Martin left Dorothy to handle the practical tasks while he picked up his car key from the secretary's desk, then descended to the underground floor. He pondered for a moment, whispering to himself, "I haven't visited the old man in months... I'm already late for this; I hope I don't hear too much scolding this time..." A sarcastic smile appeared on his face as he got into his car.

Martin recalled his conversation with Elon yesterday; his older brother had told him that their father had an invitation for a VIP event at the Jack London Center in San Francisco, where many prominent figures and top businessmen would be attending. He hoped Martin would attend as well. Initially, Martin had no plans to go, but he suddenly changed his mind.

An idea struck him that could turn everything upside down; in the history of the stock market, only two disasters have upended the market and produced new investors from nowhere: the Great Depression in 1929 and the global economic crisis in 2008. Both were caused by the greed of the big "whales." However, the newly implemented regulatory laws and reactions have prevented any similar scenario from recurring, especially in the age of information and globalization.

Therefore, Martin thought about creating a new global "disaster." Although the "whales" are the main players in the stock market and the international market, the reason for this lies in the conflicting decisions and expectations of small investors. To create a new recession and a real collapse, all Martin needs is to create a clear and certain factor that pushes small investors to unite to absorb the "whales" and force them into a counter-reaction, allowing him to benefit from the repeated ups and downs.

The key element in his plan is to create an imaginary hand that chokes everyone and from which no one can free themselves, and the first "finger" of that hand is the head of the central bank. Martin smiled wickedly as he weaved the details of his plan to start a massive gambling game.

After two hours of driving...

Martin arrived in San Francisco, where a luxurious villa stood on the main street. He greeted the guards at the gate and proceeded to the garden, parked his car in front of a large bronze gate, and rang the bell.

After a minute, an elderly woman who looked to be in her early sixties with a radiant face and light gray hair opened the door. She smiled in surprise and said, "Oh, Martin, you finally came! The master has been looking for you for months. He almost exploded with anger because you haven't visited recently. If it weren't for Elon and the lady calming him down last week, he might have come to pull your hair out."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Aunt Linda spoke in a tone that clearly expressed her grievance. Martin responded with a slight smile, "Aunt Linda, I haven't seen you in a while. No need to worry, he's just pretending."

Aunt Linda replied with a serious, admonishing look, "The master places great importance on family relationships and insisted on teaching you their importance since you were young, so I hope you'll be more careful next time." She then gestured inside with her hand, "The master is in the guest room. I didn't tell him you arrived, so you'll have to handle it yourself." She then left, leaving Martin with a complex expression on his face.

Martin sighed and said to himself, "Damn it, my mother isn't here, and Aunt Linda refused to mediate. It seems I'm on my own in this battlefield this time..." He swallowed hard and headed to the guest room.

The sound of his footsteps echoed in the hall until a middle-aged man's voice called out, "Linda, let the guest in..."

After waiting a few seconds, the man turned and looked at the door with a smile before saying, "Oh, why not...?" But before he could finish his words, his smile turned into an expression of anger and interrogation: "So, it's you, you rascal...? Do you expect your father to come and visit you himself?"

A series of scoldings started pouring out from the middle-aged man, who was none other than "Robert Voight," a prominent senator from California. Before Robert could continue scolding Martin for his unfilial behavior, Martin apologized, saying, "Father, I'm really sorry... Actually, I was planning to marry Emily, and we were focusing on the wedding details, which delayed my regular visit."

As soon as Robert heard the word "wedding," his expression changed, and an unexpected smile appeared, as if he were not the person scolding Martin moments ago. He said, "Ahaha... good news, good news... you've finally decided to marry! I wish your foolish brother would learn a thing or two in this regard. Every time I talk to him about marriage, he runs away as if I've put on a polar bear mask!"

But before Robert could continue smiling, his angry look returned. "Hold on a moment... Emily isn't pregnant, is she?" Robert looked seriously at Martin, having been raised in a conservative Christian family that completely rejected having children out of wedlock, and he wouldn't tolerate such behavior from his son.

Martin reassured him, saying, "Of course, of course, no need to worry. It's a decision based on a mutual agreement between us." Robert didn't realize that Martin had made this up to get out of his predicament this time, but he had indeed decided to discuss the matter with Emily, fearing that his father might force him to undergo a sexual orientation test if he kept delaying... It's not like his father hasn't done that before with his brother.

Martin sat on the couch, handed his father a glass of wine, and began chatting about what had happened to them over the past few months. Of course, Martin hid everything related to Aegis and the incident with Novikov.

Time passed quickly, and indeed an hour went by. After a lengthy conversation about the stock market, political developments, and some random scolding, Robert stood up and looked at Martin, saying, "So, Martin, what do you think about coming with me? I received an invitation to attend the graduation party of Senator Feinstein's daughter. Attending such events would be beneficial for building relationships for your future career."

Martin was about to bring up the subject with his father, but since his father had already mentioned it, things became much easier. He said with a smile, "As long as you're asking, Dad."