The crowd parted as we walked out.
No longer with pity in their eyes—but with awe. Respect.
Outside, a sleek black car awaited us. A driver held the door.
I blinked. “Since when do we have a driver?”
Ben chuckled softly. “Since always. I just never used him.”
Once inside, I turned to him. “So… you’re a billionaire?”
He grinned. “Not yet. Multi-millionaire. Billionaire status is a couple years out—if the market plays nice.”
I laughed, but then asked, “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
He took my hand. “Because I needed to know you loved me. Not the money. And you proved that a hundred times over.”
I nodded slowly. “And Lisa?”
“She’s already getting served. The investigation’s been building for months. Tonight just gave me the final push.”
After a long pause, I said, “I have a request.”
“Name it.”
“I want to keep tutoring. But I want to start a foundation. For kids like the ones I work with. If we have this kind of money… I want to make it count.”
Ben’s face lit up. “I hoped you’d say that. I’ve already set aside the funding.”
