Mystery Investor

"Holy shi—! Sir! Sir! Something unbelievable just happened!"

The door to an exquisite office opened, showing a middle aged Japanese man sitting in the luxury of a high cushioned chair, behind a massive black marble desk.

"What is it, Andy?" the man asked his employee with a heavy sigh.

Andy Nashville, a senior analyst, stepped in briskly, a laptop tucked under his arm. He was a man in his late twenties, neatly dressed in a tailored navy suit, an expression of disbelief and excitement was on his face.

He exhaled as he approached his boss, like he was still processing the information himself. "A record-breaking Bitcoin purchase was made just now."

Sagomoto furrowed his brows. "Bitcoin?" His voice carried a hint of skepticism. "I saw in Business Today that the cryptocurrency was heading for a fall."

"I can't believe it myself too, sir. $82,500 worth."

Sagomoto paused.

His brows furrowed as he tried to get that number right in his mind. $82,500? On a cryptocurrency? "Impossible. No one would be reckless enough to throw that much into a speculative asset."

"I'll show it to you, sir!" Andy adjusted his glasses then excitedly walked around the marble desk, standing next to his boss.

Then, he placed his laptop on the desk and turned the screen toward his boss, pulling up CryptoTracker, the social media platform for cryptocurrency enthusiasts and investors. There, in bold, highlighted text, was the notification:

FuglyDuckling just purchased Bitcoin worth $82,500!

The CEO's expression froze. His fingers steepled under his chin as he read the words again. $82,500. A staggering amount for an asset even seasoned investors hesitated to touch.

Mr. Kaito Sagomoto felt a rush of excitement and energy coursing through him. The kind that adventurers felt when the prospect of a new adventure came, the kind that hunters felt at the sight of a new game to hunt.

It had been quite a long time since he felt that intense amount of excitement. He was the formidable CEO of Sagomoto Wealth Offices, one of the most exclusive private firms handling the finances of the ultra-rich.

They handled everything from investments to philanthropy, legal matters, and even lifestyle management. They were one of the best in the state, only in rivalry against a branch of Moon Enterprises, Moon Wealth Management Offices.

'For someone to spend this much on an unproven cryptocurrency…' Sagomoto pondered, eyes almost tearing up. 'It means one of two things — He must be someone willing to take risks, or someone who goes all in when he's convinced of something. I am sure of it! I have found him! I found the man that I have been searching for my whole life. This man would be a great person to work with. Or better yet…' He exhaled slowly. 'To work for.'

'Maintaining his finances, his expenditures, drafting his contracts, securing his ventures, assigning him the best lawyers to win his cases, settling lawsuits for him! I can build a dynasty with this man! For this man! Quickly, what is his name?'

"Eh?" His eyes narrowed. "FuglyDuckling?"

Sagomoto blinked. "Is that his name?" He pointed at the pseudonym on the purchase. "FuglyDuckling?"

Andy cleared his throat. "It appears that the person who purchased the Bitcoin doesn't have a CryptoTracker account. The platform automatically generated a placeholder to represent him so his purchase could be broadcasted."

Sagomoto exhaled sharply and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temple. A complete mystery investor. No profile, no details, nothing.

"Are you saying that this our record buyer is a mystery man? A ghost?"

"I'm afraid that's the case, sir," Andy admitted.

Sagomoto's jaw clenched. His fingers drummed against his desk. 'Ah, so my destined client wants to play hard to get. He wants me to prove myself to him. I understand why he would want his secrecy, but I need him to be signed to my company!'

Building courage, he straightened up. "No. I refuse to accept that." His eyes burned with resolve. "Andy, I don't care what it takes, from today, your number one mission is to find him. Dig through purchase records, track wallet transactions, scan digital footprints. I want to know who this man is. And once you find him, as my top headhunter, you are to try to get me his signature."

Andy nodded. "Understood, sir. I won't fail you."

"And if you succeed… Expect a significant raise."

Hearing this, Andy immediately went to action.

» » » « « «

Meanwhile, across the city, inside a sleek skyscraper bearing the Moon Enterprises emblem, Ryan Anders leaned back in his leather chair, watching the city lights reflect off his whiskey glass.

This was the headquarters for the subsidiary of Moon Enterprises, Moon Wealth Management Offices. And Ryan Anders was the CEO of the company.

His eyes lifted from his glass cup as his secretary, Amelia, stepped into his office, placing a printed document on his desk.

"Sir," she began, adjusting her glasses, "CryptoTracker just broadcasted a major Bitcoin investment. $82,500."

Anders lifted a brow of interest. "$82,500? Who is this mad man on the loose and how can I catch him?" A mischievous smile spread below his nose. "That is a tremendous amount of money to invest in a currency bound for failure."

He studied the printed paper. "That means a man like this wouldn't hesitate if I pointed to where and where he should invest his money. Kekekeke. I love this kind of businessmen. Who is he?"

Amelia hesitated. "The buyer is anonymous. No profile. No records."

Anders's eyes flickered with interest. "Oh?" He reached for the document once more, scanning it. "FuglyDuckling. That's a comical name."

A slow grin spread across his face. "So, we have a ghost investor, do we?"

"Yes, sir. If he is a new business man in the game, should we begin the headhunting process?"

Anders grinned wider "Without hesitation, Amelia." He placed his whiskey glass down. "I know this news has already reached the amateurs on the other side, but they couldn't find a whale in an aquarium. A man like this, he would want to sign with the big boys. The big boys... are us."

Amelia nodded uneasily.

Her boss then stood up, causing her to move backwards slightly. Then he adjusted his tie. "Prepare for a hunt, Amelia. You will be doing it yourself, and make sure to dress... nice when you do. The cyber team will trace this purchase. Find out where the transaction was initiated and who's behind it. Then you'll go hunting"

"Understood, sir." Amelia turned to leave.

Watching her ass move temptingly in her skirt as she walked away, Anders sighed, picking up the paper once more. "Mister Duckling... You are going to make me richer, aren't you?"

» » » « « «

Not very far away as well, in an extravagant penthouse, Adam Scotland swirled his glass of aged wine, staring at his laptop screen.

The news had also reached his end.

For many months, he had held the title of the largest Bitcoin holder — 150,000 BTC under his name. He had also been the most followed account on CryptoTracker having over 3 million followers.

Somehow, Adam had always taken pride in that. Even though it was vain, it gave him a certain pleasure. An ego.

But now?

He took another sip, eyes narrowing at the screen.

FuglyDuckling.

This… mystery investor had just broken his records with one single purchase. Eighty two thousand fucking dollars worth of Bitcoin.

And now, for the first time in months, Scotland was no longer the biggest individual holder. He was also no longer the most followed account in CryptoTracker.

Even though FuglyDuckling was only a placeholder account, it already had 3.3 million followers, all amassed within the space of half a day! Something that had taken Scotland months to reach.

A slow, frustrated sigh left his lips.

It was completely vain. None of this mattered, yet it stung slightly.

He could buy more Bitcoin. Of course, he could. He had hundreds of millions at his disposal. But was it worth the risk? Bitcoin was still seen as unstable, volatile, unpredictable. Certain to fall soon.

As a businessman, he had to keep his ego in check and play it safe.

But this Duckling was not playing it safe at all.

His eyes narrowed at the profile on the screen, the bland, faceless profile picture and the name FuglyDuckling written below.

And at that same moment, across different corners of the city, Sagomoto, Anders, and Scotland all asked the same question.

"Who are you, mystery investor?"

» » » « « «

The sliding doors of Morrison's hospital entrance opened. Sunlight streamed into the white-tiled lobby, where patients, doctors, and nurses moved in quiet efficiency.

Then, a young man stepped inside.

He stood gallant and certain, adjusting his leather jacket as he looked around the place. He had dark brown hair, slicked back and neatly styled. His skin glowed like it was a reflection of the sun itself and his sharp, thick brows made his blue eyes blaze as he scanned the room.

It was Darren Steele and he had come to see his mother.