Page 34 of Quarantined with the Billionaire

I nodded, chewing the food in my mouth, but not believing I deserved to be wealthy. I didn’t know in my heart of hearts that anyone was necessarily worthy of having lots more than other people on the planet—and I hoped my struggle with that concept didn’t show on my face.

It would ruin dinner.

“Where did you go to school, Bailey?”

“I got a two-year degree at the Lowry campus of—”

“Aurora Community College?”

Nodding, I stabbed more green beans. “And then I finished out a four-year degree online.”

“I realize you’re my employee and I should know these things, but I don’t. What did you major in?”

“Communications. I wanted something that could transfer to various different businesses.”

“I can see why that makes you good in customer service.”

“Yeah, but I don’t want to die there.”

“Well, when we get through this pandemic, we’ll see where we can move you. You said you wanted a promotion. What department in my business were you wanting to try out?”

Was he seriously asking me—or was he toying with me, just wanting to make dinner conversation?

I had to take the chance that he was sincere.

“I’d really love to work in advising—but I know I don’t have the education or experience for that. I’ve actually applied to work in marketing and research. I also applied for an admin assistant position in advising.”

“Well, I already know you’re good at that.”

“I also applied for a job in creative. That was one I really wanted.”

“Hmm.”

I had no idea what his lack of words meant—so I decided to steer things back to him. Once the world returned to normalcy, I’d see if I could move up in his company. For now, though—for the first time in a long time—I felt like I was being challenged again, and I was enjoying the work. It was something different.

But his ideas on accumulating wealth had captured my attention. Whether I felt like I deserved to have more money or not, I could see the value in knowing how to earn more money. “How long did it take you to acquire enough wealth that you felt like you were secure?”

“Which time?”

“I didn’t realize there was more than one time.”

“Mm. Yes. But I learned more each time. The first time was before I opened Essential Solutions. I’d gotten pretty good at playing the stock market—and I had no fear of risk. I understood that when you’re young, you have time on your side and you will earn money. But, after a while, I got really good at picking the right funds. Who needed time when you could make a million in a month?”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’d earned five million dollars in a matter of a couple years—and I played on the edge, knowing the market was getting ready to plunge. That’s sometimes the best time to sweep in and make a killing. The market blew up and I lost everything.

“But that didn’t stop me. After I earned my next half million, I built my company, and now there’s no stopping me.”

“Did you lose money again after that?” This was something I didn’t know, and no one who’d been working for the company from its beginnings had ever said anything to me.

“I sure did, but not by playing the stock market.” He set the fork down on his plate, and the sound echoed throughout the room. “Did you know I was married at one time?”

“No.” Wow. I was learning a lot.

He nodded, and the look on his face made me wish I hadn’t said a word. “Yep. And the divorce was fucking brutal. She tried to take everything—including this house. I wound up giving her millions upon millions. The only reason why I survived is I managed to hire a cutthroat attorney. I didn’t want to leave her destitute—but she didn’t deserve everything I had worked for.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

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