Now that he had her new contact and knew that she lived in the same city as he did, he tried to reach out. Time had gone enough for her to be comfortable to talk to him.
Trevor wanted to go back to check the dating app, but from the pending notifications he saw there, he suddenly didn't have the strength.
While waiting to see if Tina would respond, he got a call that interrupted him.
"Hey, dad."
"Trevor, my boy. How are you?"
He smiled a bit at the enthusiasm in his dad's voice. "I'm doing good. Business is booming and everything."
Remembering his brother, he decided not to mention him. Or was that why he called? He hoped not.
"That's good... Um, I called to ask you a favor."
Trevor raised a brow as he sat up in his bed. "What favor?"
His dad barely ever asked for a favor. And whenever he did, he never refused him. He didn't see the need since it's not like he was being forced or threatened to. No matter what, his father was never like that.
"Just... Don't be mad."
He frowned. "Why would I be mad?"
"It's very important."
"Just tell me what it is and I'll do it," he said.
There was a moment of silence before his dad spoke again. "There's a party coming up in a few days. And I want you to be there."
"Huh? What party?" Trevor asked, not understanding what he was trying to say.
"Vinium."
Then he groaned. "Geez, dad. You know I'm not in charge anymore."
"Technically, you are. It's made in your image and wouldn't have thrived if not for you."
"But-"
"I'd really like you to be there, Trevor," his father insisted. "You have shares in the company, and you're one of the reasons it's successful. Your presence is important, even if you're not interested in saying anything."
Trevor sighed. The only reason he worked at the company was because he hadn't decided on what to pursue right after finishing school. It made sense to start at one his father's companies. He didn't expect to impact the company in any positive way. And now he still can't get away from that fact. Not everyone, even the media, knew that he had a hand in everything, but they probably will now that his dad is asking him for help.
"I have a restaurant."
"I'm sure everyone will be fine if you leave for a few days. If they can't, then it means they're not competent."
He was right. He'd opened the restaurant a while ago and taught them everything necessary. They should be fine during his absence. It's not like he doesn't leave them early to go home occasionally.
He took a deep breath before responding to his father. "Okay."
"Thank you, son. I'm happy you agreed."
Like he could ever say no to him.
"As long as nobody tries to convince me to come back to the company. I've done what I think is necessary."
"Well... Even if someone tries to, you can ignore them. You've left for years, I'm sure they don't have any hope."
That was a lie. He was still getting calls and messages from people. They didn't forget him and they were still trying. Not as often as before, but enough to annoy him.
"Okay. Just tell me the things I have to know and have before I go later."
And so, his dad happily rattled off some plans, dress code and other things that didn't really have anything to do with business, like his mom who he said was asleep. His father used the opportunity to talk to him about the randomest of things, but he didn't complain. It was kinda nice to hear from him.
Unfortunately, Tina didn't respond. It was fine though. She was probably asleep.
***
The days were going a bit fast, and Tina was too busy to check the calendar. Even Lamont was preoccupied with work.
They were working hard to get business partners and were coming up with nothing. And Tina was really frustrated now. All the people she hoped would help, weren't interested unless she wanted to date them.
She was all on her own now.
Lying down on the couch in her office, face up with her thoughts swirling in the silence, she tapped her chin as she let out a sigh every few seconds. She was really annoyed.
She didn't have enough personal money to distribute her wine the way she'd like, or to design the bottles... She was running out of people to call.
Running a business seriously wasn't easy. It was nicer when she worked at that estate management company that Trevor's-
She sat up immediately.
"Trevor," she whispered, a lightbulb switching on in her head. "I could ask him for-"
No, her thoughts interrupted her quickly. Why would she ask him for help? She didn't have the right, and she should be ashamed of that thought. Even if it's just business, it wouldn't be anymore if he finds out... If his family finds out.
She leaned back on the couch as she came to a conclusion, back to being down and discouraged.
This was all her family's fault. If they'd just been good people, she wouldn't be going through all these shit. Well, some part of it.
She turned her head sideways and gazed at her phone silently, willing it to ring. Willing someone important to reach out to her and give her some good news. She really needed that.
To her shock, her phone rang. And she sprung up again, excited and scared. Her phone's screen was faced on the table, so she couldn't tell who it was.
"It better be a miracle," she muttered as she picked it up, sitting upright.
It was Lamont. Hopefully, he was bringing some great news.
"Hey," he said.
"Hey."
"So remember how you've been going on meetings and dinners for the company?"
"Yes?" she said, curious.
"Well... I kinda forgot about one."
"Excuse me?"
He rushed to explain, "To be fair, we were busy with other things. And this email is a month ago and-"
"Just get to the point, Lamont."
"So I think this will be the perfect opportunity for the company, for networking and stuff."
Tina was frustrated. "Get. To. The. Point."
"It's a business party that's hosted by Vinium Partners. They're inviting exclusive people. Their distributors and other wine companies. It's basically going to be a way to mingle and stuff..."
Tina couldn't believe her ears. Vinium Partners were well known in the country and a few countries for distribution. And even if you ask them for help, they never answer. Unless they're the ones that reach out to you. She never expected them to reach out to her.
"Lamont, this is crazy."
"I know! It's such a big deal, I don't even know how I didn't see it."
"Yeah, I'd have been really pissed at you if you'd found it any later."
"So I'm guessing I should accept the invitation."
"Duh!" she yelled as she stood up. "This is a once in a lifetime type of thing. We can't miss it."
And with that, she cut the call.
Trying to calm her nerves, she looked out the window, taking in the view and air for the first time today.
She suddenly felt like everything was going to be okay.