Chapter 67"Future

The soft hum of the engine cut through the silence of the night as we drove through the streets of Los Angeles, the glow of the city lights reflecting off the glass like fallen stars dancing around us. Tory stood beside me, her blonde hair falling over her shoulders in a golden waterfall, her blue eyes shining with a mixture of curiosity and tenderness as we talked, the warmth of our connection erasing the chill that seeped through the half-open windows.

"Tory, do you have any dreams?" I asked, my voice thick with soft curiosity as I stared at her, my love for her dancing in me like a flame I wanted to feed, the weight of that question echoing like a melody I wanted to hear.

"Dream?" she replied, her blue eyes sparkling with gentle confusion as she tilted her head, her tone thick with an uncertainty that cut through the air like a breeze. "You mean like a job or college?"

"Yeah…" I replied, my tone playful and mixed with a tenderness that came from deep in my chest as I stared at her, my eyes fixed on hers like headlights in the darkness. "Like being a police officer, a firefighter… or a pole dancer, I don't know…"

"!!!! YOU, GRRR!" she exclaimed, her blue eyes wide with shock as she slapped me across the arm, feigned anger dancing there like a flame that warmed me. "WHY WOULD I BE A POLE DANCER?"

"Pff…" I laughed softly, the sound echoing in the car like soft thunder as I rubbed my arm, the love for her burning in me like a flame I couldn't extinguish. "It was just a question, I was joking about the last part…"

"Hmph, I don't like your stupid jokes…" she muttered, her blue eyes narrowed as she stared at me, her tone full of teasing that hid the heat I could feel from her. "My dream is to give my mother and brother a decent life…"

"In the end, it all comes down to money, right?" I said, my voice full of bittersweet truth as I stared at her, the weight of that reality dancing inside me like a melody I knew well. "All this work, studying, these 'dream' things… In the end, everyone wants just one thing: money. Am I wrong?"

"…" She fell silent, her blue eyes lowering for a moment as she thought, the weight of my words dancing there like a soft shadow before rising to mine, shining with an understanding that cut like a gentle knife. "Yes, you're not wrong… This world revolves around money. Without it, we have no dignity…" She stared at me, the blue of her eyes sparkling with a mixture of resignation and defiance. "Look at you there, playboy, there's no one to order you around, you're young and you can do whatever you want…"

"Do you want a tip on what to do with this money I gave you?" I asked, my tone filled with a soft passion as I stared at her, the desire to guide her dancing in me like a flame I wanted to share.

"!!!" Her eyes widened, shock crossing her face like lightning, the blues shining with a curiosity that pulled at me like the sea at dawn. "Yes, I do! You're a millionaire, Clark… A tip or two would help me a lot… I don't want to lose this easy money…"

"Don't worry about the house…" he said, his voice firm as he stared at her, the love for her pulsing through me like a river I couldn't contain. "In a while, you'll be moving in with me… My house is huge, I need someone there with me, it's lonely…"

"!!!" Her eyes widened again, shock dancing in the blues like waves in a storm as she stared at me. "Move in with you? But we only started dating recently…"

"We've known each other for over three years, Tory…" I replied, my tone thick with a tenderness that came from deep in my chest as I stared at her, the weight of those years dancing between us like a melody I would never forget.

"!!" Her eyes widened, surprise flashing across her face like lightning as she thought, the blues softening with an understanding that shone like the sun at dusk. "True… I forgot we've known each other for so long… We should be married by now, right?"

"Yes…" I confirmed, the smile dancing on my lips as I stared at her, the love for her burning like a flame that I wanted to rekindle. "But it will still take a while… Now, about the money… Take three hundred thousand dollars from the million that is already in the savings account and buy it all with bitcoin…"

"Bitcoin?" she asked, tilting her head, her blue eyes shining with gentle confusion as she stared at me. "What is that?"

I explained what bitcoin was, the words dancing between us like stars that I was trying to show her, the strange and new concept reflecting in her eyes like a mystery she wanted to unravel. "Are you saying that something that is worth thirty cents today, in 2010… Will be worth more than eighty thousand dollars in 2024?" she asked, her voice full of skepticism that sparkled in the blues like the sky at dusk. "You're kidding, right? How do you know that?"

"I have my sources, beautiful…" I replied, my tone full of playful certainty as I stared at her, my love for her dancing inside me like a flame that I wanted to share. "Trust me… If you take that three hundred thousand dollars and do what I tell you… In about fourteen years—I know that seems like a long time to you, but I promise you one thing… It goes by fast. Time flies so fast you don't even notice, but anyway… Basically, you'd have about twenty-seven billion dollars… You'd be the richest woman on the planet…"

Her mouth fell open, shock crossing her face like thunder, her blue eyes wide as she swallowed, the weight of that possibility dancing there like a melody she couldn't quite play. "Clark, are you joking or overreacting to all of this?"

"No…" I replied, my voice firm as I stared at her, love for her pulsing through me like a river I wanted her to sail with me. "I'm not kidding. I'm going to invest two million dollars in bitcoin…"

"Clark…" she murmured, her blue eyes shining with a mixture of fascination and disbelief as she stared at me. "If what you said is true, wouldn't that make you the richest human on the planet?"

"Nah…" I replied, my tone carrying a lightness that hid the weight of the truth as I stared at her, the smile dancing on my lips like a soft flame. "In the future, there will be people with much more money than me… I could buy more bitcoin, but I prefer just that to stay below the 'normal' level. I don't want to draw too much media attention with all this… I just hope you do it, Tory… If you follow my advice, I assure you that in the future you will be able to bathe in money if you want…"

"…" She was silent, her blue eyes fixed on mine as she thought, the weight of that possibility dancing there like a flame she wanted to grab. "I'll do it, Clark…" she said finally, her tone charged with a determination that sparked in the blues like the sky at dawn. "I don't want to depend on you for the rest of my life…"

"Good girl…" I murmured, my voice thick with love as I ran my hand over her head, the gesture dancing between us like a caress I couldn't help, the desire to protect her and guide her pulsing through me like a river I wanted her to sail with me.

"GRRR, DON'T DO THAT, YOU IDIOT!" she screamed, her blue eyes flashing with mock anger as she glared at me, the light slap on my arm echoing like a soft thunderclap that made me laugh.

"HAHAHAHA!" I laughed out loud, the sound dancing in the car as I stared at her, the love for her burning in me like a flame I couldn't put out, the warmth of our connection erasing the weight of the world around us.

After a while, we arrived at my house, the glow of the lights against the facade reflecting the sunset that was departing on the horizon. "Wow… Is this your house, Clark?" she asked, her blue eyes wide with surprise as she got out of the car, fascination dancing there like a melody she couldn't play.

"Did you like it?" I asked, my tone filled with soft passion as I stared at her, my love for her pulsing through me like a flame I wanted to share. "I'm still paying for everything…" I grabbed her waist, pulling her closer, the warmth of her body against mine like a refuge I didn't want to leave. "Come, I'll show you… At night you can't see much, but she's still very beautiful…"

"Okay, it's amazing…" she replied, her blue eyes shining with a mixture of admiration and tenderness as she followed me, the weight of that house dancing between us like a promise of a future together.

I showed her most of the house, the sound of our footsteps echoing off the walls like a melody I wanted her to hear, the love for her dancing in every corner I presented. "This is my room," I said, stopping in the doorway as I stared at her, my tone laden with a playful tease that sparked in my eyes. "Where I take helpless girls and devour them… Do you want to see it?"

"…" She stared at me, her blue eyes narrowed with suspicion that hid the heat I could feel from her, her tone filled with feigned anger as she replied. "You pervert… I came here to see you transform into a wolf, not for this…"

"Hahaha," I laughed, the sound echoing as I stared at her, the love for her burning inside me like a flame I wanted to rekindle. "I'm mixing business with pleasure…"