“There’s no need for praise.” Whatever Penny was doing now went against her good conscience and she was already uneasy as things were. However, she knew she didn’t have a choice, not while Matthew was threatening to hurt her grandson, who had only just started schooling not too long ago. “I’d be grateful enough if you could keep your word and leave my family unhurt, Young Master Matthew.” “Don’t you worry, Penny; I wouldn’t lay a finger on your family as long as you cooperate with me,” he drawled with an icy smile. “Well, you best keep that in mind!”
After having thrown the words brusquely over her shoulders, Penny closed the door to the backyard and lightly tread back into the house. She had never done anything as unsettling as this before, and to make matters worse, she was cohorting with a criminal whom the police were after. She had a feeling that she would not be able to get any sleep for the rest of her days. Meanwhile, under the moonless night sky, Matthew slowly turned away from the house and walked into the distance as he took the phone out of his pocket… The next morning, news of Alexander cutting off the Griffiths broke all over the city, and along with it came word of the Griffith Family’s hard fall from grace.
Within an hour of the stock market opening, the Griffiths saw a steep decline in the value of their shares that amounted to hundreds of billions; they were merely a fraction away from entirely falling out of the market. The Securities Regulatory Commission were worried that a shift in market dynamics such as this would turn the shareholders manic and it was only when the Commission intervened that the Griffith Group was saved from plummeting even further. Despite the damage control, everyone knew that the Griffiths’ reign was coming to an end; the thread that tied them to capitalist privileges was fraying fast and it would break at any second.
While chaos took the stock market by storm, Elise was tucked away in the classroom and listening to an open lecture. Addison was sitting next to her, but she seemed restless as she tapped her pen against the desk, sighing every once in a while like she was pondering life’s biggest conundrums. At some point, Elise finally couldn’t stand the girl’s plaintive disposition any longer and asked softly, “Normally, you’d be playing video games by now. What’s up?” “I’m not in the mood,” Addison answered with a weary sigh, sounding depressed. “My dad’s business ran into some problems; they’re saying we might be bankrupt soon.
When that happens, I won’t be able to stay in college anymore. I’d probably have to immediately find work so that I can pay my dues.” “That sounds pretty serious.” Addison had always been the life of the party, as if she had not a care in the world. Elise didn’t think that things could turn so bleak that bankruptcy would be in the books. “Right?” Addison sighed again. “Unless a miracle—like a really big one—happens, my family would end up like your boyfriend’s and we’d have to wind up the company for good.”
She was wallowing in self-pity, but as soon as she heard herself, she hurried to explain, “Sorry, Elise—I’m not saying that your boyfriend’s family would be bankrupt; I just thought that our situations are close enough by comparison…” To be fair, though, the Griffiths will be devastated by hundreds of billions worth in losses if they were to go bankrupt. She couldn’t imagine how the Griffiths would pull through. Conversely, Addison’s family was facing a much smaller setback.
The debts that came from their bankruptcy wouldn’t be enough to entirely crush them and they could pay those off if they just tightened their belts a little. “It’s fine,” Elise said, not at all bothered. She lowered her gaze in thought before she asked, “Does your dad invest in stocks?” Addison shook her head, a little stunned as she pointed out, “You overestimate me, Elise. Stocks are for upmarket companies, and a business like ours—” “That’s not what I meant,” Elise interrupted when she saw that the girl had misunderstood.
Patiently, she began to explain, “I was thinking that it wouldn’t be hard for your dad to make some money from buying stocks now that the market is experiencing a giant shift in dynamics. It’s a good investment opportunity.” “I don’t really know about stuff like this,” Addison confessed sheepishly. She might have been a major in Mathematics, but the concept of stocks was foreign to her and she treated it with more fearful respect than curiosity. After all, she was from a middle-class family; the only things she had ever heard about stocks were how someone racked up insurmountable losses and how someone else had leaped off a ledge after their stock prices took a huge dip in the market.
Either way, the stock market was not a playground for the faint-hearted. More to the point, Addison’s father was a down-to-earth man with principles. He liked knowing that the profit he earned was out of honest work and while the pace was much slower than investing in stocks, it still gave him a peace of mind. “Take it easy. People like us aren’t meant to become millionaires overnight!” Those were the words with which he imparted his wisdom and philosophy and Addison kept those same words close to her heart. At this moment, Elise narrowed her eyes as she gazed at the lecturer who had decidedly taken a passionate stance on teaching before mystifyingly adding, “Tomorrow will be a miraculous day, and those who believe in miracles will be rewarded.”
For some reason, Elise’s cryptic demeanor had only made Addison want to trust her more. Her hands darted out to grab Elise by the wrist as she stared at Elise with a fanatic gleam in her eyes, “Elise, I believe in you. I’ll have my dad gamble what’s left of our money on your boyfriend!” Elise let out a light chuckle at the girl’s sudden bold decision. “There’s no need for that. The Griffiths are rotten to the core, and so is their worth.” “Huh?” The spark of hope that Addison had felt seconds ago now died. “Does that mean that the Griffiths are bound to go bankrupt and that our family has no better investment options?”
“Not really,” Elise replied. “Frazier Pharmaceuticals could make for a good investment. You could tell your dad to gamble on this, but you have to be quick and get the shares by today, or there won’t be any left by tomorrow.” “Okay!” Addison agreed. She had no idea what Elise meant, but she knew that the girl wouldn’t set her up to fail. Behind them was a boy from their faculty, who had heard every single word of their exchange.
The Olson Family’s press conference was about to start at 10:00AM that morning and all members of the media had already arrived. They were all waiting for Nathan to show up. This would mark the dawn of a new era in Tissote wherein the Olson Family would climb to the top of the social pyramid. However, when 11:00 AM rolled around, Nathan was still nowhere to be seen. The reporters were growing agitated as they chattered among themselves. They were beginning to wonder that the Olson Family had pulled a feint and that Nathan had never agreed to working with them in the first place.
Even as the crowd grew doubtful, they dared not leave the scene, for the Olson Family was already reaping rewards from the seismic shift in the stock market. Backstage, Amelia and Johan were beside themselves with panic. Everyone was calling Nathan’s phone, but none of them was able to get hold of him. It took another half an hour before both Amelia and Johan realized that Nathan had bailed on them, and that he had never intended to attend the press conference today in the first place.
As it turned out, the billions that they had raked in from the stock exchange and their skyrocketing worth were not enough to impress him. He had decided to humiliate them in front of the press and the public! Johan was frantic as he called Nathan’s number incessantly, but Nathan never picked up even once. Eventually, his phone died and he threw it onto the floor as he cursed angrily, “Who the hell does he think he is? He’s just some agent!
Does he really think the Olson Family can’t do better without him?!” He had only just finished ranting when Amelia’s phone rang. Thinking it might be Nathan, she quickly answered the call and pressed the phone to her ear before demanding anxiously, “Hello? Mr. York, where in the world are you?” The person on the other line said something, and whatever it was made Amelia grow grim. When she hung up the phone, she turned to look at Johan as she said gravely, “Come with me.”
