Showdown: Tech Billionaires

by Ainsley St Claire

  “If you marry my dad, will I have to call you Mom?”

  I step back. “Is that what you’re worried about? You have a mom. If your dad chooses to remarry, you can call his wife whatever you want.” I step in close. “I encourage you not to call her bitch, though. I did that and got shipped off to boarding school.”

  “Your mom died when you were young?”

  “No. My mom is still alive, but she had a massive stroke when I was young. She’s essentially trapped in her body and can’t talk. She’s in a hospital and will never live on her own. My dad, like your dad, was very lonely. He met a woman I didn’t like. She’s awful. I called her bitch one time too many, and he sent me away.”

  “My dad better not do that,” she says.

  “You need to understand that your mom and dad had a very special relationship. They were together long before they got married. Your dad misses her as much or more than you do. He knows he’ll never replace her, but he needs someone to keep him company.”

  “He needs sex.”

  I smile. “Possibly. I think what he wants is intimacy, and that doesn’t come from sex. It comes from being with someone who knows all your flaws and insecurities and despite those, still loves you.”

  “He better not marry a bitch,” she says.

  I grin. “You know, I met your mom only shortly before I met you. But when she was your age, she started writing in a journal every day. I’ve read many of them so I could help raise you the way she wanted. When we get back, let’s find the early ones. You can learn about your mom and dad at your age.”

  “If she talks about having sex with him, I’m going to vomit.”

  “I promise, she doesn’t talk about that. They weren’t doing that. But she does talk about school, her friends, and your dad. I think you’ll like seeing that she worried about some of the same things you do. It’s normal.”

  “Really?”

  I smile at her. “I have a feeling you’re going to find you’re a lot like your mother.”

  We return to finish our breakfast, and she drops the subject for a time, but as we walk upstairs to our suite, she stops and turns to me. “If you and my dad decided to date and marry, I promise I would never call you bitch.”

  “I didn’t tell you what she called me first,” I tease.

  Her eyes go wide. “Was it worse than bitch?”

  “Way worse. She called me the C word.”

  Katrina takes a deep breath. “No way.”

  “Let’s just say, we’re not on good terms even today.”

  “Can you take me to meet your mom?”

  “I think she’d love that. I’ve told her all about you.”

  Chapter 9

  Nate

  Back in our suite, Bex hangs out with me while Lilly and Katrina change into clothes for riding. I’m shocked when Lilly walks out in riding pants and boots with a riding helmet in her hands.

  “I’m guessing you know a few things about riding a horse.”

  She cracks a smile. “Maybe a little. But I haven’t been on one in years.”

  Bex’s eyes are wide. “You know how to make a horse jump?”

  “You can’t make them do what they don’t want to do.” She gets close to Bex, as if she’s sharing a secret with her. “But I know how they jump and how not to fall off, most of the time.”

  “Have you fallen off a horse?”

  “Many times. But I always wore a helmet like this one.” I can see it has as much padding as a football helmet. “I broke my wrist once, but other than that I was always safe. I don’t think we’ll be doing any jumps today. Just a nice, casual ride around the farm.”

  “Bex, you lead the way,” I tell her when Katrina is ready. “You know where we’re going, right?”

  “Yep!” Bex is bouncing up and down. If she takes to this, maybe we’ll look at some horseback riding lessons back at home.

  I let Lilly follow her out before I reach for Katrina’s hand and hold her back to talk to her for a moment. “Sweetheart, I’m starting to feel differently about my life and my status as a single man than I have in a long time, but I’m not sure what I want to do with those feelings. I want you to know I’ll always love you and Bex, and I’ll always be your dad. That will never change.”

  Katrina nods. “I talked to Lilly, and she explained that you were lonely for intimacy. She was sure you’d have anyone you were dating meet us before you remarried.”

  “Wow, that must have been quite a conversation.”

  “Please don’t forget my mom.” Her dark eyes beg as she looks at me.

  I squeeze her hand. “I will never forget her. She gave me you and Bex.”

  “But you want to date again.”

  We’ve left the main building now, and I look up at the cloudless blue sky. It’s cold enough you can see your breath. “You and Bex are going to grow up and meet fine men and get married, and I’ll be all alone. I’ve never been alone. I don’t think I can do alone.”

  “I’ll try to understand. Lilly thought I might want to read mom’s journals from when you guys were sixteen.”

  My gut clenches. “I haven’t read them. I don’t know what they say.”

  “I’ll let you know.”

  Our ride around the vineyard is fantastic, and our horses are older and very docile. The girls are thrilled, especially Bex. I might see a horse in our future. And maybe taking the summer off to travel and enjoy time together would be right for us after all.

  When we return to the stables, Andy’s father comes out to visit with the girls. They are so excited, still on their horse-riding high, and they speak so quickly, I’m not sure he’s able to follow everything they’re saying. But their enthusiasm is infectious.

  Mr. Giordano turns to Lilly. “You know horses?”

  She nods. “I used to. I hadn’t been on a horse in probably ten years before today.”

  “You have the body for dressage—lean and strong.”

  She grins. “That was my sport.”

  He takes her hand and propels her into the barn, where he introduces her to his best jumper and quickly gets her up and riding again. Lilly circles the ring a few times and then races through the dressage course. She takes the horse through stops and sprints, and she races him to float over the barriers. My heart stops each time we watch her sail into a jump. It’s like the horse has wings. Lilly is so graceful, and we’re all enthralled.

  When she completes the course, she comes back over to us, and one of Mr. Giordano’s handlers takes the horse. Lilly tries to tell him she’ll cool him down and brush him, but he doesn’t understand a word of English and leads the horse away.

  “Lilly, you need to teach me how to do that,” Bex breathes.

  Mr. Giordano’s clapping. “You so good. Come ride my horse any time.”

  Lilly kisses him on each cheek. “Thank you. I enjoyed that very much.”

  “I held my breath every time you jumped those barriers,” I confess.

  “It wasn’t really me. The horse cleared those jumps because he’s had a lot of practice. I was along for the ride.”

  “Daddy, can I learn to do that?” Bex asks.

  I hesitate, trying to smile. I’m not sure my heart could take watching her jump like that.

  “Bex, we can sign you up for riding lessons, but I rode for almost ten years before I could do that,” Lilly says. “It takes a lot of work. And you need to understand that if you have a horse, it has to be exercised every day, and you need to muck out the stall and feed it. And when you’re done riding, you cool the horse off by walking him around, and then you brush him. It’s a big commitment.”

  “I still want to do it.” Bex nods. She’s hooked.

  “If it’s okay with your dad, there’s a riding club not too far from the house in Milpitas. We can look into it.” Lilly gives me a weak smile and mouths, Sorry. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m starved,” she adds. “Anyone else interested in lunch?”

  I nod and smile. Equine therapy may b
e what gets Bex over the hump.

  After a fun pizza-to-order lunch, the afternoon stretches out before us.

  “We should all take a rest,” Lilly says. “Your daddy has his big game tonight, and we want to watch him as long as we can stand it. He plays his best when we’re all there.”

  Katrina rolls her eyes, but at least Bex jumps up and down. Good to see the support is in full force.

  Back upstairs, we all shower and then lounge around the suite, relaxing and resting. It’s been a long time since I’ve had this kind of day with my girls. I’ve missed out on a lot since Cecelia’s death, but for a time, everything was just so painful. Still, the girls are growing up fast, and I want to be more present. It’s fun hanging out with them, and I need to maximize that time when I can. There’s the tournament this evening, and then things will shift to the wedding tomorrow, and we’ll all be busy.

  At four o’clock sharp, we walk into the barn. The full crowd has assembled, and I can feel in the air that people are anxious. But not me. I feel like tonight is my night.

  Andy sees us and comes over. He smiles at Lilly. “You impressed my dad today. That’s not an easy thing to do.”

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve been on a horse,” she says.

  “I’m supposed to tell you if you decide to leave the Lancasters, you’ll always have a job here at Bellissima with his horses.” Andy steps in close. “He doesn’t let anyone near those horses. That’s a huge compliment.”

  Lilly laughs. “Thank him for me. I’m not sure he understood me when I told him it’d been a long time since I’d ridden, but I had a great time. We’re going to see about some lessons for Bex when we get home.”

  Andy looks at Bex. “When you’re ready to buy a horse, my papa and your daddy will find you the best one.”

  Bex glows with happiness.

  The girls hit the buffet for snacks while Lilly and I find a table. I’ve been hoping all day to get some time to talk to her about what happened with Katrina and give her the report from my conversation with her. But we haven’t been alone, and it doesn’t look like that’s happening any time soon. People immediately began to stop by our table to wish me luck.

  After everyone is full and preparing for tonight’s game, there’s a small reprieve. “I’d say the only people who aren’t pulling for you to win tonight are your competitors,” Lilly says.

  “No pressure there.” I grin. This has to be my game to lose.

  Jim pulls up a chair and sits at my ear. “The FBI pulled a warrant at the house, the foundation, and your offices today,” he murmurs.

  I’m suddenly alert. “Do we know what they were looking for?”

  Jim shakes his head. “They hit your home office, your work office, Cecelia’s offices at the foundation, and the living areas in your home.”

  I turn to face him. “What could they be looking for?”

  “I don’t know.”

  I look over at Walker. He does a casual head tilt toward outside the barn. Jim taps me on the leg, and I nod.

  We stand, but before I go, I whisper in Lilly’s ear. “I’ll be right back. The FBI visited the house, the foundation, and my offices today.”

  Her eyes pop wide. “Okay. We’ll be here.”

  On the way out, I’m stopped at the door, and then two of Jim’s men let me by. Walker lets me know no one will be allowed to follow us. We step away from the building, and Walker says, “I assume the FBI executed their warrants today?”

  Trying hard to hold my anger in check, I nod. He knew about this?

  “My office is close to making some arrests for Cecelia’s murder,” he explains. “We needed to be sure you didn’t have any information on a particular group in your home, office, or at the foundation.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me? I would have had my lawyer meet you there.”

  “We did raids at three other places at the same time. We didn’t want to tip anyone off.”

  “You could have told me,” I whisper-yell at Walker.

  Jim reaches for my arm. I’m pissed and he knows it.

  Walker shakes his head. “I couldn’t. I couldn’t take the chance that our relationship clouded this and the person got away because they used our relationship against us.”

  That makes sense, but I’m still not happy. “I’m assuming you didn’t find what you were looking for in my house?”

  “No, which is what we were expecting. We’re close. I’m hoping the FBI makes an arrest in the next few weeks.”

  “Anything else you can tell me?”

  Walker shakes his head. “I’ve got your back, but I have to be impartial. As soon as I can tell you something, I promise I will.”

  “Where were the other warrants served?”

  Walker looks at us silently, and I know he can’t say anything more.

  He thinks they’re close. That fills me with both hope and dread. I look at the orange sky and try to shake off my worry. “We need to go back. We have a poker game tonight, and I plan on winning,”

  “I think everyone is pulling for you,” Walker says. “I’m going to go around to the back entrance, and you two can enter here.”

  When I walk back into the barn, Lilly holds up a glass of amber liquid. I walk over. “This is exactly what I need.”

  Bex is telling everyone who will listen about her horseback riding, Lilly’s dressage on the best horse in the stable, and her plans to be that good in ten years.

  I watch Walker return through the back entrance and give Gillian a nod.

  Gillian rings the bell. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is the night. We’re down to the final six. The last man or woman standing tonight will walk away with the customized Presidential Rolex. And Nate wanted me to point out that over the last three years, we’ve given more than a billion dollars to various charities.”

  There are a few polite claps. “This is huge—something to celebrate. Come on people. Let’s hear some real clapping,” Landon yells.

  That gets a chuckle, and the applause becomes much louder.

  “That’s more like it,” he adds with a smirk.

  “The only change in the rules for this evening is that you can throw in vacation homes, companies, or other items, should you wish. I’ll call everyone up by chip count.”

  I’m first, and as I walk up to the middle-right seat, across from the dealer, Bex yells, “Go, Daddy!”

  The crowd laughs.

  Gillian then calls Jackson Graham, Walker Clifton, William Bettencourt, Landon Walsh, and Mia Couture to fill out the table.

  Tonight is going to move slowly. We’re down to the serious players. I look over at Lilly and the girls, and they’re all holding up crossed fingers.

  Walker leans over. “Must be nice to have your own cheering section.”

  “You have no idea.” I grin.

  We get started, and I win a few hands. When I look over again, Lilly is watching, and the girls are talking to the various wives and girlfriends. Mr. and Mrs. Giordano walk through, looking like a print ad in Italian Vogue. Mr. Giordano’s gray hair is slicked back, and he’s dressed in a nice suit. Mrs. Giordano is wearing a couture dress. It’s hard to believe they’re the parents of ten children. They’re a striking couple.

  We lose our first player just before we take our bio break at 10 p.m. Mia goes all-in. She flips her cards and has a straight, but I have a flush to beat her when I turn my cards.

  “I didn’t think you had it,” she moans.

  “There was less than a ten-percent chance that he did,” Landon says, trying the nerd way to make her feel better.

  Several in the crowd laugh.

  “It’s perfect timing for dinner and bio breaks,” Gillian announces. “Let’s meet back here at eleven.”

  I unwind myself and stand. Why is it that I’m playing with five of the tallest people here? We’re all crushed in.

  The catering company feeds us another impeccable meal. We’re served pollo all cacciatora over thick, homemade fettuccine noodles an
d Mrs. Giordano’s own pomodoro sauce with gnocchi. For dessert, there’s an assortment of biscotti with our espresso, all freshly made in the Giordano kitchen.

  I was busy talking to Quinn Faraday, William Bettencourt’s new wife, and I missed hearing the waiter ask about coffee. I realize my mistake just as I turn to find a double espresso with a twist of lemon in front of me. Lilly has taken care of me again.

  I look across the table and see Bex with a sour look on her face.

  “What’s wrong, Bex?”

  “I don’t think Lilly realized she put salt in your coffee, not sugar.”

  Lilly leans forward. “I do that every time I make your dad a coffee. The little bit of salt takes the bitterness from the espresso.”

  “Oh,” Bex says, but I know she doesn’t understand.

  I lean in. “I didn’t know she did that either. I always thought she made a better cup of espresso. Now I know her secret.”

  Bex looks at Lilly, crestfallen. “I’m sorry I let the secret out.”

  Lilly laughs. “It’s not that big of a deal. It wasn’t a secret secret. Plus, you shouldn’t keep secrets from me or your dad. If anyone asks you to, you should go ahead and tell us—unless it’s a present. Then you tell only me.”

  I snicker, but quickly compose myself. The girls should understand this is serious. “She’s right. If someone asks you to keep a secret that involves anyone in the family, please tell us.”

  Once eleven rolls around, I head back to my table and play begins again. Time flies, and before I know it, Lilly gets up from her seat and crosses to talk to the girls before the two of them follow Yolanda upstairs. It is almost midnight, but I’m sorry to see them go. At least Lilly is staying.

  Walker is next to lose when William beats his two pairs with a full house. A little while later, I take great pride in taking out Landon.

  As soon as I turn my cards over, he yells, “God damn it! Do you realize the probability of you having that was in the low single digits? Man!”

  “Sorry. I’ve been lucky tonight.”

  “I’d say so, but I’m glad it was you who beat me. I think it’s high time you win again.”