Chapter 5
Oliver scarfed it down in seconds, then shot me a look like he was ready to devour the whole kitchen.
From that day forward, foie gras was basically my son's daily fix.
Ten pounds a day, rain or shine.
Meanwhile, my daughter Kyla couldn't care less about food. She was always listless, barely had any energy.
I was frantic, rushing her to every hospital in town, but no one could find anything wrong with her.
Then one day, Russ came to visit us, bringing a box of Périgord truffles.
The moment Kyla caught a whiff of that truffle, she perked right up, squirming and reaching for the box.
It hit me like a bolt of lightning. I snapped off a tiny piece of truffle and fed it to her.
As soon as she ate it, her cheeks flushed pink, and those little golden wings behind her started flapping like crazy.
It all clicked for me.
My son was all about the meat—top-shelf foie gras.
My daughter needed something special—the best Perigord truffle.
My 20 million dollars, plus the dividends from Jenson's assets, were vanishing faster than I could blink with this feeding routine.
For the first time, I really got what it meant to have a sweet burden.
Raising these magical creatures was a money pit like no other.
Money became my biggest headache.
The dividends from the shares Jenson left me were pretty generous, but still not enough to keep up with the crazy expenses of raising two magical creatures.
I couldn't just burn through my savings doing nothing.
I started digging into the private investment projects Jenson left behind, hoping to score a fresh source of income.
But most of those projects were long-term investments. There was no way I'd see any returns anytime soon.
Watching my bank balance shrink day after day, I was so stressed I couldn't sleep a single night.
That night, Oliver was crying his lungs out because he hadn't had enough to eat.
The foie gras supply had run dry for two days straight.
I held him close, feeling both heartbroken and powerless.
The little guy was bawling his eyes out, then let out a sneeze so loud it could've shaken the heavens.
A drop of crystal-clear drool landed smack on a chunk of beautiful rock I'd picked up from the yard.
The next second, something magical happened.
That plain old gray rock suddenly glowed with a soft, green light.
When the light faded, the rock had transformed into a piece of emerald, pure green and glistening—so lush it seemed almost wet to the touch.
I picked up the "rock" and checked it out under the lamp, turning it over in my hands.
The texture and color, so clear and vibrant, it was so green that it looked like it was about to drip water.
I might not know squat about emerald, but even I could tell this was a real treasure.
My heart was racing, and I couldn't help but think of something crazy.
The next day, I threw on a mask and a hat, wrapped the emerald up like it was the crown jewels, and grabbed a cab to the biggest emerald market in town.
I strolled into the most high-end shop in the whole place.
"Hey, you buy stones here?" I asked.
An old-timer with gold-rimmed glasses barely looked up, sounding bored out of his mind.
"Show me what you got," he said.
When I set the emerald down on the counter, the old guy's eyes went wide, totally transfixed.
He shot up from his seat, slipped on a pair of white gloves, grabbed a magnifying glass, and started turning it over and over, examining it obsessively.
His hands were shaking.
"This... this is... Imperial Green emeraldite, glassy type!" he stammered.
The old guy was so worked up he was practically babbling. "Young lady, where did you get this stone?"
I forced myself to stay calm, even though I was about to burst with excitement inside.
"Passed down from my ancestors," I replied, keeping it cool.
"Just name your price. If it's fair, I'll sell," I said.
The old guy took a deep breath and held up one finger.
"10 million dollars?" I asked, testing the waters.
The old guy grinned and shook his head.
"Girl, you're selling yourself short. Here's the real number," he said.
He said, dead serious, "100 million dollars!"
I nearly forgot how to breathe.
Just one sneeze from my son, and 100 million dollars?
I had to fight the urge to jump for joy right then and there, keeping my poker face on.
"Deal," I said, trying to sound cool.
The deal went down smoothly, and the money hit my account in no time.
As I walked out of the emerald shop, staring at all those zeros in my bank account, it felt almost surreal.
I looked down and kissed Oliver, who was fast asleep in my arms.
"Good boy, you really are mom's lucky dragon!" I murmured.