Page 1 of His Christmas Gift

DEAN

Heavy thuds echoed down the hallway as my recently polished derby dress shoes struck the carpeted floor.

Conference Room A was in my sights at the end of the hallway on the right, and I had spectacular news to tell my best investors. They put money into my booming fitness business, HyperFit, and I flooded them with some of the cash that I earned in return. Win-win.

With a firm hand, I pushed open the door to the conference room, making all of the investors sitting at the conference table immediately straighten up. Only one of them grinned at me cheekily, rising to his feet to reach out and shake my hand.

“I canceled my cardio class for this. It better be worth it,” he told me with a chuckle.

Ethan Gatlin had been my friend for more years than I could count. We threw dirt at each other in elementary school. We played video games together in the local arcade in town in middle school. We did track and baseball together in high school. Then, we went our separate ways for a little while after graduation. When I was planning my first gym, he was the only one who believed in me besides my parents. He was my investor and my first true friend.

He came from a rich family and has five other brothers. It’s easy to tell he’s from money with his expensive suits, finely trimmed facial hair, and smoothed-back dark hair. He always had an air of confidence about him that was evident in all of his family, but he was a good guy. He always looked out for his family and friends, and maybe that came from a small-town mentality.

We both came from a small town called St. Francisville, Louisiana. There were wealthy families around the area, including his, but there weren’t any billionaires until now. Granted, I spent more time in New York City now to build my company, but I always came back home. I knew where my roots were, where everything began. I wouldn’t turn my back on that.

“I think you need to switch your cardio class for a strength training class,” I told him as we shook hands in a friendly manner. I smacked the side of his arm with a smirk before standing at the head of the table, receiving nods of greeting from the other investors.

Ethan rolled his eyes at me before sitting near the front of the table. He peered at me curiously, wondering why I called today’s meeting.

“I called you here today to let you know that we’ve absorbed a local gym in the city to become part of the HyperFit brand,” I announced as I towered over the conference table.

My investors lightly applauded, and I could see the money signs in their eyes. They knew that we were about to pull in even more money. I didn’t think that I was too money hungry, but it was nice having the cash to buy anything that I wanted. I liked all of the cool, fancy things in my mansion. I liked my expensive electric car. I liked the personal gym in my mansion that had all the details I could ever ask for.

I built this business and this life from the ground up. At this point, the only thing that made sense to me was to keep rising. That meant not worrying about a family of my own or a girlfriend. I didn’t have time to slow down for those things. I had work to do, and I didn’t want to lose the progress that I worked so hard to achieve over the years.

“It’s a solid business with a lot of potential. I believe we can grow from its current foundation,” I told them. “I want to put in new equipment, evaluate the class schedule and maybe add some new ones, and change the signage.”

My investors took note of the improvements and changes I wanted to make. A lot of their money went into things like that. They wanted to know what they were paying for and what they could get in return for their hard-earned money. I always made sure to prove to them that their investments were well worth it.

“Well, I’m down,” Ethan spoke up, looking excited at the new business prospect.

I absorbed multiple local gyms before, turning them into HyperFit facilities and drawing more traffic than before. My brand was everywhere, spreading farther and wider. Eventually, I would go beyond the United States making my mark on the world. My ambition was limitless.

At times, I took a step back and drew in my reality. I was a billionaire with my gyms spread all over the country. I had a mansion in New York City, and nothing was out of reach for me. None of this was dropped into my lap. I made all of my connections, learned business and fitness, and took the dive. It seemed like it all definitely paid off, and I wasn’t finished yet.

The rest of my investors nodded their heads in agreement. A few of them asked me questions about the new gym location and some of the logistics. I cleared some things up before ending the meeting, wanting to get out of here and grab a celebratory drink. Tonight, I could celebrate. Tomorrow, it was time to get to work at the new location.

As the boss of the company, I usually dealt with the big, important company tasks, but when I opened a new location, I always lingered around for a while until I believed the business could thrive without me having to step in. Hopefully, this new gym prospered, but I would do everything in my power to ensure that.

“You’re killing it, man!” Ethan told me as he lingered behind in the conference room once everyone left.

I chuckled and shrugged. After every victory, I reveled in it for a moment. The next moment, I was chasing the next victory. I couldn’t stop moving forward, and I didn’t think that I wanted to stop.

“It wasn’t easy securing this location. The owner was reluctant at first,” I replied as I tugged on my black tie, loosening the material around my neck. I much preferred workout gear to suits, but I was no longer a personal trainer. I was a CEO.

“You always work your magic,” Ethan pointed out as he leaned against the side of the table.

“And you profit from it,” I smirked.

“Hey, I put a lot of that money right back into your business,” Ethan replied with a grin. He was one of the smartest guys that I knew. When he saw a good opportunity, and he always saw one before anyone else, he jumped on it.

“Want to see your newest investment? I’m going to the gym tomorrow to scope it out and get set up,” I asked him. I was told this place has good bones, but it could use some work. I was only interested in the number of members and the revenue when I was deciding whether to absorb this gym or not. The rest was just details that I could alter at any point.

“Sure. You’re buying me a drink tonight, though,” Ethan said as he nudged me playfully.

“Meet you at The Skybar?” I asked him as I checked the time on my silver Rolex. It was about time to hit the bar and then go home for the night. Tomorrow was a big day, and I wanted to start this new project off right.

Ethan nodded and headed out of the conference room.

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