The Shadow Tycoon
Copyright© 2026 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 37
That morning, after exchanging a little over seven thousand dollars into small bills, William received a request from Mr. Fox during their call. The man wanted to meet and discuss what came next.
William considered it for a moment, then agreed.
Not long after, he met Mr. Fox at a somewhat remote farmstead. The man was not dressed in expensive clothes today. Instead, he wore a blue-gray set of denim and a pair of rubber overalls.
When William arrived, Mr. Fox was carrying a large bundle of fodder into the stable. The weather was growing hotter by the day. Under the sun, the stench of horse manure, cow dung, and whatever else had been left there hung thick enough to choke on, yet Mr. Fox showed not the slightest reaction.
William waited seven or eight minutes before Mr. Fox emerged from the stable, apologizing as he came.
The two of them walked to a shaded lean-to behind the stable. As Mr. Fox rinsed the grime off his rubber overalls with a hose, he spoke with a trace of sentiment in his voice. “Before I got into this line of work, my father and I both thought I’d become a fine farmer.”
There was a look of reminiscence on his face. More than twenty years ago, he had not been the Mr. Fox people respected today, just a country boy named Fox.
That was the year he had just married. The Federation’s long-accumulated economic strength began to erupt outward. Every trade and industry surged forward. People spoke endlessly of the city’s advantages, as if money lay everywhere waiting to be picked up by anyone willing to bend down.
The whole society had been steeped in that fever. Mr. Fox had wanted to give his wife and children a better future. After discussing it with his family, he set out for the great city with a group of companions.
To this day, some had made their names. Others existed only in memory.
Mr. Fox was, without question, one of the fortunate ones. People were like that. Once they achieved some measure of success, they began to look back. Some did it because their present lives were painful, so they longed for the carefree days of the past.
Others did it only to set off their present success.
As for Mr. Fox, whether it was nostalgia or his little habit of working on the farm, William thought the latter mattered more. It was a way to satisfy something inside himself.
After rinsing off the overalls, Mr. Fox stripped them off with a bit of help from others. Then he and William wandered aimlessly across the pasture, talking as they went.
“Michael got back to Sabine City around four this morning. Be careful. He’s got a bad temper, and he can be impulsive. Don’t give him any opportunity.”
He smiled as he said it. “Just a small reminder. I don’t think he’s your match. You’re smarter than he is.”
That was valuable information. If William had only learned of Michael’s return upon seeing him, there might have been complications. Now he had time to prepare for what came next.
He had never feared Michael, licensed or not. If the man had not tried to trouble him three times in a row, William would never have chosen to clash with an Investigation Unit Team Leader.
Mr. Fox saw William’s serious nod and knew the warning had been taken to heart. Then he continued, “There are two other things. I mentioned this before. Now the whole city, even nearby cities, have figured out how to get money into the banks legally. Do you think that’s going to affect our business?”
“I mean, if everyone starts doing it, will this road be cut off?”
He spoke carefully. These days had been good for him. In private, he had “acquired” two more laundries and raised their standards.