Wealth, Health, and Success

Chapter Five

The years had passed, and Dereck and Amelia had grown. Both faced tremendous torment through the trials of life but tasted greater success still by working together. Each setback forced them to be creative and develop beyond the situation. They saw the truth, not strife or agendas. They didn't pitch people or bide them along. Instead, they learned forgiveness, understanding, and negotiation. When troubles arise, they focus on the solution, not the problem or each other.

Their businesses no longer charge an upfront fee. In fact, most of their work was done for free, helping those without the needed capital to fundraise. They created educational and motivational videos for other entrepreneurs, of other entrepreneurs not focusing on themselves but giving the spotlight and guidance to others. Dereck used 20% of his monthly income to experiment with stocks and cryptocurrency.

Listening to the late Alistair Huxley's advice to trust God and live wise. Dereck was turning thirty. He no longer rushed his business plans. He enjoyed longer drawn-out plans after saving up 15% of his income for a few months to a year for capital and then multiplying his money indefinitely. He was sought after for his financial acumen, but Dereck rarely shared his secrets. He was enjoying himself and experimenting. He encouraged discipline, charity, and budgeting. Never invest in what you don't understand.

Dereck didn't rest on his experiments on wealth & finances. Instead, he returned to school, getting a trade-in plumbing, spending most of the past five years as an apprentice plumber for his local community. He worked a second job as a full-time marketing coordinator for a multimillionaire, Solomon Bright.

A fellow patient of The Late Doctor Huxley, they bonded over drinks after the funeral three years

back. The two loved Alistair as an uncle, so in turn, they called themselves cousins. They followed his strict advice, even discussing how desperately Huxley attempted to stop them from pushing their psychosis to its limits. Yet, the two had a knack for bringing dreams to existence. Seeing a vision others didn't understand.

Amelia decided to retire young. She began to work from home, managing her family's blog, handling their communications, and raising their two children, a two-year-old son and a one-year-old daughter. Amelia was self-convicted to leave her career entirely and work for herself full-time. She intended to return to work as a teacher but wasn't in any rush choosing to teach others how to enjoy their life.

When Amelia and Dereck found out they were having their first baby, they sold their first home to purchase their current house. Money seemed to find them easily, and they focused on building deep relationships, not many. Their lives became centered on paying forward and assisting others in their financial, mental, and spiritual lives. Dereck realized the blockage was a focus on achieving their goals and setting better goals than those being failed.

All seemed perfectly fine for the loving couple until tax season approached.

In their youth, they had never paid attention to taxes. They've only ever had to file W-2s or a 1080ez, maybe a 1099 form. Their combined net worth had exploded well beyond the quarter-million from last tax season. Their financial resplendence was only through grit and God! It was inexplicable to them otherwise. They didn't know how much money they truly had and hadn't bothered to assess their true wealth. And the IRS was far more curious than either Amelia or Dereck had ever been.

"I feel like such a phony." Dereck bawled as he looked at his final notice letter from the IRS, who had been writing to their first home for weeks.

"Relax, Dereck... just breathe. You can get an accountant or a lawyer. The tax thieves won't take you away from me." Amelia kissed his neck, wrapping her arms around his waist.