William sank into the warm water. The bubbles rose around him as he let out a long sigh. His muscles relaxed. This is nice. When was the last time I actually relaxed like this? He frowned. He couldn't remember. The past few months had been nothing but work.

  His thoughts wandered to the smartphone project. The design was done. Using the knowledge he'd gained from purchasing Primitive Smartphone Design and his own bits and pieces of knowledge on how smartphones worked, he was able to design a fairly respectable smartphone. But manufacturing would be the real challenge. He needed to find the right partner, or better yet, acquire his own manufacturing facility. Foxconn and TSMC were options, but he didn't like being dependent on others. If he had his own facility, he could innovate faster and keep his trade secrets actually secret.

  But that would require a lot of capital. He did some quick mental math. By the end of the year, if their growth continued at the current pace, they'd have enough. Maybe.

  His mind shifted to the dot-com bubble. It was coming. He knew it was coming. By 2000, the market would crash, and he'd be positioned perfectly to profit from it. He'd already set up shell companies to short the right stocks at the right time. Amazon and a few others would survive, but most wouldn't.

  For a moment, guilt snapped up at him. He'd be profiting from others' failures. But he quickly crushed the feeling. It wasn't like he was the one causing the bubble to pop. Regardless of whether he profited or not, it would still pop.

  For a moment, guilt snapped up at him. He'd be profiting from others' failures. But he quickly crushed the feeling. It wasn't like I was the one causing the bubble to pop. Regardless of whether I profit or not, it would still pop. Why not take advantage of it? He shook his head. Besides, this is business. Sentiment has no place here.

  William opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. The water was starting to cool. He should probably get out soon. He forced himself to sit up. The bubbles clung to his skin as he reached for a towel. Enough brooding. Today's supposed to be my rest day. I should not be thinking about work.

  After drying off and getting dressed, he checked the time. It was 11:30 AM. Hmm, perfect time for lunch.

  He walked downstairs. Sarah was setting the table. The smell of steak filled the air, making his stomach growl. "It smells amazing, Sarah."

  She smiled, "Thank you, Will. Go wash your hands. Lunch will be ready in five minutes."

  He walked over to the kitchen sink. As he washed his hands, he heard the front door open. Eve's voice called out, "I'm home!"

  "In the kitchen!" he called back.

  Eve appeared a moment later. She looked tired. "You're up early. Surprising."

  "Couldn't sleep," he said. "How's work?"

  She walked over and kissed him on the cheek, "Busy. But everything's running smoothly. The retail expansion is on track."

  "That's good." He dried his hands, "Now go wash up. Sarah's almost done with lunch."

  She nodded and headed upstairs.

  Lunch was quiet. Sarah had outdone herself with the steak, which was perfectly medium-rare. The mashed potatoes were creamy and buttery. She'd even made mushroom gravy, which he'd enjoyed.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "This is incredible, Sarah," Eve said.

  "Thank you, dear."

  William nodded in agreement. After swallowing, he said, "Sarah, you should open a restaurant or something. Your cooking is restaurant-quality."

  Sarah laughed, "Oh, stop it, you two. You're just trying to butter me up. Besides, I'm already busy as is."

  "It's working, isn't it?" Eve grinned.

  "It's working, alright. Here. Have more gravy." Sarah gave some more mushroom gravy to Eve.

  "Hey! Your cooking's restaurant-quality, too!" William tried to join in.

  Sarah shook her head, "Too late, Will."

  Eve stuck out her tongue at him, "Should've been faster. And you're not even creative with your praise! You're just copying me!"

  William snorted, "Not like I wanted more anyway."

  Their lunch turned into a verbal fight between William and Eve. After a few minutes, Sarah cut in, "Now, now, children. You can fight later. Eat first." She turned to look at William, "So, what are your plans for today? You're not working, are you?"

  William shrugged, "Probably not. Today's my rest day, so I'm thinking of practicing my guitar and violin for a bit."

  "That's good. You've been working too much lately." Sarah paused, "Both of you have."

  Eve nodded, "I know. But things should calm down once we finish the retail expansion."

  Heh. I don't think so. Things are never calm. William thought to himself. There's always more to do, no matter how much you do it. He pursed his lips.

  They ate in quiet, and after lunch, William retreated to his room. He picked up the guitar and sat down on his bed. Closing his eyes, he strummed a few chords. Even with his eyes closed, he saw a symphony of colors as he played the chords. Various shades of blue and green made up the lower notes, while golds and yellows made up the higher notes.

  He started with some simple exercises, warming up his fingers. Then he moved on to songs. "Wonderwall" first, then "Hotel California." His fingers moved across the fretboard. The perk, Ambidextrous, made switching between picking patterns much easier. He could use either hand for more complex techniques now.

  After getting a solid hour of practice in, he switched his instrument to the violin. He tucked it under his chin and drew the bow across the strings. His vision was immediately filled with various colors, all converging to make an extremely disgusting color. Oof, that's rough. He thought to himself. Still, he didn't give up. Instead, he doubled his efforts. He remembered the exercises he used to do with the violin when he was young. He started doing those again, drawing the bow across the strings, again and again.

  After about an hour of practice, his dormant muscle memory kicked in a little. His eyes narrowed as the cascading colors became more recognizable, with a discernible pattern emerging instead of all converging into one color, as before. He continued practicing. He did more and more exercises, each one more complex than the last.

  After two more hours of practice, he was able to reliably play at the level he could when he was young. After sighing and a look of reluctance, he put it down by his bed, letting himself fall onto the soft mattress and a pile of pillows. This was a rest day, after all. After resting his eyes, he groaned and got up.

  He walked downstairs. Sarah was in the living room, reading a book. "Sarah?"

  She looked up, "Yes, Will?"

  "What are you reading?"

  She showed him the cover. It was a romance novel. He'd never heard of it.

  "Is it good?"

  She smiled, "Very. Would you like to read it after I'm done?"

  He shook his head, "Not really my genre. But thanks."

  He sat down on the sofa next to her. She continued reading, and he just sat there, staring at the ceiling. Why is resting so boring?

  After a few minutes of silence, Sarah closed her book. "Will, are you okay?"

  He looked at her, "Huh? Yeah, why?"

  She smiled gently at him, "You just look restless."

  He sighed, "I'm just not used to doing nothing. It feels weird."

  She chuckled, "That's because you're always working. You need to learn how to relax properly."

  "How?"

  "Read a book. Watch TV. Play games. Go for a walk. Spend time with Eve. There are plenty of things to do that aren't work."

  He nodded and sighed, "Thanks, Sarah. I guess I'll go read something for fun then."

  Sarah waved at him, "Have fun." She picked her book back up and continued reading. William walked back upstairs into his room again. He walked over to his bookshelves. He scanned the titles. What do I feel like reading? His eyes landed on a science fiction novel that was insanely popular, but he had never read before. Dune... This is popular, so it should be good, right? I wonder how different the movies are from the books. He thought as he saw the somewhat stylish cover.

  He lay back down on his bed and started reading.