Birthday Party(Part 2)

"Come let me introduce you to some friends of mine," As Mrs. Azure pulled us into her circle of enthusiastic ladies, I could feel every gesture and touch amplify my discomfort. Their hands patting my back, cheeks being pinched—it was like being inspected at a livestock market.

"He's just adorable," one of them exclaimed, tugging at my new buzz cut, seemingly fascinated by the texture.

"Too skinny, you must fatten him up some," another chimed in, eyeing me as though I was a project that needed immediate attention. "He's working too hard."

A third one laughed, "Look he's blushing!" while yet another added, "He's sour-faced like my son. If you keep your face like that, it'll get stuck, little one."

Amidst their commentary, Mrs. Azure deftly navigated the conversation back to safer waters. "He's fine, how he is. He owns Lombardi's and cooks there so I'm sure he eats a lot," she boasted, recounting my professional successes with a proud tilt to her voice. Her portrayal of me was glowing, conveniently omitting any of the morally grey areas she was well aware of. She even took a moment to praise Jasper, which seemed to mollify the ladies momentarily.

"Where did you two get married?" one of the ladies asked, her eyes gleaming with a mix of curiosity and too much wine.

"Vegas," I replied vaguely, my response falling flat in the expectant air. They all looked at me as if waiting for a scandalous or romantic tale, but I had nothing more to offer as bout a night I couldn't even remember.

Just then, Mr. Azure's voice cut through the chatter from behind me. "Alexander, come over here with the men!" His tone brooked no argument.

"Well—" I began, hoping to extract both myself and Jasper from the clutch of the gossipy group, but before I could finish, the ladies had tightened their grip on Jasper. They bombarded him with questions, effectively pinning him in place while Mr. Azure steered me away on my own.

As I was reluctantly led by Mr. Azure and a presumably more business-like congregation, I glanced back at Jasper. He gave me a helpless look, caught in the enthusiastic embrace of our elderly admirers.

This family was really good at separating people.

As Mr. Azure and I navigated the labyrinthine corridors of the grand mansion, he casually mentioned, "I just need you to talk to my daughter's boyfriend and assess him for yourself. If you approve of him, I'll stop nagging her about breaking up with him."

"Why do I have to?" I protested, not particularly thrilled with playing judge and jury in someone else's relationship.

"Don't you enjoy embarrassing people?" Mr. Azure chuckled as we entered a secluded back room of the house. "This one will be entertaining."

The room's occupant, a man in a well-fitted suit, looked up as we entered. He was conventionally handsome, perhaps of Italian descent. When he saw us, he almost choked on his drink, quickly setting his glass down and wiping his mouth as he stood to greet us.

"You must be Alexander," he said, a hint of an awkward cough still in his voice. "I can tell by your eyes, they're exactly how Liz told me."

"Ok, shouldn't you start with your name?" I replied, not impressed with the informality of his greeting.

"I'm Anthony Tommisino," he introduced himself, and I instantly felt a twinge of annoyance—he shared the same first name as my brother.

"What do you do for work?" I asked, hoping to get a sense of his standing.

"I'm a life coach and a manager at Reality Fitness," he answered with a hint of pride. My skepticism immediately kicked in; a life coach sounded like a glorified babysitter for adults to me. "Actually, I was hoping to ask for an investment in the future. Recently, I've been helping your sister stay sober from alcohol."

The way he rushed to mention his role in Elizabeth's sobriety irked me. It was clear he was trying to curry favor by leveraging his relationship with her, a common tactic among those who have more ambition than scruples. Dropping such a personal detail so quickly into our conversation was poor form, and it made me suspect his motives even more.

I mentally tagged him as a bad egg, someone likely using his proximity to Elizabeth to advance his own interests rather than genuinely caring for her well-being.

No wonder Mr Azure hates him.

I leaned casually against the edge of a desk, observing Anthony Tommisino with a mix of amusement and calculated indifference. Mr. Azure stood beside me, an expectant smile on his face, clearly enjoying the setup.

"Michael, if you're really looking to expand your reach and impress not just your potential father-in-law but the whole fitness community, you might consider some... unconventional strategies," I began, my tone dripping with feigned sincerity.

Anthony perked up, leaning in as if I were about to disclose the secret to Fort Knox. "I'm all ears, Alexander."

"First off, why limit yourself to the conventional methods of fitness and life coaching? Think bigger. For instance, why not champion a radical new diet trend? The more bizarre, the better. People love novelty. I hear tapeworm diets are making a comeback. It's vintage, retro—imagine the press you'd get!"

Anthony's eyes widened, and he nodded slowly, apparently taking mental notes. Mr. Azure's lips twitched with suppressed laughter.

"And why stop there?" I continued. "You should really push the envelope on social media. Live sessions where you, personally, undertake extreme challenges. Ever heard of fire yoga? It's quite literally yoga, but surrounded by open flames. It's an excellent way to gain some heat—pun intended."

"Fire yoga," Anthony repeated, his tone serious but with a flicker of excitement in his eyes. "That's innovative... It could really set us apart."

"Absolutely," I agreed struggling to keep a straight face. "And let's not forget the importance of personal branding. You should consider rebranding yourself as not just a life coach, but a life conqueror. Dominate every aspect of life, aggressively. People don't want a coach; they want a conqueror."

"A life conqueror," Anthony murmured, visibly taken by the idea.

Mr. Azure chimed in, barely concealing his amusement. "He's giving you gold here, Anthony."

Flushed with what he perceived as approval, Anthony pressed on. "And about that investment you mentioned earlier..."

"Oh, right," I said, as if just remembering. Mr Azure must've said something like that to get him to meet me. "There are a few startups looking for angel investors. Now, they're in high-risk sectors, but the potential returns are massive. Of course, you'd have to be willing to invest quite a bit upfront, and it might be risky, but that's the game, isn't it?"

"Absolutely, I'm not afraid of a little risk," Anthony boasted, puffing up slightly.

"And one more thing," I added as he stood to leave, a bit too eager. "Given all you've done for Elizabeth, it's only fair you get the chance to shine as well. These ventures could really use someone of your...unique qualifications."

"Thank you, Alexander," Anthony said, shaking my hand with a firm grip that suggested he felt like he had just been knighted. "I won't forget this."

As stood to leave, Mr. Azure patted my shoulder, whispering, "Well played, Alex. Well played indeed."

I couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt as Anthony exited with plans brewing that would likely lead to his professional demise. But then he mentioned Elizabeth's sobriety once again, as if it were a bargaining chip, and any sympathy I might have felt evaporated.

"I'll have her sober and in line! Don't worry about her! She won't embarrass you!" He smiled finally disappearing from sight.

"What a piece of shit!" I fumed after Anthony had left, still reeling from the audacity of his earlier propositions.

"See why I don't like him? I just never had the heart to see my little girl sad, but she doesn't know how to pick a good man," Mr. Azure sighed deeply, sharing a look of frustration.

"So I'm the one giving tough love and guiding her pick?" I rolled my eyes sarcastically. "Fine, I'll make sure she stays sober, even if she has to stay with me for a while. Jasper knows how to deal with sad people very well."

"You don't fear the woman scorned?" Mr. Azure asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

"He has to go, and she'll see why and break it off herself once the stress gets to him and he starts asking her for lots of money," I said confidently, laying out the plan. "Then she'll know that you were right about him being a user."

"I'll let her know tonight. But once she sees what I tell her is correct, she'll come running to your home," he warned. "She won't want to face me at all."

"She's my sister now, I'll take care of her. There's enough space and enough servants in my home for her to live comfortably," I sighed, accepting the responsibility that came with my new family ties.

"You're really good, just make sure you always take care of your sister," Mr. Azure patted my shoulder, a gesture that felt both comforting and formal.

He then handed me a velvet box. I opened it to find a diamond chain necklace with the Azure family crest on it. "This is an heirloom from my father to me. Welcome to the family and happy birthday, Alex."

"Thanks... Dad," I tried out the word. It felt awkward, and watching Mr. Azure's reaction, almost as if he was holding back emotions, made it even more so.

"Well then," he cleared his throat, seemingly to recover his composure. "Now for the important meeting."