Chapter 146 Credit

Skylight Clarkson Square, September 7, 2013.

While the VIP section's new guests gossiped about the middle-aged CEO, the annoyed Vince spent a few minutes discussing finance with Jamie Dimon.

The banking CEO began by saying, "My market research team has been paying attention to your Bitcash business the past year and noticed its rapidly growing user base, especially in foreign countries like Afghanistan and South Korea. Future Tech provides a range of new-age financial services like satellite banking and wireless direct fund transfers using Infinity devices. However, Bitcash only accommodates credit and loans for national banks instead of all its eligible customers. I'm sure JP Morgan Chase can significantly assist in managing credit accounts as a corporate partner and expedite economic growth outside of the US market."

Vince considered the offer for just a moment and pondered, [Wow! Here I thought the banks were only going after the Afghanistan pie. Does he think I'm foolish enough to expose all my customers to predatory practices?! The American people are already suffering from their actions, and I won't help to propagate systematic scams.]

Unwelcome memories from his past life surfaced in his mind, but he calmly asked, "What's money to you, Mr. Dimon?"

It was a simple question at face value but can become quite complex, especially when asking a person like a Wall Street banking executive.

Jamie assumed Vince wanted a sincere answer, so he played along for the sake of cooperation and replied, "You've become a titanic figure in the tech industry recently, and maybe you can understand my point of view on money. I believe it's a form of power, authority, and influence based on my years of experience in the finance sector."

Jamie thought Vince would appreciate his insightful and honest response without embellishing his true yet selfish beliefs, but he couldn't have been more wrong.

The young CEO smirked and shared his opinion by saying, "Unlike you, Mr. Dimon, I come from a humble upbringing. My choices and opportunities in life didn't include attending a fancy business-finishing school or waiting for a trust fund to be released by lawyers. Money is a convenient tool for regular people to put food on their tables, clothes on their backs, and a roof over their heads. Even then, they still struggle to live a decent life because of people like you who treat money exactly how you explained." The typical credit card annual percentage rate was around 25% for individuals without credit history or ones with average credit levels, which was practically daylight robbery.

Many Americans who have struggled financially due to various circumstances like misadvised loaning or a poor understanding of credit are essentially enslaved to live paycheck to paycheck and keep up with interest payments.

Credit as a concept is complex, and banks take advantage of this fact to farm extra money from citizens in exchange for the privilege to loan higher sums from their institutions.

Jamie took the insult on the chin and quickly changed his strategy before saying, "There's plenty of money to be made by extending credit to your users, especially when my friends at the US Treasury decided to regulate Bitcash and Bitcoin as a currency. Unfortunately for you, the Protections for Domestic Innovations can't stop Federal regulations, and they've been eyeing an increase in Future Tech's payable taxes once new laws are implemented."

Bitcash transactions followed proper tax laws but saved Future Tech money by maintaining Bitcoin and Bitcash as tradeable commodities instead of currencies.

The implications of Jaime Dimon's statement weren't to be taken lightly, but Vince chuckled aloud and replied, "Are you really threatening me with your bank lobby and the US Treasury? Future Tech may not have a deep history like JP Morgan Chase, but money can only do so much, Mr. Dimon."

Jamie was clearly unhappy with the response and impatiently replied, "I'll give you one last chance to cooperate, or you'll regret not accepting our gracious offer."

Vince hated ultimatums and quickly replied, "We'll see about that when the time comes.", before abruptly leaving and ordering an FS operator to escort Jamie and his bodyguards out of the building.

Jamie acted up and made a small scene by actively ignoring the operator as he left the VIP section.

The other people around noticed what happened while Vince returned to the main seating area.

He sat down beside Hailee as he wrapped an arm around her, then Leah assumed her motherly duties and caringly asked, "Your new friends told us much about that man. Did he give you any trouble, Vince?"

The young CEO honestly replied, "Nothing I can't handle, though I may have to speak with Dollar and Ralph later. It seems like your Future Couture event is a complete success, mom. There are so many high-profile people in attendance, including the new guests we brought along with us."

Vince observed Kyle having fun speaking with Kylie Jenner while Kanye and Kim discussed fashion and design with Sarah and Rick.

Even Dr. Sera seemed to be engaged in conversation with Paris about donating to Future Couture's charity fund.

Leah smiled and said, "The event came out better than I expected. Director Oliver always delivers an entertaining show. I'm glad you and your friends joined me today even though you've all been busy with work lately. We still have an after-party to attend, so don't drink too much Champagne."

Vince considered Jamie's threat and replied, "I'd love to go to the after-party with everyone here, but I may need to return to Austin and prepare a few things with Anthony and Edward."

He wasn't sure what type of other attacks Jamie had under his sleeve, so Vince needed to establish an extensive threat assessment as soon as possible before anything happened.

Leah understood his responsibilities as Future Tech's CEO and said, "Alright, but I'll have to make a quick appearance during the after-party before we leave."

Vince didn't want to be a bother and replied, "Mom, come on. You don't have to skip the after-party for me. I can dispatch another 787 to bring you back home when you're ready."

Though he could contact Future Security via NetServ, Vince also preferred to be directly engaged with the cyber security threat assessment and assist his nethunters.

Leah nodded her head and said, "You're my son and more important than an after-party. Whatever you spoke about with that man clearly got you worked up. Remember Vince; I'll always be supporting you even if you don't ask."

The young CEO reminisced of the time when Leah was on her deathbed, then hugged her before saying, "I will, mom. I love you so much."

Leah was surprised by Vince's reaction but returned the loving hug without question.

The runway show continued for another twenty minutes until the last Future Couture collection had made its debut.

Vince instructed an FS operator to escort Kendall Jenner to the VIP section to reunite with her family whenever she was ready.

Kylie introduced her sister to everyone present when Kendall arrived before the model sincerely said, "Ms. Dalton, thank you for giving me an opportunity to model for such an iconic brand like Future Couture."

Leah appreciated the young woman's gratitude and replied, "Don't be so modest. You did very well on your first outing as a fashion model. Your Instagram following is also great advertising for my products, so I'm sure we received a good deal."

Vince Dalton remained the highest followed person on Instagram with more than 300 million followers, but Kendall Jenner was famous among reality TV enjoyers and boasted a respectable 50 million followers.

Social media activity was completely different now compared to Vince's past life as a fast and reliable internet service, NetServ, had penetrated foreign markets and brought many more consumers into the information age.

Advertising companies have already realized the value of Future Tech's customer base and utilized ad tools provided by the megacorporation to target relevant users that may be willing to purchase their products.

Best

Future Tech didn't actively sell user information and instead developed an advertising system that protected private data by acting as an intermediary, only directing advertisements internally.

Alternative services like Google Adsense and other third-party user data brokers provide more useful information to allow businesses to target advertisements more effectively but comprised user trust in the process.

Vince found his entourage much bigger than earlier, but it wasn't a problem to dispatch another CAV using his Infinity Watch to accommodate the new guests.

A few minutes later, FS operators escorted the group to the private AV pad behind Skylight Clarkson Square, where a blonde Caucasian-American man in his mid-30s was waiting.

Vince hadn't seen his Future Tech Investments Director in person for a while and said, "Richard, I didn't expect to see you here on your day off."

Richard Hanks shook his CEO's hand before saying, "So did I, but Ralph told me about your meeting with Jamie Dimon. I wanted to support you during the negotiations."

Vince laughed for a few seconds, then replied, "You just missed it. We already discussed his business proposal during the runway show."

Richard was embarrassed to hear the news and said, "I should have contacted you sooner. I didn't expect him to be so impatient and approach in the middle of the event. So how did it go?"

Vince boarded the CAV and replied, "We're heading to the after-party. I'll explain it to you in private after we arrive."

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