Chapter 3

Julian's "customized" syllabus for me started with his new wellness project.

He slid a thick binder across the table. Printed on the cover in elegant gold foil were the words:

*Genesis: A Holistic Wellness Ecosystem for High-Net-Worth Individuals.*

"You see, Chloe, the future of business lies in serving the very top of the pyramid," Julian explained, pushing his gold-rimmed glasses up his nose.

"We aren't just selling supplements. We are selling a lifestyle. A spiritual sanctuary."

The proposal was filled with typical corporate wellness buzzwords: "synergy," "energy resonance," and "mindful alignment."

I flipped through a few pages, pretending to be dazzled and deeply impressed.

"Julian, this is incredible! I've never seen anything like this."

I pointed at a financial projection page, playing the naive girl.

"But the startup capital... wow, that's a lot of money. If Mom's company funds this directly, won't it hurt her cash flow?"

Julian's mouth twitched slightly. He clearly hadn't expected me to ask such a specific question.

But he quickly regained his smooth, guru-like composure.

"Excellent question, Chloe. That is where the art of corporate structuring comes in."

He leaned in, speaking in a coaching tone. "We don't call it funding; we call it 'risk-allocation optimization.' We set up an independent subsidiary to run this project. This way, we get startup tax write-offs while keeping the parent company insulated from financial liability."

"Your mother will be the Chairwoman, and I will serve as the Chief Consultant and Managing Director."

"Oh! I get it now!"

My eyes lit up, playing the part of a money-hungry young heiress perfectly.

"So that means the money this new company makes won't fully belong to Mom's main company? We... get to keep a bigger piece of the pie?"

That "we" was carefully chosen.

It could mean my mom and me, or it could mean my mom, me, and *him*.

Julian obviously took it as the latter.

"Precisely. You have a natural instinct for this, Chloe."

"Once you start college, you can intern at this new subsidiary. I'll mentor you personally."

My mom was beaming beside him.

"Julian, I told you! My girl is a born entrepreneur. Not like her useless father who couldn't achieve a thing in his life."

To reward my "ambition," Julian actually emailed me the preliminary financial statements of the new subsidiary so I could "study up."

He thought he was showing me a future business empire.

What he didn't know was that before my dad became a stay-at-home husband, he was a senior forensic accountant at a Big Four firm.

These "corporate arts" were exactly the kind of tricks my dad was best at tearing apart.

***