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The reason for my restlessness will be here in less than an hour. Nia and I haven’t spoken since Saturday night. I’m torn. On the one hand, I must maintain status quo at the office. There’s too much happening with Stratus for us to lose focus. On the other hand, I spent yesterday missing her in a way I don’t understand. My thoughts are jumbled. I have urges where she’s concerned.

I don’t like this. I’m never conflicted. Why is everything different?

With Becca, I never felt this sort of internal chaos. She liked me; I liked her. We bonded because we had both suffered through terrible home lives and crappy foster families. Diana saved me at twelve, but I plucked Becca out of her living hell as soon as I legally could. She was grateful and took care of everything not related to my burgeoning business. I enjoyed her company. Sex was nice. Life was good.

Nothing about being inside Nia could be termed nice. What we did wasn’t merely pleasant. It was raw, compelling, unforgettable…

And confusing as hell.

Yesterday, I resisted comparisons, but Becca is the only other sexual partner I’ve had. Isn’t it natural to wonder why being with one woman is vastly different than performing roughly the same act with another? The only conclusion I can draw is that Becca had been providing me regular relief with her hand before we spoke our vows. Nia ended a terrible months-long celibacy, broken only by masturbation that had become both regular and dull. I was simply pent up. Surely if I had sex with her today, I wouldn’t feel that same blood-churning, heart-pounding, gotta-have-it-now urgency.

“Evan?”

I whirl around and face my CFO, trying to look as if I’ve been completely attentive. “Yeah. The numbers. Let’s do it.”

“I already was. You didn’t hear a word I said.” He sighs. “It’s none of my business, but what happened between you and Nia after I left on Saturday night?”

“You’re right; it’s none of your business.”

Bas is my oldest friend. I couldn’t lie to him if I tried. First, he reads me too well. Second, I won’t deceive him. But I have no problem telling him to butt out.

“Oh, my god. You fucked her.”

I remain absolutely mute for a long moment, gritting my teeth. I can’t tell whether he’s more shocked that I finally took his advice about moving on from Becca or that I did it with my assistant.

“Friday’s offer was an increase of fifteen million cash and another thirty in Colossus stock options when their IPO goes public next summer.” I change the subject. “It’s more lucrative than their former offer and closer to market value.”

“Not going to talk to me, huh?”

“About Nia? No. About this offer, sure. All day long. My big complaint is that we can’t possibly know the price of their stock once the IPO goes public. So the valuation of the offer could suffer significantly following the initial offering.”

“You don’t believe that. Douglas Lund has almost tripled the size of their organization since he took over five years ago. The man is financially brilliant, and there’s no way he would suddenly steer that ship in the wrong direction. My guess is the value of that stock will go up at least another twenty-five percent in the first six months.”

Bas is probably right but… “If it doesn’t?”

“You’re still walking away with almost five hundred million in cash and other stocks that bring the value of the deal up to a billion dollars. All you have to do is sign a few papers and stay on as COO for two years. Then you’ll be thirty and filthy rich, and you can spend the rest of your life doing whatever the fuck you want. Take it.”

Everything he says is valid. I’ve had similar thoughts. All totaled, it’s the sort of money that means not only would I never have to work another day in my life, but neither will my kids, my grandkids, or their children. I would, of course. I’ve never been an idle man, and I don’t like people who lack goals or fail to embrace challenges. So I’ll definitely find another business to build and succeed at—and I’ll have the luxury of taking my time. Most people only dream of this financial independence. I certainly never fathomed having this much money as a poor kid in foster care. And I’d not only achieve my dream of making a billion by age forty, I’d beat it by a decade.

“Unfortunately, the deal, as is, still isn’t right.”

He gives me an exasperated sigh. “What’s your hesitation? Is it because you built Stratus from the ground up? Hell, I joined you barely three months after you started, so I’m as attached to it as you are. If I were a selfish bastard, I’d talk you out of accepting the deal because I’ll probably be downsized once the Colossus people take over. But I’m okay with that because this is best for you. I know you’re sentimentally attached⁠—”

“I’m not a sentimental man.”

“Not about much. I understand why this might seem different, but saying yes is the right move. You’re never going to get another offer like this, buddy.”

“I disagree.”

“You think your technology will remain wave-of-the-future long enough that another behemoth firm will decide you have the best data storage solution for individuals and corporations alike and be willing to pay you an obscene amount of money for your infrastructure and proprietary technology?”

“I don’t think there will be another buyer; you’re right about that. I’m saying if I take this particular offer, I’ll be leaving money on the table.”

“Oh, I get it. You want to make Lund bleed because you loathe him. Be careful with that…”

Admittedly, he’s an egotistical, middle-aged prick who treated me like a snot-nosed kid when we first met. Since then, he’s continued the trend, all but patting me on the head and rubbing me the wrong way. I don’t mind sticking it to him, but I wouldn’t do it if I thought I’d be screwing myself in the process.

“I’ve done business with people I disliked in the past. I’m not here to make friends; I’m here to negotiate the best deal possible. But as you just pointed out, if I sell, you might be laid off. Any of Stratus’s existing employees are at risk.” I employ nearly seven hundred people now. “They deserve whatever protection I can negotiate to compensate them for their years of loyalty and hard work.”