Bitcoin Billionaire: I Regressed to Invest in the First Bitcoin!

The Aston Martin One-77 purred through Los Alverez's streets, its silver curves slicing through the late morning haze.

Inside, Darren gripped the wheel, his charcoal suit jacket draped over the passenger seat, his tie loosened just enough to signal ease.

Beside him, Amelia sat ramrod straight, her brunette hair barely moving as she clutched a leather notebook, her knuckles pale. She had sunk her eyes into the strands of her bangs, trying to escape the tenseness of the situation and avoid glancing at Darren.

Thankfully, the car's engine constant and smooth humming did its best to fill the silence, but at the same time, made the silence even feel more present because no one would have heard the engine if they were talking.

Or at least listening to some music.

She squeezed her eyes. Why wouldn't he play some music?

Her nervous energy was louder than the humming too. It was practically vibrating off her.

"So," Darren said, glancing her way, his tone light to cut the tension.

She panicked slightly. She hadn't asked him to speak! She only wanted music to soften the tension.

"How are you settling in? Has it been okay so far?"

Amelia glanced at him but quickly looked away after, returning her gaze to the moving cars in front of them.

"Steele Investments isn't exactly Ryan Anders' stuffy boardroom, is it? The change hasn't been too jarring for you, I hope?"

Amelia's lips twitched. That kind of question was supposed to be answered with a friendly smile, so she did her best to produce a half-smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"It's… different, sir. But it's a good different." She thought for a while before going on.

"I mean one of the reasons I wanted to come was because Steele Investments wasn't Moon Wealth. And the sense of unity and excitement here is very gratifying. Just, uh, it'll take some getting used to."

Her voice was soft, clipped, like she was measuring every word. Even though being poached from Anders had for the most part been her own idea, it was still a change she had to get through. And sitting next to the boss now, she felt like a rookie all over again.

"From what I hear, you're doing fine. Excellent in fact. Your move to stagger the investment and keep us under the radar made us a 20% gain. That's pretty influential for your first day?"

Her eyes lit and she snapped her face at him. "It is? I didn't... realize." Then she lowered her gaze.

Darren chuckled, easing the car through a turn. "Relax, Amelia. You're not on trial. I don't bite — unless the numbers don't add up." He shot her a grin, hoping to thaw her nerves.

Amelia gave a tight-lipped smile.

"You've got a knack for investments. That's why you're here. You might be wondering why I chose you over Rachel to come with me."

She creased her brows at him. "You said her presence would be needed back at the Complex. She's your representative, and I'm the secretary of investments."

"That is true, but it's not the only reason. You see, I was thinking..." Darren sat back on the car chair. "Anders said something to me in that meeting at the Pendulum. He said that he doesn't work with startups. As discriminatory as that is, I think it has become something I can use to my advantage."

Amelia watched him.

"Back when you were with Anders, what was the weirdest startup you ever heard someone pitch to him?"

She hesitated, then exhaled, her grip on the notebook loosening. "There was this guy pitching edible packaging. I know, it sounds crazy but innovation... somehow. It was like wrappers you could eat. Like I said, crazy, even though he had data showing waste reduction. I pushed for it, but Anders shot it down. Too 'out there.'"

"Edible wrappers?" Darren raised a brow, amused. "Forget about being out there. That's a terrible idea. Wrappers are non edible because they're supposed to cover the edible stuff. There's bacteria in the air."

He scoffed, rounding another corner. "Anyhow, that's what I like; people thinking past the obvious. Keep that instinct today, alright?"

"Yes, sir," she said, a flicker of confidence creeping in. She flipped open her notebook, revealing pages dense with handwritten notes, charts, and clipped articles.

"If what you're saying is that you wanted me here so that I can point you to some startups Anders refused to back, then I've got some leads we could check. I've had this notebook ever since I started working. I wrote down every client that came to strike a deal with Anders."

Darren looked down at the book with one eyebrow raised. "I don't know how I do it but I keep hiring the best people for the best jobs."

He returned to the street. "You keep impressing me like this, Amelia, and I'll give you a gift after the day's over."

"A gift?" she asked, looking at him with a surprised gaze.

"Yeah. What do you say? Me and you. Lunch. We'll talk more then about other stuff."

"Oh." Her brown eyes shone through the strands of her bangs. "Okay."

"It's a date," Darren nodded, his focus sharpening.

They headed towards an innovation center.

In this place, people gathered together to talk about their plans and investments, or ideas or suggestions that they feel would help society or gain wealth.

In these centers, many investors also gathered there too. They were usually small type investors, trying to find someone inspiring enough to give cash to and then demand results out of desperation.

Although, sometimes, big time investors also came here, and a few innovators became successful with their investments and backing.

Today, Darren and Amelia were hunting a hidden gem. He'd explained to her that he wanted to go for tech based companies. He wanted to invest in a tech startup nobody else saw coming, something to prove Steele Investments could spot diamonds in the rough.

Amelia's nerves didn't bother him; her mind did the talking, and he trusted Rachel's pick. The system's quest pulsed in his head— ┏find a poor startup, invest, high-tier reward.┛

But its ban on using future knowledge meant he was flying half-blind, relying on gut and grit. That, and Amelia's knack for sniffing out potential.