Chapter 127: Secrets

Niklas chuckled, shaking his head. "Fifty percent? Are you kidding? Janus Friis and I have already invested $20 million into Skype. We've laid the groundwork." he said and then took a sip of his coffee, like he was trying to build tension.He put the cup down and continued, "Also, so far most of the functionality is peer-to-peer, meaning that the load on our servers was miniscule. With new functionality, the costs would skyrocket. $40 million without assurance of further financing is just not something we can agree to, especially not for half of our company."

"I understand," I said, reaching into my wallet for another card.

I handed it to him with a steady hand. "I'm also an executive at Johnson Trading in Orlando. I will make sure to secure additional funds in the event that they are needed." Sёarch* The Nôvelƒire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Niklas studied the card for a moment before looking back at me.

He flipped the card a few times between his fingers and finally stated. "$50 million. Invest $50 million upfront and we can talk terms."

I considered for a second and then nodded. "Alright, Niklas. $50 million it is."

...

It was Wednesday, July 9th.

After finalizing the deal with Niklas, we arranged a meeting with their company, Joltid, in Luxembourg, where Skype was operating.

With everything in motion, I left the rest of the deal in the capable hands of Derec Johnson.

I'd committed $25 million of my own funds, with Immortal Investments covering the other half. This was similar to how I'd handled other investments with Johnson Trading and Google.

One mind-boggling thing was that in just a few days, the ruble had plummeted from 32 rubles per dollar to 47 rubles per dollar. It was one of the most significant moves in foreign exchange in recent years.

Now that I thought about it, the decision to exit military-related stocks might not have been the wisest.

While Charlotte was sitting at a desk in our hotel writing a musical piece, I was in front of my notebook, choosing which futures to sell so that I could complete the Skype investment.

Something occurred to me as I was looking through my brokerage account.

Soon, I might gain enough control to really influence the world.

...

On July 28th, exactly according to my prediction, China initiated a liquid energy exchange with the USA. This move created ripples across global markets, and as anticipated, it greatly benefited my investments.

On August 30th Russia hosted a high-level meeting with India, Iran, Brazil, Venezuela, and Egypt to discuss economic cooperation. However, the world wasn't fooled—most saw it as a cover for discussions regarding the growing China-USA alliance. The speculation was that Russia was exploring the formation of a counterbalance.

On September 11th, with a nudge from China and the USA, North Korea agreed to put its nuclear program on hold in exchange for economic aid and security guarantees. Everyone was talking about how unexpected it was that North Korea actually made a move like this.

Around the same time, due to nuclear threats from Russia and pressures from India, the USA decided to refrain from any military aid in Ukraine.

On November 1st, PlayTube finally launched and quickly gained traction. First videos showed up on the site. Because the world was so busy at the time, political videos became very popular.

On November 10th, a wave of cyberattacks struck government institutions around the world, targeting critical infrastructures such as the U.S. Department of Defense, the German Bundestag, and the UK's National Health Service.

Cybersecurity alerts were raised to orange or red in most countries. U.S. intelligence was quick to point the finger at Russia, although no definitive proof was provided.

...

...

Tuesday, December 9th, 2003.

Hong Kong, China.

Hong Kong was one of the richest cities in the world. It was colorful all around me—tall buildings, modern shopping malls, and restaurants. The streets were loud, filled with people, cars, and bright neon signs.

It was a city of finance, manufacturing and business, but it was also one of the most popular tourist destinations.

I turned to the group with me—Raegan Lee, the guy with the head for the gaming industry, and a few new employees from the Hong Kong branch of Immortal Investments.

"Let's go in here," I said, pointing to a nearby Cantonese restaurant.

It was the middle of the school year, but I took two weeks off, which will cost me later.

I came to China for Hong Kong FinTech Week and to check on the new branch, which finally opened after a lot of bothersome issues.

Charlotte couldn't come with me.

As I took a bite of the Cantonese roasted duck, I thought about how much had happened since my trip to Europe.

The portfolio of Immortal Investments was now worth over $400 million.

CalMaine was riding high, and we were already cashing out, milking every last drop of profit.

The investment in Discord, I mean... Skype, went smoothly. We also put $9.8 million into Tesla, securing 19% of the company's equity. I was relieved that Elon Musk did end up investing in Tesla as well; he put down $6.9 million for a 13% share.

Sam invested $300 million into BlackBerry, doubling the investment in just six months. But he was adamant on investing at least $150 million in Amazon and Netflix.

Well, he will just need to wait enough time for the investments to pay off.

As for my own portfolio... If I liquidated today, I'd be holding $500 million in cold, hard cash.

"Alright, let's wrap it up," I said, standing up.

We were ready to head for the fintech event.

"Young man!" a hoarse woman's voice called out from beside me as I was about to leave through the door.

I turned to my right and saw an elderly Chinese woman sitting at one of the small tables. her hair was gray and she was dressed in a long red dress. She had heavy makeup on.

She looked at me with a knowing smile. "You seem to have gotten yourself in quite a predicament," she said, shuffling a deck of cards in front of her. "Would you like to try a divination?"

"Jack! Are you coming?" Raegan called out.

I glanced at Raegan and the team, who were waiting patiently.

I looked back at the elderly woman. "I'm not sure I have the time for that right now." I said, about to turn away.

"Oh, but sir," she said, her voice smooth and persuasive. "It will only take a few seconds, and it's free of charge."

I sighed. Why not? I nodded at her. "Alright. I'll give it a try."

She handed me the deck of cards, which looked like Tarot cards. "Shuffle them, young man," she instructed.

I took the deck and shuffled the cards as she asked. Once done, I handed the deck back to her.

She took a deep breath and began her spiel. "The cards will reveal the energies surrounding you and provide guidance. I will divine your future through these ancient symbols."

With a flourish, she drew two cards from the top of the deck and flipped them over.

One card showed some sort of tower, struck by lightning, while the other depicted... an angel?

"What do those mean?" I asked.

She studied the cards for a moment before speaking. "Ah, The Tower signifies sudden change, upheaval. It can signal that a catastrophic event is on the horizon. And The High Priestess," she continued, indicating the second card. "represents hidden knowledge and secrets."

She looked at me. "Sir, perhaps someone out there knows more about you than you wanted to reveal to them? Your deepest secrets? Secrets that could cause upheaval in your life..."