The Underdog Billionaire

“There he is! The man of the hour,” said Brian as Jake entered the tiny apartment he shared with him and two other guys.“What’s up, bruh?” Jake greeted him.“Cut the crap, pretty boy. Where’s your rent?” Freddie asked. He was a short, bulky guy with a mean streak and a foul mouth.“Chill out, man,” said Paul. “At least, let him sit down first.”“He can sit after he pays,” Freddie growled.“So, where’s your cut, bruh?” Brian asked.Six pairs of eyes focused on Jake. He realized just then that this was a gang-up against him. He’d walked into an ambush.“Look, I got laid off from work today,” he explained.Paul laughed and said, “I won!”He stretched out his hand towards Brain and got a $20 bill in return.“Wait, you guys bet on me?” Jake asked. He was embarrassed.“Yeah, because all you ever come up with are stories,” said Freddie. “You never pay your share of the rent and hardly contribute to buying the groceries.”“And yet you get to eat, sleep here and load the toilet with your stin

Ever since the will reading, Jake felt as if he was walking on land mines in the mansion. Linda had stopped speaking to him and Morgan hated him.“I can’t believe I brought you here to steal my inheritance from me!”“Listen, I had nothing to do with that. I’m just as shocked as you are.”“What did you discuss with my father the following morning after I brought you here?”“He was just telling me about his businesses.”“Liar! You somehow managed to convince my father to give you my inheritance!”“That’s not true, Morgan, and you know it. How would a complete stranger convince an intelligent old man to give up his fortunes like this?”“I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me how you did it?”He sighed. The arguments were always the same every day and he just couldn’t win. He too was still struggling to wrap his head around it all.In two weeks, he had gone from a poor guy to becoming a billionaire. It was unbelievable and he hadn’t yet come to terms with it.The following day, he was summon

“We should seriously consider starting a family, Jake. We’ve been married for over a year now and I’m not getting any younger.”“I agree. We’ll start tonight when we return from the party.”He winked at Morgan and she giggled delightedly. They may not have very much in common but when they get in bed, magic always happens.They finished getting dressed and went downstairs to join Linda who was waiting for them. Sherwood Holdings was about to receive the Most Enterprising Brand award at the annual Business League event.It was one of the most coveted awards in the business world and the biggest compliment Jake has ever received since he resumed his position as President/CEO of Richard’s empire.“You look dashing, my son,” said Linda when she saw him. “You and Morgan are going to have the cutest babies.”“We were just talking about that upstairs,” Morgan laughed.“Thank you, Linda. Shall we?” He said and presented his elbows to the women.They took their positions beside him and togethe

“Why Stephanie of all people?”“Why not? You two came from the same background, so making her our surrogate is like keeping this within the family.”“Stephanie is not our family.”“Come on, Jake. Give that lady a chance. I know you have a good heart and that’s why I chose you. You went from grass to grace in a split second, now look at where you are.”“How does that concern Stephanie?”“This is her grass-to-grace opportunity. She’s going to jump at the privilege of carrying a billionaire baby in her womb.”“I don’t know…”“Look, to be honest, I’d feel more comfortable dealing with a familiar face than doing this with a total stranger.”Jake groaned. The thought of going through something as intimate as this with Stephanie left a bad taste in his mouth. However, Morgan’s happiness meant more to him

“Aww… she’s so precious,” Morgan gushed tenderly as Jake placed the baby in her arms.“Are you happy?” He asked her softly.“Of course, I am. This is a dream come true for me, although I’m still pissed that I missed the birth.”“There’s nothing we can do about that. I just wanted to make sure that I have kept my promise to you.”“Thank you, Jake. Thank you for always seeking my happiness even when it’s not convenient for you. I am very grateful.”“I’m glad to hear that. I’d also like to inform you that from this moment on, I am a man of my own. I will no longer go against my instincts to please you.”She frowned. “What do you mean?”“Things almost went sideways today with Stephanie but that wouldn’t have happened if we’d hired a proper surrogate instead of trying to take on a charity cause.&r