Ch. 1211..1220
Life at the Top Chapter 1211
Julian replied, “Got it. I’ll get to it immediately.”
Julian knew that time was of the essence, so he immediately got to work.
Jasper then turned to Henry and said, “Let’s go, then. Come back with me first. Don’t go anywhere for the next two days, just stay by my side.”
Henry scoffed and replied sourly, “What’s with this f*cking bad luck. Everything was going great before this troublesome thing happened.”
Jasper and Henry were busy discussing details of this murder on the way back to the hotel when Jasper received a surprising call.
When he saw Jasper fall deep into thought after reading the caller ID, Henry could not help but ask, “Who’s phone call got you looking so grim?”
Jasper smiled and said something that had Henry’s expression changing slightly.
“The little prince.”
After replying Henry, Jasper accepted the call.
Jasper had to pick the call up regardless of the reason behind the little prince’s sudden communication.
“You’re a busy man, Little Prince. It must be something important for you to take time out of your busy schedule to call me.”
A chuckle echoed through the speakers after Jasper finished talking.
“Nothing important, really. I’m just here to provide intel.”
Jasper arched his brow slightly in response.
“While I am very intrigued in seeing Henry, that fool, suffer a little from a prank, I’m more inclined to watch your stunning performance.”
Dominique’s words implied that the man knew everything that had happened today.
Jasper was unsurprised.
Waterhoof City was the Royal family’s territory. The strengths and depths of this family’s roots were, as far a s Jasper knew, unparalleled within the country.
The way Prince Chavez called himself the crown prince just because of Clear Seas Industrial was nothing in comparison to this family’s strength.
This man had no right to call himself the crown prince in front of Waterhoof City’s little prince.
A powerful entity, yet to be determined if friend or foe, that hid and watched the game play out from afar.
This was Jasper’s impression of the little prince.
“Fabian sent someone from Harbor City a few days ago to look for Prince. The setup Henry’s currently facing was also this person’s idea. This person knows you very well, and I’d say the two of you are old friends, even.”
Dominique did not hold out and immediately told Jasper what he knew.
“He’s also someone from home.”
With this, Jasper now understood who Fabian had sent over.
An old friend from home who knew him well. There was no one else but Conrad.
“So he’s joined Fabian’s side, then,” Jasper replied calmly.
Dominique commented mirthfully, “You don’t seem very surprised. I thought you might be a little shocked, a t least.”
“It was a good choice to retreat from the personal conflict he had with me and advance his narrative by joining Fabian, who’s of a much higher status, to jointly get rid of me. But from what I see, the scale’s still a little small.”
Jasper stated calmly.
“He is merely a frog in a pond.
“Or a fish in bigger waters.”
“By jumping from a small pond to bigger waters, it might seem to him like a whole new world with much bigger possibilities. But…”
Jasper’s eyes shone brightly at this moment, and the corner of his lips quirked into an alluring and charming smile.
Seeing Jasper now, even Henry began to feel sour with envy.
‘What the f*ck. We’re both manly men, so how the heck do you look so cool showing off?’
“I have the blue sky above me while I step foot on the vast land. My future lies high amidst the clouds, and this game I play goes far beyond ponds and bigger waters.”
While Conrad plotted and climbed to what seemed like great heights, evolving from a pond frog to a fish in the sea in hopes of becoming someone much more formidable, Jasper’s every move altered the world. The two were realms apart, and the difference in their statuses had already become too huge to cross.
Life at the Top Chapter 1212
“Hahaha! ”
Dominique laughed cheerfully on the other end of the call.
“I thought that you’d at least seem solemn, if not shocked, when I told you what I knew. Who’d have thought that you’d be so confident? Interesting. Things are getting very interesting.
“Looks like calling you was unnecessary, then.”
Jasper replied with a crescent- eyed smile, “You’re too kind, Little Prince. While I don’t really care whether it’s Conrad or Fabian that’s come over, this was still a very important piece of information. After all, the advantage of insider information is that, more often than not, it lets me plan far ahead.
“Perhaps we could have tea together next time?”
Dominique, who was in a villa on the outskirts of Waterhoof City, chuckled when he heard Jasper and replied, “I can have tea anytime, but… we’ll talk about this again after you resolve this issue.”
Dominique ended the call before he handed his phone to a confidant beside him. Then, he picked up the watering pot and carefully watered the plant in front of him.
“Little Prince, so we’ve decided to invest in Jasper, then?”
The confidant had grown up with Dominique. If this was back in the medieval ages, then this confidant would surely be someone like a personal attendant. This man was a confidant of confidants, so he was also more causal while speaking with Dominique, and which was also why he asked directly.
Dominique focused on the flower he was watering. Once he believed that he had watered it enough, he put the pot back down. The confidant immediately reached out both hands out to take the pot and place it by the side.
Dominique took the towel from the tray his confidant offered him to wipe his hands before he said slowly, “What do you think of my pot of noble orchids?”
The confidant smiled dumbly and replied, “I’m not a sophisticated man, and I don’t really understand the art of exquisite playthings. I can’t seem to understand the concept behind a sunflower that costs hundreds of thousands.”
“Not understanding it is correct.”
Dominique pointed at the flowerbed before his eyes and said, “Every plant here is not necessarily cheaper than the noble orchid.”
“Be it one plant or ten plants, you’ll still have to take care of them. Every flower has its seasons, and they’ll bloom and wilt accordingly. No flower blooms throughout all four seasons, so if you want to be able to admire the beauty of this flowerbed, then you’re going to have to plant a few more. Do you understand me?”
The confidant gave it some thought before nodding. “I understand.”
Dominique chuckled and turned to walk into the house. While walking, he said, “Jasper and Clear Seas will have a harsh battle waiting for them. Pass along my instruction to cause Clear Seas a bit of trouble.”
“That old man, Vere Chavez, wants to sign the entirety of Great Britain’s contract. We should knock some sense into him too. Let him know that it’s never good to eat too much.”
“Yes, Little Prince. According to our sources, we’ve also heard the news that Fabian’s been getting rather close with the Chavez family. Perhaps the Atticus family plays a role in this? Should we teach them a lesson too?”
“The Atticus family? Forget them. Let Fabian, that mad dog, deal with Jasper. We’re mainlanders, so we’ll only deal with issues within the Mainlands.”
“I understand.”
…
This huge and extremely fierce battle in the financial industry had come without warning.
More than ten stocks on class A shares were under attack at the same time, as some of the rather alert investors immediately realized that master investors were fighting against each other.
After detailed analysis, it was revealed that these stocks were all important businesses under Clear Seas. Everyone became intrigued at this news.
Clear Seas was one of the strongest figures among the country’s capitalists. Most people did not dare to irk this ferocious entity.
However, as expected of one of the country’s most prolific entities, Clear Seas immediately made effective defense maneuvers.
As a result, under Jasper’s instruction, the gruesome battle between the two parties was condensed to two stocks.
Sandxibit Technologies and Soaring Dragon Telecommunications.
These two companies were outstanding properties under Clear Seas, as well as Prince’s core assets.
This battle Jasper initiated was extremely aggressive and forceful.
With the Law family’s coordination and support, Sandxibit Technologies was the first to fall as it remained pinned at the limit down.
Soaring Dragon Telecommunications did slightly better, but it was soon approached the limit down as well.
Both Jasper and Prince had invested more than a total of 5 billion funds to attack each other.
While 5 billion was not much to Clear Seas, it was an extremely intense battle since the power was focused on only two of Prince’s companies.
Bang!
Prince kicked the coffee table in front of him over; The man was akin to a furious devil.
“Bstards! Where’s the support from the headquarters?! Is that group of people just going to fcking sit and watch as Jasper attacks my stocks and holds the share price at the limit down? Aren’t they scared that my dad will kill them once he returns?!”
A subordinate mustered up the courage to reply, “Crown Prince, the headquarters said that they need to prepare to defend against the Law family, so they don’t have enough hands to help us now. From the way the current situation looks, it seems like we’re on our own for now.”
“Motherfcker! Useless trash! Every single one of them boasted and called themselves stock gods in front of my dad, but the second the Law family gets involved, they all run away with their tail between their legs. What a bunch of motherfcking trash!”
Prince clenched his jaw in fury and looked up to ask, “What about the people from the main house? Are they here yet?”
The subordinate immediately replied, “The plane just landed ten minutes ago. They should arrive in around half an hour.”
“Good!”
Finally, with one piece of good news, Prince was greatly reenergized. “White Glove’s been my dad’s personal bodyguard for more than a decade. With him here, there’s no way Henry, that stupid fcker, would get to hit me! It’s finally fcking time for me to beat him up!”
Prince’s cheek flushed and he felt the urge to drag White Glove over to Henry and regain his lost dignity.
At that moment, the room doors opened.
Conrad walked into the room and swept his gaze over the messy sight before him. He asked, “You were looking for me, Crown Prince?”
Prince quickly walked over when he saw Conrad and grabbed the latter by the collar. Prince narrowed his eyes and stared at Conrad murderously.
“Why did Timothy suddenly appear, Monty?! Don’t you dare tell me that you had no idea about this! Explain yourself right now!”
Conrad gave a small smile. Prince might be grabbing his collar, but the man seemed unaffected by it. Instead, he said calmly, “We’re allies now, Crown Prince. How am I supposed to explain anything to you if you grab my collar like this?”
Prince pushed Conrad away and said disdainfully, “Allies? With Fabian maybe, but you’re just a dog! You are unworthy to be my ally!”
Conrad straightened his clothes and said with a peaceful look in his eyes, “You’re right, Your Highness. I’m unworthy, indeed.”
Prince scoffed and said, “You better give me a reasonable excuse. Timothy’s appearance was never part of our agreed plan. If your explanation is unsatisfactory, I guess I’ll just have to call Fabian.
“And tell him that I killed his dog. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.”
Life at the Top Chapter 1213
Conrad looked at Prince quietly and narrowed his eyes. From the other’s gaze, Conrad knew that Prince meant what he said.
This made Conrad derail from his original plan.
“What do you think of Jasper, Your Highness?”
Conrad asked instead of replying Prince.
Prince scoffed and replied, “That b*stard’s so hollow that even his eyelashes are empty inside. I wouldn’t be facing this predicament if not for that *sshole. What do you think?”
Conrad sighed and pulled Prince’s hand off his collar. “As you can tell, Crown Prince, Jasper is indeed an extremely difficult opponent to deal with.”
“To be frank with you, I was watching the scene through surveillance cameras the entire time. I know when Jasper arrived and what happened afterward.”
“This is also why I had someone direct Timothy over. Otherwise, Jasper would most likely have completely turned the tables.”
Prince replied indignantly, “Turn your foot! Henry is obviously related to this incident. No matter how powerful Jasper is, there’s no way he can rewrite the truth!”
Conrad smiled and said, “But Your Highness, the real people who’ve rewritten the truth are us, no?”
“Both of us are well aware of how the man from the Burke family died.”
“When you told him to hurt himself and gain Henry’s trust, he was too afraid of Henry’s domineering aura to agree. All you did was push him in a fit of anger, Crown Prince, and he happened to drink too much. He hit his head against the wall, meaning his death was an accident.”
“Still, Crown Prince, you’re the direct perpetrator in this accident. Henry is just an unlucky subject you’re framing.”
“But what’s fake will always be fake. A plan like this might work for ordinary people, but it’s far from enough to deal with Jasper.”
Prince’s expression darkened further at Conrad’s words.
“Who’d have thought that he’d be so useless! I just pushed him slightly when he slipped and he hit the corner of the coffee table! What the fck! What kind of fcking bad luck is this?”
“Since the incident’s over, then there’s no point in dwelling over it,” Conrad said calmly. Then, he changed the topic instead of remaining conflicted over the murder.
“I heard that you need money, Crown Prince. Mr. Atticus said that he’s willing to lend you 1 billion without interests.”
Prince’s expression lit up joyfully at Conrad’s words. “Really? 1 billion worth of funds isn’t a small amount. Even bridge loans come with an interests of millions. But he’s just giving it to me for free?”
With his assets under Jasper’s attack, Prince was currently badly short of cash. This 1 billion Somer Dollars had come just in the nick of time.
“Mr. Atticus said that making a friend out of Your Highness is more important than the bit of interest he might have earned.”
Prince liked Conrad’s choice of words.
However, before Prince could smile, Conrad continued, “Mr. Atticus is willing to lend this money to you for 1 month without interests, Crown Prince, but there are still regulations to follow. For example, mortgaging the shares of two of your best and listed companies.”
“Huh?” Prince frowned and looked at Conrad. Something felt off about this.
“Not to worry, Crown Prince. It’ll be stated in the contract that the shares will only be transferred to Mr. Atticus if you do not return the 1 billion loan in 1 month’s time.”
“This mortgage is merely for formalities’ sake. Not to mention that this 1 billion is nothing to Clear Seas, and you’ll also earn much more after you’ve gotten rid of Jasper, Your Highness.”
Prince gave it some thought before agreeing to the deal. “Alright. Then we’ll go according to your plan.”
Conrad smiled brightly as he watched Prince sign the loan contract with his head down.
Once all the procedures were completed, Conrad excused himself from Prince’s room.
Once he exited the room, the humility and smile on Conrad’s face immediately disappeared.
Conrad took the elevator down and got into the car, then he pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
“Mr. Atticus, Prince refuses to partner with us.”
The other end of the call fell silent for a moment. “Forget it, then. Let him fend for himself. There’s no need to interfere with the issue between him and Jasper. He’ll know who to turn to for help once Jasper’s hit him hard.”
Conrad remained expressionless when he heard Fabian’s instructions.
“Then, should I stay in Waterhoof City or return to the Southeast Province, Mr. Atticus?”
Fabian pondered for a moment before he replied, “Stay in Waterhoof City for now. Jasper’s existence is a real problem for us.”
“Wait for an opportunity. There’s nothing wrong with causing him more trouble in advance once there’s a chance, and we don’t lose anything if no such opportunities arise. After all, we have an idiot like Prince taking the brunt of the attack.”
“I understand, Mr. Atticus,” Conrad replied.
“That’s it, then. Don’t contact me again unless it’s something important. I’ll be busy dealing with something big. Once this is done, then it’ll be time to reel Jasper in as well. I’ll contact you if anything else pops up.”
After ending the call, the corner of Conrad’s lips then curled into a playful smile.
“To Peace Church.”
The driver was stunned for a bit when he heard Conrad’s request and asked, “Are we not going back to the hotel, Mr. Monty?”
“Do your job.”
“… Yes, Mr. Monty.”
Life at the Top Chapter 1214
Using the 1 billion Prince got from Conrad, he immediately began to attack Jasper.
This counterattack was immediately carried out in the stock market. Instantly, the quiet class A shares were roped into another storm.
The 1 billion dollar injection would cause a huge change to any stock in the country’s current securities market.
“Someone outside helped Prince.”
Jasper looked at the market trendline and immediately made the correct deduction.
Henry instantly got to his feet and asked, “Is it Clear Seas?”
Jasper shook his head and replied, “Clear Seas and your father have come to a certain understanding. They’re both aware that the moment Clear Seas’ funds are transferred, the Law family will definitely begin their attack.”
“Clear Seas might be owned mostly by the Chavez family, but it’s not a family business. There’s no way other the shareholders would be idiots and transfer Prince their money to be poured down the drain, so it’s not them either.”
“Then what do we do now?” Henry looked at Jasper.
Henry could hold his ground if this was a physical fight, but participating in a battle without actual gunfire or blood was beyond his capabilities.
“No worries.”
Jasper shook his head confidently.
“I initially made the preparations to go into full out war with Clear Seas, but your father and them have come to an understanding to contain my battle with Prince to the three stocks under his name. Since this is the case, then I’ll completely crush him!”
“So what if he has outside help?”
At least 500 million worth of funds had been invested into the three shares. Jasper knew that this money had not been given to Prince for free. There had to be a price for this gift.
What Jasper needed to do now was completely devour these funds.
Jasper pulled out his phone to call Celine, who was far away in Harbor City.
“You guys can make your move now,” Jasper said. Jasper and Celine had already come to an understanding a long time back.
As president of Colossal Investments’ Terra regional branch, Celine was in dire need of a chance to show her ability to earn the company some hefty profits.
Meanwhile, Jasper needed to completely destroy all three of Prince’s listed companies.
Business wise, it was only natural they partnered together.
Personal feelings-wise, well, everyone understood. “But I saw the injection of new funds into the market. Is it another player or was that Prince himself?”
In the brightly lit office in Harbor City, Celine sat in her chair as she played with her freshly done nails and asked lazily.
Opposite her sat a group of Colossal Investments’ high ranking executives. Every single one of them looked at Celine with cold sweat beading on their foreheads.
No one dared to offend this strong willed president in the office. Celine had even gotten the nickname Woman of Steel because of how firm she was in her management style.
While Celine’s high pressure policies had caused extreme agony to the office, employees could see the rapid performance improvements and generously growing monthly bonuses. Thus, everyone was greatly impressed by this ex-general manager, now current president.
However, no one had ever seen the merciless Woman of Steel, Celine, act so casual, alluring, and feminine before.
While the group of Colossal Investments’ Terra regional branch’s high – ranking executives were busy wondering what formidable person Celine was on the phone with, Jasper had already replied to Celine’s question.
“According to the intel I have now, this is money Prince’s acquired from external channels by himself. There’s already 500 million invested in the three stocks, while I place an initial estimation of his total funds to be around 800 million to 1.2 billion. Possibly more.”
Celine harrumphed and replied, “I can make a move right now, but I’ll make it clear first. The investment bank has a bullish view of Soaring Dragon Telecommunications, so I’m going to take it when the time comes.”
Jasper replied calmly, “Since this is an attack on behalf of the investment bank, then there’s no reason for you to help without earning any benefits for your side as well. I have no qualms with you taking Soaring Dragon Telecommunications.”
“Deal. Wait for my good news, then.”
Jasper was about to hang up the phone when he suddenly heard Celine ask, “Hey, how long has it been since we saw each other?”
“…”
Mr. Laine felt exasperated.
“A few months, I think?”
“3 months and 4 days to be precise.” Celine scoffed.
“As expected, all men are trash.”
Beep beep beep…
Jasper put the phone down and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
He was about to say something when his phone rang again.
Seeing that it was an unknown number, Jasper arched his brow slightly.
“Hello, this is Jasper Laine. Who’s this?”
“Chat with me?”
Jasper immediately knew who was calling from those three words.
“On the phone or somewhere else?”
“Peace Church.”
“30 minutes. ”
Jasper put the phone down and got up while asking Henry, “I’m going to meet an old friend. Wanna come?”
Henry shook his head. “No thanks. I’ll wait for Julian to get back. Jesus Christ…”
“Relax. I’ll definitely get you out of this.” Jasper smiled.
“I’ve never been set up like this before!”
Peace Church used to be a rather famous and supposedly very spiritual church in Waterhoof City.
However, with the influx of pilgrims came the construction of the business and residential districts. With time, this area had been partitioned to become one of Waterhoof City’s administrative districts, and was now considered the city center.
Jasper made his way to Peace Church and walked straight into the cathedral. Upon entering the main hall, Jasper looked up to see Conrad sitting on the pew with his hands clasped tightly as he prayed.
Jasper walked over and sat on the pew next to Conrad. Placing his hands together, he prayed as well.
“I thought you didn’t believe in God,” Conrad said with a small smile as he stared intently at the cross.
“I didn’t before,” Jasper replied.
He had indeed been an atheist in his past life, but after being reincarnated, Jasper could not help to think that there might be some larger entity in this world.
“It’s not like I believe wholeheartedly. But that’s how these things are, it exists if you believe and disappears if you don’t. There might not be a God that’s watching over your every move, but a person’s morality is what defines that person’s words and behavior.”
Life at the Top Chapter 1215
A middle aged woman walked over as the two conversed.
The woman was dressed poorly and her complexion was dull. Seated on the pew, she murmured her prayers.
Jasper and Conrad were a short distance away from her, so they both heard how she prayed for her family member’s health.
After the middle aged woman left, Conrad said, “Only when people need help do they come and pray. Does anyone ever remember to light a candle for God when they’re without misery? People who come here are all suffering.”
“From your words, it sounds like you’re suffering from something too, Conrad,” Jasper said with a calm smile.
Conrad chuckled and replied, “The lower class worry if they can afford the next meal while the upper class worry if their interests will be affected by competition. Who can truly claim that they’re living carefreely?”
After praying, Jasper got up from the pew and said, “Looks like it isn’t easy colluding with Fabian.”
Conrad followed Jasper to stand as well and replied, “Looks like you already know this, Jasper.”
“Go ahead and tell me, then. Why did you look for me today?” Jasper asked calmly.
Conrad turned around to look at Jasper and said, “For a partnership.”
After speaking, Conrad took in Jasper’s unfazed expression and smiled before explaining, “A partnership between you and me.”
Only then did Jasper’s expression change slightly.
The first thing Jasper did when Conrad brought up a partnership was wonder if this was another trap set by Fabian.
However, now that Conrad clarified that this was a partnership between them, implying that this had nothing to do with Fabian, Jasper found the matter worth pondering over.
“Do tell,” Jasper said with a crescent eyed smile.
Conrad did not withhold any information and said frankly, “Fabian predicted that you would begin to take revenge and attack Prince. If Prince doesn’t request help from his family, then he’s no match for you.”
“So in addition to helping him plan, I also provided a sum of funds as financial support when he most needed it.”
With Conrad’s explanation, the source of Prince’s funds was explained.
Conrad or Fabian was the one who lent Prince at least 500 million.
Jasper arched his brow slightly and replied, “So I’ve seen.”
Conrad chuckled and continued, “I told Fabian that Prince rejected his funds.”
Jasper’s expression immediately changed.
“When in truth, Prince has already taken 1 billion worth of funds.”
Jasper looked at Conrad and asked, “Those funds were yours?”
Conrad laughed out loud, the smile on his face freezing. “This is why I sought you out to become my partner.”
After saying that, Conrad pulled out the loan contract and passed it to Jasper.
Jasper narrowed his eyes slightly when he read the contents of the contract.
“What’s next is simple. All you have to do is defeat Prince, and our partnership will be considered a success,” Conrad stated.
“What do you want from this?” Jasper asked.
Conrad looked at Jasper and replied, “Purple Seas Pharmaceuticals belongs to me after this.”
“No problem.”
Jasper agreed curtly.
“But aren’t you afraid that Prince and Fabian will take revenge afterward?” Jasper asked suddenly.
“I have my ways of turning the table. It’s none of your business how exactly I do it. All I want is my share of the reward after you succeed,” Conrad replied expressionlessly.
Jasper stared at Conrad for a long time before he replied, “Deal.”
Conrad chuckled and extended his hand toward Jasper. “Then I look forward to working with you.”
Half an hour later, Conrad walked out of Peace Church and got into his car. Then, he left without looking back. Jasper got into another car as well. He stared at the speeding car that soon joined the endless flow of vehicles through his rearview mirror and fell into thought.
Conrad had lost to him many times before. However, the man gave Jasper a completely different feeling this time.
Perhaps the various failures before had changed Conrad. A change that made this man much more sophisticated than he used to be.
Take this partnership as an example. In the past, Conrad would never attempt such a thing.
Still… It did not matter.
It would not be the first time Mr. Laine crushed Conrad anyway.
Like he told the little prince, this pond frog had only evolved into a fish in bigger waters. Whether Conrad manages to become someone even more formidable was still uncertain.
Thinking of this, Jasper gave Jake a call.
“It’s me, Mr. Laine.”
Jake’s attitude was extremely courteous over the phone.
“There’s no need to wait anymore. Prince’s already showed his hand. He has a total of 1 billion gathered from an outside source. Make him use all of it. Borrow from the Law family if you don’t have enough funds, I’ll talk to Mr. Law about it in advance.”
In Harbor City, Jake’s demeanor sharpened, and he immediately replied, “Understood. I’ll get to it immediately.”
The taxi driver could not help but pout his lips when he heard Jasper’s instruction.
‘Youths these days. Instead of learning something good, each one of you bluffs better than the last. You’re taking a cab and you talk about 1 billion dollars. I don’t even see that much money in United Legends’ in game currency.’
Life at the Top Chapter 1216
The afternoon market had reopened by the time Jasper returned to the hotel.
Both Jake and Celine began their attack on all three of Prince’s listed companies at the same time.
This wave of attack under Jasper’s instruction was done extremely fiercely.
Financial battles could be complicated, but they could also be very simple.
The simplest and most aggressive method was to overwhelm them through sheer volume.
Direct oppression without any consideration for wins, losses, or consequences.
This was a game where you attacked at the cost of injuring yourself. There was no need for smarts at all. With enough funds, you could easily crush the battlefield to dust in the shortest length of time.
Prince did not have the chance to celebrate for too long after receiving the financial injection of 1 billion worth of funds this morning. The fierce attack this afternoon stunned him completely.
“How could this be?! Why is there another party?” Prince shouted in the room, his face pale.
The display in his room right now showed a petrifying line of plummeting share price.
“Our funds can’t hold on much longer, Crown Prince.”
A subordinate in charge of trading reported to Prince while sweating profusely.
Prince’s complexion was pale and his expression soured as he shouted, “Jasper that b*stard! He has another attack up his sleeve? Find out who’s causing the trouble right now! I’ll kill him!”
The traders immediately got to work under Prince’s instruction.
More than ten minutes into the chaos later, a subordinate placed their phone down and looked up to report, “Crown Prince, we traced the funds back to Harbor City.”
“The Law family?!” Prince exclaimed resentfully.
“No, it’s Colossal Investments!” The subordinate’s complexion was tragically pale.
“Colossal Investments attacked. They’ve used a huge amount of funds to short shares of all three of our companies. The situation’s looking very dire.
“Our funds will be completely devoured in the next 30 minutes if they continue to attack All we can do is watch as our share price plummets.”
Prince stopped shouting when he heard his subordinate. He was stunned and stood rooted in place, his eyes blown wide open and his expression filled with disbelief.
Panting heavily, Prince worded his panic, “How, how can this be?! Why would Colossal Investments enter the market now? This isn’t logical at all!”
“Your Highness.”
A middle aged man who had been standing in the corner of the room quietly finally spoke up. He explained calmly.
“According to our sources, Colossal Investments Terra regional branch’s current president Celine Maynard is very close with Jasper Laine. There were signs of Colossal Investments’ involvement in Jasper’s huge battle with Seatreasures Group before too.”
Prince clenched his jaw at the middle aged man’s words and replied with resentment flaring in his eyes, “Contact Colossal Investments and tell them to give up their partnership with Jasper. Otherwise, Clear Seas will launch an attack on all their investments in the Mainlands! ”
The middle aged man shook his head. “Something so important can only be instructed by the old master himself. And even then, the old master has to come to a unified agreement with the other shareholders before it can be carried out.
“I’m afraid that they won’t take you seriously if you order such a thing.
“Not to mention… As the strongest investment bank in the world, Colossal Investments might not pay our threat any mind.”
Prince was enraged. “Then go look for that Celine Maynard and tell her to act smart! I’ll give her whatever she wants, money, status, anything!”
“You’ve already lost all rationale, Your Highness.”
The middle aged man’s gaze was indifferent. “Jasper’s played a huge part in Celine’s assumption as the president of the Terra regional branch. Their relationship isn’t something you can win over with a bit of temptation.
“Not to mention that Celine’s familial background runs deep too. You’d only be humiliating yourself by attempting to bribe her.”
Life at the Top Chapter 1217
“Then what do you propose I do?!”
Prince was enraged after his previous ideas was systemically dismantled. He glared fiercely at the middle aged man.
“You’re my dad’s most trusted confidant, White Glove! Are you going to just watch me get screwed over?”
White Glove replied softly, “The old master already gave me specific instructions before this. I’m only in charge of your personal safety, so I will not interfere in anything else.”
Prince panted heavily and roared, “Call my dad right now! I refuse to believe that Jasper is powerful enough to have a say in everything!”
“Prince is losing.” Jasper said in the hotel room with a crescent eyed smile. Looking at the computer screen in front of him, he took the glass of champagne Henry passed him and tilted his head back to enjoy a sip.
Henry replied excitedly, “Then amp up the attacks and completely crush this motherf*cker!”
“If he doesn’t have any more funds coming in, then I’ll give him one more hour at most before all his defenses fall. All three of his companies will be done for before the market closes today.”
In the beginning, the task of destroying all three listed companies involved a certain degree of difficulty.
After all, the shares listed on the stock market were only a percentage of a listed company’s overall shares.
Even if the company was crushed on the stock market, there would not be much difference to the company’s daily operations. The company would face a tight cash flow, but funding was never a problem when it came to Clear Seas.
However, with Conrad’s coordination, this loan contract had just become a weapon that would cost Prince his life.
This greatly sped up Jasper’s plan to completely crush Prince.
If Prince is wiped out on the stock market this week, then he would have no choice but to repay his loan according to the contents of the contract.
At this moment, Julian returned,
He had arrived with one other person in tow.
“Jasper, Mr. Law, there’s been great progress in my investigation today.”
Julian’s expression was energized as he pointed at the jittery man behind him and said, “This is Grayson Cash. He clearly saw that after Henry slapped the Burke victim twice, the man then left safely and went to drink at a bar nearby.
“A group of people then brought the Burke victim away afterward. These people were sent by Prince.”
Jasper looked at Grayson’s terrified expression after he heard Julian.
From how terrified the man was, he must have already had a taste of Julian’s ferocity.
“Is what he said the truth?” Jasper asked.
Grayson immediately nodded vigorously. “Yes, it’s the truth. I saw it with my own eyes. I wouldn’t dare to lie.”
Before Jasper could say anything, Henry jumped up from his seat.
“Where’re you going?”
Jasper immediately asked as he watched Henry make his way to the doors impatiently.
“Where else? We’ve got an eyewitness. I’m going kill Prince, that little brat!” Henrys shouted.
“Come back.”
Jasper felt exasperated. “There’s no need to rush.”
After stopping Henry, Jasper turned to ask Julian, “How did the autopsy go?”
If Jasper wanted to reinvestigate this incident, then the most crucial piece of evidence would not be a living eyewitness, but the deceased himself. Only the evidence found on the victim’s body was conclusive and unfalsifiable.
Life at the Top Chapter 1218
Julian immediately replied after he heard Jasper ask this, “We’ve made even greater progress on the autopsy.
“I found the pathologist in charge of the victim’s autopsy. The victim’s verified that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to his temple leading to intracranial hemorrhage.”
“Moreover, according to the type of wound and the heavy bleeding, the fatal injury was completely unrelated to the slap from before.”
Julian might have sounded carefree, but both Jasper and Henry knew that a certain level of aggression was necessary for Julian to get his hands on these pieces of evidence so smoothly.
Grayson’s expression of innate fear when he looked at Julian, like a mouse facing a cat, was proof of this.
“Good job.”
Jasper nodded.
“Jul, bring this person alongside the pieces of evidence you gathered and hand them over to Timothy. He’ll know what to do next.”
While the death of Timothy’s son had nothing to do with Jasper and Henry, it was still the loss of human life.
Not to mention that Jasper had promised Timothy yesterday that he would give the man a reply within a day.
Naturally, Jasper would not allow Henry, who did not murder anyone, to be framed. The true culprit behind it all had to face the consequences of his actions.
“I’ll get to it immediately.”
Julian was also very concerned about Henry’s incident, and he would not delay the process.
“I’ll bring you out for some fun after all this is over,” Henry grinned and told Julian.
Henry might be a trust-fund child, and was someone who a majority of people would take as the typical uneducated son of a wealthy family, but he was not a bad person.
As long as Henry approved of you, then the man was a genuine and sincere friend to have.
It was just that not too many people were qualified for his approval.
Fortunately, Julian happened to fit the bill.
This showed that Henry did not make friends based on status or wealth.
Like the son of a renowned tycoon would say in the future, “They’d never be wealthier than me anyway.”
Henry’s status and familial background made him even more qualified to say such a thing than that tycoon’s son.
Julian gave a small smile and replied, “Just treat me to a meal.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Henry’s great mood was evident in the man’s eyes. After conversing a little longer, Julian bid Jasper goodbye and brought Grayson to Timothy.
Henry followed him this time.
With Julian around, there should not be too many issues. Not to mention that Henry also claimed that he was meeting Timothy to resolve the issue. Thus, Jasper let the man go without worrying about it.
After they left, Jasper turned around to sit in front of the computer while connecting a call to Jake.
“Give me a report on the current situation.”
“Mr. Laine, since Colossal Investments are joining us to attack the three stocks without inhibition, we’ve made an unrealized loss of 780 million according to our accounts. We don’t have enough funds left.”
“Did you contact the Law family yet?”
“Yes. The Law family said that they’ll transfer another 1 billion funds to our account in half an hour. They’ll reimburse us in the future if it’s not enough, so there’s no limit to how much we can ask for.”
“Alright, then. Ignore the current profit or loss and focus on defeating all three of his listed companies. The assets we’d end of seizing will greatly surpass the current costs.
“Not to mention that we’d still attack even we ended up losing money. This was never a battle of interests, to begin with. Keep attacking until all three companies are completely destroyed.”
Life at the Top Chapter 1219
“Yes, Mr. Laine! ”
Under Jasper and Celine’s coordinated attacks, the three primary companies under Prince’s name immediately turned into gruesome financial battlefields under the barrage of never-before seen firepower.
Astronomical amounts of funds were used up every second.
When godlike entities fought, it was always the weaker retail investors that suffered the most.
Retail investors who used to hold stocks of all three companies wept shamefully as they stared at the terrifying amount of unrealized loss on their accounts.
They were too reluctant to sell their shares, but their wealth was also shrinking with every second they held the share.
This was a financial battlefield where the winner took all, and the strong consumed the weak. Most of the time, there was no way anyone could defend themselves against such exploitation.
This financial battle came without a warning and attracted the attention of quite a few financial companies.
However, since this was a battle involving a personal feud, all the financial companies decided that they would stay clear and simply watch from the sidelines.
They had initially entertained the idea of taking advantage of this fight to earn some profit, but they would need reevaluate their own capabilities first. The slightest mistake could cause them to lose all their wealth.
In the face of such a huge risk, all the organizations immediately sold their shares and exited the market.
They were all smart people who could easily tell that someone was actively picking on these three companies which were under Clear Seas’ support.
This was no longer a fight of commercial interest.
As Jasper said before, he would fight the battle to the end if they attacked someone close to him, even he suffered a loss in doing so.
This was not a battle benefit driven organizations were willing to involve themselves in.
“The market’s crashing, Your Highness!”
A desperate shout rang out in the room and a few profusely sweating and pale faced traders looked at their drained funds before directing their gaze at Prince. “We’ve already thrown all 1 billion into the market, but the opponent seems to have an unlimited pool of resources. Without an influx of more funds, we’ll have no other option but to watch as they completely wipe out these three stocks, Crown Prince!”
Prince sat limply on the sofa whilst gripping a bottle of wine tightly in his hands. His expression was twisted and devilish.
“Useless! All of you are useless!”
Prince suddenly shouted.
“Each and every one of you boasted and claimed that you’re stock gods during your job interviews and when you asked for raises. Yet, now that I need you to work, what have you done but ask me for more money?!”
Prince threw the bottle of wine on the floor.
The bottle shattered the instant it hit the floor as the heavy scent of alcohol immediately filled the room. However, no one would be able to enjoy this flowery aroma of alcohol right now.
“I spend so much money feeding you people just so you can be useful to me at times like this! You think I’d need you people if I had enough money?! All I have to do is scatter dog food over the keyboard and even a dog would know to spend money for more buy in orders! What about you people, huh?”
The traders all kept their heads down as they were targeted by Prince’s almost insane shouting. No one dared to look the man in the face.
Panting heavily, Prince flushed in utter indignance.
“White Glove, has there been any reply from my dad?”
Standing in the corner of the room, White Glove replied softly, “The old master said that it’s currently the most crucial point of his negotiation, and he doesn’t have the time to deal with your issue. He’s also rejected the headquarters’ suggestion to transfer funds to help because he doesn’t want to make an enemy out of the Law family while he’s not present.”
“So, the old man’s just going to let me die then, huh?” Prince sneered.
White Glove replied calmly, “Please watch your words, Your Highness.”
“The old master has a thorough understanding of this incident. As far as he is concerned, this is no more than a quarrel between children.”
Life at the Top Chapter 1220
“A quarrel between children?!”
Prince let out an angry laugh.
“It’s because this is a quarrel that I have to win! Otherwise, how else am I supposed to keep my head held high when talking to others in the future?”
White Glove glanced at Prince and said calmly, “Crown Prince, the old master told you before that no one can win forever in this world.”
“Truly powerful people aren’t people that win every battle they participate in, but those who learn to stand up again after they’ve lost You’ve still got a long way before you reach that point, Crown Prince, and this is also why the old master refuses to pass his authority to you just yet.”
Prince glared at White Glove and sneered. “Since when did you have the right to teach me lessons? Don’t forget who you are. No matter how much my dad values you, you’re still nothing more than my family’s servant!”
White Glove remained calm. It was evident that he had heard similar phrases before.
“I understand, Your Highness. I won’t speak out of line again.”
White Glove bowed slightly before he took a step back, retreating further into the corner of the room.
This meant he would not interfere anymore no matter what happened to Prince on the stock market.
Even without the support of more funds, Prince refused to give up.
He thought of all the different ways of gathering funds, thinking as far as to sell quite a few estates under his name.
This would usually represent quite a bit of money, but they were insignificant in a market that involved hundreds of millions and more.
“Bstards! Jasper that son of a btch! He’s got to be doing this on purpose!”
A week later, Prince cursed and shouted demonically as he stared at the screen with bloodshot eyes.
“He’ll slow down the attacks so I can take a breather every time I’m about to give up, but when I put in more money, he gobbles it up immediately.
“He’s cutting flesh off me piece by piece! He’s got to be doing this on purpose!”
In comparison to being crushed instantly, true torment was what Prince was currently going through. This slow game of cat and mouse was what pushed a person toward desperation and eventually go off the deep end.
Prince had lost a good few kilograms over the pasta week, and he was moments away from mentally breaking down.
“Perhaps we should give up, Your Highness. We’ve endured an entire week of hitting the limit down and our share price is only 30% of what it used to be a week ago. We’re going to have to exit the market if this continues.”
A trader mustered the courage to say.
Prince’s head snapped over and he stared at the trader icily. Grabbing a glass next to him, he flung it at the trader’s head.
The trader yelped and fell onto the floor with a hand covering his bleeding head.
“It’s all of your faults, you useless pieces of trash! You’re the reason I’ve lost so badly!”
Prince roared angrily.
He could almost imagine how he would become a laughing stock, doomed to be viewed as an idiot by countless people after this war.
This fury and humiliation was not something Prince could endure, especially considering how arrogant the man had always been.
He did not mind losing, so long as it was not to Jasper.
This concept had become a nightmare of his.
Staring at Prince, who seemed to have gone mad, the already quiet room turned deathly silent. No one dared to speak lightly anymore.
Prince heaved and fell onto the sofa. He clenched his jaw and said, “I still have a villa in Swallow Capital that’ll sell for at least ten million. Sell it, immediately contact someone and sell it for me. I can sell it slightly cheaper but I need the money immediately!”
“I don’t care if I sell all the assets under my name. I can get all of this back once my dad returns. I still am the crown prince of Clear Seas! No one can look down on me!”
Just as Prince arranged to contact someone to sell off his assets again, someone knocked on his door.