CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
LOCAL ELLUSIVE BILLIONAIRE STEPS OUT
The Bay area is no stranger to high-profile rich philanthropic men and even a few women, but the newest kids on the block are here to play. The Boys of Raven Digital Arts held their first annual charity gala last night. Fifty select guests were invited to the $5,000 plate dinner at the company’s new state of the art building in the Cow Hollow neighborhood. The event supported the RDA – Kids in Technology Scholarship Fund which provides tuition help to five worthy applicants in the field of Computer Science.
Company owner, Finnegan McRyan, better known to some by his user name, RavenLord72 attended last night’s festivities with a striking brunette on his shoulder (see picture on left). No word on who his date for the evening was, but she’s hooked herself a good one.
RavenLord72 and his company blasted into the bay area technical industry late last year when he sold Dragons Reborn to a prominent software company for a cool 2.6 billion dollars — the largest buyout for any gaming software to date. Since his trip to the bank, McRyan has stepped down from development of the game and focused his company on creating new software and app platforms for the iStore and Android devices. He is rarely seen in a public capacity, and earlier this year he placed college friend, Trey Good, into the position of company CEO. In a company press release this year, McRyan said he wanted to focus on game development and put his faith in Good to run the business aspects of RDA.
At the time of publication, RDA remains a privately held company with the majority of Dragons Reborn’s purchasing price going to McRyan’s personal coffers. There have been unconfirmed reports that he passed on a portion of the proceeds to his top executives before investing an undisclosed amount into the company.
McRyan purchased the Cow Hollow building this spring, and construction started immediately to upgrade the facilities. The newly renovated building will support their forty-three employees and includes some full-time housing for key staff.TheEnquirercannot confirm the reliability, but sources have stated McRyan will occupy the top floor of the newly renovated building in his own 5,000-square-foot, three bedroom condo as his full-time residence.
With McRyan’s time no longer consumed by Dragons Reborn, potential investors are waiting to see what new software will come from the small powerhouse that is Raven Digital Arts in the upcoming months.
Unsure of what I read the first time, I read the article again. And then again. And then again. There aren’t many words, the gala getting a short mention, but they are enough to rip my heart out. The picture the newspaper ran wasn’t one of our stages images but the candid shot the photographers captured when we first entered the room last night. I allow the words to sink in while I stare at what everyone who reads this article today will see.
We’re a picture-perfect couple. I’ve looked at Finn a million times, but I’ve never noticed how Finn looks at me. The photographers managed to capture us in an unguarded moment as we gazed into each other’s eyes. Finn glows as he stares into my depths. My own love is reflected in my features. It was possibly the last great moment we had before our night went to shit thanks to Trey and ex-girlfriends. This picture would be worthy of a spot on my wall if it wasn’t also the image responsible for shredding my heart.
How could it possibly be true? There is so much wrong with the article. There is so much wrong with my life. It can’t be true. How could Finn forget to mention he has a few million… no billion dollars in the bank? How did it go on for so long? Why didn't I question anything? What should I have questioned? How many signs did I miss?
I’ve walked around calling Trey his boss, but Finn owns RDA. He created Dragons Reborn. The game we sat here on this exact couch and played for hours on end together was his game. His insider knowledge of dragon flight patterns now makes sense. How do you share so many experiences with someone, bond with them to the level I thought we bonded and never mention this? He acted so casual about it all. Finn allowed me to go on thinking it was simply a game they played too much because they enjoyed it. How did he fall asleep next to me for so many nights knowing our entire relationship was a lie? What kind of man does that?
I’m full of questions, but there is only one person who can answer them for me. And answer them he will. Today is Finn McRyan’s day of reckoning.
