Chapter 53
Kenneth placed a piece on the board and reached out to pat Ophelia’s head. “I won’t ask. You can do anything you want.”
“Really?” Ophelia’s eyes lit up.
“Except children,” he added firmly.
Ophelia’s lips turned down slightly. ‘Of course,‘ she thought. ‘He’s still not budging on that issue!
Kenneth gently tilted her chin up, leaning in closer. “While the end result isn’t possible, I can certainly make the process enjoyable for you…”
“Stop it…” Ophelia’s cheeks flushed pink at his words.
Kenneth’s gaze lowered, his interest in the game board suddenly waning.
With Kenneth out for the afternoon, Ophelia seized the chance to slip away to her studio. The harsh realities of running a household had hit her hard – bills were piling up, and her studio was bleeding money. She needed a quick fix for her financial woes.
That afternoon, before the stock market closed, Ophelia made her way to the stock exchange.
In her previous life, she hadn’t dabbled in stocks. But a couple of days ago, while Kenneth was keeping her company, she’d caught a glimpse of his computer screen and overheard bits of his conversation with Mark.
Then, Ophelia figured that following Sinclair Group was a surefire way to turn a profit. After registering an account, she invested half of her available funds into the stocks they’d mentioned.
“Young lady, do you even understand stocks?” An older man nearby couldn’t resist chiming in. “Those penny stocks you’ve picked are heading south fast. You might as well flush your money down the toilet!”
Ophelia raised an eyebrow, her voice cool as a cucumber. “Is that so? What would you suggest then, sir?”
The man adjusted his bifocals, squinting at the massive display board. “We’ve been watching Harvest Organics and Starry City lately. Both are looking promising. They opened at 7.3 dollars and have already climbed to 10 dollars. At this rate, we’re in for another bull run this week.”
Though Ophelia wasn’t well–versed in the stock market, she recalled news from her past life. Harvest Organics seemed fine, but Starry City was likely headed for a major drop and would eventually be swallowed by Sinclair Group.
“I’d advise you to sell off all your Starry City shares as soon as possible,” she told the older man.
He scoffed, “Are you crazy? The stock’s on a roll. I’d have to be out of my mind to sell it now. Young lady, you don’t know the first thing about this.”
Ophelia raised an eyebrow but said nothing more. After making her purchases, she left. She’d handle her own trades online from now on. There was no need to come back here.
At Sinclair Group, Kenneth sat in his wheelchair, absently fiddling with his pinky ring. “So Ophelia picked all those stocks?” he asked.
“Yes, Mr. Sinclair.” Mark confirmed from beside him.
‘Mr. Sinclair is so weird, Mark thought. ‘He clearly wants to help, but instead of doing it directly, he chooses this roundabout method. It’s hard to understand his motives.”
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Chapter 53
“You know what to do, right Kenneth asked.
“Yes, sir,” Mark replied aloud while thinking to himself, ‘Of course, the goal is to make sure Miss Spencer rakes in a fortune. though it’s quite a windfall for those small–time investors.
Two weeks later, the stocks Ophelia had chosen skyrocketed. She had made a killing, riding the wave of Sinclair Group’s
success.
During the same period, Starry City’s stock took a nosedive, plummeting from 10 dollars to just over four dollars, with no signs of stopping its freefall.
Passing by the stock exchange, one could hear the anguished cries of investors who had lost everything.
Suddenly, a harsh voice rang out from across the street. “Get lost, you parasite! You’ve been here eight times in a week. We don’t have time for your nonsense. That shell company of yours is nothing but a money pit. You’re bad news. Now scram before I call security!”
“I just want to meet your CEO. Please, let me see him,” the young man pleaded.
“I said get lost!” The harsh reply came.
Papers exploded from the briefcase, swirling in the air before raining down on the young man. His shoulders slumped as he stood there, looking quite defeated and exhausted..
Ophelia hadn’t paid much attention at first, but suddenly, a stray paper fluttered across the street, landing near her feet.
It read: [Christopher Tech Group]
‘Christopher? Is that Christopher Smith across the street?‘ Ophelia’s eyes suddenly lit up. “The future tech industry leader, Christopher? I can’t believe I’ve run into him! Though right now, he’s probably just a fresh college graduate struggling to start his business.‘
Ophelia hadn’t known this man or anything about his internet technology company before. In her previous life, it was Harry who had helped him when his startup failed, and he faced a series of setbacks.
Harry had bought the man’s company at a very low price and helped him pay off part of his debts. Out of gratitude and to repay his debt, Christopher had been working for various companies under Hastings Group ever since.
Ophelia had seen him once at a Hastings family gathering in her past life.
Later, when the Hastings family faced problems in their real estate business, it was Christopher’s company that helped them weather the storm. His company became Emily’s most valuable asset.
Ophelia crossed the street. Christopher was picking up the pages of his business proposal–the result of three sleepless nights–from the ground. As he looked up, he saw a young woman helping him gather the scattered papers.
“Th–thank you…” Christopher stammered. It was often the kindness of strangers that caught people off guard, breaking down their defenses when they least expected it. Christopher kept his head bowed, eyes rimmed red as tears splattered onto the pavement.
Ophelia’s voice was soft. “Mind if I take a look?”
“Yeah, sure.” Christopher gathered the papers from the ground, brushing off dirt and smudges as if handling precious artifacts. He passed them over like they were made of glass.
Ophelia couldn’t make heads or tails of the content, but she gave each page a thorough once–over anyway.
Christopher composed himself, watching Ophelia pore over the documents. She’d given them more aftention than anyone else, save for himself. Despite suspecting it might be a mere pity, warmth bloomed in his chest.
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Chapter 53
Ophelia finally looked up. I wanted to invest, how much would you need?”
60%
+5
Her question caught Christopher off guard. He looked at the strikingly beautiful girl, her attire suggesting she was still in high school. He gave a wry smile. “Thank you, but investing in this project… Well, it would require at least 1.5 million dollars.
This was a conservative estimate. Once research and development for this kind of technology began, there would be no immediate returns–only a constant need for more funding. Tech R&D was notoriously expensive. Christopher had quoted the bare minimum, not wanting to scare Ophelia.
To his surprise, Ophelia simply nodded. “No problem. When can we sign the contract?”
Christopher’s eyes widened in disbelief. After all, this was 1.5 million dollars, not some pocket change investment.
Ophelia pulled out a card from her purse. “I just made some money from the stock market. I’ve been looking to make an investment.”
A high schooler playing the stock market?‘ Christopher couldn’t help but feel skeptical. He stared at Ophelia’s delicate hand as she held out a bank card to him and couldn’t help but wonder if she was afraid of losing everything.
“But…” Christopher hesitated.
Ophelia cur him off. “If I’m not afraid to invest, why are you?”
Before Christopher could protest, Ophelia took him to the nearest ATM. She inserted the card and pulled up the balance.
Christopher’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. The account was loaded with a cool seven million dollars. He looked at Ophelia in shock, wondering if she had lost her mind.
‘Hold on a sec…,‘ he thought. ‘Who is this girl, really? Is she some trust fund kid? But her clothes don’t suggest that. And the wisdom and shrewdness in her eyes… It’s not something you’d typically see in a rich heiress her age.
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