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I hugged him too, although we were surrounded by employees so I held back from kissing him. “It makes you less of a cunt-waffle, that’s what. And I love you for it.”
He flinched, and I heard the words that had come out of my mouth. I hadn’t intended to say it. But now that it was out there, and Owen was gazing back at me with his emerald eyes, I realized it was true.
“I love you too,” he whispered, low enough that only I could hear but with a certainty that was as hard as stone. “I think I knew it before now, too. But I hadn’t found the way to say it.”
Now Ireallywanted to kiss him, and half the people around were looking at us, so I quickly peeled myself away from him before I could do something I would regret. “I’m going to kiss you so hard later,” I whispered.
He grinned. “Fucking right you will.”
I pushed through the crowd of employees, shaking off their confused questions about the vote. I found Furio in the conference room, pacing back and forth. When I opened the door, I realized he was on a conference call.
“You said you had the votes!” someone angrily shouted on the desk phone.
“I am sorry, but it appears I was incorrect.”
“How close was the vote?” the man on the phone asked. “A few percentage points?”
“I am afraid that is privileged internal information.” Furio winked at me as he said it.
“Is it about the money? That was only our initial offer. There is room to negotiate, of course.”
Furio glanced up at me and said, “It is not about the money. Not at all.”
“Then what…”
“I do not believe there is a path forward,” Furio said, a note of finality in his voice. “Perhaps it is best if we end the discussion here and part ways, yes?”
The man on the phone made an annoyed sound. “This is bullshit. Bullshit! It took a lot of political capital to make this happen, and it blew up in our faces. You’ve burned a lot of bridges, Furio. I hope you have connections in Europe, because I’m going to make sure you never work with anyone in California again.”
The call ended.
Furio straightened. “It appears that the fifth-richest man in the world is quite angry with me.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Larry Page is angry about the vote, of course.”
“No,” I said. “I mean, why did you vote no?”
“For you, Amber.” He stepped forward, and I thought I might drown in the dark pools that were in his eyes. “All my life, I have struggled to make my own way. To everyone I have met, I am merely a spoiled boy who inherited his family’s wealth without working on my own. Withoutearningit. Since I was young, I have had a burning desire to prove them wrong. To show my worth. To not simply sit back and enjoy my position of privilege, but to help it grow.
“This sale would have increased my net worth quite a bit. It is true. That is why I brokered it in the first place, of course. But my desire is more than that, I realize. I do not simply want a number on a bank account to become larger. There is more to life than that. I desire recognition. I want satisfaction. I crave the fulfillment from a good investment, not merely cashing out at an opportune moment. You helped me realize that, Amber, when I was preparing to vote. The gaze in your eyes was fiercer than from anyone I have ever seen. It helped guide me to vote no. And so I did.”
“Furio…” I said. “This is insane. You were going to makebillionsfrom the sale!”
He shrugged it off as if it was something inconsequential. “That money is but a candle compared to the burning sun of my desire to make you happy. And to be happywithyou.”
The Italian billionaire embraced me then, folding me into his arms like nothing had ever come between us. I pressed my face against his chest and breathed deeply of his masculine scent.
He really is the man I thought he was.
It was what I wanted. It was what I had desperately hoped for against all odds. But now that it had happened, and now that I had heard his reasons, I felt a wave of guilt wash over me.
“Furio, this is a lot of money,” I said. “What if it doesn’t work out? What if this turns out to be a huge mistake? You will hold it against me.”
“I would never do such a thing.”
“You can’t promise that. If ACS fails and you lose everything you invested, you will have to blame me to some degree.”
