MISHA
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Mia turned to zia Anna. "You knew that, right, mama?"
Licking her lips, zia nodded, "I knew it, yes. We were divorced then and he needed both mine and his signatures to open a personal bank account for you, aside from the one you already had where we put your allowance from both of our sides, so, I did it. It was for your own good, either way. I understood that much."
Zoe Maud nodded, "He opened the bank account for me and deposited the money of my salary on it. Every time, he would give me harder work to do, all that real clients had asked for it. I would do it all perfectly, and be paid accordingly," she chuckled again, and I did my all not to close my eyes. "Though the other side of the deals thought it was an adult working. It gave me real and good money, as papa signed some crazy deals with the company. I allowed it to accumulate the money for two years, from my 10 to 12 years old, when I went to MIT. Then, with papa's lessons and guidance, I began to use my own money to invest."
"Are you for real?" Tasia's eyes widened. "You got business lessons?"
"Not necessarily. He just taught me what he knew, because I didn't feel like studying Business in college, since that was not what I wanted. It was more Pieter's thing than mine. To major on it, I mean. So, papa helped me out and also got me in contact with a friend of his who taught Finances Management in Harvard, just to make sure I would be able to do it alone. Then, I also invested on the brands and businesses mama and papa had given us when we were kids in our birthdays, the ones they gave me. And in other things too. All while still working for papa and his company, which I still do, by the way. Though now, given the circumstances, I'm the owner."
She turned the whiskey on her juice, mixed it up, and took a longer sip.
"While working for papa, even when I was a little kid, he always took me seriously, and he never went easy. He treated me like he did his normal employees, and he was slightly tyrannical," that made both zia and papa laugh, probably the case because they were best friends with him, before zia even married him and had the kids. "It was good, made me feel even better about my salary. He would point out any little mistakes I did and make me redo the whole thing, and when I did it right, he would give me a scoop of cookies & cream ice cream, or a strawberry milk shake."
So, these are still her favorite? I remember when zio brought me to the gelato shop in Milan, he would always ask for a lemon flavored, his favorite, and for a cookies & cream flavored, saying that he was eating for him and for Zoe Maud because it made him feel better about not bringing his youngest daughter with him, and because it was her favorite. Now, the strawberry milk shake was obvious.
Ever since I've known her, she only drinking strawberry and pomegranates flavored stuff. I used to think it was because of the color. Red-ish, her favorite, but I wouldn't know. Probably only Leonid would know that in this room.
"I also worked alternatively, creating different tech prototypes, patenting them to gain premium shares, and selling them to big companies out there. Those in a worldwide rage. More and more money for me," she beamed. "My money. Not just the money of the Von Barnhardt or Santorini famiglias. Mine."
"The money I made with my own work. Making the best use of all the contacts I got in my 8 years on MIT, and of the 4 years I had with papa, going around his tech nerd billionaire friends. All so I would be able to relax in my late thirties and live an awesome life, knowing I'm not a parasite whose life expends are based solely on what my famiglia build with no help of mine whatsoever."
"Now, that's so mastermind type of shit," Riccardo gasped. "Damn."
"Okay, I confess I also wanted to look good for the guy I love," she added blushing. "I've always loved those badass boss-women who own their lives, are confident, powerful, heard, respected, and who don't lower their head to anybody, on books. I wanted to grow to be like that. I just didn't think I would come out as a intimidating heartless indifferent cold bitch," she laughed at herself again. "That isn't necessarily attractive, but he'll come in terms with it. I mean, I'm smart and I'm hot and I'm good at everything I do, there's no way one day he won't hit his head, come to his senses, and see that all he ever wanted. Even if it takes 50 years."
"Now that," Maria clapped her hand, "is some real motivation I can relate to. Do your best, come on top, show your power, to look good for the guy you love. That I can understand, way more than the mastermind plan that seems to have come out of the head of a misunderstood villain that when it's past are uncovered, will be loved by the audience."
I don't think I was the only one to choke on my drink with her words.
"Your simple mind baffles me, Anya," Zoe Maud scoffed. "But thank you, I guess. I've always loved more the misunderstood villains and anti-heroes either way. The morally grey characters are always the best, the most believable. There's no pure good out there, no goody-goody-two-shoes Superman. That's why I don't trust much people who only show their friendly good side to everyone, since those are the people with the ugliest insides."
"Now the people who show their worse? Once they are truly loved, they will be loved for who they really are, there will be no secrets, dark personality that when discovered will make their lover fall out of love, because they are the ones who only hide their good side. Once one climbs through all the thorns, there will only be soft petals of rose to lay down on."
"Mia, you should try writing books," Natasha gasped. "You seem like a person who would be able to touch-" Zoe Maud cut her half sentence, tensed.