My name is Mark Foster. I met my girlfriend, Jessica Monroe, back in college. It was a bit of a Cinderella story—though I wasn’t exactly a prince, Jessica really was the Cinderella of this tale. Her parents ran a small breakfast shop in New York, selling donuts, coffee, and breakfast sandwiches. I had a habit of exercising in the mornings, and the campus cafeteria’s food was far from appealing. So, I often grabbed breakfast from her parents’ shop off-campus. That’s where I first met Jessica, helping out in the family business. She was beautiful, especially when her bangs stuck to her forehead with sweat, giving her a delicate, almost fragile charm. We soon discovered that we went to the same university, and I quickly pursued her. We dated for three years of our four years in college. Jessica was a local girl with a younger brother, Damian, still in high school. Her parents had once worked in a factory but started selling breakfasts after they lost their jobs, trying to make ends meet. My family, on the other hand, was from out of state, involved in business for generations. But for certain reasons, my parents insisted I never reveal our family’s true background to anyone. Their plan for me was simple: after graduation, return home to take over the family business. As graduation approached, I made yet another attempt to persuade Jessica to come with me. I pictured a life where we’d marry, settle down, and live happily ever after. I’d earn the money; she’d be the beautiful wife at my side. I thought it was a practical and romantic idea. But Jessica disagreed. Her reason was simple: her parents and brother were all here in New York. What was I supposed to do? Should we part ways and go our separate paths? Or should I abandon the road my family laid out for me for the sake of three years of love? Jessica was gentle, beautiful, and filial, a hardworking girl. I couldn’t bear to let her go. In my youthful impulsiveness, I made a bold decision. I would stay with Jessica and walk a new path with her. My parents were furious, but my stubbornness left them no choice but to accept it. Jessica, on the other hand, was thrilled. She said I had proved my love for her with my actions. And I felt lucky to have found such pure love in this world. But love couldn’t feed us. After the emotions faded, we faced the harsh reality. Survival. Fresh out of college, we had no experience. We struggled to find jobs, either scammed by shady recruiters or left waiting endlessly for callbacks from companies. The streets were filled with Master’s and Ph.D. graduates. Our bachelor’s degrees didn’t mean much. Still, we foolishly believed we’d land a good job eventually. That is, until my wallet only had enough left to buy instant mac and cheese from an internet café. Only then did I realize how right my parents had been all along. To achieve dreams and live a happy life, a solid financial foundation was essential. Jessica could always go home to eat when she was hungry, but what about me? I couldn’t just shamelessly freeload at her house. I started to reconsider things. It wasn’t just about landing a good job anymore. After talking it over with Jessica, we decided to go in a different direction—starting our own business. Why work for someone else when we could work for ourselves? I thought Jessica’s family business wasn’t bad at all. The problem was that their customers were mainly college students, so when school was out, business plummeted. After doing some market research, I suggested we open a new shop in a different location. I had the perfect spot in mind—a residential area in the old part of town. This area had several neighborhoods connected, mostly filled with retirees and working-class renters. High foot traffic, cheap rent—perfect for a small diner. Jessica’s parents agreed, but the problem was money. We needed funds for the lease, renovations, and buying tables, chairs, and utensils. Jessica’s parents had saved some money over the years, but they were hesitant to use it for expansion. They feared a new location wouldn’t do well. Plus, Jessica’s brother, Damian, was set to take his SATs next year, and with his grades, a private school was the only option, which meant more money. Considering all that, her parents’ support was limited to helping us physically with the new diner. Left with no choice, I swallowed my pride and asked my family for $20,000 to use as startup capital.
When it came to renting the space, Jessica’s parents had a different idea. They thought we should rent a small kitchen space and set up the tables and chairs outside to save on rent and renovation costs. Their thinking was still stuck in the mindset of their university town business. Most students didn’t care about dining in—they grabbed their food to go, heading back to their dorms or the library. But this residential area was home to over ten thousand people, and there were already several breakfast places. With similar menus and flavors, we needed something to set us apart. So, I insisted we rent four adjacent storefronts, knock down the walls, and combine them. We made the smallest space into the kitchen, while the others served as the dining area. For the interior, I went with warm colors, focusing on cleanliness and simplicity rather than luxury. We also standardized all the utensils. Before opening, I did a lot of promotion, distributing flyers and advertising in community social media groups. The $20,000 I got from my family dwindled down to just a few thousand. Jessica’s parents weren’t thrilled. They thought I was wasting money. But maybe hard work does pay off. On opening day, the place was packed. We sold out of three large containers of coffee in less than an hour. By 8 AM, when the office workers came by for breakfast, the kitchen was already empty. That initial success gave me a lot of confidence. I realized I had inherited my family’s business acumen. I threw myself into learning the trade. People of different ages, genders, and even personalities all had different preferences for breakfast. We expanded the menu, introduced loyalty rewards, and created promotions. Within six months, we had earned back our initial investment. Not only that, but we had also expanded from four to eight storefronts. Before, it was just Jessica’s parents working in the kitchen, with Jessica and me waiting tables. Now, we had six employees, and we still couldn’t keep up with the demand. Back when Jessica’s parents ran their shop near the university, they closed by 10 AM. I introduced an all-day service model. Who said diners had to serve only breakfast? We sold sandwiches and coffee in the morning, soups and quick meals at lunch, and hired a chef to prepare home-style dishes for dinner. Late at night, we served snacks for night shift workers. In just six months, our little breakfast cart had turned into a full-fledged diner. Daily revenue skyrocketed. Jessica’s family no longer needed to rely on their old breakfast business to get by. “Who knew business could be done like this!” Jessica’s father exclaimed more than once. As the business grew, we needed more structure. The business license was in her dad’s name. Her mom was the co-owner, and Jessica naturally became the heir to the business. It seemed like I was the only one not officially part of it, just someone helping out. As for the $20,000 I had borrowed from my family, no one ever mentioned it again. But that didn’t matter. I loved Jessica. How could true love be measured by money?
The more I thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. I shared my plan with Jessica. Jessica didn’t know much about security systems, but when she heard it could make a lot of money, she immediately supported me. She even urged me to get started as soon as possible, worried someone else might beat us to it. No time to waste, I got to work immediately. The first step was market research. For the next ten days, I visited every electronics store in Los Angeles that sold security systems, along with all the small retailers in the streets. Besides learning about prices, brands, and suppliers, I also tried to understand the profit margins of the business. During the day, I was constantly on the move. At night, I barely had time to rest, staying up late to cram as much information about security systems as I could online, like it was SAT prep all over again. By the end of those ten days, I had lost five pounds. But Jessica’s parents weren’t impressed. They thought I was neglecting the diner, running around doing “nothing important.” When I finally completed a detailed business plan, I presented it to Jessica and her parents. However, it was met with strong opposition. Having tasted the success of the diner, Jessica’s parents’ ambitions had grown. They wanted to earn all the money in the world. But their ambition far outweighed their courage. According to my calculations, opening a security equipment store would require at least $50,000 in upfront capital. Rent and renovations were minor costs. The bulk of the money would go toward inventory. The price of a basic security camera ranged from a few hundred to several thousand dollars, but the necessary systems and equipment often started at $10,000. The $50,000 I estimated was the bare minimum based on my research of supplier prices. Jessica’s parents thought spending $50,000 on an unfamiliar industry was too risky. What if the business failed? What if the equipment didn’t sell? We’d be left with a pile of cameras and wires, which couldn’t be eaten or sold for scrap. But no business is risk-free. Even though I told them the profit margins were high—one successful deal could easily bring in double the cost—they were still too scared to take the plunge. Seeing that I couldn’t convince her parents, I turned to Jessica. I asked her if she was willing to stick with the diner for the rest of her life, or if she was ready to take a gamble with me and turn a small business into something bigger. If we succeeded, our lives would change dramatically. Of course, Jessica preferred the bigger dreams over the small ones. So, she took it upon herself to persuade her parents. In the end, after much effort from Jessica, her parents reluctantly agreed to invest $20,000. As for the remaining $30,000, I’d have to figure that out on my own. To be honest, I was pretty upset when I heard this. Back when we started the diner, her parents were also reluctant to invest any money. It was only because I got $20,000 from my family that we were able to open the diner at all. Now that the diner was making money, they hadn’t even mentioned repaying that initial $20,000. And now, when it came to the security business, they were only willing to invest $20,000. Was this paying back the money from the diner, or was it a new investment? “Mark, are you mad?” Jessica asked. “My parents are getting old, and they’re cautious. Please don’t hold it against them, okay?” “I’m the one who supports you, and I’m the one who will be with you for life. I love you!” Jessica said, wrapping her arms around my neck. That “I love you” washed away all my frustration. She was right. Jessica would be my partner for life, and everything I was doing was for our future. I still needed $30,000, so I swallowed my pride and went back to my parents. The reason was simple: I told them the $20,000 they had given me for the diner was lost. They were upset, but they gave me the money.
With the startup funds in place, I immediately got to work. I rented a small, 86-square-foot storefront under an electronics mall in Los Angeles. The renovation didn’t need to be fancy—a fresh coat of paint, a big sign, two shelves, and a counter would do. I left the paperwork and licensing details to Jessica. Then, I boarded a train heading south. According to my earlier research, all the security cameras and related equipment in the city came from a few factories in the southern states. The electronics mall offered wholesale options, but they were still more expensive than buying directly from the source. With limited funds, every penny counted. In the early stages of starting a business, saving money by taking a day-long train ride seemed worth it. Hard work, determination, and the willingness to endure hardship can indeed yield unexpected rewards. When I arrived in Houston, I didn’t waste any time. I visited several factories in a row. I compared prices and quality to get the best deal. But these factories mostly dealt with national orders, shipping out entire truckloads at a time. Someone like me, buying such a small quantity, wasn’t even on their radar. After hitting several dead ends, I started to lose hope. I wondered if I should shift my focus and look for smaller distributors. Then, an unexpected encounter changed everything. As I was arguing with the security guard at the entrance of the largest factory, trying to convince him to let me in, a Maybach pulled up behind me. “Mark?” The window rolled down, and a middle-aged man called out, sounding uncertain. “Do I know you?” I looked closely at his face but didn’t recognize him. “Is your dad James Foster?” he asked. I nodded. It seemed like he knew my father. “I thought so! You look just like him. Get in the car,” he said, pushing the door open for me. I wasn’t worried. This wasn’t the type of place where people got kidnapped or trafficked, so I got in the car without hesitation. After chatting for a while, I found out that this man, Mr. Carter, was the owner of the factory. Back in the day, he had been business partners with my father, and they had a close relationship. Although they no longer worked together, they remained friends and were part of the same business association. When Mr. Carter found out I was there to discuss prices, he immediately called his secretary. Right there, he asked her for the factory’s base prices and then offered me the equipment at 30% off the wholesale rate. It wasn’t free, but it was close. “Mr. Carter, this seems too generous. You have costs too,” I said, feeling a bit guilty. The discount was too steep. Plus, this factory produced some of the top security equipment in the country. “Mark, the amount you need wouldn’t even cover our daily production losses. No need to be polite.” “To be honest, I still make a small profit at that price. It’s just a bit lower than usual.” “I’ve heard from your dad that you’re starting your own business, so consider this my support for you,” Mr. Carter said casually. Since he had put it that way, I accepted the offer. After all, the lower the cost, the higher the profit. I could already see success smiling at me from just around the corner.
The security equipment store finally opened—no grand opening, no band, just a simple firecracker to mark the occasion. The tiny storefront was so small that two people could barely walk side by side, but it held my biggest dreams to date. One thing bothered me though: the name on the business license. Before I left, I told Jessica to put either her name or mine on it, but when I looked, it was her dad’s. “I don’t really understand this stuff, so I asked my dad to handle it. Maybe he wrote the wrong name by accident. If you’re unhappy, we can always change it back,” Jessica explained when I questioned her. I wasn’t thrilled, but there was nothing I could do about it. For one, I didn’t want Jessica to feel bad, and for another, I didn’t want to upset her dad. One day, he’d be my father-in-law, and she’d be my wife. No matter how annoyed I was, I couldn’t show it. In the first few days of the store’s opening, business was slow. Security systems aren’t like food; everyone needs to eat, but not everyone needs surveillance installed. Plus, there were already hundreds of retailers, big and small, in the city selling similar products. For days, we had no customers. After a while, Jessica began to worry. “Mark, is this business even going to work? It’s been three days, and we haven’t sold a single thing,” she said, her eyes fixed on the door, her voice tinged with anxiety for the hundredth time. “Every new business starts like this. Once we build a reputation, you’ll be so busy you won’t know what to do,” I reassured her, though I wasn’t feeling all that confident myself. Then, finally, our first client walked through the door. It was a property management company from a local apartment complex. One of the buildings in their complex needed a complete replacement of its surveillance system. Each unit had three elevators, with a camera in each. The building had 28 floors, and each floor needed cameras in the elevator lobby, the hallways, and the fire exits. In total, for the three-unit building, including the lobby, they needed 264 cameras. Plus, they required an entire surveillance system to go with it. The customer had just come from the electronics mall, where the lowest quote he got was $260 per camera, and the system would cost $12,000. Altogether, replacing the cameras would cost nearly $80,000. The wholesale price for cameras was around $100, but with Mr. Carter backing me, I was able to get them for under $30 each, and the system was priced at $4,000. If I took this job, my total cost would be just under $12,000. “Flat rate, $60,000, and I’ll replace everything. Plus, I’ll guarantee the system for three years,” I told the client after doing some quick math. “No one in the city can beat that price.” The client hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Alright, but I need an invoice for $70,000.” I understood what he meant by the extra $10,000. It was a bit of creative accounting. “Not a problem. I’ll cover the additional tax on that,” I said smoothly. “Great. We’ve got over 40 buildings in our complex, and we’ll be upgrading all the surveillance systems over the next couple of years. Let’s plan for a long-term partnership,” he said with a grin and handed me a deposit. Just like that, we had our first sale, and in less than ten minutes, I had secured a deal with four times the profit over my costs. I checked my inventory and realized we had just enough stock to cover the job. I immediately contacted Mr. Carter to order another shipment and set out to hire installers for the job.
The installers quoted me $500 a day, and it would take six days to complete the three-unit building. I thought that was too long and could hurt future business relationships, so I asked them to hire a second person and finish in three days. One man for six days cost $3,000, and two men for three days would still be $3,000. It seemed like a good deal to me. But the lead installer got defensive, insisting he could do it alone in three days, but it would require overtime—$1,000 a day. I sensed something fishy, but since this was my first big job, I didn’t push back too hard. I just made it clear I only cared about the timeline, not the headcount. Maybe it was the extra $10,000 on the invoice, but the client even had a truck sent from the property management office that night to pick up the equipment. By the next morning, the installation had begun, and I made an excuse to visit the site to “supervise.” I had always thought installing surveillance systems was a highly technical job. But after watching for a while, I realized I had overestimated it. As long as you understood basic wiring, could handle a screwdriver and drill, you could do it. The installer I hired finished the wiring for one unit in just about two hours. Replacing the cameras was even easier. He just removed the old one, connected the wires to the new one, and mounted it back on the bracket. It didn’t even take ten minutes per camera. And that was him working slow because I was there. Otherwise, it would have been even quicker. I took out my phone and snapped a bunch of pictures of the installation process to study later. Since we were just starting out, I was focused on saving as much as possible. If I could learn to install the systems myself, I could save the $3,000 installation fee. The first deal was a huge success. Low prices, great quality—it quickly attracted a customer base that cared about getting value for their money. The business started growing, and fast. There were large contracts, like installing surveillance for entire shopping malls, which required thousands of cameras and multiple systems, earning tens of thousands of dollars per job. Then there were smaller jobs, like putting cameras in homes or small shops—just one or two cameras and a simple recording system, with profits of only a few hundred dollars. But I treated all customers the same, regardless of the size of the order. Over time, the store’s reputation grew, and word-of-mouth brought in even more business. There were times when I was juggling four or five jobs at once. During that period, I was unbelievably busy. Jessica handled the store while I spent my days riding around on an electric bike with a toolbox, installing cameras for clients. Some days, I worked from morning until noon the next day, only stopping for a quick sip of water, a bite of mac and cheese, or a cigarette to keep going. I did all this to save on hiring workers. I kept up this grueling pace for an entire year. Eventually, I couldn’t handle it anymore. There was just too much work, and my body couldn’t keep up. After discussing it with Jessica, we decided to start hiring workers for the installation jobs. At that point, the labor cost was negligible for us. In fact, the discounts we gave to loyal customers were several times higher than the cost of hiring help. In just one year, that tiny 86-square-foot store had netted over $400,000 in profits. That was far more than Jessica’s parents ever made running their diner. Of course, with money comes jealousy. Our little store had caught the attention of many competitors in the business. After all, I had taken a lot of their customers. But there was nothing they could do about it. I had Mr. Carter’s factory giving me rock-bottom prices, and that combination of quality and low cost was unbeatable. Even if they didn’t like it, there wasn’t much they could do. We were all independent distributors, and I had all the proper paperwork. My business was legit. Low prices? That was my choice. High quality? That was my responsibility to my customers. So, all they could do was grumble behind my back. No one dared to smash my shop or throw paint on the windows.
When a business is booming, it means the money’s rolling in. And with that, Jessica’s parents, who hadn’t shown much interest in me for the past year, suddenly warmed up to me. They sold their old house in the lower-income neighborhood and bought a new apartment. Although it was on a mortgage, their diner business made it easy to cover the payments. They threw a dinner party at their new place, with Jessica at my side, just to celebrate and praise me. A few drinks in, her parents couldn’t stop singing my praises, saying how capable I was, how I’d turned a small surveillance equipment shop into a business that earned hundreds of thousands. Once they were done complimenting me, they began lamenting how tough the restaurant business had become. They said the diner wasn’t doing as well as before, and they had to let go of two employees to cut costs. I could guess why their business was declining. In history, there’s a saying about mediocre rulers: “Not enough vision to start a business, and not enough skill to maintain it.” Jessica’s parents lacked both the boldness to expand and the ability to maintain what they had. To be blunt, they were just too stingy. They focused too much on immediate profit, still stuck in their old mentality from when they sold food to college students. Though I hadn’t been to the diner in a year, I learned plenty from my conversations with Jessica. For example, they started using low-quality, cheap ingredients. They scrapped the customer loyalty program. They even outsourced food preparation to another restaurant. Running a diner is about service, and customer satisfaction is key. If you sacrifice quality to save on costs, you lose your customers’ trust and loyalty. As we talked, Jessica’s dad brought up something surprising. He suggested they close the diner and go into business with me. To show his sincerity, he offered to help pay for a larger store and cover the renovation costs. But I didn’t agree. Even if the diner’s business had slowed, it was still profitable—more so than most diners in the area. Closing it down would be a waste. Plus, they didn’t understand anything about security systems. They didn’t know how to sell them or how to install them, so what could they even contribute? As for expanding to a larger store, that was unnecessary. Our current store served as a showroom and sales space. It had nothing to do with size. A bigger storefront didn’t guarantee more sales, and a smaller one didn’t mean fewer customers. Success was about the person running the business. Of course, I could guess their real motive—they wanted in on the profits. “Dad, Mom, you don’t know anything about this industry, and you won’t be much help,” Jessica said, jumping in before I could figure out how to turn them down. “Let Mark focus on growing the business. When we’ve made the big money, you two can just sit back and enjoy life.” She really was the woman I loved. It was like she could read my mind. I held Jessica’s hand, grateful, and silently vowed to make the business bigger and better. “Mr. Monroe, Mrs. Monroe, Jessica and I have been together for several years now. I want to marry her,” I said, taking advantage of the warm moment. “I promise I’ll treat her well, and I’ll care for you both like my own parents.” “If you’re okay with it, I’ll arrange for my parents to meet with you soon so we can discuss the wedding.” “I’ll follow whatever traditions or requests you have.” I figured it was the perfect time to bring up marriage. After all, only through marriage would we truly become one family. “No way!”
Before Jessica’s parents could respond, Jessica stood up abruptly, visibly agitated. “Why?” Jessica, her parents, and I asked in unison. It was clear that Jessica’s parents were pleased with the idea of having me as their son-in-law. I never expected that it would be Jessica who would say no. “Mark, we’re both still young. There’s no need to rush into marriage—we should focus on our careers first. Besides, both your parents and mine are getting older, and neither of our families is doing that well financially. We need to work harder and make more money to support them in their retirement,” she explained, her tone softening. “And when I marry you, I want it to be a grand wedding. I want the whole world to know that I’m the happiest bride alive,” she added with a smile. “Remember that dream I told you about? It hasn’t come true yet, and I’m still waiting for you.” Realizing she had overreacted, Jessica quickly reached for my hand, her voice filled with affection. Whatever shock or frustration I had felt moments before instantly faded. Jessica was a young woman with her own hopes for romance and happiness. And I had told her that my parents were just regular retirees, so her concerns about our finances were understandable. Marriage is a decision between two people. I couldn’t just think about myself—I had to respect her wishes too. Our current security equipment business mainly served residential complexes and commercial buildings. If we wanted to take things to the next level, we needed to expand into other sectors, like government contracts. Municipalities require massive amounts of surveillance equipment every year—for highways, parks, public squares… Any non-profit public space that had visible security cameras? Those installations were funded by the city. If our regular business was like selling vegetables, then landing a government contract would be like serving up prime rib. Securing just one government deal would be worth three years of our regular profits. But government contracts are usually tied up with pre-established suppliers. Why would they give me the job? I remembered something a contractor told me when I was installing security systems in a shopping mall. “Projects don’t come to you—you have to go after them.” So, I started hustling. I visited every relevant office, built connections, and sought out anyone who could help. I took people out to lunch, bought drinks, sang karaoke—whatever it took to build relationships. During that time, Jessica and I would sometimes go four or five days without seeing each other. As her boyfriend, I felt guilty for not spending more time with her. But Jessica was incredibly understanding. She never complained about my busy schedule. Instead, she encouraged me to prioritize my career. She said she admired ambitious men, and my hard work today would lay the foundation for our future together. At that moment, I felt incredibly lucky. Jessica was so considerate. To marry a woman like her? I’d have no regrets for the rest of my life. Because our prices were low and our quality high, plus a few under-the-table deals that couldn’t be openly discussed, I managed to secure several large municipal contracts all at once. It’s no exaggeration to say that the money from these contracts would be enough for Jessica and me to live comfortably for the rest of our lives. But in the face of money, can human nature really resist temptation?
The first ones to get carried away were Jessica’s parents. When they found out I had made millions in just a few months, they couldn’t sit still. Despite my warnings, they sold off the family diner. Then, they started putting ideas in Jessica’s head, telling her that young people shouldn’t hold onto too much money—it could make them lazy and indulgent. They encouraged her to transfer part of our money into their names for “safe-keeping.” Soon after, Jessica developed a taste for luxury goods. Clothes, jewelry, handbags—it didn’t matter whether they suited her or not. If it was from a high-end brand, she had to have it. While I was out running the business, she stopped showing up at the store altogether. She hired a sales assistant to manage it, spending her days shopping and getting beauty treatments with her so-called girlfriends. She collected membership cards for spas, added a bunch of personal trainers and beauty consultants to her Instagram, and spent money like it was going out of style. At this rate, the money I was making couldn’t keep up with her spending. The account was quickly running dry. I realized I couldn’t stay stagnant. I had to keep growing the business, or my earnings wouldn’t be enough to sustain Jessica and her family’s extravagant lifestyle. The next step? Start a company, build an empire, and make it bigger and better. Up until now, we’d been running a small shop selling security equipment to homeowners and municipalities, but our market was limited to the city. If I wanted to expand, I needed to start a company—grow the business to cover the entire state, region, or even the country. But starting a company wasn’t easy. Especially a business that was as specialized as ours. We’d need to nail down the right location, hire skilled staff, and plan out a proper business strategy. And the startup costs would be no small amount. Looking at our bank account, we barely had enough left to rent a small office space. Where was I supposed to get the rest of the money? I regretted not reigning in Jessica’s spending earlier. Asking my family for more money was out of the question. The last two times, I’d convinced my parents to give me money under the guise of funding a startup. They had made it clear: the $500,000 was for me to try my hand at business. If I succeeded, I wouldn’t need to ask for more. If I failed, it would mean I wasn’t cut out for entrepreneurship, and I’d have to go back home to learn the family business. Either way, they weren’t going to give me another cent. Jessica’s parents had taken a significant chunk of our money when they convinced her to transfer it into their names. If I could get that money back, we’d be set. But knowing how stingy her parents were, there was no way they’d hand it over willingly. After wrestling with it for a while, I decided to give it a shot, even though I wasn’t hopeful. As expected, Jessica’s parents flatly refused. They claimed they had invested the money in some financial products that couldn’t be liquidated anytime soon. I didn’t believe a word of it. Jessica’s parents were the stingiest people I’d ever met. They valued their money more than anything. If it weren’t for the fact that the bank was backed by the government and offered interest, they’d probably keep their cash stuffed in their pockets 24/7. The idea that they’d risk their money on an investment? Impossible. Left with no other option, I turned to Jessica. After all, she was the one who had transferred the money to her parents without telling me in the first place. At first, she didn’t want to get involved, knowing full well how difficult her parents could be. But I laid out our current situation for her. If we didn’t expand and push for growth, our little security store would only make enough to sustain her current lifestyle. And with technology advancing at such a rapid pace, there was always the risk that we’d get left behind by the market. The only way to solve these problems was to start a company. I’ll admit, there was some fear-mongering in what I said, but I had no choice. Jessica had changed. She was no longer the humble, hardworking, understanding girl I had met in college. Now, she didn’t care if I was exhausted, or how the store was doing. All that mattered to her was how much more money was going into her account. I’d even questioned whether it was worth staying in this relationship anymore. But after all these years, it wasn’t something I could just throw away over a bit of dissatisfaction. More importantly, I wasn’t ready to give up. I had invested too much in this relationship, and I wasn’t about to walk away without a fight.
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