CHAPTER ELEVEN
DEATH, PARTIES & ENVY
“Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace!
Where there is hatred let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy”
Saint Francis of Assisi
The next step now was to prepare the opening party for the new home. Tony’s intention was to share it with all the people that had helped him to make this dream come true. But he was very upset with his family by now, and they would not be a part of it. He included Blacker, Marcos Paz, Robert Johnson, Bernard Silva, Carlos Costa, Rudy Benson from LineFor, the Coca-Cola buyer Manny Green, Bill Fisher, and Davie Palumbo among many others.
Since he was now living in this very fancy neighborhood where very important and wealthy people resided, he also decided to invite all the neighbors as well, as his intention was to attract investors to move Exbrus to the next step. If he could show what he had accomplished at his home people would have an idea of what he could do on the business side.
Remember the promises he made to Sharon, about the necklace he promised to give her? Well, this was the perfect time so he went out to shop at all the stores of Cartier worldwide. He bargained with those guys, and got the best price in Hong Kong. We are talking about seven figures here!
Everything was set! The invitations were sent, and the party would be on March 09, 2002. Tony planned to commemorate Sharon’s birthday as well and the gift he had promised would be her surprise.
March 03, 2002 – Tony was taking a shower with his two daughters and was having lots of fun with them, when Sharon told him that Sandra (his sister) was on the phone and wanted to speak with him. He did not pay much attention to the call, as he did not want to talk to her anyway.
Fifteen minutes later the phone rang again, and this time it was his father crying on the phone. He answered the phone and his father delivered some terrible news:
“Your brother just passed away! We don’t know exactly what happened, but it seems that he had a heart attack; he had mixture drugs, medicine and alcohol.”
Tony could not believe what he just heard, and his pain was extreme!! For him it was like losing a son! Yes, it was his brother but for him he was like a son and lot of thoughts flew thru his mind: Why had this happened? Why had they left him alone? It seemed that he was responsible for his death.
But he had to be strong, so he held in all of his emotions and pain, and went to Jaguariuna for the funeral with Sharon. He could not touch Richard’s body; it was like that never happened in his mind. He did not want to believe any of this. At night he got into a big fight with his sister, and then life goes on.
The lady from the orphanage, Mrs. Kate, had asked Tony to build two new classrooms. Despite this whole mess that had beset him, Tony decided to dedicate himself to the social work, perhaps that would take away some of the pain that was gnawing at the inside of him. So he decided not only to give two new classrooms to Kate, but to tear down the old orphanage and built a new one! Again Tony’s way and it had to be big as usual. He resolved to build the orphanage and to have the grand opening coincide with the local cowboy rodeo show, (festa do peao) the most famous in Brazil, so he could bring clients who always had asked him to take them to the show, and at the same time he could share his accomplishments with them. After all, his clients had been part of this as well. And the idea was, just like Davie Palumbo had sold him the idea of an orphanage, maybe he could do the same to others. Again he hired the architect Peroba, and told him he must make this happen. It needed to be done in 90 days!
Tony changed the date of the inauguration party of his home and reverted to his original plans. He hired Sergio Nakamura to remake his wedding DVD, so at the time he was saying to Sharon that she would be the mother of his children, he would put the pictures of their three children, with a special message to Sharon. Again, Tony’s ideas…
Sergio Nakamura: This guy was hired by Tony to make the video presentation for Exbrus. He was a perfectionist when it came to his job, and Tony soon got to know him well. He used to work with the Brazilian government with social work, and he had been very disappointed with his experiences. So they shared a common interest in social work, and both were enthusiastic about it.
May 25, 2002 – It was one of those days of perfect weather for Miami. The inauguration of his home was very important to Tony, so he was sure to perfect every detail. He wanted to make the best party ever at that location. One of his ideas was instead of having waiters, he decided to hires top models to be waitresses at the party. He had no eyes for them, as he always looked at women like flowers: they make places most beautiful. Of course, Sharon did not approve it and when she saw the models, she got very mad, and again had one of her crises. She had no idea about the surprise that Tony had prepared for her.
As you walk to the impressive house, there was valet parking, and the top models as hostesses, with special clothes for the event, it would impress even Bill Gates! The grand piano, by the touch of a computer, was playing soft music that would make you feel like you were walking to heaven.
Sharon, dressed in a beautiful red long dress by Valentino, was together with Tony as they welcomed the guests and gave them a tour around the perfect house. Tony really took care of every single detail from the big screen to the red rose petals on the bathtub.
Around 10:00 P.M. he called for everyone’s attention and said:
My life had changed nine years ago! You know! (Everyone smiles) That was when I met this lady in front of me (as he points to Sharon) She made the difference!
When I looked in to her eyes, in that moment I knew she would be my princess!
(Whistles and claps)
One of the things I want to celebrate with everyone here. You know in our society there are all these codes to celebrate your 25 or 50 years anniversary.
Anyway, I don’t know why we have to wait all this time.
We have been married for seven years! And it has been the most beautiful years of my life.
She has given me everything I always wished for and has been present in most of my successes.
So, I decided to share with everyone here this moment! I did a little thing for her! I recorded a DVD for her and I would like to ask everyone’s attention while I play it. I would ask you to pay attention to the little details, there is nothing new, just some details that have been added and for sure she (Sharon) will notice it!
The DVD presentation then began with images of flowers and the following message:
Sharon, on this very special day I would like to share with you, the emotional moments that now are part of our lives! Tony
Tony and Sharon: the beginning of a new happiness phase…
As the DVD presentation goes on, there were images of the wedding day repeating his words:
Well, Sharon, it finally happened!
I told you when I first met you that I would make you the happiest woman on this planet
I told you that that I would make you my princess!
Well! You are my queen today!
I am not here only to sign a document. The document I have in mind is much more you and me!
I want to be very happy by your side; I want always to be at your side at all moments. Be it sad or happy moments.
I will always love you! You will be the mother of my kids! (At this moment it showed the pictures of their three children and Sharon became very emotional and started to cry)
And the video continues…
You will be everything I ever dreamed in my life.
All this is a dream come true to me, and it’s the most beautiful dream of my life. Thanks for always being at my side!
I love you so much!
Sharon replies:
I am very touched and don’t know what to say, but without a doubt, today I am a very happy woman!
I love you!
As the DVD presentation ended it showed a video of a white dove flying with the following message:
Sharon: Thanks for existing, Tony!
Tony then continued his speech:
Some time ago I had made a promise to Sharon, to give her a special gift and I would like to share this moment as well.
So, Tony gave Sharon the necklace and the earring rings package in this beautiful red Cartier box. And everyone clapped and cried with emotion. Sharon was touched so deeply that she could not remove the necklace she was wearing to replace it.
After that Tony showed a video presentation about the project of the Jaguariuna orphanage. No need to say that this celebration stuck in everyone’s memory. They would never forget it. It was the best and of course the ENVY was there with at its fullest power!
The celebration at his home was a success and the construction of the orphanage was proceeding at a very fast pace. Tony got very busy with all those projects and left Exbrus in the hands of Mr. Blacker and of course he took plenty advantage of that. It was over billing for the construction of the orphanage, expenses that never existed, personal expenses, settlements with authorities of all kinds, etc.
Remember uncle Frederico? Well, he started this new business, he was going to build a country hotel inland of the state of Minas Gerais, but he found hot water (when you drill a hole to get fresh water and the water floated at 100 Fahrenheit, very rare) during the construction, and decided to turn it into Team Park Hotel Resort. Right about that time he ran out of money and it was Tony who helped him, loaning him the money - three hundred thousand dollars - and became part of his business. Tony was very glad to be able to help his favorite uncle who always supported him throughout his life, and of course Mr. Blacker hated that!
Sharon became depressed again. She felt that Tony used her on the home celebration party, and instead of liking all the things he had done for her, she believed that he used her in the name of the business. And Tony became very frustrated with her, in his mind he had done everything with the best of intentions, and his idea was to share this with everyone. That was not for sale, and the only thing he would think about the business was the renovation and the details of the house. That was not for sale; he truly loved Sharon and wanted to share with her of all his accomplishments, especially now that her and his kids were the only people he would consider as family.
He also thought that maybe this would help her to overcome her depression, not to make it worse. So again Tony was feeling alone!
July, 2002 - As Sharon continued her treatment with the psychologist, at one of the sessions with Tony by himself he told the shrink:
“I give up, doctor; I will keep my marriage with Sharon just like most relationships I know, on a fake basis. I just pretend that everything is normal. I give up, Sharon, I did everything possible to make it work, but nothing did. So I give up!”
So Tony decided to dedicate himself full time to the construction of the orphanage and the event to be held in Jaguariuna. He invited all of his clients and suppliers to be part of it. He brought employees from Hong Kong, Miami and even a supplier from Hong Kong to attend the event.
Once more architect Peroba did his work on time, and he was able to finalize the construction under 90 days, another record for Exbrus! The building was able to hold 500 children, it was big, and Tony again took care of every single detail.
His friend Gary Nobel lent him his ranch to host the guests and to hold a private party. By this time Gary had built this brand new ranch that had every kind of facility you could imagine. It looked more like a five star hotel. They really became good friends after Gary made his promise to meet Tony in the USA, and Tony had helped him to get established in Los Angeles, and later on Gary started his own business exporting animal goods to Asia, and then returned to Brazil. He had helped Tony before and they had done some business transactions on a trust basis. They really trust each other.
August 24, 2002 – As usual everything was perfect! Nothing was missing, Tony hired private country shows, helicopter rides, beautiful top models, personal massage, a beauty parlor, horses, and nothing was missing. This was the festival inside of the festival.
The two day festival would begin on a Saturday morning, where the guest would participate at the grand opening of the orphanage; in the afternoon they would enjoy the party specially prepared at Gary’s Ranch and in the evening they would go to the Rodeo show where Exbrus would have a special exclusive private room to watch the show.
The following is Tony’s speech at the grand opening of the Jaguariuna Orphanage:
Before I begin, I would like to make some notes:
I have been away from Jaguariuna for over 25 years (22 only in the USA) and even so, I have not lost this hillbilly accent, and as a good country boy and a good hillbilly
(as I grew up on a Jaguariuna farm) I still commit many mistakes. Please forgive me for my humble speech faults.
Does anybody here believe in coincidences?
For those who answer YES I have a surprise for you. There are no coincidences.
Everything in life has a meaning for each of us. And it is on us to find the true motive.
Take a break and think of everything that happens in your life. Everything has a meaning and we often we ignore them!
The message I am bringing for you today will touch each of you in a different way. And that is not a coincidence.
Why are you here today?
What is the reason why you have been chosen?
I want to ask you all to hold each other’s hands and pray, asking our father, that this fabulous moment that we are all living last forever:
“Our Father …”
I thank God and everyone that is on my side.
I thank this force that always has been with me, my family and the Exbrus Team (where everything is FAST): Miami (Robert Johnson), Hong Kong (Gao Tang), Brazil (Blacker, Marcos Paz, Bernard Silva, Carlos Costa, our clients, our suppliers, and so many others that are all part of this project,
My Uncle Frederico (who always believed in me),
Architect Peroba, and his team that made this project into reality in 90 days (believe it or not!)
Thanks to Davie Palumbo, Dario Calabrese and James Jacob for having planted this seed: this is the first one. Many others will come!
Thanks, Joe & Nancy O’Connell, for coming all the way from Hong Kong. Do you believe in coincidences? It is a Small world.
In addition, it is clear; nothing would turn into reality if not for Kate Garden and her team, for all her charisma and dedication of a lifetime to the children of Jaguariuna:
It is my deepest wish that this place stay illuminated as it is now! And that we can show to these children that there is a better future,
Today is a very special day for me. Not only for the inauguration of the Jaguariuna Orphanage, but also it is the first step of the Exbrus Foundation, a non-for-profit organization dedicated to Children and the environment. Through the Exbrus Foundation, we will keep this flame alive, so that more initiatives like this one will come true. And I invite you all to be part of this Project.
When a corporation focuses its efforts in improving the world through concrete actions in the benefit of the community, it is not a simple corporation any more…
When the employees of a corporation add their efforts through participative and solidarity practices, they are not simple employees any more…
Corporation and employees together form a large family, to serve the community! The other day I was in Hong Kong watching CNN news during the visit of Pope John Paul II to Canada, and the reporter asked him: “In a world of so much violence, 9/11, middle east wars, terrorism, among others, does the Pope believe that we are close to the apocalypse, to the end of this world?”
And his answer was:
“No, the Pope does not believe so! The forces of evil have actually grown stronger, and we need more and more people on the good side to change the Planet! We need each person, each day, to fight the good cause and defeat the forces of evil!”
Now I ask you all:
What have you done to today to make our Planet better? What good action have you done today?
How many people have you sincerely helped? With words, attitudes, donations, whatever…?
Think about it and let us change this world into a better place to live in with small actions.
I heard this phrase once: “Be careful, very careful! About anything you sincerely desire with faith and belief! Be careful! You might get it!”
This is the message I want to leave with you today and its power. You can believe on it!
All we have to do is to believe and to have faith!
And God, the Universe, and all the divine forces will help you get whatever you desire (and I mean literally!).
I always said that my life is like a movie, one of those movies that we do not want to end,
And the great secret is to have faith and to believe! To dream, to imagine, to be creative,
To live each and every moment, like it was the last day! And, certainly, to work hard as well.
This is my wish to all of you:
Come and join this wonderful world
All you need is to have faith and to believe!! Thank you all for being here this morning.
This day there was such energy in the air… it’s hard to describe it. Everyone felt it and got very emotional as well.
The following is one of those events I have already written a certain amount about: During the festival Tony hired six top models to host the event, as he always believed that flowers and women would make the place most beautiful. One of the girls, Anna Paola, somehow got Tony’s attention, but nothing serious; after all, Tony had made up his mind by now and the last thing he wanted was to get into other relationships, he was determined to keep his marriage and at the most he would have maybe affairs on the side. So he made a joke with her saying: “I would like to bring you to Hong Kong with me, would you like to come?” She smiled not believing in a word of what he was saying.
Anna Paola Fanelli: She was Brazilian, 23 years old, Italian descent, beautiful body, blonde hair, green eyed, tall, and very feminine; she was the kind of a woman who when she walks into a place, for sure, everyone would notice.
Meanwhile, Blacker reported that the company was not doing well, that orders were decreasing because of the currency exchange getting higher. It made sense because this was around election time and Lula (socialist presidential candidate) was getting ahead. The exchange of the dollar went sky high, but nothing that would affect the corporation, as most of the clients were multinational customers, and would not be prejudiced by this.
Blacker had setup his plans very well. He would tell most people at Exbrus that Tony was going crazy and he had expended all the company money on social projects and the company could not support this anymore - of course, without Tony knowing about it. Blacker started to say to others in the company that Exbrus was an excellent company and the only thing wrong with it was Tony!
Soon after Blacker reported that the company was not getting any more new orders. Tony instead of looking after the company, decided to put his own money into the corporation. For Tony it would be easy, as he did not have enough motivation to see what really was going on. So Tony replaced all the money expended on the construction of the orphanage with his personal funds.