CHAPTER 67: BROKER (3)

Adam leaned forward slightly.

"I have an oil well," he said.

"I want to shake the entire market with that oil well."

"But if I want to shake the entire market then I cannot do this under the supervision of the government."

Kevin remained silent. He just waited. He let Adam finish his talk.

Adam continued. "Whatever money I get from the oil well both officially and unofficially I want you to send it through shell companies."

His voice was low and intense.

"Not only in this country. Not just in Viper City."

"I want you to send it to our neighboring country."

"And even into the Empire."

"I want you to penetrate there and send it there too."

At the mention of the Empire Kevin’s eyes immediately looked up. A flicker of something crossed his face. Shock. Fear. Greed. It was gone in an instant.

He leaned forward.

He asked a very important question.

"How much money are you talking about?"

Adam smiled.

"Billions," he said.

"Not millions. Billions of dollars."

The word hung in the air of the empty cafe.

Kevin’s gaze immediately dropped to the table. His calm facade finally broke. He reached for his coffee cup with both hands. His fingers wrapped around it tightly as if it were an anchor.

He stared into the black liquid. He started thinking about something. The risks were enormous. The reward was beyond his wildest dreams. This was the one deal. The one that could make him a legend or put him in a grave.

Kevin took a deep breath. It was a shaky breath.

He finally looked up at Adam.

"The paperwork is not a problem," he said. His voice was raspy. "Making shell companies is easy."

"But there is only one problem in such a large amount."

Adam became even more curious. He waited for Kevin to continue.

Kevin said again "Because this amount is so big I don’t think that this amount can be transferred like this without anyone noticing it."

He shook his head. "Billions. Someone always notices billions."

Adam opened his mouth. He spoke with absolute confidence.

"That is why I have chosen you Kevin."

"I know that you will find a way."

He looked Kevin directly in the eye.

"Anyway this is a very big opportunity for you."

"Because I want to make you my partner."

Kevin’s eyes locked onto Adam’s. The world seemed to shrink to the space between them.

He whispered the word. It was barely audible.

"Partner?"

"Yes," Adam said.

He leaned back in his chair.

"Whatever I do in the business you should not have any concern with it."

"And you should not have any concern with where I send that money."

"Your work will only be to transfer that money from one place to another without anyone noticing it."

"After that you will get your cut."

Kevin processed this. It was not a partnership of equals. It was a role. A vital role but still just a role.

He looked at Adam. His mind was racing.

"How much cut are you talking about?" he asked. "How much percentage do you intend to give?"

If he was going to take this insane risk he needed to know the reward.

Adam looked at Kevin seriously.

"You know about this business Kevin."

"Partner does not mean that I will give you fifty percent of the amount."

Kevin heard Adam’s words.

A small smile touched his lips. It did not reach his eyes.

He thought to himself.

I thought he was an idiot. A rich kid playing a dangerous game.

But he has a lot of knowledge.

This boy was not naive. He understood the rules of their world. This changed the negotiation. It made Kevin bolder.

"Yes I know," Kevin said out loud. His voice was smooth again. He was back in his element.

"But still if you are calling me a partner then you will not give me a small cut."

It was a challenge. A probe to see how serious Adam truly was.

Adam did not hesitate.

"Kevin you will get a full ten percent cut."

The number fell into the quiet cafe like a bomb.

Kevin was completely surprised.

His mind reeled. His calm exterior shattered for a second time. Ten percent. The number echoed in his thoughts.

He knew this mission was very expensive. It was incredibly dangerous. But the reward was astronomical.

He had never gotten a ten percent cut. Not even close.

For his normal jobs transferring a few million dollars from one place to another he got a cut of four percent. Sometimes five percent if the client was desperate.

And that was only inside his country.

This deal was for billions. And it went into the Empire itself.

Ten percent of one billion was one hundred million dollars.

Ten percent of ten billion was a billion dollars.

The sheer scale of it was hard to comprehend. It was more money than he had ever dreamed of. It was enough to build his own empire.

The risk suddenly seemed manageable.

Kevin took a slow breath. He regained his composure. He saw the opening Adam had given him. The offer was so high it felt like a mistake. It meant there was room to push.

He had to push.

Kevin opened his mouth.

"Fifteen percent," he said. His voice was firm.

"If you are considering me a partner. My price is fifteen percent."

The same Adam became completely silent after hearing this from Kevin.

He did not look angry. He did not look surprised. He just looked thoughtful. He stared at Kevin for a long moment. The silence stretched. Kevin’s heart hammered in his chest. He wondered if he had gone too far. If he had just blown the deal of a lifetime.

Then Adam exhaled deeply. It was a sound of finality.

"I am ready to do it at fifteen percent," Adam said.

His eyes were like steel.

"But I will not go higher than this. This is my final offer."

Kevin felt a wave of relief wash over him. It was so intense it almost made him dizzy.

He had won.

But then a second thought hit him. It was a sharp pang of regret.

I should have said twenty percent, he thought. The thought was bitter. Adam had agreed too quickly. He had left money on the table.

He pushed the thought away. Fifteen percent of billions was still a victory beyond imagination.

He took a deep breath. This was real. This was happening.

He moved his hand forward across the table.

"Okay then," he said. "Give me a year’s time."

A year was ambitious. It would take at least that long to build the network of shell companies. To find the right people. To establish the secret channels into the Empire. It was a mountain of work.

Adam smiled on hearing this from Kevin.

It was not a friendly smile. It was cold.

He did not take Kevin’s hand.

"You have only a week’s time," Adam said.

The words were quiet. But they hit Kevin like a physical blow.

A week.

Kevin was very surprised. He stared at Adam in disbelief. He thought he must have misheard.

"A week?" he repeated.

Adam just looked at him.

The full weight of Adam’s demand crashed down on him. A week. It was impossible. It was insane.

Kevin immediately stood up from his chair. The chair scraped loudly against the floor. He looked at Adam seriously. The fear and shock were gone replaced by anger.

"Are you crazy?" he shouted. His voice echoed in the empty cafe.

Adam also stood up from there. He did not seem bothered by Kevin’s outburst. He turned and started leaving.

As he walked towards the door he spoke over his shoulder.

His voice was calm.

"I will give you the list of people you are looking for."

Kevin froze. The list. The real power players. The contacts he had spent his entire life dreaming of.

Adam was walking away.

"The ones who can make your one-year plan happen in one week," Adam said.

Saying this without hearing Kevin’s reply he pushed the cafe door open and left.

He disappeared onto the street leaving Kevin standing alone in the silent cafe. His mind was a whirlwind of impossibility and opportunity.