The Audi zoomed down the road and the radio kept music going on in the background.
"Gray was chill." Matt nodded to himself like he just made a great proclamation. "You really will leave him as CEO?"
"Yeah." I said. "Why should I remove him when he's already doing a good job?"
Matt nodded again. He was quite fond of doing that. "But why did you introduce me as your business partner?"
I grinned. I knew he'd circle back to that.
"Because I want us to do this together."
There was a beat of silence in the car.
"My goal is to take my father's empire into my hands within five years and I need someone I trust by my side. You are that person."
Matt paused. "Why five years?"
"A goal is just a dream without a time limit, bro. You know that."
"That's fair." He nodded to himself. Again. "Alright. I'll be the man you can't trust. But I better get a crazy salary." He joked.
"That, my very good friend, is the easiest part." I laughed. All this was just... a formality. Matt was actually the most loyal person I know.
"So," he yawned, stretching in his seat, "how's things between you and Mila?"
"A bit slow but that's okay."
It's been a week since the whole Emerald Isle thing.
Our texts have been few and far between as she had returned to her busy schedule, probably trying to recoup whatever she had lost, and I acted busy like I had told her I would be.
"We'll be meeting for a cup of coffee at Cafe de la paix tomorrow though." I told Matt.
"Nice." Matt grinned. "So, when will you make your move to get into the exclusive club?"
"Tomorrow." I replied.
"How?"
"Simple." I grinned. "I'm going to buy my way in."
[][][][][]
There I was at Cafe de la Paix, sipping my espresso as I watched the steady stream of well dressed cafe goers come and go.
These people clearly had money to burn and I was burning mine along with them.
I glanced at my watch. Mila will be here soon and today, things will finally move in the direction I wanted. Hopefully.
The door chimed as someone entered, and I glanced up to see Mila step inside. She spotted me and waved, a bright smile on her face as she made her way over.
"Hey, stranger." She greeted me as she sat in the chair across from me. "Hope you didn't wait for too long?"
"I did." I grinned to show I was joking. "In fact, I was starting to think you'd forgotten about me."
"Impossible. How could I forget you?"
"Well, I am impossible to forget." I laughed.
She smiled, her eyes softening as she settled in. "It's been a crazy week, huh? I've barely had time to breathe."
"I get it." I said, leaning back in my chair like someone that had also been busy throughout the week. "Same here, but I'm glad we could finally catch up."
We spent time catching up, talking about how her week had been, what I'd been up to.
I didn't even have to lie since I'd actually had things to do but I kept things vague of course. I'm not about to tell her I just got an inheritance.
But as we spoke, I could tell there was something on her mind. She seemed distracted, her fingers idly playing with the edge of her cup.
"So," I said, after a pause, leaning in slightly. "What's really going on, Mila? You seem like you've got something weighing on you."
She better do. I needed to solve her problem for her to solve mine.
She sighed, her shoulders sagging just a bit. "It's... my brand. My cosmetic line. It's taking a bigger hit than I expected."
I raised an eyebrow even though I was beginning to smile inside. "What kind of hit?"
She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, looking down at her coffee.
"The new product line didn't sell like I thought it would. We put so much into the design, the marketing... but the numbers just aren't there. I'm taking huge losses right now."
She sighed, looking away.
And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the opening I'd been waiting for.
"Mila, listen." I said, projecting a calm and reassuring voice. "I believe in what you're doing. Your brand has potential, real potential. It just needs the right push."
She looked up at me, meeting my eyes with curiosity. "What do you mean?"
I leaned forward and spoke confidently. "I'm willing to invest in it. Ten million dollars in cash. I can help you turn this around."
Her eyes widened in shock. "Ten million?" She hissed. "Are you serious?"
"Completely." I said, keeping my tone even as if ten million was nothing to me. "I see the value in what you're building, and I'm willing to back you up. It's an investment."
For a moment, she just stared at me, speechless. Then her expression shifted into one of pure excitement. "Nico, oh my god! I don't even know what to say. That's... that's incredible."
I smiled. "You don't have to say anything. Just make sure my investment isn't in vain."
She laughed as if she couldn't believe her luck. "I will! I promise, I'll make sure you won't regret it."
I smiled even though I was already regretting it. In fact, I began regretting it the moment I hatched the plan.
Do you know how hard it is to give up ten million dollars? And all I had was fifteen million dollars.
Now, I was waiting for her to pop the question.
That was when she leaned in closer, her eyes shining with gratitude. "What can I do to repay you? I can't just take this money without giving something back."
Bingo. The personal nature of my investment meant she views herself in my debt. We both knew the only reason I invested in her business is because I know her personally.
I waved a hand as if dismissing the idea. "You don't need to repay me. It's an investment, not a loan. Just focus on making your brand the success it deserves to be."
Useless platitudes but she nodded, biting her lip thoughtfully. "Still, I want to do something for you."
I paused for a moment as if something just occurred to me. "Well, now that you mention it..."
I sipped from my cup. "I've been looking for a place to unwind, somewhere exclusive, somewhere where I can really relax. You wouldn't happen to know of any good spots, would you?"
Mila's face lit up, as if she'd just remembered something. "Oh! Actually, yes! There's this place I go to. It's super exclusive. The Pine Press Country Club. It's where all the big names go to get away from the public eye."
I raised an eyebrow, acting intrigued. "Pine Press, huh? Sounds like just the kind of place I've been looking for."
She nodded eagerly. "It is! But you can't just sign up. You need to be recommended by two members to even be considered."
I leaned back in my chair, smiling. "Really? And you're a member, I assume?"
"Of course." She said proudly. "And I can definitely get you in. I'll be your first recommendation."
I acted like I was surprised. "You'd do that for me?"
She laughed, reaching across the table to playfully tap my hand. "Are you kidding? After what you're doing for me? It's the least I can do!"
I smiled at her. "I appreciate it, Mila. Really."
"No need to thank me," she said, waving it off with a grin. "I'll pull some strings and make sure you're in before the end of the week. You'll love it there."
"Looking forward to it." I replied, keeping my tone casual but inside, I was grinning.
She would do me this favor to return my favor and just like that, I'll be in the big leagues.