Misjudging the Billionaire

“You’ll have to forgive me for finding this a little hard to believe,” Eva said with skepticism as she reached for a few of her fries.

“My parents were good people. They didn’t have much, but they tried their hardest. My grandfather and my dad were never close. He resented my father for choosing a life with my mother over furthering his education. My dad met my mom fresh out of high school, they fell in love fast and hard, and I was born only one year later. My grandfather offered to pay my dad’s way through college, but my dad chose to take a full time job at a carwash and take care of me and mom instead. Times were tough, and the only place he could afford was the small apartment on Montgomery since mom didn‘t work. She stayed at home with me and tried making extra money here and there selling multi-level marketing crap, but I’m pretty sure she lost more than she ever made.” Devon paused to take another bite of his burger and a sip of his soda before moving on with his story. “Anyhow, my grandfather did extremely well for himself as an investment banker. I hate to say it, but he was definitely one of those loaded snobs you have to put up with on a regular basis. He hated my mother. He looked down his nose at her, considering her white trash who was too unsophisticated and too uncultured for his son. My dad didn’t care. He loved my mom regardless of her social class and that was that.”

“Jesus, that’s crazy,” Eva replied, hanging on his every word as she washed down more fries with a swig of her Diet Coke.

“My grandmother died long before I was born. Cancer. I didn’t see my grandfather much growing up. He’d come around every Christmas to hand me a few overpriced gifts, and that was about it. He barely said a word to my dad, and he didn’t even acknowledge my mother. He died when I was ten, and we were shocked to find that he’d listed me as his sole beneficiary. He had no other family aside from me and my father, so he chose to leave me every penny in hopes I’d make something out of myself, unlike my dad. That’s how he probably saw it, anyhow. I think his will was kind of a ‘fuck you’ to my father, to be perfectly honest. He even left me his estate on twenty acres of land.”

“How did your parents take it?” Eva asked, captivated by his story.

“They were actually happy that he left everything to me. My parents made next to nothing, so it‘s not like they could exactly save for my future,” Devon replied as he picked away at his meal between sentences. “Mom and dad loved each other so much. Storybook couple, only… no money. I know they wanted me to do better than them.”

“They must be proud of you now,” Eva commented with a warm smile. Devon’s face sank, and she instantly realized she’d spoken too soon.

“I’d like to think so, wherever they are.” He stopped and took a long look at his cup, fiddling with the straw as a sadness washed over him. “They died in a car accident when I was only fourteen. Some drunk guy swerved into their lane, and…” He paused in thought, obviously reliving the memory, and his lower lip began to quiver as he fought back tears. “I remember getting the news. Two police officers showed up at my apartment and I knew something bad had happened. Anyhow, yeah, that messed me up pretty bad. It’s also the reason I don’t drive, which probably sounds stupid. Ever since their accident I’ve had this insane phobia of driving. I get behind a steering wheel and just panic.”

“Ah, so that’s why you have a driver take you everywhere,” Eva pointed towards the town car waiting just outside. Despite the tragedy of his story, she was relieved to learn that his private chauffer served a deeper purpose than simple vanity.

“Bingo. I wound up being placed into foster care and bounced from home to home until I finally hit eighteen, which is also when my grandfather’s inheritance was released to me.” He shoved a few fries into his mouth while avoiding Eva’s eyes.

“I’m so sorry about your parents,” Eva said compassionately. “That’s awful. You wound up using the money to put yourself through college though, right?”

“Nah,” Devon replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. “It just wasn’t for me. High school was hard enough, so I figured I’d skip the humiliation of failing out of college. How about you? You seem like a bright girl. Any college under your belt?”

“No, but I’m hoping I can start taking some classes soon,” she answered. “I was an avid reader in high school and always got good grades.” She finished her burger and picked at her fries while mulling over Devon’s incredible life. “I’m surprised to hear you didn’t go to college. You come across as such a smart guy.”

“Me? Ha. I did lousy in high school. Well, not lousy, but I certainly wasn’t an honor student,” he admitted with a degree of embarrassment and hastily clarified, “It’s not because I’m an idiot. It was just hard bouncing from school to school, you know?”

“Understandable,” Eva agreed as she sucked down the rest of her drink.

“I’ve always been somewhat of an autodidact. Meaning, I prefer to teach myself. I’d shut myself in my room after school and just read for hours. Anything I could get my hands on, really. It was my escapism,” he explained.

“So, how did you get started with the real estate thing, then?” she asked.

“I’ve always loved the idea of buying property and fixing it up,” he smiled. “Growing up in such a poor neighborhood, I used to dream about making the whole area better. Turning those run-down houses into places people could be proud to live in. When my grandfather’s money transferred over to me on my eighteenth birthday, that’s when I realized I could make my fantasy into a reality. My first few investments were a nightmare, to say the least. I had no idea what I was doing and wound up losing a ton of money. Maybe I should have gone to college after all,” he laughed.

“Obviously you got the hang of it, though,” Eva joked while gesturing towards his suit.

“Eventually, yes. I own over eighty properties now but they only started turning a profit two years ago. Better late then never, right?” he grinned. “How about we get out of here?” he asked with a nod towards the exit. “Unless you’re still hungry? No rush.”

“No, I’m good, thank you,” she answered politely as she scooted out of the both. He emptied their tray into the nearest trash bin and waved a small thank you to the cashier while mouthing the two words. Eva took note of his kindness towards the working class and felt a sudden surge of excitement shoot through her body. She’d expected the worst from this man, yet with every passing minute she found him growing more attractive. He held the restaurant’s door open for her in his typical chivalrous fashion and lead her back to the waiting town car.

“Thank you again for coming here with me,” he said as he settled into the back seat next to her. “It really meant the world to me.”

“Thank you for taking me,” she replied as she admired his handsome face. There was a happiness in his blue eyes that she hadn’t yet seen since meeting the man. For the first time, he looked truly content and she couldn’t take her gaze off of him as the car’s engine started.

“Can I take you one other place?” he asked while shifting towards her slightly. “We don’t have to stay long. It’s somewhere else that means a lot to me, and I think you’ll like it, too.”

“Of course,” Eva answered affectionately. She could no longer deny that she was smitten by this tall, powerful, yet gentle man whose character she’d so greatly misjudged. His upbringing had been rougher and far more tragic than hers, and she couldn’t help but feel ashamed for having stereotyped a person with such a big heart.

Devon whispered something Eva couldn’t distinguish into his driver’s ear, and the car began its slow roll away from Burger World. As they rode towards their new destination, they made small talk while watching the streets pass them by. The conversation between them was far less awkward now than it had been at the beginning of the night, but she could sense he was still nervous.

“I have an idea,” she blurted suddenly.

“Oh?” he replied with a raised brow.

“Sir, can you stop at that store?” she leaned in to ask the driver while pointing to a small market just ahead. He nodded and flipped his right blinker on while slowing down to turn into the convenience store’s parking lot.

“What are you doing?” Devon asked in confused amusement.