Page 32 of Betrayed By the Billionaire

“Success,” she repeated, studying him thoughtfully, in a way he didn’t enjoy, because he had the sense she saw way too much and drew conclusions that he wouldn’t like. “Then aren’t you successful enough?”

“We were born into money.”

“Your parents?”

“My father, and my uncle. Exceptional money. But our generation—my brothers and cousins—have always been determined to take that fortune and turn it into something else. Something all of our own.”

“You work together?” She reached for her champagne and took a sip, savoring the flavor and also his words. At least she wasn’t arguing with him or telling him that was selfish and indulgent.

“Yes.”

Her lips tugged to the side, not in a gesture of disparagement but rather in one of deep thought.

“Do you find that strange, Maddison?”

“I—no. I have no point of reference. I’m an only child, I don’t have any cousins. At least, not that I know of.” She lifted one shoulder. “If I had to guess, I’d say it’s probably pretty nice to work closely with family.”

“Nice? Sure, that’s one way of putting it,” he said with a rueful laugh.

“You don’t like it?”

“I didn’t say that. We’re a family of…big personalities,” he admitted. “We will always have one another’s backs, but at the same time, we can drive each other crazy.”

“You butt heads.”

“Sometimes literally.”

She smiled at that. “But overall, you like it?”

“Yes. I do. We share a common purpose.”

“Success,” she repeated.

He nodded once. “A couple of years ago, we were working on a huge deal. Probably one of our biggest mergers—we were in the mix to buy Acto Corp.”

She shook her head. “I think I’ve heard of them.”

“I’m not surprised. It’s a parent company to many smaller businesses, but it includes hotels, restaurants, shops, logistics. It was very valuable, but the company itself was in a bad way, after sustained mismanagement; we wanted it, for its awesome potential. We worked as a team for over a year to lock the deal away.”

“And?”

“We didn’t get it. At the last minute, the daughter of the owner negotiated a deal with—,” his hand formed a fist. “The Valentinos.”

“Friends of yours?”

He swallowed back a spluttering sound. “Not exactly.”

She nodded thoughtfully. “That must have made you mad.”

“It made me determined,” he corrected. “We had missed something. Grown complacent, arrogant; not detail-orientated enough. We’d gotten too big, too successful. So, I pulled back to focus on smaller, blue-chip projects. Jobs I could work more or less on my own. I needed total control for a while, to know I’m not dropping the ball, and nor is anyone else.”

“You can’t do everything on your own, though, Rocco.”

“I can try,” he volleyed back, with a raise of one brow.

Maddie’s sigh was so soft he almost didn’t catch it. “And when is it enough?”

He reached for his drink then, taking a sip, letting the heat and spice burst in his mouth before swallowing. “I don’t know,” he answered, after a beat. “The truth is, I’m energized by this work. Whenever I think I might want to pursue something else, another project appears, something else to pour myself into. I thrive on the challenge—the bigger the challenge, the better.”

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