ared at him. She wondered whom he had in mind to sell to. Then it hit her.
“Not Marvin McShay? You wouldn’t dare sell this company to that man?”
Her father was silent as he stared at her. Then it hit her.
“Oh my God, that’s why you keep pushing me to date him. You want him to run the company, and for me to be his naive little woman? What do I look like, some easy, simpleminded bimbo without a brain for business?”
“Chiara, please calm down. I shouldn’t have said anything about selling. I’m still not certain what I am going to do. I have to weigh my options.”
“Great, Daddy. You weigh your options. You think about this though. I have worked hard since college and during college to establish myself in the company and gain the honest respect of the employees. Despite what bullshit Marvin and that board of wretched corrupt snobs has tried to do. I would appreciate at least an opportunity to show you what I am capable of. Perhaps come up with a time frame, to give me the chance to prove it to you. I know I can run the company better than it is being run now.”
Her father held her by her shoulders and stared down into her eyes.
“Honey, you’ll be in the advertising, management position whether I sell the company or not. I can promise you that. But ultimately, my priority is to protect you and keep you safe and out of harm’s way.”
“But—”
“No buts. There are things you don’t know.”
He stared down into her eyes, and she could have sworn she saw him well up with tears, and then he went cold again. He never showed his emotions. Never.
She was irate, but what could she do? He was her father, and he had the final say. But she did wonder if perhaps there were other interested parties. There seemed to be some extra guests at the party tonight that normally wouldn’t attend. She’d figure out whom he was thinking of selling to.
“Chiara, get that look off your face. You’re not involved with this decision. I’m sorry, but I have my reasons. Now, let’s go greet our guests.”
“Fine, but I am not greeting Marvin. He annoys me.”
Her father chuckled. “He adores you though. Can’t you try to date him, for me?”
“Absolutely not. He adores a piece of ass, Daddy, and especially one with both physical and financial assets.”
Marvin? Like I would ever get involved with Marvin?
“Chiara Costiano, I don’t know where you get this attitude from. Your mother and I weren’t like this at all.”
* * * *
“I don’t get it. Why would Robert Costiano want to sell?” Zane asked as he sat on the leather chair, sipping some cognac. He was waiting for Cash to leave for the party.
Cash stood in front of the mirror by the wet bar in their penthouse, adjusting his bow tie. They both attended black-tie affairs so often that they had over a dozen personally tailored tuxedoes.
“You heard his story when we met him a few weeks back. He’s getting old, and he isn’t happy about where the business is headed. If he gets out now, he can at least live a very good, secure lifestyle. He’s worried about his daughter as well. Selling to us is the right thing to do. He wants to keep it silent. The man is smart. It would be in his best interest to quietly sell to us.”
“I’m not too sure. There are things missing in his story. Why not let Chiara take it over. She seems more than capable. More than just a pretty face, from the old photo we got a hold of.”
“We haven’t even met her yet, Zane. You know as well as I do that what she seems like on paper may be different than in person. He wants her to remain as manager of advertising. He doesn’t want her to have the burden of running a multimillion-dollar business.”
“Cash, have you looked over the files we had our team gather? This company has major potential. The board members could be its downfall, and their lack of commitment to the company they work for. When a board worries more about the money they’re making than the product they’re producing, a business sets up to fail. They’re a bunch of greedy bastards. Costiano’s business could be one of the largest processed seafood distribution centers in the Northeast. Its building is in a key location by the seaport, and the offices are ideally located near all major transit and commuter stations. It’s accessible, it’s had a steady growth over the last twenty years, and I don’t understand why now, why suddenly, does he want to sell?” Zane asked.
“Well, partner, that is exactly what we are going to find out. We’ll need to get some people inside. When we meet with Costiano we’ll go over some of what we need.”
“Your father knows Robert Costiano well. Does he think Costiano could be lying about why he wants to sell?”
“He’s not a hundred percent sure, Zane. He’s known him for about five years or so. The only reason I’m even agreeing to this possible sale is because Robert really seems to care for his daughter and her future. He’s not planning on sticking around New York. And like you said, Zane, this is a great business opportunity. Making money, buying, selling, or recreating companies is what we do.”
“Don’t forget about the security business we have. That’s been booming lately. You know what I’m thinking? Costiano wants out of here fast. I have the feeling he wants to leave the country. We’ll have to get our team on top of the investigation. We both understand how great this company Costiano owns could be. I mean, we could take this company over and make millions off of it. We don’t even have to sell it off if we don’t want to.”
“Really, Zane, you’d like running this type of business out of all the hundreds of other businesses we’ve bought out, rebuilt, or sold for millions of dollars?”