Chapter 1
Francesco Giordano glared at his son from across the large mahogany desk. Daniel could tell that his father’s blood vessels were ready to pop any second. His father was always impeccably dressed, which just added to his ability to be intimidating.
“Are you listening to me, Daniel?”
“Yes, Father, I hear you loud and clear.” Daniel was beginning to squirm. He hadn’t seen his father this angry in years.
“You are making a joke of this family! Your mother, God rest her soul, is probably turning over in her grave. This has got to stop!” he yelled. His heavy Italian accent was very prominent. “You promised me you’d turn over a new leaf this year, and here it is, the end of March, and you’ve gotten more out of control!”
“Father, I’m sorry about the car.”
“The car? The car?”
“Okay, cars…”
“Daniel, you know I love you, you’re my only child. I am sixty-nine years old and would love to hand over my reins to you! But how can I?”
“Father, I can run the business.”
“And what do you think you’ll do, Daniel? Destroy it like you have every single vehicle I’ve given you? Run it without dedication and perseverance? Perhaps you could run it while you’re chasing women!”
“Father, I don’t see it as a big deal. I’m young, and I know I get careless sometimes, but vehicles are easily replaced.”
“Easily? Daniel, I got this far by working hard. Very hard! I started Giordano Seas from the ground up. I was born into poverty, Daniel, and your mother, God rest her soul, and I worked incredibly hard. All you have done is taken everything for granted. You were pampered, Daniel, and that’s my fault. How do they say it? ‘Born with a cucchiaio d'argento in your mouth.’ You never worked a day in your life.”
“That isn’t true, Father. I’ve gone to work with you many times.”
“Daniel! You call flirting with the secretaries, going out for five hour lunches, working?”
“Father, I love attractive women. Is that so bad?”
“Daniel, I didn’t bring you in here to argue with you. Do you want to take over my shipping business?”
“Father, you know I do. I’m your only child, who else would you give it to?”
“Victor.”
“You would give Victor the company? He isn’t even family!”
“Daniel, Victor has been a devoted employee for two decades.”
“Father, Victor is a go-to boy. I hardly think that gives him any kind of skill at running the company.”
Normally by this time, Daniel would see his father start to soften. But now there was no hint of Francesco Giordano backing down at all. It was this fierceness that got the old shipping mogul his billions. Unfortunately, it never worked on his son. But this was definitely beginning to look like the times were changing. Daniel continued to squirm.
“If you want it, Daniel, you are going to have to show me that you would be willing to start from the bottom. It is only then that you’ll actually value my business, make our family proud, and take care of it! You need to learn about life, not about blowing money and bedding women!”
“I think you’re underestimating me. I am more than capable of running this business.”
“Your mother, God rest her soul, she worked just as hard as I did. She did so much work it wasn’t even funny. She worked until her hands would be crippling her with pain from hours on a typewriter, for God sakes! And here you are, Daniel, twenty-six years old, acting like you’re sixteen.”
“Okay, Father, I get your point. What do I have to do to prove to you that I’m capable of running Giordano Seas?” Daniel left no time for a reply from his father. “I know the business. I know how to run a competitive shipping business. I know the ins and outs of running all of it.”
“Daniel, you aren’t responsible enough. You take everything in life for granted. I’ve told you this many times! You may know how to run the business, but you would run it into the ground. You don’t care about anything other than playing like a schoolboy. You have no appreciation and no respect!”
“Father, I have my own place, I pay my bills on time—“
“You live in a penthouse in Manhattan, which I paid for. You have charge accounts that I pay for, and you bed a new woman every single night. You wreck cars, you—“
“What is it you want me to do, Father?” Daniel was finally ready to get to the bottom line. He let his father answer the question while he waited quietly.