Seed Money

‘The villa by the sea is left mostly vacant,’ I said. ‘We can either sell it—’ ‘No.’ Kieran was adamant. ‘Okay. We can sell the two-bedroom unit on Moore Street or rent it out. Or are you thinking about pledging it for a loan?’ ‘Let me think about it.’ ‘As for cash, I’d say we have about five million, including the more liquid money market securities.’ Kieran worked on his phone. I’d finished my cup of cappuccino when he looked up. ‘We keep the Cayenne and sell the rest of the cars. And the unit on Moore Street, the jewellery, the art collection left by Dad… The tally’s about fifty million.’ ‘Okay, that’s a lot of cash. But is it enough for what you want to do?’ Kieran drummed his fingers on the aluminium table. ‘Frankly, no.’ ‘How much do you need?’ ‘To earn ten billion in a year? I’d need no less than a hundred mil for startup capital.’ ‘So we are short by half.’ I scrolled through my contact list. ‘I can ask Richard.’ ‘Richard Fitzgerald?’ I nodded. ‘Technically, he’s my uncle.’ ‘Is