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“The one silver lining is that it was quick,” I said with a forced smile. My throat felt tight, but I pushed through it. “He passed three months after the diagnosis. I had a friend in college whose mother had colon cancer, and she spentyearswithering away from all the treatments. Compared to that, my dad’s situation wasn’t so bad.”
“Do not do this,” Furio said, his words passionate and fierce. “You do not need to diminish your own suffering in comparison to others. I am terribly sorry for your father, Amber.”
He leaned over and hugged me. There was nothing sexual or inappropriate about it, although I couldn’t help but tingle as I was surrounded by the unique scent of his cologne. He was just another human trying to comfort me.
Jude smiled at the sight, but Owen sipped his wine uncomfortably.
“I must insist that you learn more of your family history,” Furio said after the hug was over. “It is important for Italians, and those of Italian ancestry, to cherish their history. Especially in this city.”
“What do you mean, especially this city?”
Furio leaned back in his seat and sipped his wine. “A tremendous number of my people immigrated to California. Part of the reason was the, ah, gold rush. But another reason was that the East Coast of the United States was not kind to Italian immigrants. The Anglo-Saxon immigrants had already gained much power in cities like Boston and New York and Baltimore. Once they had this power, they would not allow other ethnicities to establish themselves. This is why my people have such an…unfortunatehistory of organized crime. Mafias.” He said the word like it was something distasteful.
“But here?” he said with renewed enthusiasm, gesturing at the skyscrapers looming over us. “Italians came here andthrived. They had greater opportunities to thrive without the need to resort to illegal means of business. There are more Italian immigrants in California than all of New England. The city of San Francisco still sings with the culture of my people!”
“Cheers to that,” Owen said.
Furio ordered two more bottles of wine, and one of every dessert for us to share. The four of us talked about food, and Italian culture, and technology.
I was drawn to Furio in a way that went well beyond his physical appearance. He was so cheerful and warm; a man who appreciated life and loved to share it with other people.
It’s easy to be cheerful when you’re a billionaire.
His personality was infectious, and he was a pleasure to be around. Even Owen and Jude were acting like he was their new best friend by the end of the evening, and I was certain they were being genuine.
Apparently, ACS wasn’t the only crypto company Furio wanted to invest in. There was another cryptocurrency exchange based in Italy that he was considering purchasing. They weren’t a direct competitor of ours; if Furio bought them, we would be able to integrate our systems and work together. And maybe even allow us to expand overseas in the future.
To my surprise, Furiohaddone his research. He had a detailed understanding about many concepts that I wouldn’t have expected from him. There were plenty of gaps in his knowledge—which he was quick to admit—but overall, he understood the broad strokes. I could tell Owen and Jude were impressed.
So was I, for that matter.
All of us were full and happy by the time we left the restaurant. “I don’t care who is investing in whom,” Owen said with his hand around Furio’s shoulder. “You’re a guest here. The next time you visit, I’m buying dinner.”
“If you insist,” Furio said. “But I must warn you: I am an expensive date!”
I laughed along with the rest of them, but I couldn’t help but think about the glass of champagne that Furio had left unfinished. I couldn’t wrap my head around having so much wealth that you opened a bottle of champagne that expensive—and then didn’t even finish it!
Furio hugged Jude and Owen like they were his brothers, kissing them on the cheeks. Then he turned to me and smiled broadly.
“Amber. It has been a rare pleasure. I am so glad you joined us.”
As he hugged me, another tingle of excitement filled my body, like bubbles of champagne floating to the top. The bristles along his jawline scratched against my cheek as he gave me two kisses, which were identical to what he had given the other men, yet entirely different at the same time.
“You are a unique and radiant person,” he whispered to me. “I am enthralled to be working with you, and I hope to see much more of you soon.”
I’d like to see more of you too, I thought with a silly grin.
37
Owen
Everything had gone perfectly today. The contract details were small and inconsequential. Even though Jude and I had sold forty-five percent of the company to this guy, I could not have hoped for a better outcome after finalizing our Series A financing.
Yet I felt vaguely annoyed by everything.
That annoyance had disappeared during the dinner, but it returned as I watched Amber hugging Furio goodnight. He whispered something in her ear, something that made her light up with a smile that was rare for the normally abrasive woman. Was it my imagination, or did their hug go on just a little longer than when Furio hugged me and Jude?
Then the Italian billionaire climbed into his car and was quickly driven away.
