Book Excerpt + Giveaway: The Secret Billionaire byTeymour Shahabi
1960s — March 24. Billionaire Lyndon Surway takes off in his private plane and never returns.
His will leaves the entirety of his wealth—one of the largest fortunes in history—to his “dear friend Lucian Baker.” Only there is no trace of anyone by that name. And the fortune itself is nowhere to be found.
Andrew Day knows nothing of wealth and privilege, but he won a scholarship to study at the most exclusive school in the country, in the town where the mystery, decades later, remains unsolved. There he discovers friendship and danger with the aristocratic Cameron and the beautiful Olivia. But watchful eyes follow him everywhere… Until, one night, he comes across a secret that will change his life. As he begins to unravel what really happened to the Surway fortune, the question remains: who is Lucian Baker?
Metropolitan Times
yesterday morning, following ninety days of fruitless searching, billionaire
industrialist and businessman Lyndon Surway was officially pronounced dead. Mr.
Surway was last seen by members of his staff departing from the main airplane
hangar of his estate a few minutes past eight in the morning, flying alone
aboard one of his aircraft. His last recorded words to the command center crew
of his hangar were: “Clear skies and mild winds. Perfect visibility, or as
perfect as I could hope, for as long as I can tell. Gentlemen, I wish you a
thorough enjoyment of this fine day.” Nothing unusual was noted in his language
or behavior.
his plane out with no stated destination. But this time, he failed to return at
the customary hour of six in the evening. As no word had been received from
him, the kitchens were advised that he would likely dine outside. At ten
o’clock on the following morning, when there was still no news of Mr. Surway or
his aircraft, the Steward of the House alerted the municipal, state, and
federal authorities, and a search began for the missing magnate. But no
airport, hotel, hospital or inn within fuel’s range of the estate could provide
any information. Dozens of interviews bore no result. Countless journalists and
detectives rushed in from every corner of the country, but none of them could
unearth a single clue regarding Mr. Surway’s whereabouts. Not even the Steward
could guess where Mr. Surway had gone. On the morning of his disappearance, Mr.
Surway had only told him: “My day is free and so am I.”
dispatched, with over a hundred hound dogs, across more than two hundred miles
of hills and valleys surrounding the town of Spring Forge, where Mr. Surway
lived. The infantry and the dogs found nothing. The Air Force then loaned
eighteen jet-powered aircraft to continue the search. The Navy joined the
effort with five ships, sixteen helicopters, and four submarines to scour the
coastal regions, islands, and ocean floor within flying range of the Eastern
Seaboard. Again nothing was found. Finally then, a large-scale search was
conducted through the grounds and the buildings of Surway House itself, led by
seven hundred volunteers from Spring Forge and other towns throughout the
valley. Still they found nothing. Yesterday marked three months since Mr.
Surway’s disappearance. The aircraft was legally declared lost, and its owner deceased.
Mr. Surway, estimated for each of the past twelve years to be the wealthiest
man in the Western Hemisphere, leaves behind no known relatives.
Teymour Shahabi was born in
Paris in 1985 of Persian parents. He moved to the United States to study
Comparative Literature and Mathematics at Harvard University. He currently
lives in New York City, where he’s spent the last few years among serious
grownups who probably have no idea he’s doing this. The Secret Billionaire is
his first published book.
You can watch (and help) him try to figure out
writing and life at www.youtube.com/PageWingChannel.
