"So, what is it that you need to do before we go?" she asked.


    "Reallocate my funds."


    "You can do that online?"


    "Yes."


    "Can I look?"


    "Well... why not?"


    We carried our pizza into the study room and I started considering how to allocate the remaining funds.


    Putting money in Cal-Maine wouldn''t really make sense because, when the price peaks, the number of buyers will be limited. The position Immortal Investments is holding will be more than enough.


    I considered putting up to $50 million back into Axon Enterprise, which was trading at $15.50—up more than 40% since Ist sold it. But I wasn''t feeling regretful; after all, I''d made way more on Monster Beverage.


    I needed to think about investing inrger stocks with more volume and market cap, ones that had the potential for significant gains within a year.


    I started browsing through the pharmaceutical sector. There were quite a few pharma stocks going up massively at this time.


    There are always some, to be honest...


    As long as the FDA exists and approves pharmaceutical products, there will always be pumps in this sector.


    Charlotte watched me with interest, taking a bite of her pizza. "How do you know what to invest in?"


    I looked at her with a half-smile. "I researchpanies and analyze market trends."


    I finally stumbled upon a stock that I remembered—Anika Therapeutics.


    "Like thispany for example," I said. "See this article? They were approved for Phase 3 of testing on their drug for osteoarthritis damage in joints. Look at the date on this article: January 2001. It''s been over 2 years. On average, phase 3 takesaround 3 years, so they should have their results soon."


    Charlotte nced at the article and then looked at me. "Okay... but what if they fail?"


    I didn''t answer her question; instead,I looked back at my screen. "But what if the results are positive..."


    "Oh! I get it now." Charlotte''s eyes widened with understanding.


    "Yes?" I nced at her.


    "Yeah, you''re no different than a gambler." She smirked.


    "I guess so..." I said half-heartedly and turned back. "But as long as I''m making the correct gambles, I''m an investor." I concluded.


    ''Let''s say I put money into Axon and Anika. I will still need to pick at least one more stock. Should I try investing in stocks like Apple or NeoGenomics that I know will experience a rise in 2004? Or maybe...'' I thought.


    I should probably begin focusing on the current political situation and try to y it.


    Specifically, I thought about ying the Chinese Sympathy Trend.


    I could look into smaller U.S.panies in the energy sector that have dealings with Chinesepanies or recent announcements in that region.


    But for now, I decided to set up bids on Axon Enterprise and Anika Therapeutics with a bit more than half of my funds.


    I needed more time to research...


    "Alright, Charlotte. I think we can go," I said as I stood up from my chair.


    "About time. I thought we wouldn''t make it." Charlotte smiled and stood up, stretching her lithe body. "I''ve been waiting all morning to show you how much I''ve improved."


    As we walked to the car, my gaze fell a bit lower, taking in the sight of her slim, tanned legs and firm butt that moulded to her shorts.


    We got in my Ferrari and drove to the local tennis club.


    When we stepped out into the warm air, I nced over at Charlotte. "Those shorts look really good on you; are you going to y in them, or are you changing into your skirt?"


    She lit up at thepliment, spinning around yfully and giving the waistband a little tug. "Thanks! I love them too," she said. "But no, these are just for fashion. I''m still going to change into my lucky tennis skirt before the match."


    "Cool," I said with a smile.


    When we got onto the tennis court, there were a few dozen people watching two guys y an intense match.


    Charlotte grabbed her gear from her coach and went to change into her sports clothes, which were a white Polo Ralph Lauren skirt that I had bought her and a white shirt to match it.


    She started warming up on the side, doing some simple arm and leg stretches before moving on to twisting her torso. Basic and simple.


    Then I helped her a bit with exercises that involved her legs being stretched wide apart.


    The ongoing game was over after about 30 minutes, and the two guys shook hands at the. The crowd pped as they walked off the court.


    Charlotte''s match was up next.


    She took a deep breath, ncing over at me before going to the middle of the court and shaking hands with a girl about the same age as her.


    Sitting down and watching the two girls y each other, watching their short skirts fly up, and seeing some of what I wasn''t meant to see got me thinking about something.


    My birthday ising already... Time is passing so fast...


    What if I don''t have enough time to enjoy what I have worked for?


    Everything is going so well right now, and I''m grateful for that. But time is slipping away, and sooner orter, I''ll need to leave this world.


    Why is there no way to live forever...


    I nced over at Charlotte, who was now on the court.


    It was clear she had made significant improvements since thest time I saw her y. Her serves were sharper and more consistent and she didn''t waste as much energy on unneeded movements.


    She won the match 2-1.


    She was flushed and exhausted, but she wiped the sweat off her forehead and came up to me for a hug.


    "You were amazing," I said. "I think you deserve a little reward."


    Charlotte looked at me with her eyebrows raised in suspicion and a sneaky grin on her face.


    "It''s not what you think..." I quickly added.


    "Oh really... Then what is it?"


    "I was thinking about going on a cruise, would you like toe with me?"


    Charlotte''s eyes grew big. "A cruise? Like, across the sea?"


    I nodded.


    "No way!" Her face lit up, and she practically squealed with excitement. "That would be awesome! I''m so down for that!"


    Iughed, d to see her excited. "Great. I''ll start looking into the details."


    ...


    Later that day, I sat at my desk, writing down a letter.


    "Dear Derec,


    I wanted to request that you hire Mr. Jack Somnus, a board member of Johnson Trading Ondo, as the head hunter for Immortal Investments.


    Give him a call at [...] and ask him if he wants the position.


    Cheers,


    Christopher Vanderbilt"