One Click Billionaire-Chapter 41: CEO (3)

He was analyzing. "Opening a single shop creates a bottleneck. Our current model is flexible. We only buy what we know we can sell. A shop would be a huge liability."

Adam was very impressed with this child’s thinking. It was sharp and logical.

Smith was so caught up in his frustration that he hit the ground with his fist. "I have explained to my father many times," he said his voice tight with emotion.

"I’ve made spreadsheets. I’ve shown him the numbers. But he is not ready to understand. He just doesn’t get it. And he tells me that I should study. He says I should not pay attention to this ’little hobby’. But this education is useless to me. It’s just memorizing facts. With this I can’t do what I am thinking."

Adam was very surprised. The boy’s intensity was captivating. "What are you thinking?" he asked his voice now soft with genuine curiosity.

Smith’s eyes lit up. He looked at Adam as if seeing him for the first time. He had found someone who was actually listening. "I am thinking that in just five years from now I will make my business so big that I will not need to come to this school," Smith said his voice ringing with a powerful conviction.

"In fact other big schools will call me. They will ask me to give lectures on entrepreneurship."

Adam was very impressed with this child’s perception and his far-sighted thinking. He had a clear vision. A powerful dream. But Adam still felt that he was very inexperienced. He was naive. And he was thinking of doing things very quickly.

Usually in any business one thinks for 10 or 15 years to achieve such a scale. But Smith wanted to make his business a national powerhouse in just 5 years. Adam knew that this kind of haste would definitely cause a very big loss for him. He would make mistakes. He would face setbacks.

But then an idea came to Adam. Smith did not have money. But he had ambition. He had intelligence. He had the drive. He was the perfect candidate for what Adam needed.

Adam smiled a slow calculating smile. "So what do you think?" he asked. "Will your father agree to this idea? Even if you show him a perfect plan how will you do it?"

Hearing this Smith looked at the other children playing on the court again. He gritted his teeth. The frustration was visible on his face. "This is the problem," he said his voice low and bitter.

"My father has completely stopped listening to me. He has found a stable business. A small comfortable income. But this is only for a short term. In the long term this can be very harmful. It’s a trap. Now he wants me to live a normal life like my sister. He wants me to get good grades go to college get a safe job. But I am not like that. I am not built for that life. I am made for business. And I keep thinking about business day and night. Then how can I study with all these normal children? How can I pretend to care about these classes? Every moment I spend here I feel like I am wasting time."

Adam listened to every word. His mind was made up. He saw the fire in the boy’s eyes. He saw the hunger for success. This boy was not just a student. He was a future titan of industry. This will be the CEO of my entire master plan, he thought.

Adam stood up from beside him. He did not say a word. He just started to leave. He walked a few steps. He turned back. "Follow me boy," he said his voice calm and authoritative. Adam still did not know Smith’s name. But he knew his destiny.

Smith was very surprised. He was a little scared. Did I say too much? he thought. He clutched his notebook to his chest. He stood up. He started following Adam. He did not know where they were going. He did not know what this strange new teacher wanted from him. But he followed. He felt a strange mix of fear and excitement. He had a feeling that his life was about to change. He just hoped it would be for the better.

Adam went inside his office and sat down at his desk. Smith followed him inside his heart pounding with a nervous rhythm. "Close the door," Adam said his voice calm and even.

Smith obeyed Adam’s words and closed the door.

All the children present outside on the volleyball court were looking at the closed office door. They were very surprised. They had not heard Adam and Smith’s earlier conversation.

But they all felt that Smith who never wanted to talk to anyone in the class was definitely in for a bad time today. They started whispering among themselves speculating on what was happening behind that closed door.

Smith stood in front of an Adam’s table. He felt small and vulnerable. "Teacher why did you suddenly call me here?" he asked his voice a little shaky.

"What is your name?" Adam asked completely ignoring Smith’s question.

"My name is Smith," the boy replied. He was very scared now. He was sure that this new teacher was going to punish him for his ambitious words. He thought that Adam would tell his father all these things in the next parent-teacher meeting. He would tell his father about his secret business plans.

His father would be furious. He would create new trouble for him again. He would probably take away his notebook and forbid him from ever going to the countryside again. He was about to tell Adam to please not say anything to his father. But then Adam spoke.

"You want to become a businessman right?" he asked.

Smith suddenly became silent. He was shocked by the question. He had expected a scolding a lecture a threat. He had not expected this. After thinking for a few moments he slowly nodded his head.