Chapter 5
1162 Words
"Call the police right now."
Victor pointed a shaking and furious finger directly at Malcolm. His face was entirely red with blistering rage.
"I want this homeless fraud arrested for disrupting a public city auction," Victor screamed at the board members. "He does not have ten million dollars. He is a pathetic beggar."
The head auctioneer nervously reached for his desk phone. He was intimidated by Victor and did not want to lose the billionaire heir as an investor.
Before the auctioneer could dial, the doors of the boardroom swung wide open.
Arthur Hensley walked into the room. He was the senior regional director of the National Central Bank. He was flanked by two heavily armed bank security officers.
Victor immediately smiled in triumph. He recognized the senior bank director instantly.
"Arthur," Victor shouted loudly. "Thank god you are here. This absolute trash is trying to forge financial documents at a city auction."
Victor walked aggressively toward Arthur. He pointed back at Malcolm with a deeply arrogant sneer.
"Tell these board members that this loser is completely broke," Victor demanded. "Tell them his account is entirely empty so we can throw him in a jail cell."
Arthur stopped walking. He looked at Victor Hargrove with an expression of pure and unadulterated disgust.
Victor was a minor client who held thirty million dollars at the bank. He was a loud and obnoxious rich kid.
Malcolm was a hidden mega billionaire holding three billion dollars capital.
Arthur completely ignored Victor. He did not even offer the arrogant heir a polite greeting.
Arthur walked directly past Victor and stopped exactly two feet in front of Malcolm.
Then the senior regional director of the largest bank in the country bowed entirely at the waist.
"Mr Drayton," Arthur said. His voice was incredibly respectful and loud enough for the entire room to hear. "I brought the secure verification protocols you requested."
The entire boardroom fell into a stunned and heavy silence.
Victor froze completely. His outstretched hand dropped slowly to his side. He stared at the bowing bank director in absolute confusion.
"Arthur what are you doing?" Victor stammered. His voice suddenly lacked all of its previous arrogant power. "He is my ex's husband. He is a live-in servant."
Arthur turned his head and glared viciously at Victor.
"Keep your mouth completely shut Mr Hargrove," Arthur snapped. His tone was laced with absolute venom. "You are speaking to our most valued premier client. Show some respect or I will personally close all of your bank accounts today."
Victor felt the blood entirely drain from his face.
Arthur walked over to the auctioneer desk. He plugged a secure encrypted tablet directly into the main projector system of the boardroom.
"The National Central Bank officially guarantees the bidding power of Mr Malcolm Drayton," Arthur announced to the city officials.
Arthur pressed a button on the tablet. The massive digital screen behind the auctioneer lit up brightly.
It displayed Malcolm's verified checking account balance in massive bold green numbers.
Three billion dollars.
Victor stared at the massive projection on the wall. His legs instantly gave out from underneath him.
He collapsed heavily into his leather chair. His breath came in shallow and frantic gasps.
Three billion dollars in pure liquid spending power.
Victor was currently worth thirty million dollars. His entire net worth was literally one percent of the cash Malcolm had sitting in a standard checking account.
Victor was not even a speck of dust compared to the financial god sitting across from him.
Caroline stood completely paralyzed next to the table. Her beautiful face was as pale as a fresh corpse.
Her entire worldview shattered into a million jagged pieces.
She had spent years treating Malcolm like a disgusting and useless parasite. She had eagerly divorced him yesterday to secure her future with Victor.
She had thrown away a literal multi billionaire to sleep with a pathetic small time rich kid.
The magnitude of her own greed and stupidity hit her like a speeding freight train. She felt violently sick to her stomach.
Malcolm remained seated in his leather chair. He was terrifyingly calm.
He looked directly into Victor's terrified eyes.
"Thirty million dollars," Malcolm said smoothly. His voice echoed like thunder in the completely silent room.
Malcolm raised his hand and looked at the stunned auctioneer.
"My new bid is exactly thirty million dollars," Malcolm stated clearly.
The board members stared at him in absolute awe. He was purposely overpaying by twenty five million dollars just to prove a point.
Malcolm leaned forward and smiled a cold and dead smile at Victor.
"I just spent your entire life value on a pile of ugly concrete," Malcolm said quietly. "You are absolutely nothing to me Victor."
Victor opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. His massive ego was completely eradicated. He had been publicly humiliated in front of the entire city elite.
The head auctioneer swallowed hard. He practically slammed his wooden gavel through the solid mahogany table.
"Sold," the auctioneer shouted frantically. "The property is officially sold to Mr Drayton for thirty million dollars."
Malcolm stood up gracefully. He buttoned his dark jacket and walked toward the exit. He did not spare a single glance for the two shattered villains sitting at the table.
He walked out of the heavy double doors and stepped into the quiet marble hallway.
He needed to contact his construction crew immediately. The apocalypse was exactly twenty nine days away.
He heard desperate and frantic footsteps echoing behind him.
"Malcolm please wait."
Caroline ran out of the boardroom. Tears were streaming heavily down ruining her perfectly powdered face. She reached out and desperately grabbed his jacket sleeve.
"Malcolm, we made a terrible mistake," Caroline cried. Her voice was trembling with pathetic desperation. "Victor manipulated me. He forced me to sign those divorce papers yesterday."
Malcolm stopped walking. He looked down at the hand grabbing his sleeve.
He remembered how she had casually typed a text message on her phone while he froze to death outside her window.
Malcolm violently yanked his arm away. He brushed his sleeve exactly where she had touched him as if wiping away a disgusting disease.
"Do not ever touch me again," Malcolm said. His voice was so utterly devoid of human warmth that Caroline recoiled in terror.
He turned his back on her completely. He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Ironcrest Holdings.
"The property is officially secured," Malcolm said into the phone as he walked toward the exit. "Bring the heavy machinery right now. Start the geothermal drill immediately.”
- Writer
