Chapter 43. David Lockhart (2)

The story was so absurd that I couldn't help but laugh.

"Do you know how much it would be after 10 years if it doubles every year?"

The number 2 might not seem very large, but the story changes when it keeps repeating.

No matter how big a piece of paper is, it's hard to fold it more than 7 times. If you could fold a piece of paper 42 times, it would reach from the Earth to the Moon.

Han Miru nodded.

"51.2 million dollars. So, I hope you'll continue working for me for 10 years. In the 11th year, it would be 102.4 million dollars, and in the 12th year, 204.8 million dollars."

"......Are you serious?"

"Yes. I'll write it in the contract. If you break it, you can quit immediately. Of course, you don't have to return the deposit."

"......"

How confident must you be to say such things so calmly?

Obviously, a company that makes such an offer can't be normal.

"What are you planning to do?"

"What does an investment company do? Obviously, invest."

"What do I have to do?"

Han Miru spoke as if she knew what he was thinking.

"Are you worried I might ask you to do something illegal?"

"I've seen many fraud cases in the financial industry. Some were illegal, and others, while not illegal, cleverly avoided the law and harmed investors."

"Can you give an example?"

David thought of a suitable example.

"A while ago, a private equity fund in Korea deceived investors. They claimed they were investing in public agency receivables but actually invested in mezzanine and embezzled the money, leading to bankruptcy. Do you know about it?"

At his words, Han Miru burst into laughter.

"Haha, of course. I know it better than anyone."

Then she added,

"I exposed it."

David was taken aback.

"W-What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said. I uncovered the fraud and exposed it."

Han Miru briefly explained the situation at the time. Since it could be easily verified with a little investigation, it was probably true.

'Why is she here?'

What happened between her leaving the company and now?

Han Miru continued explaining.

"First, I don't plan to raise funds externally. I'm pursuing a family office. Second, if I did, I wouldn't have recruited Mr. Lockhart."

After all, he was already branded a failure. It would be hard to raise investment funds with him as the face.

This raised another question.

"How much do you know about me?"

At his question, Han Miru smiled.

"Well, I think I know more than most people."

"What about the bankruptcy of Victory Investment?"

"In my opinion, the management knew about the problems but pretended not to. They probably thought they could recover the investment once the company went public. Don't you think?"

However, during the listing process, the inflated sales and performance were revealed. The listing was canceled, and the company went bankrupt, along with the investment firm that had invested a large sum.

"If there's anything illegal, you can report it to the authorities. After all, I'm the CEO, and I'll take the responsibility. What do you think?"

If what she said was true, he wouldn't suffer any losses. In any case, he needed money urgently.

David nodded, as if resigned.

"Alright. Shall we write the contract now?"

At his words, Han Miru gave an awkward smile.

"I don't have a lawyer yet, so I haven't prepared the contract. I'll send you the deposit first, and when we meet next time, bring the contract you've written."

David was shocked.

"You're going to send 1 million dollars without a contract?"

Han Miru said calmly,

"Would you break your promise if there's no contract?"

"No, I wouldn't."

"Then it's settled. Give me your account details."

He believed that everything should be based on a contract, so he didn't understand the current situation.

'How can she trust a complete stranger?'

After giving her the account details, Han Miru immediately transferred the deposit. 1 million dollars appeared in David's account.

"It's sent."

David, who had been skeptical, nodded after checking the text.

"I've confirmed it."

Even without a contract, receiving the money meant the deal was done.

There was no need to hesitate any longer.

David, trying to clear his confused thoughts, asked,

"What is Continuum Capital's goal?"

"Do you know which is the world's largest private equity fund?"

"Redstone."

"What about the world's largest investment firm?"

"White Road, led by Chairman Aaron Baker."

Han Miru nodded and said,

"Our goal is to become a larger investment firm than that within 10 years."

The story was so absurd that a laugh escaped him. However, the person who said it showed no sign of wavering.

David examined Han Miru's expression and eyes again.

'Is it confidence?'

No, it was more than that.

It was the certainty she possessed. A complete certainty with no doubt or distrust!

David felt a mix of awe and fear from the young East Asian man.

"Who are you, really?"

Han Miru smiled and said,

"You'll find out as we work together."

* * *

We stood up and shook hands.

"Take care of your personal matters over the weekend, and we'll meet again on Monday. I'll be in California for a few days, so be prepared."

David bowed without asking further.

"Understood. I'll see you then."

We shook hands and parted ways.

After confirming he had left the cafe, I cheered inwardly.

I hired David Lockhart!

Under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible to even meet him. But now he was unemployed and needed money urgently.

Thanks to this, the contract was easy to make.

If he had refused, I would have offered 2 million, 3 million dollars. At 1 million dollars, it was a good deal.

Because he would become a famous great investor in the future.

I had read an article about him before.

David has a daughter with a serious illness. He recalled that the hardest time in his life was when he lost his job due to the bankruptcy of his company and was struggling to find work.

He said he would have sold his soul to the devil if it meant securing his daughter's medical expenses.

Fortunately, he got a job at Shark Management, led by Michael Preston.

There, David displayed remarkable abilities, uncovering accounting fraud in several companies.

Shark Management bought a lot of put options, short-sold the companies, and then exposed the fraud.

The revelations were true, and the stock prices of the companies plummeted. Shark Management made several times their investment.

David achieved a 320% return in the first year and 550% in the second year.

He didn't hesitate to invest in industries that would grow in the future.

Electric vehicles, IT, semiconductors, cloud, and more.

David Lockhart achieved tremendous success in these areas as well.

As the news spread, investors came with money.

It was said that he could attract over 1 billion dollars in investments with his name alone.

This wasn't just a joke. A 300 million dollar blind fund was fully subscribed as soon as it was launched, and 700 million dollars flowed into the LockhartETF, which he was known to manage.

As David's reputation grew, top investment firms moved to recruit him.

Several offered blank checks.

Karnine Group even offered him the top position. However, he remained loyal to Shark Management.

The main reason was that they had taken him in when he was at his lowest.

Thanks to David Lockhart's skills, Shark Management grew into one of the world's top three private equity funds.

"Originally, that's what would have happened......"

But this time, I appeared before him.

He would now work for Continuum Capital, not Shark Management.

I had acquired the best horse to move according to my plan.

"At least the first step went well."

I hope the rest goes as smoothly.

As I was about to stand up after finishing my coffee, someone spoke to me.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?"

I looked up to see who it was.

A blonde woman with very fair skin.

She was about 165 cm tall, in her early 20s. Her red hair was tied up, and she wore large glasses. There were a few freckles on her nose.

She was dressed in skinny jeans, a linen shirt, and old Converse shoes.

She had a rather attractive style.

For a stranger to approach me in a foreign country!

What could be the reason?

Could it be......a pyramid scheme?

"Who are you?"

In response to my question, she introduced herself.

"Hello, I'm Trish O'Connor, a reporter for the Wall Street Times."

"The Wall Street Times?"

"Yes."

I had never heard of this publication.

"Is it related to the Wall Street Journal?"

"No."

"Then the New York Times?"

She confidently replied,

"No relation. We're a small online newspaper."

"I see."

Isn't the name a bit grand for a small online newspaper?

"Anyway, what's this about?"

"I was writing an article at the back and overheard your conversation. I apologize if it was intrusive."

"It's fine."

If I didn't want anyone to eavesdrop, I shouldn't have had the meeting in a cafe.

I need to get an office soon.

"By the way, what article were you writing?"

"About the aircraft engine explosion at Atlanta Airport yesterday. I heard a Korean turned the plane around just before takeoff......"

"Phew!"

I almost spat out my coffee.

"What's wrong?"

"No, it's just that I saw it on the news yesterday."

She wouldn't think the Korean was me, right?

Trish asked me,

"The person you were just talking to is David Lockhart, the lawyer from Victory Investment, right?"

"You know him well."

She said matter-of-factly,

"I wrote an article about Georgia Dynamic."

"Georgia Dynamic?"

"The company's accounting fraud led to the bankruptcy of Victory Investment."

"Oh, right."

Of course, I knew.

In fact, an investment firm doesn't easily go bankrupt just because an investment fails. But angry investors filed a class-action lawsuit against Victory Investment, leading to its bankruptcy.

And David Lockhart took the blame.

"You hired him despite knowing this?"

"Yes."

It wasn't his fault.

I know this because the truth was revealed after David gained fame at Shark Management.

Shifting blame to subordinates and slipping away like an eel seems to be a common practice in companies, regardless of culture.

"Did you really pay 1 million dollars without a contract?"

"I have a good eye for people."