Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 107262 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107262 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
My heart rampages in my chest, and it has nothing to do with the million dollars he’s letting me play with. I don’t know if I’ll be able to resist him if he wants more. I don’t know if I want to resist him.
“Yes, sir. Six o’clock. I’ll have the figures for you,” I agree. “Thank you,” I say, touching the corner of the box of chocolate, so he knows I’m thanking him for the opportunity, the trust, as well as the gift.
“Till then,” Dylan says before leaving me to get back to work.
I finish up my onboarding, and as soon as I do, my system reboots. When it comes up this time, I’ve got a full, real-time connection to multiple markets, and under my unique account identifier, I see the figure. $1,000,000.
A million dollars.
It’s madness. It’s too much. It’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of.
Swallowing thickly, I pull up the Chicago commodities market and get to work. Luckily, I’ve kept my finger on the pulse of the market even when it was just ‘fantasy stock trading’, and I have some personal investments already in place, but this is different in more than mere scale.
Clicking through options, I look for what I want—stable for most, but some risks. Not too risky, though. I’ve never liked to gamble, really, which some might consider odd, given what I want to do. But this isn’t gambling if you know what you’re doing, or it shouldn’t be. It should be about using research, experience, and knowledge more than your gut instincts or hopeful hunches.
And though I work hard, my gaze keeps flicking to the clock… counting down the hours until I’m in Mr. Sharpe’s office.
CHAPTER 14
DYLAN
“If you don’t mind, I’m going to head home,” Juliana says as she closes the cover on her tablet. She’s one of the few members of the firm who’ve been around since day one of this business. She was the second person I ever hired, and unlike the first, I’m grateful I hired her when I did.
She lets out a heavy breath as she swings her purse over her shoulder. Her phone in hand has her attention for a moment before she says, “My daughter’s got a science fair to prepare for, and that means I have a science fair to prepare for.” A huff of a laugh leaves me as I nod in acknowledgement.
I like Juliana. She’s a mother who’s done a good job of juggling career and family success. She knows how to balance, and part of that is not settling. “Of course. How is she doing, anyway? She’s a junior now?”
“And already getting letters from schools trying to recruit her,” Juliana says with more than a hint of pride. My smile widens for her, and I wave her off.
“I’ll see you tomorrow. You can tell me about the rest of the state comptroller visit in the morning.”
I’ve already dismissed her in my mind, returning my attention to the deal I was working on before she came in. It’s a complex venture, one I haven’t decided on investing in yet, mostly because what they’re creating sounds like science fiction. I mean, computer networks built along plant-based highways, information passed along DNA strands? Paper thin computers that can outperform modern high-end laptops yet be rolled up into a tube and powered by the equivalent of a solar cell phone charger? That’s game changing advancements right there. It’s wildly outlandish, but also, if even one of their projects comes to fruition, the return on investment will be in the trillions.
“Sounds good,” Juliana says, and I glance up at her tone. She cuts her eyes to the door.
“Tamara’s gone for the day. Say what you want to,” I tell her, leaning back in my chair.
“Your new acquisition,” she says with an arched brow. “I have a feeling she’ll do well here.”
“Did you check up on her?” I ask. “You were busy with the inspector, no?”
She gives me a wry look. She’s known around the office as ‘Sharpe’s Razor’ for a reason. She has little to no time nor inclination for bullshit or niceties. Straight to the point, getting things done is how Juliana manages everything in her purview.
“We both know she comes with baggage,” Juliana says bluntly, acknowledging that she’s aware of the rumors. “She did well, though. When I went downstairs, the markets had just closed and she was picking the other traders’ brains, wanting to know how they do things the ‘Sharpe Way’. She seems eager to fit in, learn, and make you a lot of money. Don’t fuck it up for her, Dylan.”
“Noted,” I say stiffly. Juliana is calling me to the carpet as a friend, and as the head of my HR department, which is what I pay her to be, so I can’t be too upset.
Having said her piece, she leaves, ranting about science project hypotheses and results charting.