InkBound
patreon
CH99 | DI
🕑 Added 2025-05-06 13:44:30 +0000 UTCMeanwhile, at Shark Capital Headquarters.
Employees were glancing cautiously at the CEO’s office on the second floor.
Beyond the transparent glass wall stood Dex Slater, the Great White Shark.
At first glance, his expression appeared calm.
But upon closer inspection, a peculiar aura of menace seemed to seep through the glass.
There were only 24 days left until the shareholder meeting.
Currently, institutional support stood at 40% versus 31%, with the Great White Shark in the lead.
However, 7% of institutions remained undecided, and retail investors made up 17%.
In a typical voting scenario, retail investors rarely participated.
Even if the remaining institutions sided with Whitmer, the gap was still insurmountable for him.
Yet, this time, things were different.
Due to the nationwide spread of the controversy, retail investors were unusually interested in exercising their voting rights.
It was a situation where the results could shift unexpectedly at any time depending on their choice.
‘Was I too rash…’
The one who awakened the retail investors was none other than the Great White Shark himself.
Initially, he believed things would proceed smoothly if he proposed using the proceeds from the Harbor Lobster sale as a special dividend.
But that special dividend was lost in an absurd manner.
Epicura used all those funds to acquire a new brand.
It was an unforeseen move for Epicura to acquire a brand at this timing.
On top of that, there was the rebuttal against the report and even the unlimited bread and sandwich debacle…
A series of completely unpredictable developments.
As a result, what seemed like a guaranteed landslide turned into a fierce battle.
This was a direct showdown, with the Great White Shark’s reputation on the line.
Defeat would be a critical blow to his career.
He would be reduced to a toothless shark in the eyes of the public.
The Great White Shark slowly moved his hand to grip the glass on his desk.
‘Three times now.’
Failing to notice the acquisition at first was undoubtedly a mistake.
A mistake born from underestimating the opponent he was up against.
However, the subsequent report and the unlimited bread fight were no mistakes.
Despite identifying and targeting the mastermind, he was cornered.
This meant it wasn’t just a mistake but a defeat.
Crash!
The glass fell to the floor and shattered into pieces.
As he was about to crush it further,
“Are you alright?”
“Did you get hurt anywhere…?”
The PM and analyst who had just entered the room ran over in surprise.
It seemed the strategy meeting was about to start.
As he raised his hand to indicate he was fine to the two who were fussing over him, their rushing steps came to a halt.
The Great White Shark quietly shifted his position, placed his shoe on the glass shards, and pressed down slightly.
Closing his eyes, he savored the sensation of glass crunching beneath his feet, then opened his eyes and turned his head.
“How are the institutions?”
In the meantime, the PM had been closely communicating with major shareholders and proxy advisory firms to gauge their stance.
Trying to predict which side the undecided 7% would choose,
“They… mentioned revising the 12-seat board candidate plan. They suggested reducing it to 9 or 6 seats. Most of them proposed splitting the board equally since Whitmer’s direction aligns with ours anyway.”
Splitting the board with Whitmer.
This wasn’t just a rejection of the Great White Shark’s dominance over the board.
It was a sign that they still trusted Whitmer.
The undecided institutions were hesitant to choose either side outright.
However, in 24 days, they too would have no choice but to pick a side.
When that time came, whose side would they choose?
“What else have you found out about Pierce?”
The Great White Shark turned his head sharply as he asked.
The analyst, startled by the sudden change in topic, stammered in response.
“Uh, nothing special beyond what I reported earlier…”
Pierce, the managing director of Goldman, was suspected to have designed Epicura’s response strategy during this crisis, prompting the Great White Shark to order a separate investigation on him.
Although the analyst had already shared the findings on Pierce, the Great White Shark demanded additional information, saying it wasn’t enough.
This was because the findings didn’t match the profile of the figure he had in mind as Whitmer’s mastermind.
‘No matter how I look at it, it doesn’t add up…’
The analyst’s summary of Pierce painted this picture: he was nicknamed “Lich King” for his relentless tenacity, and had the guts to dive into gray-area deals that others avoided.
In other words, Pierce was the type to persistently sink his teeth into prey from the shadows.
But the current adversary the Great White Shark faced was different.
This opponent wasn’t someone who quietly pressured and endured from the shadows.
They struck with actions that defied logic, seized the momentum around them, and pushed forward with overwhelming force.
“You’re telling me there’s nothing else you’ve found? Not a single thing?”
“Well, um…”
The analyst hesitated before finally speaking up.
“There was something, though it sounds absurd… It’s more like a rumor, exaggerated and hard to believe, but it was once a hot topic within and outside Goldman…”
“What is it?”
“Pierce apparently made a rather flashy bet while at Goldman.”
“A bet?”
The Great White Shark’s eyes gleamed.
Epicura had recently declared a bold wager with its sudden brand acquisitions.
A bet and a wager.
The keywords had an odd connection.
“Yes, the rumor goes that Pierce bet his position as MD against another executive. He predicted a contest between a rookie and an experienced trader, wagering that the rookie would win, and the thing is…”
The analyst trailed off, hesitating as though unsure whether to continue.
When the Great White Shark gestured for him to proceed, he reluctantly went on.
“He claimed the rookie would achieve an 80% accuracy rate in trade predictions.”
“80% accuracy?”
The Great White Shark scoffed immediately.
An 80% success rate was practically impossible in reality.
It was something that defied common sense…
“…”
The Great White Shark fell silent, lost in thought.
An outlandish story.
Precisely the kind of trait that matched the identity of his mysterious opponent.
“Go on.”
“It’s hard to verify, but…”
“That’s fine.”
“The story goes that the rookie indeed won the bet with a near 80% accuracy rate. What’s more, during the recent Genesis incident, they supposedly achieved a return of over 600%.”
The analyst’s report became increasingly outlandish.
“I’m not saying I believe it’s true. I’m just relaying what I heard from a contact at Goldman…”
“Then shouldn’t we confirm it through other channels?”
“The strange thing is… every contact I meet from Goldman seems to share similar accounts.”
The analyst’s tone made it clear even he found it hard to believe.
‘Could Pierce be spreading these rumors intentionally…?’
The exact purpose was unclear, but this could eventually become a vital clue.
Thus, the Great White Shark refrained from reprimanding him.
“Well done. Dig further. Sometimes pearls emerge from the mud.”
Even rumors that seemed insignificant could contain fragments of valuable information.
The Great White Shark couldn’t allow analysts to dismiss those on their own.
“What’s the next step? Should we try to negotiate?”
The PM cautiously asked.
Negotiation, in this case, meant proposing to Whitmer that they share board seats.
It would be a kind of stalemate.
But from the Great White Shark’s perspective, an all-out battle ending in a draw was essentially no different from a loss.
Thus, he began exploring other options.
“How is the investigation into Harbor Lobster progressing?”
The Great White Shark had long suspected some kind of irregularity in the sale of Harbor Lobster.
The circumstances of the sale seemed too strange to ignore.
He had ordered an investigation into it, and the inquiry was still ongoing.
“No significant progress yet. But… wasn’t that sale intended for the acquisition?”
“Even so, doesn’t the timing seem odd?”
“Timing?”
“Even if it was to secure funds for a new brand acquisition, was there really any reason to rush it before the shareholder meeting?”
Acquiring a new brand to fuel future growth was plausible.
However, if that were the case, it would have been more prudent to proceed after the shareholder meeting.
Since sudden sales and acquisitions could provoke backlash, it was wise to avoid taking such risks during the election period.
Yet they had rushed the process at this specific time?
It suggested there was a compelling reason to do so, even at the risk of backlash.
The Great White Shark’s instincts were telling him this was a critical clue.
But while the circumstances were suspicious, there was no evidence to support it.
Tap, tap, tap.
The Great White Shark drummed his fingers on the desk for a while.
Then, after some time, he spoke again.
“Find out when the Double Crab House acquisition discussions began.”
“Do you mean the exact date?”
“No, determine the relative sequence.”
“Relative sequence?”
“Which came first, the sale or the acquisition?”
If Whitmer’s claim that the sale was for the acquisition was true, the acquisition process should have begun first, followed by the sale.
“But if the sale came first…”
The reversed order could also serve as a form of evidence.
As he was giving these instructions and preparing to wrap up, he noticed an analyst hesitating in his view.
“Is there something else?”
“Well… we received a rather strange email.”
“An email?”
“Yes, just a moment…”
The analyst manipulated his tablet and switched the screen.
Soon, a tip-off email addressed to Shark Capital’s official account appeared.
Its content was unexpected.
It contained a copy of a market research report commissioned by Epicura from a private research firm.
“It’s from an anonymous source, so its reliability is questionable…”
While the analyst spoke, the Great White Shark carefully examined the report.
The more he read, the wider his eyes grew.
“A study on Black consumer behavior?”
“Yes. It excludes all other racial groups and focuses solely on Black consumers.”
The report detailed Black households’ spending patterns, restaurant usage within Black neighborhoods, and other specifics.
It exclusively targeted Black consumers.
“Could it be…”
The Great White Shark’s intuition kicked in.
As CEO and CIO, he oversaw various portfolios.
In recent weeks, risk analysis meetings frequently highlighted issues related to Black consumers.
Amid the heightened Black civil rights movement, investigations into discriminatory practices were ongoing, and their potential impact on portfolios was being assessed.
A hypothesis began forming in the Great White Shark’s mind.
“Could it be that Epicura has withdrawn from Black consumers?”
The evidence wasn’t conclusive enough to confirm this.
But the possibility was significant.
If the sale was meant to distance themselves from Black customers,
it would explain why Epicura had been so secretive about the reasons behind the sale.
‘If this is true…’
It would be a devastating blow.
Simply revealing this information would quickly erode trust in Whitmer.
At that moment, the analyst cautiously spoke up.
“Could this… be a trap?”
The Great White Shark turned his gaze to him, prompting the analyst to hastily elaborate.
“I mean, isn’t it too convenient that such favorable evidence falls into our hands at such a critical time? Couldn’t they have sent it intentionally to mislead us…?”
The Great White Shark smirked.
He had the look of someone who thought such concerns were typical of a third-year analyst.
“It could be a trap. But even if it is, there’s no need to avoid it outright.”
“Pardon?”
“If we identify the trap’s intent and manage the risks, it can still be useful.”
Even knowing it was a trap, he intended to use it.
As the analyst looked confused, the Great White Shark faintly smiled and asked,
“If the enemy is using this as a trap, what do you think their intention is?”
“Well… maybe it’s fabricated information? If we publicize it, they might bring out the original to accuse us of using false evidence…”
“And if that happens, what do we lose?”
“Our credibility, I suppose.”
Using falsified evidence to win an election?
No one would vote for someone like that.
Moreover, such an event wouldn’t just affect the current shareholder meeting for Shark Capital—it would tarnish its reputation permanently.
Hedge funds often engaged in information wars to influence the public.
An example was exposing corruption within a company when short-selling its stock.
But if a fund gained a reputation for recklessly using unverified evidence, it could spell disaster for Shark Capital’s future.
However,
“We just need to use it without compromising credibility.”
The Great White Shark wasn’t afraid of the risks.
No matter how poisonous a plant might be, with the right handling, it could become a medicine.
He was already devising a way to mitigate the trap’s risks and turn it to his advantage.
The Great White Shark turned abruptly and issued an order to the PM.
“Schedule the broadcast. As soon as possible.”
He was announcing his intent to appear on air again.
And the following evening, the Great White Shark appeared on an economic news program and delivered shocking news.
