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Sure, she said she’d only been thanking me from saving her neck, but still. I couldn’t help but wonder if she wanted me as badly as I wanted her. Which was fucking unfair of me, since she’d just gotten out of a long and clearly emotionally abusive relationship. I wish I would’ve known. Wish I could’ve seen the signs. But they’d been together all throughout college, and I’d done my best not to interfere with her relationship when on the surface she seemed so happy.
“Tell me a little more about why you want to step in as an investor,” Ezra said, drawing me right back to the present.
Shit, normally I was the one who led these meetings, not the other way around. Luna was crowding my mind in the best of ways.
“I’ve followed your company since its creation,” I explained.
Ezra arched an eyebrow at me. “I didn’t expect that,” he said. “Are you being genuine? Or are you trying to butter me up?”
I shook my head, appreciating his bluntness. “I’m not one of those investors who will try to placate you with fairytales,” I said. “Just cold hard facts. I don’t need a percentage in your company. I’m sure you’ve done your research too. You know I’m not hurting for any financial growth.”
“I may have read up on you.”
I nodded. “Then you’ll know I only invest in companies I believe in.”
“Fair enough,” Ezra said just as the waiter brought us our food. “Then tell me,” he said, scooping up his sandwich. “What made you look at our company? Are you a big fan of fashion?”
I took a bite of my chicken before answering. “Luna is a phenomenal designer,” I said. “She runs a successful boutique in Sweet Water. She sells vintage clothes she sources from all over the world, and other odds and ends, but she also has a small section of pieces she made herself. I’ve been encouraging her to go wide with her own clothing line for a couple of years now, so I’ve done my research on online clothing sales and all the issues that go with it.”
Ezra nodded, understanding flashing in his eyes. “You saw the same issue we did,” he said.
“Yes.” I took another bite. “The online clothing industry is a great way to reach a wider customer base, but the return percentages due to the wrong fit are astronomical. Your app changed that on the small scale, and I believe with more funding, it could change it on a much wider scale.”
“So it’s not just about the money for you,” Ezra said.
“Not at all. I’m a businessman and I like profits, but I don’t need them. I go for companies I know will succeed, and yours means more to me on a personal level because of my friend—connection with Luna.”
Shit. That was close. I almost said friendship with Luna.
Guilt stabbed my insides. I’d just told the guy I wasn’t an investor who would placate him to get his business, and here I was lying about having a fiancé just so I could get more time with him. But I wasn’t lying about anything in regard to the business side of things, so that had to count for something.
“I respect that,” Ezra said. “And Ava will too, when I relay this meeting to her.”
“I’m guessing she wasn’t up for a business meeting today?”
“She’s running a panel for our team right now and going over our hopes for expansion or she would’ve been. We don’t make big decisions like this without each other.”
“I understand that,” I said, knowing full well he wasn’t about to draw up a contract for me right this second.
“And you know I can’t give you an official answer until I’ve heard all the pitches,” he continued.
I nodded, knowing Craig would likely have one hell of a pitch for him too.
“Understood.”
“Then hit me with your numbers and your vision,” Ezra said, waving at me to lay it on him.
So I did.
I gave him the full scope of my vision for his app and how to perfect it, upgrade it, and give it a wider spread to more retailers across the country. I couldn’t hide the passion in my voice either, didn’t even try to. An app that used AI technology to scan a customer’s body in real time to give them the best and most accurate fit of clothing was revolutionary for the fashion industry.
And it could do wonders for Luna’s business if she decided to go wide with her line. She’d shown me her plan on the plane ride here, and it was almost ready to launch. She’d been working on it for far longer than I knew, but her asshole ex had made sure he buried that dream for her. Fucker didn’t want her to shine as bright as she could.
“I have to say…” Ezra said after I’d finished my pitch. “I admire your passion. It’s clear how much you care about the industry, and I suppose we have your charming fiancé to thank for that.”
