Page 66 of The Wedding Pact

‘Yeah, I guess.’

‘But did you know there’s an unofficial ranking system for uber-wealthy people?’

‘I did not know that.’

‘Yeah. They’re sectioned into different tiers. Tier seven is anyone with seven figures, so between a million pounds and nine million, nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine pounds. And ninety-nine pence, I guess.’

‘Whoa.’

‘So, tier eight, by that logic, is anyone with eight figures, so ten million up to just under a hundred million.’

I shake my head in awe. ‘Jesus. These are eyewatering amounts of money. Imagine what you could do with that kind of wealth.’

‘Yeah, sure, but don’t forget, most of it will be tied up in company shares and investments. It’s not like people have that sort of cash lying around in their bank accounts, not if they have any sense anyway.’

‘And – don’t tell me – billionaires are tier ten?’

He smiles. ‘Exactly right.’

‘Like you?’

‘I just squeak into that tier, yeah.’ He gives a nonchalant nod that makes it clear he’s not nonchalant about this at all.

‘Fuck. But once you’re only a small way into tier seven you’ve got more than you’d ever be able to spend in a lifetime.’

‘Yeah, after that it’s all just about who’s got the biggest number.’

‘Inches, millions – both ways to feel superior to your fellow man,’ I say with a wink.

He grins at that. ‘Well, yeah. At its most basic level, I guess so.’

I nod. ‘I get it. I’m a stats lover myself with a healthy interest in gaming, as you know. It’s all about those dopamine hits when you move onwards and upwards.’

‘Yeah, it’s hard to beat.’

‘On the flip side, it also means people with a competitive disposition or a gambling habit can get unhealthily hooked on getting a bigger number or better chart place to the detriment of everything else.’

He folds his arms. ‘Are you suggesting that’s me?’

‘I might be very subtly alluding to that, yes,’ I say, with another wink.

He shrugs. ‘I suppose you could say I’m a bit obsessed with where I rank. Like a true gamer.’

‘Yeah, that follows. I guess it’s going to take someone pretty exceptional to keep your attention in the long term if that’s what they’ve got to compete with.’

His eyebrows shoot up. ‘You make me sound like a cold-hearted bean counter.’

‘Not my intention, I promise you. Just a general musing about why, perhaps, you found it so hard to find someone to bring to this wedding.’

‘It wasn’t that hard in the end. You agreed to it, didn’t you,’ he points out with a smile.

‘Yeah, at the very last second. You got lucky, dude, don’t try and pretend that you didn’t.’

‘I did get lucky, yeah.’ Reaching across the table, he takes my hands in his and gives them a gentle squeeze. ‘I really am glad you came.’

I waggle my eyebrows at him. ‘I’m glad I came too.’

He grins widely and seductively at me. ‘There’s plenty more where that came from. If you’re interested?’