The Shadow Tycoon
Copyright© 2026 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 63: A Multimillion-Dollar Surprise
William’s eyes lit up slightly.
Three million two hundred and forty thousand dollars.
Even Jorgreman sounded impressed as he looked down at the valuation report in his hands.
When William had claimed that the collateral was worth several million dollars, Jorgreman had assumed it was an exaggeration. Such exaggerations were common enough in the financial world.
Installment repayments, discounted settlements, asset substitutions, and countless other accounting tricks made it difficult to place much faith in the figures people casually quoted.
To his surprise, William had delivered exactly what he promised.
Jorgreman set the report down and adjusted his posture slightly.
“An impressive number,” he admitted. “But you should understand that I can’t lend against the full appraised value. Fifty percent at most. Not a dollar more.”
He tapped the report with a finger, a trace of regret crossing his face.
“These aren’t premium assets. The bank is still taking on considerable risk, so...”
He shrugged and looked back at William.
The bank had its own professional appraisers.
After reviewing the collateral, they found very few highly liquid assets that could be sold immediately. There were no substantial quantities of precious metals such as gold, nor were there valuable jewels or luxury collectibles that could be converted into cash without delay.
Instead, most of the collateral consisted of items that were far more difficult to liquidate.
Household goods.
Equipment.
Houses.
Cars.
Mostly houses and cars.
Sabine City was not a major metropolis. It was neither a state capital nor the center of the Federation. Property values here were far less stable, and most of the homes pledged in these agreements were located in ordinary neighborhoods rather than middle-class districts or upper-city communities.
In smaller cities, truly valuable real estate usually meant homes located in affluent suburbs or elite upper-class communities.
Those properties occupied the best locations, enjoyed the finest scenery, and offered the most complete services and amenities.
Such homes could be sold almost immediately.
Discount the asking price by ten to fifteen percent, and a buyer would appear at once.
Working-class neighborhoods were a different matter.
Developing residential property in working-class and poor districts was often a thankless business. Slow sales cycles had ruined more than one real estate developer.
There was also another problem.
People caused trouble.
The poor had a habit of breaking into unsold homes and living in them.
Sometimes they moved into abandoned properties whose owners had already left.
In certain Federation states, local laws even allowed occupants to acquire ownership rights after living in a property for a sufficient number of years.
That only encouraged more people to seek out vacant homes.
Chaotic neighborhoods, decaying streets, and all manner of unsettling urban culture combined to suppress housing prices.
The properties still possessed value.
Realizing that value was the difficult part.
The cars presented similar problems.
There were no luxury brands among them.
Most were ordinary vehicles, many already several years old.
Some appraisers even suspected that a few might have originated as stolen vehicles whose owners had abandoned recovery efforts.
Liquidating assets like these was a long and uncertain process.
If they remained unsold, whether the bank could even recover its principal was an open question.
If William’s intention had merely been to exchange these assets for a one-time loan, Jorgreman would have acted much more cautiously.
He might even have rejected the deal entirely.
He preferred no transaction at all to unnecessary risk.
But he understood William’s real plan.
The money the bank provided would flow into Gatnau Finance Company, where it would continue circulating.
More agreements would eventually be pledged to the bank.
The cycle would continue expanding until it produced astonishing numbers.
That was why he did not mind doing business of this sort.
After a moment’s consideration, Jorgreman gave his answer.
“One point six million dollars. That’s my limit.”
He considered the figure exceptionally safe.
There was no reason for William to object.
One point six million dollars meant a service fee of one hundred and sixty thousand dollars for William, plus expected profits likely equal to one or even two times that amount.
This single transaction alone would generate at least two hundred and fifty thousand dollars in income.
It was vastly more profitable than exchanging small bills.
More importantly, William would not pay the bank a single cent in interest.
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