Free Web NovelIt had been a message asking to meet in Italy.
But I notified them that the meeting would take place at my mansion in Russia.
On the appointed day, a light rain fell over Russia.
As I watched the rain spreading across the window, I suddenly asked,
“Any news?” frёeωebɳovel.com
Manager Ma, who was standing by, replied.
“They’ve arrived at the airport. They said they’re coming straight here.”
I nodded and lifted the coffee cup in front of me. My heart rippled with dark turbulence, yet the reflection in the cup showed only a calm face.
At that moment, the phone in the mansion rang.
Igor, who was waiting beside Manager Ma, picked up the call.
“Please hold for a moment.”
Covering the receiver with his hand, Igor turned toward me.
“It’s Medvedev.”
I slowly reached out and took the receiver.
“This is Kim Muhyuk.”
― Mr. Kim, this is Medvedev.
“Yes, Chairman.”
― The identities of the people who entered the country have been confirmed.
From the moment they entered Russia, their every move was under the surveillance of the FSB.
For Putin as well, this was the perfect chance to grasp their true nature.
― It is Lorenzo Medici, head of the Medici family. He holds no official title, but he is said to control more than 50% of Italy’s industry. Even our intelligence service has been closely watching him.
“The fact that the head himself has moved means they must be desperate, doesn’t it?”
The longer time passed, the greater their losses became.
The historic crash had stopped, replaced by rises and falls. But the downward trend was undeniable.
― This is the first time we’ve seen him in person, not just in photographs. I believe we can obtain much valuable information.
Choosing Russia as the meeting place was not only for my safety, but also to gather intelligence on them.
As I wrapped up the call with Medvedev, word came from the security team at the entrance.
“Boss, they’ve arrived.”
“Let them in.”
“Yes, sir.”
Igor went out to bring them.
― They’ve arrived, I just received the report as well. Our agents will be watching nearby, but we won’t be tapping the conversation.
“Understood.”
― Then let us speak again later.
Hanging up, I rose and moved to the reception room.
A short while later, Igor entered with the guests.
I stood to greet them.
“I am Kim Muhyuk.”
As I extended my hand first, one of the men stepped forward.
He was a white man whose beard suited him well. Removing his sunglasses, he clasped my hand.
“Lorenzo Medici.”
I had thought he might never have held anything heavier than a pen in his life, yet his hand was unexpectedly calloused.
“Please, sit.”
This was not the reception room, but my study.
I offered one of the two armchairs placed opposite each other by the window.
Behind me stood Manager Ma and Igor, while two large bodyguards stood behind Lorenzo.
“Coffee, perhaps?”
“Of course. I enjoy it.”
Lorenzo answered with ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) a genial smile.
Soon, two cups of coffee were placed on the small table before us.
Watching the faint steam rising from the cups, I broke the silence.
“So then, what’s the reason you asked to meet?”
Lorenzo, unfazed by my directness, lifted his cup.
“Excellent coffee. Why so rushed? Wouldn’t it be better to enjoy a cup and get to know each other first?”
Smiling back at his leisurely manner, I replied,
“Very well. I’m in no hurry. How about this: we each ask a question in turn, and the other answers?”
“That is an excellent idea.”
He acted as though nothing was amiss, but his gestures were quite grand. Even considering that he had come all the way from Italy.
“You suggested it, so I will ask first.”
“Go ahead. Ask.”
I nodded lightly.
“How did you know? About the Mexican currency crisis and the East Asian currency crisis.”
“I merely analyzed. I wasn’t the only one who succeeded in investing then.”
Lorenzo chuckled with amusement and shook his head.
“That is not the kind of formal answer I wanted. You staked everything on those gambles. Not once, but several times. As if you knew the future.”
There was a strange conviction in his tone.
But nowhere in this world was there any proof that I knew the future.
“Staked everything? How can you be so sure? I have never once staked everything. I only invest where I believe. Admittedly, this time surprised me—the Nasdaq rose higher than I expected, and the decline came later.”
“······We have already investigated everything about you.”
“Even a man does not fully know his own heart. How could you possibly know everything about me?”
Lorenzo studied my face intently, as though trying to catch a lie in my words and eyes.
I simply lifted my cup and sipped.
“Now it’s my turn to ask.”
Perhaps unsatisfied with my answer, Lorenzo gave a slight shake of his head. His gaze demanded further explanation.
“No matter how much I try, there’s nothing more I can say. Investment is a matter of analysis and instinct. It was nothing more than combining James Han’s analysis with my intuition. If you look at it that way, didn’t you also make a fortune during the East Asian crisis? Surely you didn’t truly think I was claiming to know the future, did you?”
“That is······.”
He began to speak but then closed his mouth.
“Fine. Ask your question.”
In the end, Lorenzo nodded. I set my coffee cup down.
“You must have predicted the Nasdaq’s decline as well. So why did you recklessly agree to the contract we proposed?”
According to Putin, they had always manipulated the flow of the capital markets at will.
But even they had not engineered the steep rise of Nasdaq tech stocks.
Technology’s progress was not something they could dictate.
A new system allowed anyone to trade stocks from home by computer, not just by phone orders, and a new method called day trading had appeared.
The bubble had been inflated by them, venture capitalists, and IT entrepreneurs. Wall Street investors had no choice but to follow.
This was not a board they had created. For them, there had been no reason to risk such a massive contract.
As if expecting the question, Lorenzo nodded.
“The contract terms Future Investment presented were absurdly favorable to us. There was no reason not to accept. Frankly, we never expected the fall to be so deep as to trigger those options.”
“Even I, when I drafted them, never imagined anyone would accept such outrageous terms.”
UT Investment Bank, one of Italy’s greatest, had immense capital.
If they had been brought to the brink of collapse, the losses from this contract must have been staggering beyond measure.
“In the end, it’s hindsight. We gained enormous profits before, only to see them wiped out in a single blow.”
“Wasn’t there another intention? Was your purpose perhaps to bankrupt me?”
“Ha ha ha.”
Lorenzo suddenly burst out laughing.
“You are indeed amusing.”
“Amusing?”
“Do you really think we would accept such a massive contract just to destroy you?”
Though he wore a carefree smile, his eyes mocked me.
“Don’t overestimate yourself. Do you think a family that has endured for centuries would waste thought on you?”
At his provocative tone, my own expression hardened.
“Yet that family of centuries is on the verge of collapse, and you speak so lightly.”
“Do you think we would collapse over a loss of this level? Certainly not.”
“Then endure it. Aren’t you curious how far the Nasdaq will fall? I’ll endure it as well.”
The once-friendly mood turned cold in an instant.
I could feel the bodyguards behind him tense at the sudden shift.
“Why so agitated?”
Perhaps it was his nature, but Lorenzo only shrugged as if it had been a joke.
“Enough testing. Let’s get to the point. Tell me why you wanted this meeting.”
“The point, huh······.”
He trailed off, stroking his beard.
As I looked blankly at his feigned composure, the smile faded from his lips.
“Would you consider joining hands with me?”
“Joining hands?”
His face was serious.
“If we combined your instinct with my ability, we could achieve remarkable results. What do you say?”
Lorenzo had said “me.”
Not “us,” but me.
“Did you come as a messenger?”
Lorenzo’s expression stiffened.
“I mean the group you belong to.”
“······How did you know?”
“You know about me. Did you think I wouldn’t know about you?”
At that moment, Lorenzo cast aside the mask he had worn.
What remained was not a genial Italian gentleman, but a titan of a family that ruled the world economy.
“Even if you know, do not speak it aloud. You could vanish without a trace.”
“Is that a threat?”
“A warning. Putin may be beyond our reach, but you are not.”
I met his cold gaze without flinching. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
“Do you think I cannot kill you?”
Here in Russia, in this place, I could take his life at any moment.
But Lorenzo did not waver.
“You could. But if you killed me now, everyone around you would die as well. James Han in America, Eva Zhu in Japan, even your family in Korea.”
“But you too must be prepared. I will use every means to erase you, your family, and all tied to you from this world.”
The study fell silent.
Only the sound of cold rain and the faint rattle of the window in the wind remained.
The silence, as if even breathing had ceased, was broken by Lorenzo’s sigh.
“Let’s stop these empty threats. My coming here myself is proof of my sincerity. I said it was a warning, not a threat.”
“Had you not come in person, I would have had no reason to meet you. If you had sent someone else, this meeting would not have happened.”
Lorenzo nodded.
“That is why I came myself. Now, send out the bodyguards, and let us speak alone.”
I glanced briefly at Manager Ma and Igor.
The tension was evident on Igor’s jaw.
“These are men I trust.”
“Of course, I trust mine as well. But the fewer who know what we are about to discuss, the better.”
If it had been only Manager Ma, I would have refused. But I could not place full trust in Igor.
“Very well. Let’s dismiss them and speak just the two of us.”
The bodyguards turned and left the room.
I casually rose, drew the curtains myself, and covered the windows.
Now even lip-reading from afar with a telescope was impossible.
As I sat back down, Lorenzo watched me silently, then spoke.
“I said not us, but me.”
