Chapter 523 Arson?
Seeing that the visitor was Brent, Ryder stopped in his tracks. "Do you need something from me?"
Brent, a bit nervous, asked, "Mr. Clark, I wonder if you have some time. I'd like to discuss something with you. It won't take more than ten minutes!"
Ryder nodded. "Sure."
Ryder agreed partly because he found Brent quite agreeable.
He was also the first to greet Ryder before the auction started.
Moreover, Ryder was somewhat curious about Brent and wanted to learn more about him.
This scene was noticed by many other bidders, who felt a mix of emotions, mostly jealousy.
Although the chairman of Maple Group had a shallow foundation in New York City, many believed he had the potential to compete with the four major families.
At least, he was much stronger than those third- and fourth-tier companies and enterprises!
If they could get to know Ryder, it would definitely be hugely beneficial!
Unfortunately, they didn't realize Ryder was the chairman of Maple Group at first, and now they felt too embarrassed to approach him.
In a private room of a coffee shop.
Ryder and Brent sat across from each other.
After sitting down, Brent couldn't help but sigh. "Honestly, when I heard Scott stepped down as Maple Group's chairman and handed the reins to some young man in his twenties, I was shook. I mean, I know Scott's game, and I wasn't sure the new guy could measure up. But after meeting you today, I'm blown away. Seriously, I've never seen Tyler take a hit like that before!"
Brent's grin was wide, and Ryder almost wanted to chime in with how many times he'd already knocked Tyler down a peg.
Ryder took a sip of his coffee, raising an eyebrow. "You didn't come all the way here just to say that, did you?"
Brent's face flushed slightly. "I'm sorry, I got a bit carried away."
He hesitated, then blurted out, "Look, I'll cut to the chase. I need your help with something. I know we just met, and this is a huge ask, but I'm out of options. I—"
Ryder cut him off. "Just spit it out. Skip the fluff."
Brent nodded quickly. "Alright, here's the deal. I'm looking for an investment from Maple Group. I'm aiming for a billion, but honestly, even 800 million—scratch that, 500 mil would work. Of course, if it's a no-go, no hard feelings!"
As he spoke, Brent's voice gradually lowered, and his cheeks turned red, looking very nervous and embarrassed.
Even Brent himself couldn't understand why he felt this way. After all, he had sought investments from many people in New York City over the years, but this was the first time he felt so nervous, with his heart racing!
Ryder's expression remained unchanged as he asked, "Give me a reason, or rather, what is the purpose of this investment? I just want to hear the truth."
Brent looked into Ryder's calm, deep eyes, which seemed ordinary but exerted an invisible pressure.
Brent took a deep breath, nodded seriously, and answered briefly, "Revenge."
"Revenge?" Ryder's eyes narrowed slightly, sensing that things were about to get more interesting than he had imagined.
Brent then sighed and began to explain his reason for seeking the investment.
Turns out, ever since the Wallace family hit rock bottom three years ago, they've been scraping by—both in life and business.
Plenty of folks, inside and outside the family, blamed Brent's dad for their downfall. They figured he shouldn't have taken on that stadium project, which spiraled into a total mess.
Brent used to think the same.
But then something went down that flipped his whole perspective.
Two years ago, when the Wallace family was at its lowest, Brent went from being a rich heir to a washed-up businessman, drowning his sorrows in booze day after day.
One night, while he was knocking back drinks at a bar, he bumped into Tyler.
Seeing Tyler lit a fire in Brent.
The Wallaces had always had the Youngs' backs, but when the Wallaces hit the skids, the Youngs didn't lift a finger—instead, they swooped in and snatched up a huge chunk of the Wallaces' turf in NYC.
Brent had tried reaching out to the Youngs for help, only to get the boot.
So, with liquid courage coursing through him, Brent went straight for Tyler.
To his surprise, Tyler and his men beat Brent up and humiliated him in front of everyone at the bar, making Brent a laughingstock in New York City.
But that wasn't the worst part.
While wasted, Tyler let slip something huge: the stadium fire wasn't just some random disaster—the Youngs had seen it coming.
Most people brushed it off, but it stuck with Brent, gnawing at him.
After getting his pride stomped on, Brent started digging.
Sure enough, he found something.
Ryder's eyes narrowed. "What did you find?"
Brent's fists tightened, his voice icy. "The fire at the stadium wasn't an accident. It was arson. They torched the place and messed with the fire safety systems to make it look like an accident. My family got framed for it."
Ryder could feel the raw anger and hurt in Brent's tone. "So, did you figure out who's behind it?"
Brent nodded sharply. "Yeah, it was the Youngs! They set the whole thing up, and nearly wiped out my family. And now they're living the high life, one of the top four families, rolling in cash and power. I can't stand it!"
Even though Ryder had braced himself, hearing the Youngs were behind it still hit him like a ton of bricks.
A fire that big, dozens of lives lost—how messed up do you have to be to pull that off?
The Youngs already had a shady rep in NYC, but this was next-level evil.
Seeing Brent's bloodshot eyes, Ryder asked carefully, "You sound sure, but do you have anything solid to back this up?"
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
