At lunch one day in the company break room, a solution of sorts presented itself. He overheard two of the company’s early employees, a programmer and a database developer, discussing skyrocketing home prices and the outrageous cost of daycare. Their startup salaries were meager, and their wives were pressuring them to bail and get a job at a larger company like Oracle or Sun.

Desmond took a seat at the table.

“Gentlemen, I think I might have a solution for you.”

That night, he told Peyton his plan.

“It’s a bad idea, Des.”

“Think about it: with the money I have, I could buy a huge chunk of options. They get the cash they need, I get more options. It’s a great idea,” he insisted.

“Okay. It’s a good idea—”

“Exactly.”

“But it’s the wrong approach.”

“What do you mean?”

“You need to diversify.”

“No. xTV will be huge. I need to concentrate.”

“And if xTV goes under?”

“It won’t.”

“You don’t know that.”

He sat there, wondering why she wasn’t more supportive.

“Be prepared.”

“What?”

“The Boy Scout motto. Surely that was big in Oklahoma.”

He exhaled heavily through his nose. “My uncle wasn’t keen on extracurriculars.”

She looked away, sensing he didn’t want to talk about it.

“I like the idea, Desmond. I just think if you buy options, you should do it in other companies. You already own plenty of xTV options. I’ve got a bunch of friends who work at other startups. I can ask around, see if anyone is interested.”

The more he thought about it, the more he thought she was right. And he liked that she hadn’t given up on her point. He needed someone like that in his life.

In the following weeks, Desmond met with dozens of startup employees in coffee shops and at their homes. His lawyer read their employment contracts to ensure that they were free to sell their options, and drew up a purchase contract that Desmond used to buy stakes in a few companies within a month. Those companies were happy to cooperate; they wanted to keep their employees happy, and the cash from Desmond allowed those employees to maintain their lifestyle while staying at the company.

A few months later, all of his money was invested. He owned stock options in fourteen companies. He was more selective after that. He used every penny left over from his salary to buy options in the most attractive companies. And he insisted Wallace send him a bill for the legal work, which he paid promptly.