The bet

(Xander)

"Tell me, how are things going with you and Rachael?" Dad asked in a suspicious tone that had me raising my eyebrow at him. We were now eating dinner together, in the dining room, which we always do as long as I have the time.

"It's the same as usual. We bicker all the time as if we are married." I replied, which had him laughing. Every time I looked at my dad, I saw myself. It's a bit freaky the way we looked exactly alike. The only problem is that he is the older version of me. we both have the same eye color, which is blue with a mixture of green, and if it wasn't for his age, we would both have the same jet black hair.

He might have gotten a minor stroke, but the way he was going made it seem as if he was stronger than before.

"I don't get why you two can't get along. She's been working there for years now, surely there must be some part of you that likes her." I narrowed my eyes at dad after he said that and shook my head.

"Hell no, I don't want to get hypertension at such a young age because of her. She's my worst nightmare, I tell you." I replied while digging into the steak, wishing that it was Rachel's heart instead.

"One day you'll change your mind, I'm placing my bet at four hundred dollars. the winner takes it all." Dad wiggled his eyebrows in a comical way that had me laughing.

"I don't need any more money. Give it to a homeless person if you don't want it. But, I'll take that challenge." I replied, smirking. I could already feel the victory. Dad was going to lose this bet. I have to make sure.

~~~~

The next day at work, I decided to come up with a plan as to how I was going to win. Rachael already hated my guts because of the way I was treating her? so why not turn it up a bit? I know I might be a bit cold by doing that, but I don't want dad to win.

I am now in my office, finding out from my employees if they came up with anything I could invest in, and so far, none of them made any sense.

"I said to be here by 9 am. It's 9:05 right now. I can't tolerate my employees slacking off on the job. there is a lot of work here to be done, so next time, get your ass here on time!" I shouted at another employee of mine, who was on the verge of crying.

she nodded her head and apologized while running as fast as she could after I dismissed her. damn, what was I paying them for?

I have fourteen people working here, six of them males and the other females. I had to be paying each of them seven thousand five hundred dollars every two weeks, is this what I'm wasting my money on?

"Kirk, the answer is no. I'm not going to invest my money in some run-down hotel that can't seem to get a proper guest apart from hookers and drug dealers!" Kirk jumped at the tone of my voice while slightly shaking.

"Mrs. Abraham thought that it would be a good idea. with your name and a little upgrade, I think you can make a profit off them." I growled at Kirk for telling me what to do.

"Get out, you're fired. I don't want to hear it from you." I snapped, and this time someone did cry.

"B-But sir, I have a family to feed and a lot of stuff to take care of. you can't just fire me because of my opinion." he's right, but I didn't want to seem weak.

"Get out, Kirk, I'll recommend you to some other department. but you won't be working here as of now." Kirk nodded his head and left with his head down.

Next, I called Brady, who gulped, obviously nervous about what was going on. I was trying to see what they came up with, but so far, they were all a disappointment.

"Sir, Emily and I did some research on Forte trade. I think it would be wise to invest in that company. It's similar to Bitcoin but fairly new. I don't see where you could go wrong in this." I nodded my head at Brady, feeling pleased with what I was hearing.

"Fine, I'll look into it. a five percent share in that company will have to be done for now, until I can see if it was worth it." Brady breathed a sigh of relief and left after that. Then it was time for me to call Rachael. ok, let the game begin.

"What do you have for me, Miss Hale?" I asked as I got up from my desk and made my way toward the window. loosening my tie a bit.

"It's not really about an investment. but there's this charity event that I think you might be interested in. My son's school is looking for some assistance with some supplies and I told them that I would ask you if you're interested. They only need eighty-five thousand dollars to be donated." I raised my eyebrow at her. Was she for real?

"Why would I want to waste my money on a school that hasn't been redone in years?" I asked while folding my arms.

"Aren't you the one who said education will bring you success? The money that is being donated will also help renovate the school, along with other supplies such as computers and books. surely you aren't that cold to turn down something like this." I furrowed my brows at her, already hearing how she was challenging me. I had to act tough. Now wasn't the time to act soft.

"At the end of the day, it's my money, and I'm the one who gets to do what I want with it. The answer is no, Miss Hale. this is an investment company, not a charity for people who can't afford it." she narrowed her eyes at me, and my heart skipped a beat.

"You are a billionaire, I'm sure that amount of money is pocket change for you." I chuckled a bit because she was right.

"That still doesn't mean that I'm going to donate anything, leave and come up with something that I can make money from, not lose it." With that, she turned away and walked out, leaving me smiling since it seemed as if I'm on my way with winning that bet already.