The Shadow Tycoon
Copyright© 2026 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 25
A heap of patents, some familiar, most not, could not be decided in a matter of minutes. William reached a verbal agreement with the law firm, once he had the materials ready, they would go together to the Department of Social Services to complete the registration.
He could have filed on his own, but there were complications he might not handle cleanly, state-level patents, federal patents, even international coverage, and the applicable clauses for each. If he wanted to avoid loopholes others could exploit later, it was safer to bring a lawyer along.
After settling that, he returned to the warehouse. During the two hours he had been gone, Richard and the others had come back again.
Crates of coins filled the space, the sight alone carried a kind of weight. They were only coins, yet precisely because they were coins, their dull metallic sheen tied directly to the idea of wealth.
The biggest problem remained counting.
He might as well have the coin sorter built while filing the patent. What lay ahead was not just business with Mr. Fox, but the whole of Sabine City. This was not a small game.
William ran the coins under ultraviolet light, then washed them with cleaning agents and left them to dry, waiting for Fox’s people to come collect.
Before any pickup, he always called Fox to confirm the identity of whoever came. No exceptions.
Two trips that morning had already brought in over sixteen hundred dollars. Faster than yesterday. Richard alone was matching the other two combined, working harder than anyone.
The other two were slower. They had asked Richard how he managed to convert all his cash into coins so quickly, so cleanly. Richard only smiled foolishly and told them to run around more.
William knew the trick. He said nothing.
Richard skimmed a portion of his own profit to accelerate the exchange, rather than clinging to every cent. On paper, it looked like he earned less. In reality, the speed and volume multiplied his gains far beyond the others.
In a relatively fair system, moderate income disparity fueled competition. That, in itself, was useful.
The entire day was consumed by the company. He did not need to be here every moment, but for now, Vera was not fully trustworthy, and some tasks could not be delegated. So he worked.
At the beginning of any micro-enterprise, the first person the owner exploits is always himself. Through that process, they learn how to exploit others. It is the first real step toward becoming capital.
Later that evening, after dropping Vera off, William returned to the warehouse.
He cut the power, made a small adjustment, created what looked like rodent damage to the wiring, then flipped the breaker back on.
A brief high-pitched hum. Light flared, then died again.
He walked calmly to the desk and picked up the phone.
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