The phone call

Madame Aurora couldn't believe her ears. “You traded all your stocks and liquidated your account with Rockechilds? Why the hell would you do that?”

Moses reared his head back in fear.

The sudden change of expression on Madame Aurora's face was scary.

“Well, after everyone ridiculed me for investing in Rockechilds, and my clan expelled me, I sold my stocks to redeem myself.”

Madame Aurora opened her mouth to say something but no words came out.

Moses went on, “You see, I was frustrated and depressed. Since it was a foolish investment, I figured it would be better if I sold all my stocks and count my losses.”

Madame Aurora's face turned pink. She looked as if she were about to explode.

A brief silence ensued in the room, tension charged in the atmosphere.

“You IDIOT!” Madame Aurora screamed at Moses' face, grabbing his throat with both of her hands and rocking him.

The rest of the Momo family rushed to restrain her.

“Mother, Please calm down, you'll strangle him,” Glenn shouted helplessly.

“Let me go Glenn, I'll slit out this bastard's throat," Madame Aurora barked.

“I never knew Rockechilds Empire would make a comeback,” Moses choked. “Everybody called me a madman. I couldn't bear with the shame and humiliation.”

“You shouldn't have sold everything,” Madame Aurora kept screaming, squeezing his throat. “If you hadn't sold your stocks, you'd have made a fortune. You bastard, how could you be so stupid.”

Moses, hid a smirk as he locked eyes with Madame Aurora. “If you were in my shoes, Madame Aurora, you would have done the same thing.”

Madame Aurora's veins were popping on her forehead.

She knew Moses was right.

She knew she would have done the same thing if she were in his shoes.

She knew she wasn't supposed to be mad at him.

She knew all that, but the idea of losing such a grand opportunity like this pissed her to no end.

With anger, she flung Moses away. “Get out of my sight. Get the hell out before I peel your stupid face from your skull.”

Moses nursed his throat as he filled air into his lungs.

She had nearly strangled him.

Without another word, he staggered out of the room, leaving the MOMO family staring after him.

“Curse that bastard,” Madame Aurora swore as she freed herself from her family's grip. “He's nothing but a disappointment. I wished he'd just die.”

Madame Aurora returned to her seat and flopped on it. Her high blood pressure was getting to her.

“Call my doctor and quick,” she demanded as she dismissed the meeting with a wave of her hand.

The MOMO family left one after the other, leaving Madame Aurora alone with Valeria and her parents.

“Mother, we understand this might not be the best time, but we have something to propose to you,” Jordan stated.

Madame Aurora was nursing her temple. “I'm not in the mood, Jordan. Leave me.”

“It's about the $2 billion capital,” Valeria added.

Madame Aurora's eyes lit up. “What about it?”

Valeria knelt on one knee. “Lucas Gates proposed to lend me $2 billion if I marry him. I asked him to wait while I seek your permission.”

Madame Aurora forgot about her blood pressure. She reached out to Valeria and held her hand.

“You're serious, aren't you?”

“It's true,” Juliet said. “Lucas is serious about this, but since Valeria is married to Moses—”

“Screw Moses,” Madame Aurora snapped, then a smile curved her mouth. “Invite Lucas over for dinner. I want to meet him.”

* * * *

Moses was on his way out of the hotel when his phone began buzzing.

He took out the phone from his pocket and studied the number.

Another unknown number.

“Must be Albert again. I told him to call me back later,” Moses said to himself.

He answered the call and placed it over his ear. “Hello, Albert. Just about time. I was on my way—”

“Good evening, Sir. I'm I onto Moses Doberman?” A sweet feminine voice interrupted him.

Moses stopped in his tracks. A woman was calling him?

“Yes, I'm Moses, although I can't be called a Doberman anymore,” Moses replied. “Who is this?”

“My name is Miss Genevieve Orton,” the girl answered. “I am the Vice President of Investor relations at Rockechilds Empire.”

Moses ran his hands over his face. He had an idea Rockechilds Empire might reach out to him soon.

“I was expecting your call,” Moses said, leaning against the wall of the designated smoking area.

He fished out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. “What can I do for you, Miss Orton?”

“Mr. Moses,” Genevieve tried to keep her tone as professional as possible but failed to hide the excitement in her voice. “We went through a thorough review of our records, and we confirmed you purchased the highest amount of stock when our company was starting out.”

“Correct,” Moses said, staring at his last cigarette. He placed the cigarette on his lip and brought out a lighter. “That was three years ago.”

It has been three months since last he smoked a cigarette. He couldn't afford it.

Genevieve continued. “I'm happy to let you know that you hold the highest shares in Rockechilds Empire. Our company made a major comeback today—”

Moses laughed as he lit his cigarette. “I know. I was informed about it. How much do I own?”

Genevieve cleared her throat. “Your shares constitute 25% of the company. Rockechilds Empire current net worth is $140 trillion. Your stake translates to a personal net worth of $35 trillion.”

Moses almost dropped his phone and cigarette. His body was quavering with excitement.

“$35 trillion, huh?” Moses asked, a ball of tear rolling down his cheek. He smiled. “My foolish investment finally paid off.”

“You're our chairman at this point,” Genevieve said. “If you ever require anything, sir. You can reach me with this line. You don't need to do any work. We'll ensure your money is safe and reinvested to yield more profits.”

Moses took a long pull from his cigarette. “In that case, I have a small request. Transfer a sum of $10,000 to my account.”

Genevieve sounded surprised. “Are you sure? Just $10,000?”

“That's right,” Moses said. “I'm going to pay my clan a visit. I'll also need to pay the train fare and a new pack of cigarettes.”