BILLIONAIRE MINOR

Chapter 3: The Meeting in the Dark

The mountain road was unbearably dark, and the weak beams of his car headlights slicing through the mist were about all that lit it. Jeremy's knuckles went white as his grip on the steering wheel tightened; his mind churning over questions. Who exactly was Maverick? Why did he have to meet him in this godforsaken place? And who sent that ominous text urging him to turn back?

The cabin materialized out of nowhere, nestled into the side of the hill like some forgotten relic. Its wood surface was weathered, the windows black as coal. Jeremy pulled in, turned off his car, and sat there, the weight of the mountain's eerie silence bearing down on him. He glanced at his phone-no signal.

"Here goes nothing," he muttered, stepping out.

The creak of the porch beneath his weight made him wince. Before he could knock, the door swung open.

"Come in, Lawson.

Jeremy froze. Maverick stood in the doorway-or at least, someone he assumed to be Maverick. The man was tall, his face obscured by a hooded jacket, his voice calm but firm. He stepped aside, motioning for Jeremy to enter.

The inside of the cabin was sparse but functional-a single table, two chairs, and a laptop glowing faintly in the corner. Maverick gestured for Jeremy to sit.

“You’ve done well,” Maverick began, his voice low. “Better than most who join my circle.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Jeremy replied, keeping his tone steady. “My account’s frozen, half my money’s gone, and I’m pretty sure Victor’s trying to ruin me.”

Maverick leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers. "Victor Kane's a predator. He feeds on ambition, especially from those he sees as vulnerable. You made a wise choice not to invest in Cobalt Chain."

"So you knew it was a scam?" Jeremy asked, frustration creeping into his tone.

"I suspected," Maverick replied. "But sometimes, people need to learn the hard way.

Jeremy clenched his fists under the table. "Why call me here? What is this about?"

Maverick leaned forward, his voice low. "Because you're standing at a fork in the road, Lawson. The choices you make will either make or break you. Victor's attempt to sabotage wasn't personal, strictly business. But neither are you the first to face this, nor are you going to be the last one.

Jeremy scowled. "So I'm supposed to just roll over and let him win?"

Maverick shook his head. "No, you fight back. But to do that, you need leverage."

---

Maverick opened the laptop and started punching away at the keyboard. The screen filled with data: transactions, communications, even surveillance footage.

"What is this?" Jeremy asked.

Victor's Achilles' heel," Maverick said. "He's a man who operates behind the shadows, but nobody is bulletproof. Tied in with illegal trading schemes around the world and money laundering through shell companies- this here can take him down.

Jeremy's mind whirled with thoughts. Why are you helping me?

Maverick's hooded face tilted slightly, as if studying him. "Because I see potential in you. You're not like Victor. You're not driven purely by greed. But if you're going to survive in this world, you need to understand its rules-and sometimes, that means playing dirty."

---

This, of course, was the danger that Maverick planned. The others should use this as evidence of blackmail against Victor: first to stop all further sabotage, and then to return all the stolen money. Rather an incendiary game if Victor could have but one sniff of what they were really up to.

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" Jeremy's unsteady voice asked.

Maverick's voice was cold, final. "Do you want to take back control of your life, or do you want to stay a victim?"

Jeremy nodded, the weight of the decision settling on his shoulders.

---

The next day, Jeremy was back in the city, the flash drive with Maverick's files in his pocket. First things first, he needed to get in touch with Victor without showing his hand. He wrote an email, framing the note carefully to sound like a friendly inquiry.

"Victor,

I'd like to meet to clear the air. I believe there's been some sort of misunderstanding, and I believe we can help each other.

— Lawson"

In a matter of hours, Victor wrote back:

"Tomorrow. 10 a.m. My office. Don't waste my time."

---

Victor's office was in a sleek high-rise downtown, its marble floors and glass walls exuding money and power. Jeremy entered the building, trying to conceal the nervousness.

Victor greeted him with a smirk, lounging in a leather chair behind a desk the size of a helicopter pad. "Well, if it isn't the golden boy. What brings you here?"

Jeremy forced a smile. "I think we got off on the wrong foot. I wanted to talk about a. partnership."

Victor's eyebrow arched. "A partnership? After you accused me of sabotage?"

Jeremy shrugged. "We're both ambitious men. Why waste time fighting when we could be making money?"

Victor's smirk expanded. "I like where this is going. What's your pitch?

Jeremy pulled the flash drive from his pocket and laid it on the desk. "Before we get to that, I think you should see this."

Victor's hesitation was momentary; his eyes narrowed as he pulled out the drive and plugged it into his laptop. As he scrolled through the files, his face began to darken.

"What the hell is this?" Victor's low, dangerous tone asked,.

Insurance," Jeremy replied calmly. "You back off, return what you took, and we both walk away clean. Or I go public with this."

For a moment, Jeremy thought Victor might lunge across the desk. But then the older man leaned back, a cold laugh escaping his lips.

"You've got guts, kid. I'll give you that."

"So we have a deal?" Jeremy asked, his heart pounding.

Victor stared at him for a long moment before nodding. "Fine. But don't think for a second this is over."

 

 

---

 

The confrontation had left Jeremy shaken but relieved. Within the week, his account's frozen assets were released, and the stolen funds were returned. Victor kept his word, but Jeremy knew it was only a matter of time before he tried to retaliate.

As Jeremy’s focus shifted back to trading, Maverick sent him another message.

“Congratulations. But remember, every victory paints a target on your back. Stay sharp.”

---

One evening, Jeremy met Clara for coffee. He found himself opening up to her in a way he hadn’t with anyone else.

“I feel like I’m walking a tightrope,” he admitted. “One wrong step, and everything I’ve built comes crashing down.”

Clara smiled, her eyes alive with understanding. "Success is like that. But it's not all about building something; it's about what kind of person you want to be."

Those words followed Jeremy home that night.

The next morning, Jeremy awoke to find a package at his door. Inside was a small, unmarked envelope. He opened it warily, to reveal a single piece of paper with two words scrawled on it in red ink:

"Watch yourself."

Jeremy's blood ran cold. Victor wasn't through with him, and this time, the stakes would be higher than ever.