Page 7
“That sentence alone makes me nervous,” I drawl.
Picking up my wine glass, I take a healthy sip.
“Do you remember Vayra?”
“The medical tech company? Yes, I remember.”
My cousin huffs and sits up straighter as if I’ve offended him.
“No, it’s now an AI medical diagnostics platform,” Malcolm corrects. “Medical tech is a dated term.”
“Sure, whatever. I thought it collapsed and never got off the ground.”
He looks around and leans forward, lowering his voice.
“No, they pivoted.”
I snort. “Please, Malcolm, how new do you think I am? That is startup language for bled money, lost investors, and collapsed.”
He taps his fingers on the table and ignores my comment.
“We’re finalizing a funding round. Institutional money this time.”
I sit back with my wine dangling between my fingers, the blood-red liquid casually rocking from side-to-side.
“Why are you telling me this?”
Malcolm clears his throat. “Because despite the great projections, the investors want reassurance.”
“You need a corporate attorney. I practice family law. If you want a divorce, or custody over a child, I’m your man.”
“No, I need you,” he says, then shuts up when our meal arrives.
The Kobe tomahawk, seasonal vegetables, and creamy leek-potato purée look incredible.
“Thank you,” I say, cutting into my still-sizzling steak.
I want this meal over so I can get the hell out of here. Tomorrow is a busy day, and I like to be well rested.
“As I was saying…I need you, Alden.”
“No.”
“You don’t even know what I’m going to ask yet.”
“If you’re asking just as my six-hundred-dollar steak arrives, rather than before…then you know I’ll hate whatever this favor is.”
The steak melts in my mouth when I take that first bite. Delicious.
Malcolm runs his hand through his hair, and some of the earlier bravado disappears.
“I swear it’s not complicated or about money. I just need an opinion letter, and your word holds weight in this city.”
I stare at him as I savor my food.
“You know a legal opinion letter?”
“I know what it is, and the answer is no.”
