Wednesday, 3:00 PM – The Bank
The bank manager was a bald man in a blue suit with a rehearsed smile. He welcomed us into his office with coffee and cookies.
"Mr. Bennett, your father spoke very highly of you," the manager said.
"My father?" I asked.
"He called a friend. That friend called another friend. That other friend is my brother-in-law," the manager said.
"And what does your brother-in-law have to do with this?" I asked.
"My brother-in-law is an investor. And he's interested in your project," the manager said.
"My project?" I asked.
"The motorization kit. The Mobility One. We tested it at the hospital where my sister works. It works. It works well," the manager said.
"You tested it?" I asked with surprise.
"Your Aunt Elena took it to the hospital on Monday. They tested it with ten patients. All were satisfied. And one of them cried. He said it was the first time in five years he could go out on the street alone," the manager said.
I fell silent.
"That's what matters," I said finally.
"That's what matters. But money also matters. Because without money, you can't help more people," the manager said.
"How much money do I need?" I asked.
"To start, about twenty thousand dollars. To buy materials in bulk, pay Earl's retirees, register the patent, and set up the company," the manager said.
"And how do I get twenty thousand dollars?" I asked.
"Your father told me he has savings. Your mother does too. Earl said he could contribute the workshop. The retirees said they could work for free for the first few months. And I... I can lend you the rest," the manager said.
"You? Why?" I asked.
"Because I believe in what you're doing. And because my mother also used a wheelchair. She also died without being able to leave her house," the manager said.
He opened a drawer. He took out a check.
"Ten thousand dollars. No interest. You pay it back when you can," the manager said.
"Why do you trust me?" I asked.
"Because your father trusts you. And because the deer licked you," the manager said.
"How do you know about the deer?" I asked.
"Phil Dunphy is a client of the bank. He won't stop telling the story," the manager replied with a smile.
My dad took me to the bank to open an account. My first account. My account.
"How much are you going to deposit?" the teller asked.
"Seven thousand five hundred dollars," I replied.
"Where did you get that?" the teller asked with curiosity.
"From my savings and the sale of the first ten kits," I replied.
"You sold ten kits?" my dad asked with surprise.
"The hospital bought five. A foundation bought three. And two families bought the other two," I replied.
"And you made them?" my dad asked.
"We made them. Earl and his friends, the retirees. They worked all week. They said it was the most fun they'd had in years," I replied.
"Did you pay them?" my dad asked.
"I paid them. But they said it wasn't necessary. That I should donate the money to the foundation," I replied.
"What foundation?" my dad asked.
"The one that helps people with disabilities. The one that contacted me to buy the three kits," I replied.
"Are you going to donate the money to them?" my dad asked.
"I'm going to donate part of it. The other part I'm going to invest," I replied.
"Invest in what?" my dad asked.
"In stocks. In companies that I know are going to go up," I replied.
"How do you know they're going to go up?" my dad asked.
"I studied the market. Read reports. Talked to analysts," I lied.
I couldn't tell him the truth. I couldn't tell him that in my previous life I had seen the future. That I knew which companies would dominate the next decade. That I knew the stock prices as if they were numbers from a table I had memorized.
"I learn fast," I said.
"You learn fast," my dad said with pride.
"So I've been told," I replied.
The online investment platform was simple. Too simple. Buttons, numbers, graphs.
I transferred two thousand dollars from my account to the platform. I bought shares of Apple, Amazon, Google, Tesla, and Netflix.
In my previous life, I had seen how these companies grew. How they multiplied their value by ten, by a hundred, by a thousand. I wasn't going to be a millionaire overnight. But in ten years, those two thousand dollars could become twenty thousand, fifty thousand, a hundred thousand.
My phone vibrated.
Alex: "What are you doing?"
Me: "Investing in my future."
Alex: "You bought stocks?"
Me: "I bought stocks."
Alex: "Which companies?"
Me: "The ones that are going to change the world."
Alex: "That's very ambitious."
Me: "That's very Leo."
Alex: "Are you going to be a millionaire?"
Me: "I'm going to try."
Alex: "And if you don't make it?"
Me: "Then I'll try something else."
Alex: "And if that doesn't work either?"
Me: "Then I'll be with you. That's already enough."
Alex: "That's very cheesy."
Me: "I know."
Alex: "It's okay to be cheesy."
I put my phone away. The computer screen showed the stocks in green. They were going up slowly, but they were going up.
My dad came into my room.
"How's it going?" he asked.
"Good. The stocks are going up," I replied.
"And the kits?" he asked.
"Earl and the retirees are making ten per week. The orders keep coming. The hospital wants twenty more. A special school wants fifteen. And an international foundation wants a hundred," I replied.
"A hundred?" my dad asked with surprise.
"A hundred. To distribute in Africa," I replied.
"Can you handle a hundred?" my dad asked.
"No. But Earl said he can get more retirees. There are forty at his center, and they all want to work," I replied.
"And the space?" my dad asked.
"Earl said he can rent the space next door. The one that used to be the hardware store that closed last year," I replied.
"And the money?" my dad asked.
"I'm putting up the money. From the profits of the first sales, the stocks, and what the bank manager lent me," I replied.
My dad sat on the edge of my bed.
"Leo, do you know what you're doing?" he asked.
"Making money?" I asked.
"You're building an empire. A small empire, but an empire nonetheless," my dad said.
"It's not an empire. It's a workshop," I said.
"Empires start as workshops," my dad said.
"Did yours?" I asked.
"Mine started in a garage. With a borrowed computer and a stupid idea," my dad said.
"And now?" I asked.
"Now I have a company. And a son who's going to have a bigger one," my dad said.
"You think so?" I asked.
"I think so. And not just me. The deer too," my dad said with a smile.
"The deer?" I asked.
"Phil won't stop talking about it. The deer that licked him. He says it's a sign. That the forest chose him. That nature blessed him," my dad said.
"And what do you think?" I asked.
"I think your future father-in-law is crazy. But he has a good heart," my dad said.
"He's not my father-in-law yet," I said.
"Not yet. But he will be," my dad said.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
SPECIAL PROMOTION
Subscribe today and take advantage of the "THE DUNPHY" discount, valid until! Don't miss a single chapter of this story. IN MY PATREON
If you enjoyed it, leave a Review and Power Stones.
✅ Early access to 22 new chapters
Join LEGEN - DARY Level on Patreon
👉 https://[email protected]/cw/Day_bluefic
@=a
----------------------------------------------------------------------
What's more profitable? Tesla stock or Leo's kits? 📈🔧💰
Thanks to everyone who reads, follows the story, and supports with power stones. You're richer than a Silicon Valley investor! 💎🙌
Comment, follow, and support with power stones. 🏠📈✨