Page 12 of The Damaged Billionaire's Obsession
I grew up under the heavy, oppressive thumb of the Harmonia Sect, an exclusive, little-known, New Religious movement my father converted into a few years after I was born.
The Sect loves to repeatedly warn its followers that “the allure of wealth nurtures the seeds of sin.”
By the time I turned ten, my father had become one of the highly respected “masters” of the Sect, so I was well-versed in the tenets of our strange faith.
New converts were made to give up their expensive possessions. Even as a teenager, seeing people sell off their cars and houses in favor of seedy apartments and bicycles made me sick, but I dared not question the tenets and risk reproach to my parents.
So, I avoided luxury like a devout, little Harmonial.
My first real interaction with wealth was in high school. Jake Tyler, the star of the rugby team and the most popular guy in school. His father owned a chain of pharmacies- hundreds of them- across Ireland.
My crush on Jake Tyler was a rebellion in itself, and for me, the fact that it was expressly forbidden to fantasize about someone you were not married to made Jake all the more irresistible.
It turned out that the Sect was right on the allure of wealth because my crush on the rich kid became the worst disaster of my life, and it set into motion the series of events that continue to shape my reality today.
So, although I am no longer a practicing Harmonial, I make it a point to avoid wealthy people. Which so far, isn’t going great.
I met Sabrina a little over a year ago when I did security work for her art gallery’s website. I thought she was sweet and super talented, and we instantly connected. Little did I know that along with Sabrina came the billionaire Jordan Farrington, CEO of Apex Energy and a partner at Acercraft Group. I couldn’t very well stop speaking to the girl at that point.
I was just getting used to Sabrina when I met Brooke in Cancun three months ago, only for her to go on to marry Xavier, a real estate multibillionaire who owns this very hotel and nightclub.
Money always seems to find ye, Siobhán,and what makes it worse is that it always comes with a man attached to it.
I shake off memories of my father’s disapproving tone. I hate that he always seems to be right.
Well, he’s only half right this time. I’ve nothing to do with those men apart from being friends with their wives.
Besides, I have my third friend Stella, who is a regular girl like me.
We planned tonight’s hang-out to get the scoop on Brooke’s just concluded four-week luxury honeymoon cruise, and to share my news with the girls.
Only, Sabrina isn’t coming tonight, as she’s not quite feeling up to a night out yet, too exhausted from the early pregnancy symptoms and her busy gallery.
As soon as I step in, a man dressed in a black t-shirt hands me the shiny access card to the VIP area, where I head over to wait for my friends in our usual spot in a secluded area of the club.
There are other small groups of people sitting in the section, and the music here is muted and slower, with a few couples swaying on the dance floor.
Knowing that I’ll be waiting some time for the girls because I’ve arrived earlier than planned, I order the first round of drinks, getting the usual margarita for Stella and me and sparkling water for Brooke.
Brooke lives closest to this place, on the Upper West Side, but she’s also now around five months pregnant, so everything she does seems to be in slow motion these days.
Stella’s Brooklyn apartment is about half an hour away, but the girl being a busy celebrity stylist, is probably already somewhere in the city right now.
I think back on my conversation with Jordan yesterday.
He’d called me yesterday, inviting me for an interview with Acercraft. They’re looking for mid-level candidates with vast experience in software and web development and are offering great perks and the potential for career progression.
It’s a great fit, but I’d said no straight away. The obvious reason is that with Acercraft comes Ethan Hawthorne, the guy who looks at me like I might be a pesky fly he’d like to swat.
The other reason is that I’ve never worked with a client as prominent as Acercraft. But this time, Acercraft wouldn’t just be a client; they’d be my employer, getting exclusive rights to my creative mind for the first few years of our contract.
My clients usually find me through word of mouth and from my WebLinker portfolio, which showcases the hundreds of successful projects I’ve done. I’ve got a good following there.
If I go with Acercraft, I’ll lose my client base.
However, I would gain unprecedented experience and networking opportunities far beyond my current client base.
Still, I’d said no.