Aaron was surprised but pleased that Keeley seemed to be making herself at home. She had texted him three days in a row, unsolicited, offering suggestions to improve his place (like adding a hammock), criticizing his lack of cookware, and even sending pictures of his cat.

On Wednesday night, he received a picture of Molly and Dinah curled up together, captioned, "I think Dinah finally won her over." Apparently, Molly had been wary of Dinah for two days.

"It's good that they get along, since they're going to be roommates for a while," he replied.

Her uninhibited texting reminded him of high school, before they dated. Whenever anything remotely interesting happened, or she thought of something funny, Keeley would text him. She was doing the same thing now.

Why? She wasn't like that with him anymore. She was typically much more reserved, even if she wasn't directly telling him to leave her alone. Even a few weeks ago at the wedding, she hadn't been like this. What had changed? Was she actually softening because he was helping her again?

Aaron was sorely tempted to end his trip early and ask her in person, to see her reaction. Unfortunately, he needed these people's help to overthrow his father. The Canadians could help drive up stock prices even higher during next year's peak season. He couldn't offend them by leaving early.

His least favorite aspect of the business world was always schmoozing—something he wasn't naturally good at, as people generally annoyed him. Unfortunately, it was a vital skill. He had to pretend to be interested in their lives, a habit cultivated from a young age. He researched their interests beforehand, remembered the names of their spouses, children, and pets, and asked about things previously discussed.

Years ago, Aaron developed the habit of writing down notes about people immediately after meeting them, for future reference. It was part of his success in his first life—Alistair's teachings weren't entirely useless.

The problem was that Alistair allowed his son absolutely no individuality, trying to create a perfect, miniature version of himself who would parrot his beliefs. The thought horrified him now, but Aaron probably would have done the same to his lost child; he simply didn't know any better then. Now, understanding the importance of people's dreams, he could never repeat his father's actions.

Not that he would ever get the chance. He would die childless, just as in his first life.

If Jeremy Ward ever worked for him again, Aaron would hand him his legacy in a heartbeat. If it happened, it wouldn't be for a long time; Jeremy had barely turned one. What a strange thought!

Jeremy had been a reliable protégé, taking Aaron's business advice seriously. After five years at a smaller financial institution, he started working for Hale Investments and graduated from Princeton. He was young, hungry, and eager to prove himself—much like Aaron had been before meeting Keeley—business-obsessed. Perhaps Aaron took him under his wing because he saw his younger self in him.

Aaron had been CEO for nearly ten years when they first met. Jeremy was an analyst, and his department head was so impressed that he wanted to promote him, but there were no open managerial positions. The head analyst approached Aaron, asking him to meet Jeremy and advise him. Jeremy was twenty-six but looked younger, often overlooked until his brilliance became apparent.

Aaron was initially underwhelmed until Jeremy offered an insightful analysis of a concerning market trend—exactly what Aaron had been thinking. Instinct told him the kid would go far, so he gave him the chance. When Jeremy was offered the position of Aaron's personal assistant, he refused, preferring to work with numbers.

This impressed Aaron so much that he revealed his true intentions: to train Jeremy as his replacement. The kid was shocked.

So many things had changed in this life. Would Jeremy's trajectory change? He doubted it. Thus far, the only major differences were things he personally influenced. He didn't meet Jeremy until 2038; it was unlikely anything he did would prevent Jeremy from graduating and joining Hale Investments.

However, Cameron was now head of the analyst department. Would he see the same potential?

Speaking of Cameron, what kind of life had he originally led? Aaron had met Aiden in his first life (in 2020), but not Cameron. Had Cameron still worked in finance? Did he still meet Jennica, or marry someone else?

It was an interesting question. With an MBA from Harvard, he would likely have ended up on Wall Street eventually. Jennica would have been in New York even without Keeley's influence. But would they have met? New York is a huge city; the odds of two specific people meeting are small.

Aaron was certain his actions benefited both Cameron and Aiden. They both had good jobs and loving partners; they were happy. If their happiness stemmed from Aaron's rebirth, why couldn't he be happy too?

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