Chapter 5
A week later, trouble came knocking at the Sinclairs' door.
First, three of their core suppliers abruptly terminated their contracts without any warning.
Then, their main bank sent a notice: credit lines were being reassessed, and all funding was put on hold.
At first, Mr. Sinclair didn't take it seriously.
After all, the Sinclairs had been rooted in Riverdale for thirty years, with a web of connections woven through every level of the city's society.
He made a few calls, thinking he could handle it.
The first person he called said, "Things are getting stricter lately."
The second person said, "Sorry, but the higher-ups sent down new instructions."
The third call went unanswered.
Mr. Sinclair was no longer able to keep his cool, and he couldn't sit still anymore.
Within just three days, Sinclair Enterprises' stock price tanked by 11%.
*****
I was sitting in the hotel's executive lounge, my laptop open in front of me.
Michael sat across from me, giving me an update.
"Sinclair Enterprises' real estate division is basically their lifeblood for cash flow. Right now, land permits are jammed up, bank loans are frozen solid, and their supply chain is choked off, three pressure points, all at once. If things keep going like this, they'll be lucky to survive another two months."
"Two months is too long," I said.
Michael shot me a look. "You want to speed things up even more?"
"Is Sinclair Enterprises in talks for a commercial complex project?" I asked.
"Yeah, that land up north. The total investment is 1.3 billion dollars, and they've already sunk half billion into it," Michael replied.
"Make it so they're stuck, can't put in another dime, can't pull a cent out," I said.
Michael paused.
"Mr. Carter, if we go through with this, Sinclair Enterprises could plunge right into a debt crisis. Layoffs, defaults, shared debts, this is going to drag a lot of people down with them," he said.
I closed my laptop.
"Why are you telling me all this?" I asked.
Michael opened his mouth, but no words came out.
"When my mom was lying in that hospital hallway, waiting to die, did any of those people say a single word for her?" I asked.
Michael fell silent.
"Do it," I said.
"Understood," he replied.
He stood up and left.
I reopened my laptop, and a news alert popped up on the screen.
[Riverdale's business circles are buzzing: Evercrest Holdings' mysterious boss has everyone guessing, with all the big families scrambling to get in on the action.]
The photo was from that welcome party at the Peninsula Hotel, cropped to show only half.
Only half of my back was visible.
I closed the page.
These days, the hottest gossip in Riverdale's business scene was all about one thing: who really ran Evercrest Holdings?
Everyone was trying to find out, whether in the open or on the sly.
Some folks guessed it was the second-generation heir of some rich family overseas.
Others swore it was the handpicked successor of some big-shot who'd already retired.
Nobody ever thought it could be me.
After all, to them, I was just Andrew Carter, the nobody.
The broke guy the Sinclairs kicked out five years ago.
How could someone like that possibly be running Evercrest Holdings?
Yeah, right.
*****
Another three days passed.
Sinclair Enterprises called an emergency board meeting.
Michael's team obtained the minutes from the meeting.
Mr. Sinclair pounded the table in the boardroom.
"Who's behind this? Find out who's sabotaging us!" he demanded.
No matter how hard they tried, nobody could find out who was pulling the strings.
Because I personally built Evercrest Holdings from scratch.
Seven layers of holding companies, spread out across four different countries.
Even if they hired every top law firm in Riverdale, it'd still take them half a year just to get a glimpse of what's really going on.
They didn't have half a year to spare.
At best, they'd last two months.
Mr. Sinclair was starting to panic.
He was running around, desperate to pull strings and find someone powerful enough to bail him out.
Then someone offered him a suggestion.
"Right now, Evercrest Holdings has the deepest pockets in Riverdale. If you can get close to them, not only will Sinclair Enterprises survive this crisis, you might even take the company to new heights," a man said.
"But nobody even knows who the boss of Evercrest Holdings is..." Mr. Sinclair said, frowning.
"There's a business summit next week. Word is, Evercrest Holdings will have someone there. That's your shot, find a way to make a connection," the man replied.
Mr. Sinclair's eyes lit up.
I looked over the meeting minutes, a faint smile tugging at my lips.
Bring it on.
We would see if you could find me.