Sandy's Strategy

Sandy shook her head. "No, he already blacklisted you. If he did it to me too, along with everyone else who resigned, that would be a legitimate reason for law enforcement to look into him for deliberate career sabotage. He didn't want to risk that."

"May be the only smartest thing he's ever done," Darren muttered.

"However, I'm thinking of putting my dream of working for one of the three Empire Companies of the state on hold for now."

Darren raised a brow. "I remember you telling me that. It is... ambitious."

"Well, can you blame me?" she teased.

The Empire Companies was the tag for the most powerful and wealthiest companies in the state.

In Dos Alverez, there were three of them.

They were: Moon Enterprises belonging to Archibald Mooney, Morrison's Hospitals and Medical Group belonging to Richard Morrison, and The Bordeaux Corporation belonging to Cheyenne Bordeaux.

These companies were basically the big bad bosses of other companies. Every business sought to align with them, and any professional dreamed of securing a position under their name.

They were also part of the NECC — Nationwide Empire Companies Conglomerate, a network of all the other Empire Companies spanning across all the states, dominating every industry imaginable.

Empire Companies were not to be messed with. A company has to have at least a 10 billion net worth in order to even be considered to be one.

Darren nodded. "You're right. And you're one of the smartest people I know. You're good at what you do. If anyone could do it. You can.

Sandy smiled, gazing at him for a while before saying, "That's a really nice thing to say, Darren."

Ding!

┏This person has a profound liking for you┛

Darren gulped silently. 'A profound liking? What does that even mean?'

"It also means a lot coming from you, the finance guru if I dare say," she blushed.

Ding!

┏This person admires you greatly!┛

Darren ignored the notification.

"Which is also why I invited you here and why I'm putting my dreams on a slight hold," she continued. "I've been feeling inspired lately."

He leaned forward slightly. "Inspired?"

She pulled out her phone; a sleek, high-end Asha model, definitely a step above his own.

"Remember when you told me to download that CryptoTracker app because 'cryptocurrency is the future'?" she asked, eyes gleaming with excitement.

Darren's gaze sharpened. "Yeah…?"

'Hold on. She's not doing what I think she's doing right? This can't be because...'

"Well," she continued, "I barely paid any attention to the app but just a few days ago, my phone kept buzzing with notification after notification and when I checked it, I saw that this unverified account; FuglyDuckling had made a record purchase. Over eighty thousand dollars in Bitcoin." She shook her head in amazement.

Darren acted shocked. "80 thousand dollars. If I had that kind of money, I... definitely wouldn't spend it all on Bitcoin."

"But he did," Sandy said with astonishment, moving her hair out of the way of her glistening eyes. "When I saw it... It felt like a sign. A divine intervention or something. And I thought… why not? So, I went all in."

Darren stared at her. "You went all in?"

She grinned uncertainly. "Is that a bad thing? I know it sounds crazy. But I just had this feeling. This feeling of certainty that I must have sapped from this mystery man's own certainty. So, I did it. I invested a thousand dollars. I bought Bitcoin."

There was a brief silence before Darren exhaled a quiet chuckle. "You actually bought Bitcoin."

"Yep." She gave him a playful nudge and hid her face shyly. "Be proud of me."

"I am proud of you," he admitted, shaking his head.

Sandy smirked. "You did suggest it, after all."

Darren nodded, a small smirk of his own forming. "That's true. And I'm proud that you listened."

But in his mind, his thoughts ran differently.

What are the odds? Is Miss Meyers trying to be an investor now? Or is she just trying her luck? I mean despite the news of the incoming crash, she still bought Bitcoin worth $1000.

FuglyDuckling's purchase inspired her.

If only she knew... His eyes narrowed. That it was the same person sitting across from her at this moment.

"I wish you luck," he said.

Sandy suddenly paused, a look of realization crossing her face. "Oh my God."

Darren blinked. "What?"

"I just realized how insensitive that must have sounded," she said, her brows furrowing. "Squandering a thousand bucks like that… I'm so sorry, Deremiah." Her expression turned serious. "Are you sure everything's okay? You left the company — do you have another job yet? If you need money, I can help."

Darren looked down as her hands reached for purse. "Keep your money, Sandy," he said firmly. "I'm fine."

She lifted her gaze and studied him for a long moment. "You're sure?"

"I already have a job," he reassured her. "I don't need any help."

Sandy half-gasped. "Oh."

They looked at each other for a very long time, the silence stretching between them. Then, she broke into a smile first and Darren reluctantly followed.

Soon, they were talking about many other things till Darren saw how late it was and told her he had to leave for the night shift of his job.

Hearing that, she frowned childishly and sighed. "It really was nice seeing you again."

Darren nodded. "Me too."

"Let's do this more often?" she asked. "Same place? I could really use someone that I could talk to. I don't know if you do as well."

Darren looked at her for a while.

Ding!

┏This person genuinely enjoys your company┛

He gave her an assuring smile. "Okay then. Till another night."

As they both stood, she pulled him into another brief hug. Then, he turned to leave but stopped once more, glancing back over his shoulder.

"Sandy?"

She looked at him curiously. "Mhm?"

"Don't be quick to pull out when things look grim. Numbers can be deceiving."

Sandy frowned slightly, confused.

But Darren turned and continued to walk away, hands in his pockets.