Headquartered in the heart of Wall Street in New York, the M. O. Group is home to one of the largest law firms in the world and has holdings in companies from a variety of sectors, including business, economics, entertainment and everyday cosmetics.
In seven years, this giant conglomerate has emerged as if from nowhere to become a myth known to Wall Street businessmen.
MO Group’s founder, Severo Laris, also holds the largest stake in the group, making him the de facto controller and largest owner of MO Group.
Seven years ago, Severo Laris wore a cheap white shirt, rode a bicycle, carried two or three books in his hands and was aloof and quiet.
Seven years later, Severo Laris wears a couture suit, his shirts are pressed without a single wrinkle, his suits are straight and his whole body reveals a distinguished and restrained spirit, he travels with at least two bodyguards and his means of transportation is a high-end, limited edition business car.
Severo Laris’ life and past are a mystery to his competitors abroad.
At thirty-two years old, this man of unknown origin has carved a huge niche for himself in the chaos of the marketplace with dizzying speed, even making the cover of Time magazine’s magazine of the year.
But the man keeps a low profile and rarely gives interviews to the foreign press, so his background identity is rather a splendid curtain unknown to the eyes of the various media outlets, adding to the man’s charm.
Beautiful and powerful, yet unknown and enigmatic, it always attracts the eye and curiosity.
After Severo Laris signed the acquisition contract with the Magoo Group, Salvino knocked on the door and entered from outside.
Salvino had a magazine in his hand and said to me, “Boss, this is the latest issue of V magazine and you were on the cover, but there was an interview written about you in the magazine and I took a look at it and thought some of the words were not quite right. Should I inform you?”
Severo Laris’ long, well-endowed fingers picked up the magazine and, after skimming the cover, were drawn to the other, smaller headlines on the cover.
“Renowned international pianist Momo.”
Severo Laris turns to the page she appears on, and there is a picture of her smiling and laughing.
They are in the same magazine, a few pages apart and very close.
Salvino saw that Severo Laris was quiet and thought his boss was sulking about the inappropriate comments and said, “Boss, why don’t I ask the legal department to send a lawyer’s letter to V Magazine now? Have them take back all the magazines sold in the marketplace.”
Severo Laris raised his eyes and said, “No, that’s fine.”
Salvino: …
Where is the good thing, does the boss like the media to be harsh and critical with his comments?
Salvino nodded hesitantly, “Fine.”
Severo Laris took the magazine, put it away and treasured it.
“By the way, I’m going to take some time off.” indicated Severo Laris.
Salvino was even more puzzled. The boss had just made a big move to acquire Magoo and would have to expend a lot of energy to integrate and consolidate Magoo next, taking a vacation at this juncture?
“But Magoo…”
Severo Laris interrupted in a light voice, “The MO group has many capable people who can work on the track without me, if the normal rhythm of this group’s operations is disrupted by my absence, then there is something wrong with this group.”
Salvino nodded, “What the boss said.”
“I’m going home tomorrow, book me a ticket back to Imperial. ”
“The boss is going back to the vacation camp?”
Still, Imperial, that big city, is so different from New York, and Imperial obviously has little natural beauty for a vacation.
Severo Laris raised his eyes slightly and glanced at him, his thin lips curved in a wry smile, “A good employee would not be curious about the affairs of his boss’s personal life.”
Salvino rubbed his nose awkwardly and smiled, “Boss, I’m going to book your flight now.”
After Salvino leaves, Severo Laris rises from his leather swivel chair and walks, phone in hand, to the huge floor-to-ceiling windows dappled with sunlight, gazing out at the traffic and the endless stream of people and bustle below him.
Severo Laris dials a phone number.
The phone is connected.
“I’m going home tomorrow, meet me at the Imperial. ”
Rufio, who received the call, cursed, “Fuck, Severo Laris, do you still know I’m a colleague? I thought you were dead at the hands of the Yankees! You’ve been out of touch with me and Lastra for so long, you think you can forget about us, your trench mates, now that you’ve arrived in America?”
Severo Laris smiled slightly, the warm sunlight on his handsome brow, “I dare not forget, I hide it in my heart and never forget.”
Rufio made a vomiting sound over the phone and said, “What brings you all of a sudden?”
“I ask you to do something for me.”
“Well, what a good brother, calling me only when you’re begging me to do something!”
Severo Laris’ face fell in seriousness and he said, “Rufio, you know Imperial well, help me find a good feng shui cemetery.”
Rufio was stunned, “The cemetery? Why, has something happened to someone in your family?”
Severo Laris’ eyes deepened for a minute and he said, “No, just doing something I haven’t done in seven years.”
“A good cemetery, that’s a good idea, with my contacts in Imperial, Master Nan, I can help you just ask around and find out where there are good cemeteries, once your plane lands in Imperial, I’ll be sure to find one for you.”
“Thank you.”
Rufio joked, “You’ve been out of touch for seven years, Severo Laris, and you can’t turn your back on your brother when you’re in the Times, can you?”
“Naturally.”
After exchanging pleasantries, just as we were about to hang up, Rufio couldn’t resist saying, “By the way, I heard from Susana that … Paulita is also in the United States and that she went to music school in Philadelphia for several years, you are not far from Philadelphia, have you seen each other since then?”
Severo Laris narrowed his dark eyes slightly and was very silent.
Even when people mention her, he still felt a dull ache at the tip of his heart.
“No, I haven’t seen him again.”
To be exact, she never saw him again, and he, every year, went to see her.
In the last two years, after the MO Group’s development had stabilized, he had seen her more often compared to the past.
Only she had never seen him in the crowd.
The best way to irritate her was for him not to present himself in a dignified manner.
Rufio couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for you, but in the end he couldn’t say much and said, “Okay, when you get home, call Lastra and my colleague will clean you up.”
After hanging up the phone, the coldness in Severo Laris’ eyes finally melted a little.
Even after seven years, some people are still the same, like Rufio and Lastra, and when they see each other again, they are still the best of brothers.
And her, still in love with him?
But how could he dare to hope that she was still in love with him, that she had someone to love, and that she was selfishly alone?
Severo Laris opened his wallet and in it was a small photograph taped to it, a picture of them together on Mount Pullo back in the day.
She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned into his, braiding two fluffy locks, with little stray hairs around her forehead and sideburns, smiling brightly and purely like a child.
I really missed her, every minute of every day, every second of every day, and I never stopped missing her.