AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He returns my gesture, nudging me with his shoulder. ‘It’s a good problem to have.’
‘You think?’
‘You’ve made an incredible, amazing business—this is what happens with tech start-ups that take off.’
‘The thing is, there’s so much more I want to do. The idea of diluting my vision, of having to kowtow to a board of directors is just...so not what I want.’
‘What do you want?’
I pull a face. ‘That’s easy.’
He lifts his brows, silently encouraging me to continue.
My smile is tinged with melancholy. ‘I want to have my cake and eat it too.’
‘Ah.’ He returns my grin. ‘That old chestnut.’
‘Yep.’
‘What else do you want to do? What’s your five-year plan?’
I sigh. ‘So much, Zach. It’s like, literally, the size of this balcony.’
He laughs. ‘Should I get a coffee first?’
I offer him mine instead. He takes a sip.
And then, I start to tell him something I’ve never told another soul, something that has felt so big it’s almost impossible, something that got me thinking about taking on capital in the first place. ‘I mean, I want to expand all of my offerings, to really make as much difference as I can in the existing countries we service.’
I take the coffee and have another sip. ‘But what I really want to do is—and I know how fanciful this might sound—expand into developing countries in a meaningful way. Most of the women I want to help in those countries don’t have access to iPads, phones, they’re not worried about protecting their asset base if they get divorced. Their needs are more immediate. What I want to do is build schools, universities, vocational training. I want to be able to fund education programmes and as part of that to partner with someone who can provide technology for ongoing support and assistance. I can’t stand the disparity between how I live and how women in some countries live. I want to create opportunity and change.
‘That’s why I’m doing this. Not because I want to get rich. Not because I want to see my bank balance getting bigger. God, do you have any idea how much I hate that? We’re already way too wealthy—where’s the equity, Zach? Look at this place!’ I gesture towards his penthouse. ‘Look at what we have and there are women out there not eating for days just to make sure their children have enough—and they don’t, they don’t have anywhere near enough. I’m talking about access to education, vaccinations, self-defence classes, food; I’m talking about giving women the tools to seek higher-paid work, to earn more to provide more, to change their lives.’
The sun crests higher, piercing the sky, forming a perfect light ray between two high-rises, reaching across the deck like an arrow made of gold.
‘It will cost a lot. And it will mean juggling a lot of different balls—I can’t have the services we offer suffer because I’m over-committing resources to my charitable branch. And I don’t think any corporate partner, including you, would give me the latitude to funnel so much money towards this.’ I bite down on my lip, searching his eyes for something. ‘I know there’d be the lump-sum payment when I’m bought out, but that’s a one-time injection of cash and for this to work it needs to be funded by an ongoing business. I think. I don’t know. What do you think?’
He reaches to my chin, moving my face closer to his, his eyes probing mine, his expression impossible to understand. ‘I think you’re incredible.’
My heart soars, and I smile, a smile that stretches my cheeks and reaches all the way to my eyes. ‘Thanks.’
‘I think you’re going to change the world and that there’s nothing fanciful about what you’re suggesting.’ He slides his thumb across my lower lip then leans back, putting space between us. I feel cool instantly.
‘I think you’re right about how a potential investment could affect your plans. You’re right to be taking your time and working out what’s best.’
‘But at the same time—’ I move to playing devil’s advocate ‘—I could miss my window. Right?’
He dips his head. ‘Yes.’
‘See why it’s not such a good problem to have?’
He nods thoughtfully, contemplatively. ‘I have complete confidence in you, Jessica. If anyone can work this out, it’s you.’
His words are everything I need to hear. Maybe I’d been expecting him to reiterate his offer—maybe I’d even been hoping he would—but this is better. He’s putting the ball in my court, telling me that I can do this, and I can.
I smile again, and I’m still smiling a second later when he leans closer and kisses me.
* * *
