Series: Werewolves of Wall Street Series by Renee Rose
Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
I can’t wait to take them down. I just have to figure out how to do it.
Billy gets me a glass of white wine and a G&T for himself. We sip our drinks and watch people ooh and ahh over my mural. I know I only took the gig to get access to Sentience, but knowing my art is being used as a form of color washing only makes my mood more sour.
Noticing my sober silence, Billy turns on the charm and makes excuses for us to leave and head to the open bar.
“Nervous?” He nudges me.
I’m busy thinking of how I’m going to sneak off unseen with all these people milling around. My throat is full of acid, but I swallow and sniff dismissively. “No.”
“Good. Because you have nothing to be nervous about. You’re the realest person here.”
I blink and turn to him. “That sounded like a compliment.”
He smiles. “Because it was. These people,” he gestures with his glass at the crowd. “Aren’t adding anything to society. They’re just cogs in a corporate machine. Whereas you are creating something from nothing. And living true to your values.”
My throat clogs again. I never expected Billy would say anything like this. “I try.”
“You succeed. And that’s why your art is so powerful. Because you put all of yourself into it. Everything you believe, everything you are.” When he turns to me, I see every striation in his blue eyes.
My heartbeat’s picked up, and my hand holding my wine glass shakes a little. I’m overcome with emotion, and it’s not just because Billy is paying me a genuine compliment. It’s because it sounds like he sees me, fully. It’s caught me off guard and makes me want to run. Or fight.
I pick a fight because with Billy, that’s what I always do. “And what about you? What are you creating and putting out into the world?”
He puffs out his cheeks, accepting my censure. “That’s a good question,” he admits. “I know you think Moon Co is just another cutthroat corporation out for profits.”
“Isn’t it?” I set down my wine glass and face him. “You talk about everyone here being cogs in a machine. But aren’t you just like them?” My cheeks are hot. I’m being harsh, driving him to admit my accusations are valid. But I don’t want him to give in, I want him to defend himself, and I’m not sure why.
“I am focused on profits. But there’s a lot of good my company can do.”
“Please,” I scoff. “You got your start in crypto. You’re just like these AI guys, getting rich off of speculative tech, all the while destroying the environment.”
“Except that Moon Co is a leader in green investment,” Billy says mildly. “Solar power, lithium batteries–tech that has the capability to provide reliable green energy all while reversing climate change.”
“I didn’t know that.” I thought Billy was just another business bro out for profits.
“We’re very interested in saving the planet. And we have the vision, and we have the funds to invest in R&D. Think of it–” he holds up his phone and shakes it, his eyes lit with excitement, “One day, a battery the size of this cell phone will power this whole building for a year. We’ll be able to capture solar energy in long term storage, and when that happens, electricity will be practically free.”
“Really?”
“Really.” He tucks his phone away, grinning boyishly. A bit of hair falls in his face, and he brushes it back, as if self conscious that he shared so much. “You sound surprised.”
“I am.” I feel like I just met a whole new Billy, one who I have a lot more in common with than I thought. “I didn’t think you cared about anything other than making money.”
“Ouch. I guess I deserve that. There are plenty of examples of corporate greed and capitalism destroying the earth and society. But we create the world we want–and I choose to create one where I can create solutions to humanity’s biggest problems.”
“While still making billions.” I narrow my eyes.
“Money is power. Power to create. To protect the things we hold dear. Why do you think the Blackthroat Foundation is focused on land preservation?”
“For tax write-offs?”
“I know you think billionaires should be taxed out of existence, but remember, businesses make money by providing value. And if we provide trillions in value, why shouldn’t we earn billions?”
I roll my eyes. One day I’ll sit Billy down with Jan and let her give him her argument about billionaires and taxes. “Agree to disagree.”
“I’ll take it.” He raises his glass in a toast to me and drains it. “Another drink?”
I open my mouth and remember I’m supposed to be breaking into the subfloor server room. “Uh, yes. Will you get it for me? I need to use the ladies.” The hall leading to the bathrooms will allow me to use the key card I stole to get up to the offices.