But survive he did, and at the end of the year he'd received his doctorate, along with multiple job offers - all of them lucrative and all with the promise of rapid advancement. With the substantial signing bonus he'd been given they were able to make a down payment on a modest condo, even though Lindsey had pushed him to buy a single family house instead. Right from the beginning of their marriage, it was readily apparent to Matthew that his wife had no concept about managing money or living on a budget. He'd had to take over paying the bills himself, and making sure Lindsey understood the need to take things one step at a time.
By the time she'd become pregnant with Casey, however, Matthew had moved on to an even better paying job and was able to afford the four-bedroom house she picked out in an upscale community. He often worked long hours, creating increasingly brilliant and more complex computer programs, and making a real name for himself in the industry. But he had always made time for his family, making sure he attended Hayley's soccer games and dance recitals, and taught Casey how to swim and play baseball. They took several family vacations together each year, going to Hawaii or Disney World or visiting his parents back in Wisconsin. Life had been busy but good, and Matthew had known both happiness and contentment.
Everything had started to change, however, when a group of investors had approached him with the idea of starting his own business. It had actually been a long unrealized dream of his to be the CEO of a company, where his computer programs could be developed and marketed according to his very exacting standards. Lindsey, of course, had been ecstatic at the idea, and had strongly encouraged him to take the investment group up on their offer, including their suggestion that he establish the company headquarters in San Francisco rather than the ultra-competitive Silicon Valley.
The business had taken off immediately, and their fortunes had literally multiplied overnight. They'd moved to the exclusive suburb of Hillsborough, where everyone was a millionaire, and the schools the children attended were among the highest ranked in the entire state of California. Matthew was busier than ever, but at least living closer to San Francisco meant a shorter commute, and he was still able to fit in family time, though nowhere near enough for his liking.
But it was when his board of directors pushed him into taking the company public that he'd ceased feeling in control of his life. He'd resisted the idea for almost a year, knowing the demands it would make on his already overtaxed schedule, but also realizing the company needed the additional capital to continue with their research and development. And when Lindsey caught wind of the idea, she had kept at him on pretty much a daily basis to go along with the board's idea. She had recognized that such a move would catapult them from being millionaires to billionaires, and the dollar signs in her eyes had more or less blinded her to anything else at that point.
Oh, Matthew had tried - multiple times - to remind her how many more hours he'd have to spend at the office and traveling on business, and that it would cut down even more on the limited time he had to spend with her and the kids. But Lindsey had countered back that the additional money would set the kids up for life, and that Matthew owed it to all of them to improve their lifestyle. He'd argued that they already had plenty of money, already enjoyed a very extravagant way of life. But it hadn't been enough for her, not by a longshot, and so between the twin influences of his ambitious board of directors and his avaricious wife, Matthew had reluctantly acquiesced to their demands and taken the company public.
It hadn't taken very long for the changes in their lifestyle to become apparent. As expected, he was busier than ever, constantly attending staff meetings or overseeing presentations to clients or being a guest speaker at one tech conference or another. He traveled a week to ten days - and often more - out of every month, and twelve to fourteen hour workdays became the norm rather than the exception. He'd rather quickly found himself spending a couple of nights a week at the condo the board had advised him to buy soon after taking the company public. Matthew had hated spending even more time away from his family, but he had often been so tired from his workday that driving back to Hillsborough at midnight had been outright dangerous.
And Lindsey hadn't wasted a moment in taking full advantage of their vastly improved financial status. She'd found an even larger and more elegant home in Hillsborough, one with a ridiculous amount of square footage that included a pool, tennis courts, servants quarters, a guest house, and a six car garage. She had spent a virtual fortune redecorating and remodeling the place, even though she spent little time there herself. Lindsey managed to keep herself very busy between visits to the gym and Pilates studio, the various department stores and designer shops where she made frequent additions to her vast wardrobe, and the salon where she was either having her hair cut, her nails done, or some sort of exotic skincare treatment or massage.