Smith was lost in thought for a few seconds. The offer was so big so audacious it was hard to comprehend. He was a high school student. And this man this strange teacher was offering him the chance to run a national bank.
He was very surprised. He looked at Adam. He tried to see if this was so kind of joke. So kind of trick. He thought Does this young-looking teacher really have so much money?
Then Smith took a deep breath. He made a decision. He would treat this as a real business proposal. He would not be intimidated. He would not be a child. He would be a professional.
He looked at Adam with a new seriousness in his eyes. "If you don’t tell the main goal of this bank I won’t be able to work properly," he said his voice now steady and confident. "I need to know the ultimate objective. What is the end ga? What are we trying to achieve?"
Adam stood up. He walked to the small whiteboard on the wall of his office.
He picked up a marker. "Think about it Smith," he said his voice now that of a teacher. A ntor. He drew two points on the board. He labeled them ’A’ and ’B’. He drew a straight line connecting them.
"Our own governnt wants to start a project," he said. "For example a road. A new highway. It has to be built from Point A to Point B." He turned to face Smith. "How does the governnt fund a project like this? Do you know?"
Smith nodded his head. He was no longer a nervous student. He was a participant in a high-level strategic discussion. "They issue governnt bonds," he said his voice clear and confident. "They borrow money from the market. From private investors."
"Exactly," Adam said.
"The governnt invites big businesses in the market. Big corporations. Investnt funds. Even big institutions in the international market. And it says ’Put a certain number of your funds here. Invest in our project. And you can take all the profits from this project’. This is the first viable route to power. The first viable influence. By controlling the funding you control the project. You control the lifeline of the nation’s infrastructure." He drew a small dollar sign next to the line on the board.
"Now tell ," Adam continued his voice low and intense. "What happens when a country’s economy starts to fall? When there is a recession? When the governnt is on the verge of bankruptcy?"
Smith thought for a mont. He had read about such things in the financial news. "That country asks for money from other countries," he said. "They seek loans from international organizations like the International Ergency Fund Bank. Sotis they even ask for help from big rich families. So that their country can be saved."
"And what happens," Adam asked his voice now a low whisper.
"When a big businessman or an institution gives money to that country in its ti of need?" He looked at Smith.
Smith was already very surprised by Adam’s line of questioning. He was thinking What is teacher Adam trying to say? What is he getting at? He felt like he was in the middle of a high-stakes chess ga. And he did not even know the rules. "I have no idea what you’re saying," he said finally. His voice was a mixture of confusion and intrigue.
"That institution," Adam said his voice now a low whisper that seed to fill the small office.
"The one that bails out the failing country. It takes control of the country’s financial controls. It gains power over the central bank the treasury the places from where all the finance is controlled. It takes control of this power. And with that power it spreads its influence. It promotes its own businesses throughout that entire country. It forces the country to adopt policies that benefit it. Just like what happened in our neighboring country Lokopalo."
Smith was a very knowledgeable person for his age. He read the financial news every day. He knew what had happened in Lokopalo. Their neighboring country which was to their east.
He knew that a few years ago Lokopalo’s economy had collapsed. He knew that a mysterious foreign investnt firm had swooped in and bailed out the country.
He also knew that since then Lokopalo’s economy had beco completely dominated by that sa foreign firm. Its businesses were everywhere. Its influence was in every aspect of the country’s life.
Suddenly an idea started to form in Smith’s mind. The pieces of the puzzle started to click into place. He looked at Adam with wide eyes.
"I understand what you want to do now," he said his voice barely a whisper.
"You are not just building a business. You are building a backbone. An economic backbone for our country. A backbone that you will control."
"Exactly," Adam said a slow smile appearing on his face.
Smith also smiled. It was a smile of a man who has just seen the future. "Sir your idea is not just to open a bank," he said his voice now filled with a new and profound respect.
"The bank is just a ans to an end. It is a tool to support the main thing you are going to do..." He could not even finish his sentence. The audacity of the plan was too much.
"Exactly," Adam said again. He stepped closer to Smith. He looked him in the eye. "Will you do this work for ?" he asked. "Just like you I can’t tolerate waiting at all. I want to move fast. I want to build this empire now."
Smith suddenly beca very excited. His heart was pounding in his chest. This was it. This was the opportunity he had been dreaming of.
"I will absolutely do it!" Smith exclaid. His earlier nervousness was gone replaced by a pure excitent. He was practically vibrating with energy. "But I don’t want any salary from you."
Adam knew that Smith was a smart boy. He had expected this. A salary was for an employee. Smith saw himself as a partner. As a builder. "I can only offer you shares of the bank," Adam said his voice calm and serious.
"And I can give you shares of all the projects you work on in the future. You will be a part owner of everything we build."
Smith smiled a wide genuine smile after hearing this. "That’s all I wanted to hear," he said. "Equity is more valuable than a salary. Now just tell when do I have to start working?"
"From today," Adam said his voice matching Smith’s intensity. "In fact from right now. I will soon send you a list of all the skills of so people I have in mind. We need to build a team."
Smith imdiately raised his hand stopping Adam. "No," he said with a confidence that was astounding for his age.
"Don’t send a list. Give so ti. Let do my own research. Let prepare the whole structure myself first. The organizational chart. The key positions. The hiring criteria. I need to build this from the ground up."
Adam was impressed. He was not just delegating a task to Smith. He was empowering a visionary.
He smiled. "Okay," he said.
"I will send you the organizational structures of the top 10 banks of Viper City. Read them. Learn from them. And then prepare your own structure. But rember I need it today. By the end of the day. And as for your other classes for that I am taking your extra class today. You don’t need to go to any other class. You will stay here. With . We have work to do."
Smith smiled even more after hearing this. The thought of skipping his boring classes to work on this grand project was a dream co true.
"Thank you Sir Adam," he said. He had found his ntor. He had found his purpose. And he was ready to change the world.
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