Ava heard a door close and then Gillian’s footsteps striking the tile floor of the sample factory. A moment later she heard other voices in the background, and then Gillian said, “Ava’s on the line. She wants to talk to us.”

  “Can you hear me?” Ava said.

  “Yes,” replied a chorus of voices.

  “I want to thank you for everything you’ve done over the past twenty-four hours. The information you’ve provided is invaluable. May and Suki have been equally successful,” Ava said. “Over the next twenty-four hours, the information you’ve collectively uncovered will be put to good use. It is too soon to go into any details about what we’re going to do. I can only promise you that we’ll make an impact and get VLG’s full attention. My hope is that within a few days they’ll be motivated to start negotiating a resolution to this dispute.”

  There was a long pause before Chi-Tze said, “Is there anything more we can do to help?”

  “Yes. Find as many Chinese sources of supply for VLG as you can, and when you can’t find any more, look at Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia and see what you can find there. Our reach can extend that far and even farther.”

  “We’re on it,” Chi-Tze said.

  “Good. So let’s all stay calm and keep gathering information. I’m more confident now than I was yesterday that we’ll succeed,” Ava said. “Gillian, email me the names of the factories as soon as you can.”

  “Right away.”

  “Clark, I know this has to be harder on you than for the rest of us. How are you doing?”

  “I’m good.”

  “I don’t expect you to be ‘good’ and I won’t be disappointed if you aren’t. What I do want is for you to be determined to see this through with us to the end,” Ava said. “We are all completely devoted to you, and no one more so than your sister. So please, just hang in there and believe that we’ll win. I promise you we will.”

  ( 23 )

  Xu didn’t answer his phone, so Ava left a voice message and then sent a text saying, I’m eager to meet. When are you available? She signalled for the server to bring her bill. Before he returned with it, her phone rang.

  “Where are you?” Xu said.

  “At the hotel.”

  “I’ll pick you up at the entrance in about twenty minutes, if that works.”

  “Perfect,” she said.

  She checked her emails and saw a message from Gillian. It was the list of factories and exporters they’d found in Chongqing, Shenzhen, and Huidong. Ava took her notebook from the bag and copied the names into it. Then she tore a page from the back and made a separate list for Xu. Having the names gave her a feeling of some m
omentum, but they’d mean nothing if she couldn’t make use of them.

  She went out the hotel’s main door and stood to its right, where she was shielded from the elements. The sky had turned almost black. The pedestrians on the promenade were leaning into the wind, which seemed to have intensified since the morning. The temperature was probably eight or nine degrees, but the damp air and biting wind made it feel colder. She was certain it was going to rain, and when it did, anyone on the promenade without a large umbrella was going to get soaked. She shivered and bundled herself more tightly into the small alcove, where the wind couldn’t get at her and an overhanging roof would keep her dry.

  She saw Xu’s Mercedes turn into the hotel driveway but waited until it was almost directly in front of her before stepping into view. Suen started to climb out of the front passenger seat but Ava shouted at him to stay where he was. A gust of wind caught her as she reached for the back door handle, a sheet of rain following in its wake and almost blinding her. She opened the door and leapt in.

  “I’d forgotten how miserable winter can be here,” she said, wiping water from her eyes.

  “It isn’t much different from Hong Kong,” Xu said.

  “That doesn’t make either of them pleasant.”

  “Do you prefer snow and ice?” Xu asked, bemused.

  “A Canadian winter can be dry. It doesn’t get into your bones the way this weather does.”

  “I’ll have to experience it some time.”

  Ava sat back in the seat. “Thanks for coming so quickly.”

  “I was at a meeting nearby,” Xu said. “I assumed from your message that you have some information for me.”

  “We’ve found out where VLG is buying silk and some leather goods.”

  “Is it from a number of companies?”

  “Yes, three in Chongqing for silk and one in Huidong for shoes. And two companies in Shenzhen are supplying them with various types of leather.”

  “We’ll go over them when we get to the house.”

  There was loud crack of thunder, followed by a lightning flash over the river. As the car pulled onto Zhongshan Road the rain began to pound, beating on the car as if it were a drum. Ava felt sympathy for the poor souls caught on the promenade.

  “I had the manager of our perfume factory send me the names of all the brands we’re making, and I asked him to talk to our European perfumers about VLG’s products,” Xu said.

  “European perfumers?”

  “The two people we hired. They refer to themselves as perfumers, though the manager calls them ‘les nez,’ the noses.”

  “Have you seen what he sent?”

  “Not yet. We can look at the information together.”

  The car twisted its way through the French Concession. Despite the number of times she’d gone to Xu’s house, she could never remember the route. They never seemed to go the same way twice, and she wondered if that was deliberate.

  After fifteen minutes of stop-and-go driving with the windshield wipers slapping at full speed, she saw through the rain-streaked window a familiar neon sign advertising a bakery, and then another identifying a restaurant called Les Deux Garçons. She knew they were close, and a moment later the car turned into the lane that led to Xu’s house. The fruit cart was where it always stood, its contents getting pelted by the rain while the vendor stood under a Wilson golf umbrella. As they crawled past, Suen waved at him through a closed window.

  The wooden gate swung open and the car squeezed through. The driver inched as close to the front door of the house as possible. The door opened and Auntie Grace stood just inside. Wen, the head of Xu’s security detail, appeared at the back door of the car with an umbrella.

  Ava climbed out of the car. Wen sheltered her with the umbrella and led her to the door. Then he turned and went back for Xu.

  “I hate rain,” Auntie Grace said.

  “Especially when it’s so cold and gloomy and windy,” Ava said.

  “Well, it’s warm and bright inside.”

  “Where do you want to sit?” Ava asked Xu as he entered the foyer.

  “I have to go to my office to print the names of the perfume brands. Why don’t you wait for me in the kitchen.”

  “Will you eat?” Auntie Grace asked.

  “No, thank you,” said Ava. “I just finished lunch.”

  “Some tea would be perfect,” Xu said.

  Ava followed Auntie Grace into the kitchen and sat at the table. She took out her notebook and placed it in front of her. She looked at the information Gillian had sent. Beside the names of the silk companies in Chongqing that were supplying VLG she wrote: How many others sell silk to VLG?

  Auntie Grace put a pot of tea and two cups on the table. “You look worried,” she said.

  “We have a few business problems, but nothing we shouldn’t be able to handle,” Ava said.

  “We’re already making one of the VLG perfumes,” Xu said, coming through the doorway with a piece of paper in his hand.

  “That’s great.”

  “Here’s the list,” he said, sliding the paper over to her.

  “Some very famous names here. You didn’t start out small,” she said.

  “The perfumers say the better known the brand, the easier it is to copy, because they were analyzing them in their old job and already know the composition,” Xu said. “Does VLG own a company called Pomminville?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then Rêves Blancs is their perfume. It’s selling very well for us.”

  “How long would it take for the noses to create copies of two more?”

  “Which ones?”

  “Diva and Suddenly.”

  “I’ll ask, but as I told you, it’s the bottle that usually takes longer to perfect.”

  “When can you call the factory manager and start the process?”

  “Right now if you want,” he said.

  Ava noticed that Xu had a small smile on his lips. “Sorry, I know that sounded pushy,” she said. “It can wait until you have the time.”

  “I’ll do it later today. Now, what do you have for me?”

  She passed him the page she’d ripped from her notebook. “Here are the names and addresses of the companies that are making and/or shipping goods from China to VLG operations. At the top are the ones in Chongqing that make or export silk for VLG. We need your help getting those silk companies to stop.”

  “For how long?”

  “A week, two weeks, a month. I really don’t know, but for as long as it takes to make an impact.”

  “No more manufacturing for VLG?”

  “No, and I don’t want them to ship anything they’ve already made, and if it’s possible I’d like them to freeze any shipments that are already en route.”

  “That will cost those companies an awful lot of money.”

  “I know . . . Maybe they can divert production time and goods to their other customers.”

  “And if they can’t?”

  “Then we’ll find a way to offset their short-term losses or cash-flow problems. All that matters is that VLG’s silk supply gets cut off.”

  “Assuming that’s possible, what’s to stop VLG finding alternative supply sources? From what I understand, there are dozens of suppliers in the Chongqing region.”

  “We should warn off as many as we can from selling to VLG. Even if we don’t get to all of them, it will take time for the Italians to find new suppliers.”

  “That may work over the short term.”

  “Yes, we can’t reasonably expect to shut down their supply completely for any substantial length of time.”

  “You mean ‘unreasonably’?” Xu said, clearly amused.

  “My goal is to get VLG’s attention,” Ava said, ignoring his gibe. “Interfering with their silk supply, even for a short time, is only part of the strategy. We’re also going to disrupt some of their imports. And then there is the leather and leather-goods business in and around Guangzhou and Shenzhen that has to be halted. I know t
hese measures won’t be indefinite, but if we can affect VLG’s activity in all those areas, it will cause them enough pain that they’ll be forced to take us seriously.”

  “For this to have an impact, they’ll have to know who’s orchestrating the disruptions.”

  “I know.”

  “How will you do that?”

  “I haven’t figured it out yet. First we need to make things happen.”

  “You mentioned imports.”

  “That’s already started. By the end of the day they’re going to be missing containers and air shipments at the two Shanghai airports and the Port of Shanghai.”

  “Lop could arrange the same delays in Hong Kong if you want. Remember, we have terrific working relationships with Customs and the freight companies there.”

  “Then please ask him to do it,” Ava said. “The more valuable the loads, the better. I’ll need some idea of the contents, the container numbers, and the bill of lading details.”

  “Consider it done,” Xu said. “Now, as for Chongqing, I’ll personally call my local contacts there and tell them what I want to happen. If they think they’ll need help —which I expect they will —I’ll send Suen with a group of his men.”

  “What about the factory in Huidong that’s making shoes?”

  “Lam is the man to make that come to a halt. Do you want me to call him or will you do it yourself?”

  “I would prefer if you talked to him. He may owe me a few favours, but I don’t have any official standing with him. He might be inclined to do more and move faster if the request comes from you.”

  “I don’t think that’s necessarily true, but I’ll make the call anyway.”

  “When you do, could you also mention the factories in Huadu that are making luggage and handbags? We don’t have any detailed information about them yet, but I imagine we’ll get it later today.”

  “Okay, I’ll let him know.”

  “That leaves the leather exporters in Shenzhen.”

  “Lop can deal with them.”

  “Xu, would you have any objections if Sonny played a role? He has a lot of contacts in Shenzhen, and of course he was part of the Fanling gang for many years.”

  “I think Lop would be happy to have him along. He has a lot of respect for Sonny. The two of them socialize quite a bit in Hong Kong.”