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Caught off guard, my mind raced to think of what to say next. “You’re trespassing. This is private property. If you don’t leave, I’m calling the police.”
I heard his sigh through the door. “Fine.”
Footsteps on the porch, then crunching on the gravel driveway. I peered out the side window: he was walking away. But not toward the helicopter. He was going to the edge of the woods, where the driveway continued on to the main road. There, he lied down on the ground by the side of the road, using his hands behind his head as a pillow.
That was still part of the property, but I wasn’t going to force the issue. Instead, I went to the couch and opened Instagram. If he thought he could wait me out, he was sorely mistaken.
But after a few minutes, I felt my certainty deteriorating. He was here. He was calmly waiting outside. The longer it went on the more I felt like the asshole.
Ten minutes later, I threw open the door. “Well, what are you waiting for? Come inside and talk if you want.”
I poured myself a glass of cold water and gulped it down. By then, he was inside and closing the door behind him. “Want something? I don’t have a private chef or a bartender. If that’s a problem, you’re welcome to return to the Bellerophon.”
“It’s not a problem at all. I like this place. It’s cozy.”
“Why are you here, Pierce?”
“I need to show you something. Is that a smart TV?”
“It’s got a satellite package. Nothing else.”
“That’s fine. I’ll pull it up on my phone. What’s the Wi-Fi password?”
“No internet.”
Pierce stared at me for three seconds. “Wow, you really swung toward the opposite end of the pendulum.”
“I came here for peace and quiet, and you’re currently interrupting both.”
He opened YouTube on his phone, and we sat around waiting for a video to buffer. It took an uncomfortable amount of time. Eventually, he hit play. It was a finance show with a bald host.
“Our guest today is none other than billionaire businessman Pierce Benning,” the host said. “Mr. Benning, it’s a pleasure to have you on the show.”
The camera cut to a suited Pierce, who was smiling from the study of the Bellerophon. “It’s a pleasure to be here.”
“I’m told you have some important news to share with us,” the host said. “Are we finally going to learn, live on the air, what your next big project entails?”
“It’s about that, yes,” Pierce said.
I paused the video. “I don’t want to know what your next big business idea is. I want to be away from the spotlight, Pierce.”
“Watch the whole video before making your judgment.” He hit play again.
“I’m a lucky man,” Pierce explained to the host. “I consider myself smart, but luck has a lot to do with it. I made two inventions when I was young, and that made me wealthy beyond my wildest dreams. Since then, everyone has whispered about what’s next. I must be working on something amazing.”
“We’ve heard plenty of those rumors ourselves,” the host said. “Everything from artificial intelligence, to manned spaceflight, to nanotechnology…”
“All great areas,” Pierce admitted. “But I’m not involved in any of them.”
“Wow, okay,” the host said. “What is your next big idea then, Mr. Benning?”
“That’s why I’m here,” Pierce said with a warm smile. “My next big business venture…”
There was a pause for dramatic emphasis.
“…doesn’t exist,” Pierce finished.
“WHAT!” I said.
