REESE

chapter five.

Reese POV:

Ten Years Later...

"Miss Vanderbilt, your father is here to see you."

"Thank you Maria, please send him up."

I closed my laptop and started gathering the documents littered all over my desk. I knew I needed to get rid of all my work before my Dad showed up and reprimanded me for "working too much." I would be dead if he found out I had been in my office since 5am, because it was now 7pm and I had been holed up in here all day.

I sighed looking at the remaining paperwork. I was used to the work that came with running a multi-billion dollar company but after looking at stacks and stacks of work documents for fourteen hours, the words were starting to jumble before my eyes. I started Cryptic Incorporated when I was just eleven years old, a fresh NYU graduate. I poured my heart and soul into molding my company into what it is today. Now Cryptic Incorporated is ranked number one in tech and motor companies in the world. I have branches spread all around the world with my headquarters sitting right here in New York. Cryptic Inc took the global market by storm, soon manufacturing cars and tech like no one had ever seen before. Today, you could not take a walk down any street without seeing Cryptic Incorporated products somewhere.

Everyone wanted to know who was behind the company that was actively surpassing the market capitalization of the biggest corporations in the world. They only got a name.

Reese Vanderbilt.

With my abnormally fast rise to the top of the business world, Reese Vanderbilt became a household name, and I was fucking proud of myself. I made it to the top, and now at eighteen years old I am the youngest self-made billionaire in the world.

Cryptic Incorporated is my baby, my pride and joy, but right now I swear if I have to see one more document talking about company revenue, assets or market values, I am going to lose my mind. I tiredly rubbed my eyes just as my dad walked in.

Jonathan Vanderbilt has an aura that commands the attention of every single person when he enters a room. His crisp suits, muscular body and cold persona label him as frightening, an attribute that is absolutely necessary when being a mafia don, but right now all I could see was pure happiness on his face. He closed my office door and quickly made his way over to my desk engulfing me in a huge bear hug. I stood at five foot ten but my head only reached my dad's chest. I laughed as he hugged me so tight my face squished against his broad chest and my arms were pinned under his heavy ones.

"Dad can't breathe." My voice came out muffled.

I could feel his chest vibrating as he laughed. He let me go and kissed the top of my head as he backed away.

"I heard you almost got caught by paparazzi this morning." He inquired with an amused look on his face.

I rolled my eyes. "Who knew those assholes would go as far as to try and climb the Cryptic fence just to get a picture of my face." I muttered irritatedly. Then I paused for a second before my eyes widened and my face morphed into an evil grin.

"Uh, Ree? Why are you making that face?" My dad questioned looking at me with a half-scared half-curious look on his face.

"I just figured out my next renovation for Cryptic." I beamed. "Electric fencing going around the whole perimeter, sporting just above two hundred volts. One touch and it's lights out bitche-."

"Okay then." He cut me off, raising an eyebrow. "I don't think that's allowed here."

I chuckled. "Dad, I own half of New York. I'll make it allowed."