The Kids Made Me A Billionaire; The Cashback System

The Pet Shop

The private car didn't go to a pet shop as we thought. It went to a place that didn't have a sign. A big steel gate in the hills, with guards. The CEO of Luxe Cuts called it "The Ark." Where billionaires buy things you're not supposed to be able to buy.

"Are we going to get a puppy?" Lily asked, holding Grace's hand tight. She was excited but she kept looking out the window, worried.

"Daddy said big pet," Tom said seriously. "Like bigger than Ben."

"I AM NOT A PET!" Ben shouted, almost crying, but he soothed him to go back to sleep.

I checked my phone.

[MISSION PROGRESS: $55,200 / $1,000,000]

[TIME LEFT: 58:42:11]

I had spent $55k at the salon. I needed to spend $944,800 more in two days. On pets.

The gate opened. Inside, was a mansion with acres of land. And it was full of cages, but clean, huge cages that looked like small houses.

A man in a white coat met us. Old, calm, eyes like he had seen everything.

"Mr. Chairman. Welcome. I was told you need... something special for your children. Something big. And something loyal."

Lily hid behind my leg when she saw the first cage. A snow-white wolf, bigger than a table, staring at us.

"Don't be scared, princess," the man said. "He can smell good people."

He led us past. Parrots that talked, monkeys, a tiny horse.

Then we stopped.

In one big glass room, on a giant fluffy bed, was a mess of golden fur.

A litter of Golden Retriever puppies. Six of them. But one... one was different. He wasn't playing. He was sitting alone, looking at us. His eyes were amber.

When Grace saw him, she gasped.

"Daddy! He looks sad! Like us when we missed you!"

The puppy heard her voice and stood up. He walked to the glass and put his little paw on it, right where Grace's hand was.

Grace started crying. "Can we take him? Please?"

I didn't even ask the price. I knelt down with her.

"What's his name?"

"He has no name," the man said. "He was rejected by his mother. He doesn't trust humans. No one has been able to adopt him in 4 months."

Grace wiped her tears and whispered through the glass, "I'm Grace. I will love you forever. Promise."

The puppy barked. One loud, clear bark. Then he wagged his tail so hard he fell over.

That was it.

"How much?" I asked.

"For you, sir? $5,000. But he comes with lifetime vet, training... "

"Done." I paid instantly on my phone.

[DING! SPENT $5,000 ON CHILDREN!]

[CASHBACK 200x: $1,000,000 DEPOSITED!]

New Balance: $13,282,767.73

The mission bar moved: $60,200 / $1,000,000

They opened the glass. The puppy ran straight to Grace and knocked her over, licking her face while she laughed and cried at the same time. Lily and Tom piled on top.

"He needs a name!" Tom shouted.

"Gold!" Grace said. "His name is Gold! Because Daddy found him like treasure!"

Gold. The dog who was rejected, just like I was yesterday in that meeting. Now he had a family.

Ben woke up, saw the puppy, and screamed "DOGGY!" and tried to eat its ear.

Lily hugged me. "Thank you, Daddy. He's perfect."

I hugged her back. But the man in the white coat was still watching me.

"You said a big pet," he said quietly. "A dog is loyal. But you said you wanted a BIG one. For all your money."

He looked at Lily, then at me. "Your daughter... she is brave. But she is scared. She hides behind you. She needs something that makes her feel... untouchable."

He pressed a button. A far door, at the end of the property, opened.

From the darkness, something walked out.

It was small. Maybe the size of Gold. But it wasn't a dog.

It was a lion cub. Golden, dusty, with paws too big for its body. Its eyes were sleepy. It yawned, showing tiny sharp teeth. It had a little blue collar that said "Leo - 3 months."

The entire world stopped.

My kids froze. Even Gold froze.

Leo the lion cub looked at us, sneezed, and then flopped down on his back, wanting belly rubs.

"He is legal," the man said quickly. "Bred in captivity, papers, sanctuary license. He was meant for a sheikh in Dubai but the deal fell. He needs a family who can handle him when he grows. He will be 400 pounds one day."

Tom whispered, "Is that... is that a lion?"

Ben: "KITTY!"

Lily didn't hide this time. She stepped forward. She walked right up to Leo and stared at him. Leo stared back.

Then Lily did something I will never forget.

She laid down on the floor next to the lion cub and put her head next to his.

Leo licked her forehead and fell asleep on her.

The man in the white coat whispered, "He chose her."

Lily looked at me, tears in her eyes, but this time brave tears.

"Daddy... can I keep him? I will take care of him. I promise I will be strong like him."

How do you say no to that?

"How much for Leo?" My voice was shaking.

"For a lion cub, with license, enclosure build, food for a year, trainers... $400,000."

I had $13 million. I needed to spend almost a million anyway.

I clicked PAY. $400,000.

[DING! SPENT $400,000 ON CHILDREN! - SPECIAL BEAST REWARD TRIGGERED!]

[CASHBACK 200x: $80,000,000.00 DEPOSITED!]

[BONUS: Beast Tamer Skill Unlocked - All Animals Love Your Children]

[BONUS: 10 Acres Land Deed - Private Sanctuary For Leo]

New Balance: $92,882,767.73

Mission: $460,200 / $1,000,000

I just made $80 million from buying my daughter a lion.

The trainer carried Leo, who was still sleeping on Lily's shoulder, to our car. Gold the puppy jumped in after, already guarding Grace.

We drove back to the city in the Rolls-Royce, with a dog and a lion cub in the back seat. Ben was trying to ride Leo. Leo sneezed again.

Lily was holding Leo like he was her baby brother. She wasn't hiding anymore.

"Daddy," she said quietly, so only I could hear. "When I have Leo, no one at school will bully me again, right?"

My heart broke.

I pulled her close, lion and all.

"No one will ever bully you again, princess. Ever. Daddy promises. And if they try..."

I looked at Leo, who opened one eye and yawned, showing his teeth.

"...they can talk to your brother."

My phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number.

It was a picture of Davis. Sitting in a restaurant. Smiling. With Mark and an older man in a suit that cost more than my car used to.

Text under it: "Heard you bought a dog. Cute. The Johnson family has a zoo. See you soon, 50x boy."

They knew. They were watching.

They still thought I was 50x.

They had no idea I just made $80 million buying a lion and my bank balance was now $92 million.

I texted back one word: "Bring it."

Then I turned off the phone and hugged my kids, my dog, and my lion.

TO BE CONTINUED...