The Shadow Tycoon
Copyright© 2026 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 67: A House Sold in Haste
“Gentlemen, this house was built only three years ago. It is still a new house. If its owner did not urgently need money...” The real estate company’s account manager pressed her lips together and gave a smile everyone understood. “It would not necessarily be on our sales list at all!”
That was the way of the age. Everyone believed they deserved respect, that they deserved attention, and behind that demand lay a vast market. So whether it was a bank, a real estate company, or any other service industry, as long as someone handled business, he, she, or it was a manager.
Account manager was the most common title, followed by after-sales manager. Most people probably never thought about what sort of state those managers were in when they called, or when the managers called them.
But people liked it. “I have a manager providing dedicated service for me” was always an experience worth bragging about.
The house in front of William was a new house in an emerging middle-class community. In truth, it had been completed only two years and ten months earlier.
It had independent front and rear yards, and there was a modest swimming pool in the back.
The main building had three floors above ground and one basement level, covering two hundred and twenty square meters, not including the yard.
William now had some money in hand. Added together, it came to a little over two hundred thousand dollars. It was hard to imagine that just last month “he” had been disliked by Eleanor’s parents for being unemployed and had broken up with his girlfriend as a result. This month, he had earned more money than many people might make in a lifetime.
Fate was that amusing. Of course, most of it still came down to personal ability. Not everyone had that kind of ability. Only William did.
Now that he had money, continuing to live above that little tavern was no longer appropriate. He needed a house to hide certain private things, so he had chosen this place.
The residents of this newly developed middle-class community had not yet grown cold toward one another. About half of the households here were newly promoted middle-class families. For these people, what they urgently needed most at the moment was a richer network of personal connections.
Community socializing was an excellent way to make friends. They would enthusiastically get to know everyone in the community and consider whether those people might be useful to them.
In a few years, they would lose that enthusiasm, because most neighbors would have nothing to do with their lives, apart from saying good morning in the morning, good afternoon at noon, and good evening at night. There would be no further interaction.
But for now, everyone was active. Activity meant warmth and a sense of responsibility. When William needed help, these stupid ... kindhearted, enthusiastic people would eagerly assist him and help spread certain matters on his behalf.
“Open the door. I want to look around inside...” Holding the rounded finial on the stair railing, its warm, smooth feel pleasant under his hand, William glanced back at the account manager and gave his instruction.
The account manager’s expression shifted slightly. She immediately piled a smile onto her face and walked up the steps, swaying her hips.
It was summer, and the weather was so hot that everyone wished they did not have to wear clothes at all. After all, the clammy feeling of sweat-soaked fabric was truly awful.
After opening the front door, the account manager invited William inside. It had to be said, the house was very well designed. The original owner must have hired a capable designer to design it for his family.
Practical, attractive, modern, simple without losing elegance, with excellent lighting and ventilation. It did not have the rotten, moldy smell of a house that had sat unused for some time.
Most of the things inside had already been moved out, leaving only an unfinished shell. William walked through every room and went down to the basement as well. He was very satisfied.
Unlike some designers who, in order to make the number of rooms look larger and better suited to a large family, made every room cramped, the original owner, who had clearly not lacked money, had made every room spacious.
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