Love and Investment

"You're the stockbroker who has the most to say," says George, a doctor who pays close attention to investments. "But I like to invest in stocks; it's safer."

"Public funds are better," says Henry, who is a lawyer.

The three of them are good friends and are talking at Edward's house.

"It's hard to say how risky it is," Edward continues. "For example, there are some investments that seem to be very safe that end up being a flop. It's the same with human relationships; there are risks, too."

"Relationships?" George said. "In stocks?"

Edward said, "Investors go through fear, greed, anticipation, restlessness, emptiness, satisfaction.

Disappointment and other emotions. Turn the feelings into action, and you can see their value. "

At that moment, Mrs. Edward walked in and the three men looked at her happily. She was twenty years younger than Edward, with shiny brown hair, a beautiful face, and an attractive figure. She smiled and asked, "Do you need anything?" She looked around and poured coffee for them from the electric kettle. "Edward, I'm going out for a bit and will be back in a few hours."

"Have fun going!" Edward said.

She looked at him fondly, leaned against his fat shoulder, and kissed him gently on the temple.

Then, she walked out.

"I'm going to say it again, Edward," Henry said. "You're so lucky."

George said, "If I had a wife as charming as she is, I would never let her out of my sight because someone might steal her."

"No way," Edward said rather confidently, "she wouldn't look at anyone else."

George looked at him curiously and asked, "How can you be so confident? What exactly does she see in a man like you?" "A lot of things. Beth is one of my most successful investments."

Henry asked, "Financier, is everything an investment for you? Even your wife?"

"I can admit it to you," Edward said. "Yes, she is my investment."

"So, what makes you trust her so much?" Henry asked. "You just said that no investment is without risk."

"True, but the risk I took with Beth is behind me," Edward said this and closed his mouth, but the other two stared at him expectantly. Finally, Edward said, "Well, then I'll tell you." When he finished, he was silent again.

"Are you conscious of your investment in her?"

"Yes," Edward admitted. "As you know, I've never lied to myself.

I see things very thoroughly, and that's how I've been able to succeed in my career. I'm not a beautiful man, never have been, and worse, I'm not at all attractive to women, so I never married. It wasn't until I met Beth a few years ago that I decided to invest.

"I met her in a customer's office and as soon as we met, I wanted her badly. Love? No. I've wanted many girls. Sometimes I was frustrated with my inability to get lovely women. But Beth was one of those women I wanted the most, and she was a symbol of them.

"I could have married a long time ago, I have plenty of money, but I don't want to buy a wife, and with Beth, I don't want to buy, I want to impress her with my feelings.

"I told myself to think of her as an investment, a superior investment. This lovely woman could be kept forever, and she would give me pleasure.

"Like any investment, I estimated the risk of it. As I said, the risk is hard to estimate clearly. A smart investor doesn't always seek low risk. In this case, the risk wasn't low. A woman as alluring as Beth, with her vanity and selfishness, I reckon could easily be unfaithful. She might tire of her older and unhandsome husband, or she might divorce me, but I thought it was worth a try. I induced her to marry me, or rather to marry me and my money.

"At first she was quite satisfied. I indulged her, pampered her, made her comfortable, and she rewarded me with a moment of tenderness, submission, and even pleasure. But that was not love.

"I knew there were men who were seducing her, as I expected, and I didn't care about their attitudes, only hers.

"It wasn't until she met Anthony that I started to worry. Anthony was a TV star brought in for a party Beth was having. He was a handsome man with a low voice, and I felt bad when I saw the way he talked to Beth." I knew when they started dating, it was easy, just hire a private investigator. I felt her grow cold to me.

"For a while, I didn't take any action, hoping that they were just playing along and would soon pass. But that wasn't the case. Later, Beth invited Anthony to our home for a little while which was outrageous. Does he think I'm blind?

"When an investment is in bad shape, we have two choices: pull out of the investment, or take a chance and buy it in the hope of getting more returns in the future. In this case, I decided to take the risk and buy-in.

One fine morning, I persuaded them to take a ride with me in my car. I drove along the wide road, which, at that time, had very few cars. I felt my wife's thigh, which was soft and warm against my leg, a feeling I hadn't had in a long time.

I increased the throttle and slammed on the gas pedal, and we soon passed several cars in front of us.

"Drive slower, Edward," Beth said sternly. "You're not usually like this."

She was right; she was used to a reserved husband, and maybe that was part of the trouble. I decided to give them a taste of it. I said dryly, "It's a shame to die on such a beautiful, sunny day."

Anthony asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Quite simply, we'll have to settle the score today."

"Drive slowly, Edward," Beth said. "Don't be ridiculous."

Normally I would have obeyed her, but then I said, "I know about you two, and you think I'm a fool?"

Anthony said, "I don't know what you mean."

"You've been fooling around with my wife. Got it?"

Anthony laughed, he was such a good actor. He said, "You're crazy."

I said, "Anthony, I had a detective look into you two, so don't pretend."

Beth sucked in a breath of air as I stepped on the gas and the car went faster. Anthony said, "Okay, what do you want?"

"I want you to jump out of the car, it's probably going to kill you," I said. "You'll die immediately and without pain."

"You're crazy."

"Yes," I said, "I want you to die."

"Why don't you go home and have a big cry? Edward, you're a murderer, and I'm not afraid of you."

"I'm not a murderer," I said. You have no trace of my violence on you, and under no circumstances can Beth testify against her husband. No, Anthony, they would think it was an accident, that the door had opened and you had fallen out.

"That's nice of you to think," Anthony said, "but, I doubt it, what did you use to force me to jump out of the car?"

I didn't say anything, but my heart was pounding and my driving hand was shaking. "If you don't jump, I'll let us die together, crash to smithereens, just by turning a corner."

Beth looked at me as if I were a stranger.

"Are you kidding me?" Anthony said.

"I'm ready to die," I said. "There's no point in living."

If you had jumped out of the car, you would have saved Beth's life.

"Don't scare people, I don't take that."

I turned the wheel and the car lost its balance, it slid to one side and spun wildly, the tires squealing on the ground. I kept fiddling with the steering wheel and pedals. I was always good at it. After a while, I got the car to settle down again.

Beth moaned involuntarily and Anthony, a little flustered, called out, "Don't go too far you fool!"

"I want you to taste it first," I said. "Next time, we'll be finished together."

Only your love can save Beth, so act fast.

"You're bluffing."

"I never bluff," I said. "I'm willing to give you another minute. You want Beth, but you don't seem to care if she lives or dies." I felt his foot move. Was he trying to turn off the car's engine? At this speed, slamming it shut would kill me, and I'd still have time to smash the car to smithereens.

"You're bluffing," he said again, this time a little more nervous.

Beth suddenly said, "Anthony, he's not bluffing, he's for real." I had been waiting for that; I knew that my conceited wife not only wanted someone to please her but someone who would die for her. One should know what one is investing in like the back of one's hand.

Beth said, "Don't let me die, Anthony, you can save me." Anthony said with annoyance, "It doesn't matter if I die, does it? What do you think I am?" Beth looked at him, and I felt her go cold all of a sudden. She said, "Forget it."

"You don't care about me, do you?" Anthony said.

"Forget it," Beth said. "I finally understand how you feel about me. You love yourself the most."

"It's time, that's the tree. Goodbye, Beth, my dear." I said this deliberately, driving towards the tree, which was getting bigger and clearer. The tires were screaming, the wind was wailing, and the world was crying. We were rushing toward death.

"Wait!" Beth shouted.

I jerked the steering wheel and we went around the side of the tree and rushed across the road, I slowed down slowly, skidded for a moment, and then the car was moving normally. We sat up straight.

"Give me ...... a chance, Edward, please." Beth pleaded.

"I'm telling you, he's bluffing," Anthony said.

"Please, don't say it, Anthony," Beth said.

"Why? To save your life?"

To save our lives. I never knew I meant so much to you. Can't we start over? To stay together forever, Beth? Forever. Well, I tapped the gas pedal.

When we came to a stop in front of the house, Anthony jumped out of the car and grunted, "I should beat the shit out of you."

"You're going to regret this," I said, confident and calm. He looks at me and strides away.

Beth threw herself into my arms, shaking all over, and I realized my investment was safe again.

"You've made it," she said, staring at my face.

"Yes," I said. I knew she now believed that I loved her so much that I would do anything to have her. She will always remember this and always be a little afraid of me. My adventure had been a success.

"Edward, you're a smart guy," Henry said. "According to your plan, you win and Anthony loses no matter what. But, tell me, what if he decides to jump?" "Then let him jump," Edward said calmly.

"You'll let him die?"

"Of course, he tried to steal my investment."

"You're a cold one, Edward, but, wait a minute, what if Beth hadn't called it that? Then wouldn't your big lie have been exposed?"

"Yeah," George said. "That's what I thought."

"I'll say it again," Edward said. "To invest in something, there's always an emotional risk. You know, in the final moments of rushing toward death and facing eternity, I learned about myself for the first time, and I realized I wasn't bluffing at all."