Page 109 of Rival to the Billionaire

Jenny pulls back, taking a deep breath. "I think I'm done with my speech." She pulls her hand from mine and turns around to the table behind her, slipping on a new pair of glasses. "I think it's time I leave my old ones behind," she says.

"New life," I murmur.

She nods. "New life," she agrees. "But I think we've got a lot of work to do first."

"We do. We have an app to officially launch.”

She smiles and looks back at the table. "And we have an entire world to conquer."

"We do. But first," I say, pulling her close again, "I think we need to go over some of the, um, kinks that might come up in the process of writing and launching an app. I heard these apps can get pretty kinky."

"Is that so?"

"It is. It might take all night to iron them out," I say. I pull her close and kiss her again, long and slow. "And then maybe another night…"

She grins, her eyes shining. "I think that sounds like a very good idea." Her arms wrap around my neck. "A very, very good idea."

And with that, we kiss, our lips melding together in passion.

There is a new energy in the room. A new strength. And a new love that has been set free from the shackles of our pasts.

I close my eyes, pulling her closer to me as I contemplate what the future might hold for us both.

There are so many possibilities.

So many roads and paths to choose from.

But I'm confident that whatever we decide to do, we'll be able to conquer it together.

There's no place I'd rather be than by her side.

There's no one I'd rather be with.

I'm ready for whatever comes next. And so is she.

We've been through the start-up process before, but this time I know it's going to be different.

It's not just my business anymore.

It's our business. Our life. Our love.

And there's no place I'd rather be than beside my beautiful Jenny, working towards a bright, new future.

ChapterTwenty-Nine

JENNY

The charity event for the Cheaper Coffee Project turns out to be quite the event. Hosted in the grand ballroom of the downtown Lotte Seattle hotel, the luxurious space featuring soaring nearly sixty-foot ceilings and stunning stained-glass windows.

Seven days after I completed Ryder's final presentation about the Ultimate Reading app to the H&H board, life has been something of a whirlwind. While the app's launch date is three months away, the planning has begun, and we've received the go-ahead to set up shop in the company's lab.

The C-suite has been especially happy with the direction the app's development has taken, and more than happy to give us access to other company resources. We've already gotten our hands on the H&H design team, along with the engineering team, marketing staff, writers, and other resources.

Now accepted into their "good graces", I've even been invited to a weekly lunch meeting with the entire senior operations management team, led by Bob and Charmane, with Ryder's cousin Killian, our Chief Operations Officer, sitting in as well.

I've found myself managing a number of project teams, ranging from developing the user interface to weighing in on marketing copy for the app's splash screen and initial landing page—to designing an extensive mobile application testing lab.

I'm nervous about having my hands on so much, but I figure I have just as much right to be there as anyone else. There's no point in hiding anymore.

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