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CH94 | DI
🕑 Added 2025-05-06 13:43:53 +0000 UTCAfter the press conference, Dex Slater, also known as the Great White Shark, calmly issued instructions as he looked back.
“The meeting will be held in two hours.”
The unexpected directive made the staff’s eyes waver.
Typically, in such situations, an emergency meeting would be convened immediately.
But waiting two hours? It was unlike the Great White.
As if reading their puzzlement, the Great White added with a soft smile, “We need time to gauge the flow of public opinion. Observing the situation for two hours and then discussing the results will be more efficient.”
His voice was even, devoid of any emotional fluctuation.
“Understood.”
“We will meet again in two hours.”
The staff nodded and withdrew, leaving the Great White to head alone to his suite.
Upon entering the room, he walked straight to a table set in one corner.
A welcome drink and crystal glasses awaited him. He picked up one glass but suddenly relaxed his grip.
Crash!
The shattered glass pieces scattered across the floor.
The Great White stared at them with an expressionless face, then crushed the fragments under his shoe.
Crunch.
The sound of glass breaking beneath his feet.
It was slightly cathartic, but not enough.
He picked up another glass and dropped it again.
Crash!
This was his unique method of emotional release.
In the world of investments, expressing emotions was taboo.
However, suppressing them recklessly was equally dangerous, as bottled-up emotions could manifest in unintended ways elsewhere.
Therefore, the Great White preferred to release his emotions when necessary and had designated methods for each feeling.
And when he shattered glass like this, there was only one reason—
To quell his anger.
Thankfully, two glasses were enough for today.
He called the front desk to request cleaning and then headed to the study, where he sat in a chair.
“It’s been a while since something like this happened.”
Today’s verbal confrontation had handed the Great White a defeat.
To others, it might have seemed like he barely lost in a tight battle, but to him, it was a humiliating disgrace.
The Great White was not accustomed to losing.
He always calculated every variable and only chose battles with guaranteed odds.
That’s why Shark Capital had fewer investment targets compared to other hedge funds.
He only engaged in battles with an 80% or higher chance of victory.
“I thought this one would be the same….”
But his calculations had gone awry.
In his first head-to-head confrontation, and in a public setting, he had tasted defeat.
Initially, anger surged within him, but that emotion had disappeared along with the shattered crystal glasses.
Now was the time for cold analysis.
“What did I overlook…?”
Finding the answer was the top priority.
Identifying the cause and addressing it would ensure the same mistake wasn’t repeated.
The reason for the defeat was clear.
He had completely failed to predict Whitmer’s actions.
“Selling off core assets and immediately betting everything on a new brand?”
It was unthinkable.
To borrow Whitmer’s own analogy, it was like abandoning a feature phone business overnight and staking everything the next day on a smartphone business with no prior experience.
Moreover, Harbor Lobster had accounted for 30% of Epicura’s revenue.
To dispose of it abruptly and invest everything in an unknown brand?
It was excessively reckless and irresponsible.
But was it really Whitmer who made such a decision?
Tap, tap, tap.
The Great White’s fingers tapped on the desk.
He tried to imagine Whitmer taking such a bold risk in a cornered situation, but no matter how hard he thought, it didn’t make sense.
People inherently have their own tendencies.
Whitmer was known for his extremely conservative disposition, so there could only be one conclusion.
“This decision wasn’t made by Whitmer himself.”
Then whose decision was it?
The answer was clear.
It was Goldman, Epicura’s advisor.
Typically, asset sales and acquisitions were carried out at the client’s request, but this time was different.
The Great White had a hunch that Goldman was orchestrating everything, and Whitmer was merely following along.
“I misjudged my opponent.”
The real strategist behind Epicura wasn’t Whitmer.
Someone else was lurking in the background, skillfully leading him into a trap.
– That’s correct.
Whitmer’s behavior during the press conference now made sense.
Instead of refuting the Great White’s criticisms, he readily agreed, disrupting his rhythm.
It was the complete opposite of the confident Whitmer seen in past press conferences and earnings calls.
It was clear that someone had coached him beforehand.
Coached by the person behind it all.
The Great White chuckled.
Understanding the context like this suddenly made him feel lighter.
“As expected…”
He hadn’t been wrong.
He had simply failed to see the true opponent he needed to fight.
Now that he realized the essence of his mistake, he wouldn’t repeat it.
He had identified the core of the problem.
Now, all that was left was to repay the favor in full.
***
Two hours later,
“Investigate Goldman’s Pierce thoroughly,”
was the first command the Great White gave to his summoned subordinates.
He was convinced Pierce was behind this entire situation.
“Dig up everything—past actions, tendencies, personality, rumors… Leave no stone unturned.”
No matter how he had misjudged before, this was the first adversary to strike him so hard from behind.
Complacency was not an option.
The Great White then turned to the analysts.
“What’s the reaction from individual investors?”
Whitmer had passionately argued that the newly acquired brand would become the “next Chipotle.”
He claimed it would revolutionize the industry, just as smartphones ushered in a new era.
A shallow ploy.
But individual investors might have taken the bait.
“They don’t seem completely convinced. Most are expressing dissatisfaction about how Whitmer spent the sale proceeds. There’s a lot of negative sentiment toward this acquisition…”
“Let me see.”
The Great White interrupted, extending his hand.
A tablet was soon placed in his grasp.
Forum and board reactions:
– Next Chipotle? LOL, what a joke.
– Forget this nonsense and give me back my six bucks.
– What the heck is Double Crab House? Never heard of it.
– Who pulls out some no-name brand and calls it the future of dining?
The Great White’s gaze deepened.
The reactions were mixed.
There was plenty of cynicism and ridicule, but there was also notable curiosity about the new brand.
A seed of hope had already been subtly planted in people’s minds.
Some posts even read like this:
– But if you look at the numbers objectively, Whitmer’s side seems better. Great White’s stock only went up $28, but Whitmer’s could go up to $500 if it works.
– $500? LOL, what is this, Powerball?
Mocking Whitmer’s promises as if they were lottery odds, the individual investors joked.
But beneath the surface…
Even the faintest possibility of such a future was enough to spark imagination and desire.
That’s the nature of a lottery.
The enemy’s strategy was working.
But the bigger problem was that the Great White’s own strategy had crumbled.
– So does this mean Shark won’t even return the $28 now?
– They said the stock would go up if the corruption was exposed, but there was no corruption!
Shark Capital had long claimed that Epicura’s struggles were due to some hidden internal issue.
The narrative had been that solving that problem would send the stock soaring.
But it turned out the hidden issue wasn’t corruption—it was the acquisition of a new brand.
In the end, the problem the Great White had promised to solve didn’t even exist, and there was no stock surge to be expected from solving it.
Just yesterday, the Great White had been in an overwhelmingly advantageous position.
Now, everything had flipped in a single day.
With only 60 days left until the shareholder meeting, Shark Capital’s promises had turned to dust, while Whitmer, though seemingly delusional, was promising high growth through the acquisition.
“Should we prepare rebuttal materials?”
The PM cautiously suggested.
“Their claims are based on the success story of Chipotle. We could highlight the lack of similarity between the two brands or point out Chipotle’s limitations…”
Preparing rebuttal materials would have been the standard response in such situations.
But the Great White shook his head.
“No, that would only backfire.”
“Pardon?”
“What the shareholders need now is hope. If we trample on that hope, all we’ll earn is resentment.”
Epicura’s shareholders were desperate to recover their losses.
Now that Shark Capital’s promises had fallen through, they were likely clinging to Epicura’s vision of a “second Chipotle.”
“If we crush their expectations without offering an alternative, it will only deepen their hostility toward us.”
Dreamers, after all, tend to antagonize those who try to forcefully wake them from their dreams.
“But isn’t there no chance Epicura’s claims will work out?”
“Pointing that out is useless. It’s gambling, isn’t it?”
Even if the odds were slim, the potential payoff was enough to justify the risk.
That’s the nature of gambling.
“Still, isn’t it excessively irresponsible for them to act so recklessly? Even the shareholders must…”
A bitter smile spread across the Great White’s lips.
He asked the PM,
“Do you know what kind of people take such gambles?”
“Pardon?”
“Those with nothing to lose.”
“…”
If Epicura were in a solid state, everyone would oppose the gamble, as they would have too much to lose.
However, Epicura was sinking now.
To shareholders cornered at a dead end, this gamble might seem rather attractive.
“What a brilliant mind,”
the Great White muttered with a hollow laugh.
The opponent had orchestrated a scenario where the company itself declared it was taking a “gamble.”
It was a move the Great White had never imagined.
And understandably so.
It seemed unlikely that a company could gain anything by admitting such recklessness.
Yet, that very declaration turned out to be a masterstroke.
By framing it as a gamble, they planted the hope of a jackpot in the desperate hearts of shareholders, garnering their support despite the high probability of failure.
Moreover, the opponent had painted OTT platforms, AI, and smartphones as past “gambles” that had paid off.
Through this, they could glorify this recklessness as bravery and, even if they failed, justify it as a “worthy challenge.”
It defied common sense.
At a glance, it seemed like a reckless, uncalculated charge forward…
But on closer inspection, even the aftermath had been meticulously calculated.
The Great White carefully unraveled the invisible adversary’s traits.
Meanwhile, the PM’s face was clouded with concern.
“What will you do?”
The opponent had promised desperate shareholders a jackpot and invited them to place their bets.
The shareholders were likely to fall for it.
How could that be stopped?
“Let me think for a moment.”
The Great White closed his eyes, sinking into deep thought.
One minute passed. Two minutes. Three…
A full seven minutes passed before he opened his eyes.
And then he said something unexpected.
“We cannot break their vision.”
“Pardon?”
“There is no way to dismantle it.”
The PM was startled.
It was highly unusual for the Great White to so readily acknowledge a loss.
But at that moment, a long, sharp smile crept across the Great White’s lips.
“If it can’t be dismantled, there’s only one answer.”
He declared coldly.
“We’ll steal it.”
