-Chapter 15-

-Chapter 15-

-More than a year later-

-February 12, 2008-

-POV MC-

"Tony Stark has been kidnapped right under the nose of the American army. This is the news that is shaking the entire world. What more do we know about this, Mr. Fergusson?"

"For now, nothing more than yesterday, except that we..."

---

"Alright, let's go, everyone!" I shouted, giving the signal to the entire team.

"We've simulated this situation dozens of times, in case a rich person at the head of a conglomerate mysteriously disappeared. Spread all sorts of news about his death, including fake photos and other rumors on the networks," I said, addressing all the geeks I had specially recruited to set up a cyber-influence agency.

The Public Relations Management Center, as I called it, operated in total illegality.

I set it up specifically for this kind of situation, the kind where I would have to quickly influence public opinion and create chaos with true information that the authorities hide, while adding lies if it serves my interests.

---

"Wait, we’ve just received some news," said the presenter, touching her ear and frowning.

After a few seconds, she resumed the broadcast and said, "It appears that a video showing the billionaire dead, his chest riddled with shrapnel, is live on the internet."

---

'Holy shit, I didn't think they'd relay the news so quickly. I thought they would at least verify the source of this video,' I thought, grabbing my phone and dialing Vanessa's number.

"Hello, Vanessa," I said, calling the director of my private investment fund.

"Yes, Boss," said Vanessa on the other end of the line.

"I hope you're aware of what's happening," I said, getting straight to the point.

"Of course, it's impossible to miss," said Vanessa.

"Perfect. Bet all our chips against them," I said, ordering her to short the market.

"All our chips represent more than 2 billion dollars," said Vanessa.

"Do it, I want you to short Stark's shares with a 10X leverage," I said.

"Sir, I think you don't realize what you're doing. We could lose everything if Tony Stark is found," she said.

"I don't care about the losses. I just want you to do it and whatever happens, don't pull out until I give you the signal," I said in an authoritative tone I didn't usually use with her.

"Very well, Boss," she said, though I could sense she was unhappy with my actions.

'She doesn't know what I know, otherwise she'd agree,' I thought, reassuring myself.

I hung up the phone once she assured me everything would be done as I planned, but I wasn't at all calm.

Since New Year's 2007, I had lost all desire to enjoy life and had plunged into work.

I occasionally attended parties, met public figures, celebrities, and rich businessmen, but I started no relationships.

'I must put everything into my goal, that's all that matters,' I thought.

I moved an average of 200 tons of coke worldwide per month and made tons of connections during my 'business trips,' especially in countries where corruption was rampant like Congo and Venezuela.

How did I make so many connections?

Very simple, spend without counting to make influential friends.

In total, I spent more than 5 billion dollars. These influential friends agreed to help me launder 150 billion dollars that I managed to clean in their countries with completely bogus pharmaceutical, mining, and tech companies.

Even though on the surface these 150 billion dollars were legal money, I knew that if American authorities were determined enough, they could trace the origin of my fortune.

So it was only natural that I decided to put my new fortune through a second round of laundering.

I split my money by entrusting it to 700 different brokers worldwide, brokers I held by the balls with compromising files and debts.

I tasked my brokers with making my funds travel and age for an entire year.

The goal was simple: make so many transactions that it would be practically impossible to trace the origin.

Once this task was completed, my funds would be sent to various shell companies and accounts based in tax havens around the world before being finally reinjected into a company I owned based in the Cayman Islands, which took care of acquiring shares in various companies.

So far, I have managed to acquire 18% of Roxxon Corporation, 17% of Oscorp, 8% of Walmart, 11% of Exxon Mobil, and 21% of Hammer Industries.

In one year, thanks to my discreet rise in power, I had reached the level of the untouchables, all thanks to bribes to certain employees and executives in these different industries who acted as my eyes and ears.

As soon as a rich kid had an addiction, I was the first to know, and in the shadows, I made sure this person had a problem that only I could solve.

I intervened on behalf of their family with the sole condition of buying the shares in their possession, all while protecting myself with numerous confidentiality agreements shielding me from the public eye, politicians, annoying officials, and billionaires who might try to hinder me.

Thanks to my shareholder status in Hammer Industries, I had a stable and reliable supplier at a practically given price, allowing me to make handsome profits while keeping my identity secret, except for Justin Hammer.

Although I quickly climbed the ladder on the backs of multimillionaire families, I took care to collect all the dirt I could on practically all the rich and specifically the families I had kindly 'scammed.'

'If you can call it that, because I simply suggested they sell quickly at a more than fair price,' I told myself.

Michael helped me a lot with laundering through his casinos, and I even developed a similar system to his that I applied in my own establishments.

I used the money I laundered to buy casinos, restaurants, hotels, nightclubs, and of course, apartments all over the country.

However, I have completely stopped that now while ensuring no trace was left behind.

I didn't want to fall the same way Al Capone did; I still had a long life of pleasure ahead of me.

'If I can slip through the Infinity Gauntlet of good old Thanos,' I thought.

'It's time. From now on, everyone will know who I am. Many people will have doubts about the legitimacy of my fortune and will try to prove I am what I am, but it's up to me to run them all around in circles.'