“Oh, wow …”
“That gave us the money to start Kelex. I let the algorithm run to ensure we had enough to sustain ourselves for a while. I diversified across crypto, forex, and high-frequency stock trades. I used everything I learned from the business degree my father forced me to get. Within the first year, we had enough to sustain Kelex for a decade. So, I reprogrammed it to start acquiring Coleman Inc. stock. It solely generates profits to continuously buy more.”
She looks adorable with her red nose and puzzled frown, so I tug her closer. “How much of it do you own?” she wonders.
“I didn’t want my father figuring it out, so I structured it across multiple holding companies and offshore funds to avoid scrutiny. Between those and my personal shares, I own about forty-three percent of the Coleman empire.”
Her expression shifts from confusion to shock. “But that—that would make you a billionaire, right?”
“Yes. Twenty-two point five billion. And counting.”
Her jaw drops. “You very specifically told me you had eighteen million, Alexander.”
“‘As an individual,’ yes. The rest is held under my companies and offshore accounts.”
That doesn’t help, it seems, as she tries to slither off my lap. I prevent it, keeping her firmly trapped in my arms. When she understands she won’t get away, she disappointedly grunts. “How many more things are you hiding from me?”
“I genuinely think you’re all caught up now. I’m a billionaire who was married for a week nine years ago, and I used to call myself Nammota and hack as a hobby. Oh, and I’m autistic.”
She looks down at my bow tie, visibly uneasy about that last one. I told myself she might not care, but maybe I was wrong.
“I should have guessed that last thing,” she says sheepishly.
“I think I didn’t want you to.”
“Why?”
“Because I hate that part of myself so much, I couldn’t see how you could keep loving me once you knew.”
I’m the one avoiding her gaze now, so she frames my face to force my eyes to meet hers. “Baby, there’s nothing to hate. Why would you even think that?”
“Shelly says I’ve been conditioned by the way my parents treated me. They punished me for things out of my control, locked me in my room when I had episodes, called me demeaning things when I wasn’t ‘acting normal.’”
“That’s awful, oh my God…”
“They claim they didn’t know what was wrong with me, but I remembered seeing a specialist when I was eight, so I hacked into his files a few years back and discovered he diagnosed me with Asperger’s syndrome—now known as Autism Spectrum Disorder. It took Lucy, who had started her medical studies, to bring it to light and slow the abuse when I was twelve.”
She wriggles closer, wrapping her arms around me. “Mi amor, I’m so sorry…”
“It’s alright. The behavior therapy helped a lot, and then Lucy pushed for them to send me with her. She also helped me a lot. Then I started working with Shelly when I moved to California.”
“I feel so stupid for not knowing,” Andrea says, her eyes watering again.
“But you knew. You know every single part of me, the good and the bad, and you simply never felt the need to label it.”
“I guess I’ll have a better understanding of you now. When you act in certain ways, I’ll know it’s because it’s how your brain is wired.”
“I’m a grown adult. My actions are my own, and I don’t blame them on my autism.”
“It doesn’t justify what you do, but it explains why you do it.”
I squeeze her gently before saying, “I’m sorry I can’t be a better man for you, freckles.”
She pushes herself away, meeting my eyes with a frown. “What are you even talking about? I know everything I need to know about you, Lex. Because there’s suddenly a word for it doesn’t change how much I love you. You’re still the most incredible man I know. I wouldn’t change you for the world—especially not your brain.”
“You mean that, don’t you?”
She nods vehemently. “I love your brain as much as you love my fat ass and my small tits. With no bottom and no cap to it.”
