The Shadow Tycoon
Copyright© 2026 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 33
To force one’s way into another person’s life was never a clever choice. It was like feeling a little discomfort in your nose, then having someone suddenly reach over and pick it for you.
Never mind whether he would actually reach the right spot, or whether it would feel good once he did. Your first reaction would still be, What the hell, that’s disgusting, because he had just shoved his finger into your nostril.
Feelings, life, family, they were much the same. Looking at Vera, who seemed to be drowning, William gave her a light embrace, then let go at once and asked with concern, “Are you alright? You look like you’re in very bad shape...”
Her face and lips were a little pale, as though she had suffered some violent fright. She looked up at William, then quickly lowered her eyes and began gathering her things. “I have something I need to deal with. I’d like to take leave. I hope you’ll approve it...”
As she wiped away tears, she fumbled with the small personal items scattered around her. William nodded and agreed at once. “Of course. That’s your right. And...”
Vera raised her head to look at him. He looked back at her. “If you need any help, call me!”
Vera gratefully squeezed William’s arm, then hurried to her feet and left. Gape had another engagement tonight. She felt that some things were better seen with her own eyes. Perhaps ... she needed an excuse to deceive herself, so life could go on.
Of course, it was even more likely that she still refused to admit the truth. She needed proof to refute herself.
After Vera left, William waited for a little over three hours. During that time, Richard and the others came by twice. There was more and more money in their hands, and the speed at which they exchanged it for change was increasing too, for every one of them.
William did not know whether the other two had given Richard some kind of benefit, or whether it was for some other reason, but Richard had told them why he was able to turn all his money into coins so quickly and so cleanly. As a result, the dealings between William and Mr. Fox became more and more frequent.
After three-thirty in the afternoon, William told them to keep collecting and come back tomorrow morning to exchange again. After checking the money, he handed it over to Mr. Fox’s people, then spoke with Mr. Fox on the telephone for a while.
“William, my friend, a lot of people in Sabine City are using your method to move money into the bank now, you know that?”, Mr. Fox said in an even tone, merely stating a fact that already existed.
As Mr. Fox’s money was moved into the bank faster and faster, the people in this line of work across Sabine City had more or less figured out how he was doing it. They had begun following his method as well, turning money into change, reporting it for tax purposes, then depositing it into the bank.
The difference was that, unlike Mr. Fox, they had no middleman. They did not need to pay an extra ten percent commission.
Some of his own men had raised the issue more than once already. Since everyone could do it, why should Mr. Fox continue maintaining a good trading relationship with William instead of bypassing him and exchanging the coins himself?
That way he could save ten percent, and the speed would be even greater. Ten percent of wealth measured in hundreds of thousands, even millions, was no small figure.
Mr. Fox had indeed been tempted, at least a little, but he had not yet done as those people suggested. Instead, he told William about it and wanted to hear his thoughts.
William felt that Mr. Fox was as foxlike as his name. After a brief silence, he said over the phone, “Mr. Fox, it is very hard to spot one mosquito among a thousand flies, but spotting one fly among a thousand mosquitoes is very easy.”
“When only we are doing it, no one cares about what we’re doing. We are the minority. But once everyone joins in, all they will do is force certain people to start moving.”
“That will spark a war. The only advice I can give you is...” He gave a soft laugh. “Don’t take money from other people. Before long, you’ll understand why I’m saying this.”
When Mr. Fox heard that, he grew somewhat uneasy. “Then would it be better if we stopped for a while?”
“No, there’s no need. We are both engaged in lawful business, so why should we stop? On the contrary, I rather hope they come and examine our transactions. That would wash the stain off us instead.”
William had not finished his thought. If the IRS investigated him and found nothing at all, that would amount to a different sort of advertisement. After that, people would be even more inclined to work with him. But Mr. Fox had no need to know that.
After the two of them exchanged a few more inconsequential words, they hung up. William glanced at the telephone, shook his head, and began taking over some of the work that should originally have been Vera’s.
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