Chapter 129: 1,500,000$ Investnts
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Zack raised an eyebrow, a look of genuine surprise crossing his features. He adjusted his glasses, looking at Von with a hint of suspicion. "I don’t rember ever telling you about that. How did you figure that out?"
Von rely offered a vague, knowing smile. He couldn’t exactly tell his lawyer the truth. In Von’s past life, he had known Zack for a longer ti.
Zack hadn’t co from a wealthy family. He had built his initial capital from the ground up through sheer intellect and an understanding of the financial markets.
While other college kids were spending their allowances on parties, Zack had been day-trading, reading financial reports, and studying market trends.
That was how Zack had funded his early ventures, paid off his debts, and bought that sedan he used to drive around before Von’s career exploded.
"I have my ways of figuring things out," Von said with a smile. "So? Are you?"
"Well, yes. I am. I haven’t had much ti to look at the ticker tapes since we started managing the biggest independent artist in the country, but I’m still among the best guys you’ll find for retail and corporate trading. Why? Are you still looking to diversify that massive pile of cash sitting in your checking account?"
"Exactly," Von said, reaching over to his desk drawer and pulling out a leather-bound notebook. "I set aside 1.5 million dollars from the album’s initial streaming revenue. I want to put it in the market."
Zack nodded approvingly, pulling out his tablet. "Smart move, Von. I’ve been aning to talk to you about wealth managent. Inflation will eat your cash if it just sits there. We can set up a conservative portfolio. Broad market index funds, so blue-chip dividend stocks, maybe a few municipal bonds for tax-free growth. It’s safe, and it’ll grow steadily over the next decade."
"No... No index funds. No bonds either. We’re going aggressive. I need you to set up a new corporate entity for . A shell company. Let’s call it Rewind Holdings. I want my personal na completely separated from the public trading records. Then, I want you to open a high-net-worth brokerage account under that LLC and deposit the 1.5 million directly into it."
Zack stopped typing on his tablet, his brow furrowing. "A blind LLC? That’s standard procedure for high-net-worth individuals, I can have that done by the end of the week. But what do you an by aggressive? What exactly are we buying?"
Von handed the open notebook over to Zack.
In the brief pockets of downti he had between shooting the four massive music videos, Von hadn’t just been sleeping.
He had been seriously studying, sothing he never liked but had to do. He knew exactly what was coming in the next few months, a global lockdown that would completely paralyze the world economy.
But knowing the future wasn’t enough; he needed to know the exact financial chanisms to exploit it.
He had read through several articles on options trading, leverage, and market chanics to ensure he didn’t sound like a complete amateur when pitching this to Zack.
"I want the money split perfectly in half," Von explained as Zack’s eyes scanned the handwritten pages. "Seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars into Put Options against the travel and live entertainnt sectors. I’m talking major airlines, international cruise lines, and live event ticketing companies. The other seven hundred and fifty thousand goes into Call Options on tech and biotech. Video conferencing software, ho fitness equipnt, and pharmaceutical companies."
For a long mont, the only sound in the room was the air conditioning. Zack stared at the notebook, his eyes darting back and forth across the pages. Slowly, he lowered the book, took off his glasses, and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Von," Zack said with disbelief and a heavy dose of concern. "This isn’t investing. This is a casino trip. You’re buying out-of-the-money options. Do you even understand how this works? You are basically placing a massive, leveraged bet that the global travel industry is going to completely crash and burn within the next few months."
"I understand how it works," Von replied calmly.
"No, I don’t think you do," Zack argued. He pointed a finger at the notebook. "It’s December! The economy is literally the strongest it has been in a decade. Holiday travel is at an all-ti high. Cruises are booked solid for the sumr. If the market just stays green and continues its normal upward trend, these options will expire entirely worthless. You won’t just lose a percentage of your portfolio; you will lose every single penny of that 1.5 million dollars."
"Zack," Von interrupted. He couldn’t ntion the impending pandemic. It will give away too much about himself. Instead, he leaned on the persona he had already built.
"Trust my intuition. You’ve seen what my gut feeling has done for my music. I’ve been watching the charts, and I’m not talking about Billboard. The market is running too hot. It’s overextended. The bubble is too big, and sothing has to give. I’m betting against the crowd."
Zack stared at him. He looked for any sign of hesitation in Von’s violet eyes, any indication that the nineteen-year-old was just throwing money around for the thrill of it.
But Von’s gaze was serious. It was the exact sa look Von had when he predicted Lost & Found will break records.
Zack let out a long, defeated sigh and put his glasses back on. "You’re the boss. It’s your money. If your intuition tells you to short the strongest economy in modern history, I’ll execute the trades. But I want it on the record that I officially advised against this."
"Noted," Von smiled. "Get the LLC paperwork filed. I want the trades queued up the second the account is live."
"I’ll start drafting the Eclipse Holdings incorporation docunts tonight," Zack muttered, already opening a new application on his tablet to begin the legal groundwork.
"I’ll use a registered agent in Delaware to keep your na off the state registry. Once the bank clears the wire transfer, I’ll buy the contracts exactly as you’ve outlined here."
Von leaned back in his chair, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction wash over him. The pieces were falling into place perfectly. This 1.5 million dollar gamble was rely Stage 1 of a much grander design.
In his mind, he was already calculating the exponential returns. Options trading offered massive leverage. When the lockdown hit and the travel industry collapsed, the value of his Put contracts would skyrocket. That initial investnt wasn’t going to yield a standard seven percent return; it was going to multiply ten, maybe twenty tis over.
If this gamble paid off the way he knew it would, it would act as the ultimate stepping stone to Stage 2. He wouldn’t just be an independent artist with a hit record anymore. He would have the kind of massive, liquid capital required to start buying actual power in the industry.
He was already entertaining really ambitious thoughts.
Von was so lost in the intoxicating thoughts of his impending wealth that he almost didn’t hear Zack speaking to him.
"Von. Hey, Von," Zack said, waving a hand to snap him out of his daydream.
"Yeah? Sorry, what?" Von blinked, refocusing on the room.
Zack had closed his tablet and was looking at Von with a much more serious expression.
"I said, since we’re on the topic of your money and your assets, we need to talk about your living situation," Zack said, leaning forward.
"The lease on this rental is up next month. And since the Pinecrest deal is officially greenlit, you’re going to be moving soon. The money is already sitting in escrow, so we’re just waiting out that standard closing ti window for the title and paperwork to fully clear. By the first week of January, they should hand over the keys and you’ll be moving into your new place."
"I know," Von said, nodding. He had been looking forward to that day for months. Moving out of the Venetian Islands rental and into a true fortified mansion of his own was a major milestone.
"I’ve already got my eye on that massive property down in Pinecrest. We’ll have plenty of space for the ho studio and everything else."
Zack pressed his lips together. "About that... I don’t know if Emily talked to you about this yet. But when you move to the new estate, we aren’t coming with you. Emily and I won’t be living under the sa roof as you anymore."
Von froze, his confident deanor slipping for a fraction of a second. He looked at Zack, genuinely confused. Ever since he ca down to Miami, the three of them had been an inseparable unit, living together, working together, and building the empire from the living room couch.
"What are you hinting at?" Von asked, his brow furrowing. "Did I do sothing wrong? If it’s about the house, the Pinecrest place is practically a compound. You and Em would have your own entire wings. You wouldn’t even have to see
if you didn’t want to."
"It’s not about the space, Von, and you didn’t do anything wrong," Zack said with reassurance. He let out a quiet sigh, looking around the room.
"Well, there are a few things I’d love for us to discuss regarding your future. Things are different now. You have to change a lot about your lifestyle with your current popularity."
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