Chapter 205: Next Move
The grand marble hallway outside Hearing Room 4B was quiet, save for the deliberate, echoing rhythm of Jake and Samuel Carter’s footsteps against the polished floor. Outside the heavy double doors of the VFRB Central Building, however, a wall of flashing cameras, boom microphones, and shouting reporters surged against the steel security barriers.
"Mr. Rivers! Has the VFRB completely cleared Golden Investments?"
"Jake! Is it true the CFTC dropped all international inquiries?"
"What’s your response to Chief Investigator Reacher’s claims about market weaponization?"
Jake didn’t pause or slow his stride. Beside him, Samuel Carter raised a single hand, his silver-framed glasses reflecting the blinding glare of camera flashes as security personnel cleared a narrow lane to the waiting black Brabus.
"My client, Mr. Jake Rivers, and his private firm, Golden Investments, have been completely exonerated of all administrative and regulatory allegations," Carter announced, his voice carrying the calm, absolute authority that made Blackwell & Carter feared in financial courtrooms. "The panel found zero statutory breaches under Veyra banking law, and the CFTC has officially closed its cross-border review. Golden Investments has operated—and will continue to operate—with complete adherence to international standards. That is all for today."
Elias held the rear door open. Jake stepped inside the quiet sanctuary of the SUV, followed closely by Carter. As the heavy door sealed shut, the chaotic roar of the press corps vanished, replaced by the low, smooth hum of the engine.
As the Brabus glided away from the curb, Carter adjusted his silk tie and unbuttoned his suit jacket, opening a leather portfolio to review the finalized clerk signatures. "A pristine victory, Jake. Reacher was operating on fumes from day one. He relied on the emotional fallout of Vault Guard’s collapse to pressure the panel, but without a statutory breach under Section 42, his entire case was built on sand."
"Reacher is stubborn, but he isn’t stupid," Jake said, looking out the dark-tinted window as the government quarter receded behind them. "He wanted to set a precedent. He knows he lost today, but he’ll be monitoring every transaction Golden Investments routes through Sterling International for the foreseeable future."
"Let him monitor," Carter replied with a sharp, confident smile. "Every trade executed through Sterling under Blackwell & Carter’s compliance oversight will be bulletproof. Now that the regulatory shadow has lifted, your capital allocations are completely unrestricted."
"That’s exactly what I needed," Jake said quietly, his dark eyes fixed on the distant glass towers of Aurelia’s financial district.
While the ride back to Apex Plaza was serene, the digital landscape across Veyra was erupting into an absolute frenzy.
News of the unconditional dismissal hit the wires within sixty seconds of the final gavel tap. On financial television networks, anchors scrambled to break into live programming. The narrative that had spent two weeks framing Jake Rivers as a potential shadow manipulator collapsed instantaneously.
Online, social media platforms and trading forums blew up under the sudden surge of traffic. On LOOP, Jake’s name dominated the top three trending topics nationwide.
The sentiment shifted with brutal, unapologetic speed. The army of retail traders and ordinary working-class citizens who had made small fortunes following Jake’s public market updates went on the offensive, flooding comment sections and turning on the commentators who had questioned his integrity.
Trader_Veyra_99: WHERE ARE ALL THE HATERS NOW??? 🗣️ For two weeks you clowns on news panels were talking about prison time and market fraud! APOLOGIZE TO THE GOLD KING!
Bullish_Aurelia: Reacher looked like he wanted to cry on the live feed audio leak 😂. Imagine spending two weeks scrubbing 40 million microsecond packets just for the CFTC to say "nah, he’s just better at math than you." LEAVE JAKE ALONE!
Capital_Watcher_1: Seriously, everyone who called him a scammer owes this man a public apology. He literally posted open technical analysis on LOOP for FREE, made us money, destroyed institutional short-sellers, and proved everything was 100% legal. Apologize right now!
Market_Daily_Truth: The government tried to crush a self-made young guy because their Wall Street buddies at Vault Guard got caught on the wrong side of a trade. Pure jealousy. Apologize to Jake Rivers!
From economic blogs to public comment boards, thousands of posts called for journalists, institutional analysts, and regulatory sceptics to issue formal public apologies to Jake for dragging his name through the mud during the investigation.
By the time Jake walked into his quiet executive suite at Apex Plaza, the atmosphere was a stark contrast to the noise online.
Unlike traditional hedge funds, Golden Investments didn’t have a noisy trading floor packed with shouting analysts or rows of glowing terminals manned by execution desks. It was just Jake. His edge wasn’t a room full of Ivy League quantitative traders—it was his singular, absolute ability to see the market’s hidden code, paired with the institutional muscle of Sterling International Bank.
Alice met him near the entrance of his office, holding a sleek black tablet. Her usual professional composure gave way to a genuine, warm smile.
"Welcome back, Mr. Rivers. Congratulations on the outcome," she said softly.
"Thanks, Alice," Jake replied, unbuttoning his suit jacket and slinging it over the leather couch. "Did Silas call?"
"He called five minutes ago," Alice confirmed, following him into the room. "Mr. Thorne wanted to personally inform you that Sterling International has completely lifted all temporary liquidity freezes on Block 9-Alpha. The bank’s execution desk is fully prepped and standing by for your next instruction. He also mentioned that the senior board at Sterling is ecstatic—your victory today solidified their position as the premier institutional custodian in the capital."
Jake nodded smoothly. "Good. Silas handled the background coordination well."
"Also," Alice continued, tapping her screen, "regarding the rehabilitation arrangements for Catharine’s father in the northern province—everything has been executed according to your plan."
Jake paused, turning to face her. "Go on."
"The private transport team will arrive at the residence in Darmin tomorrow morning at exactly 08:00 AM," Alice reported. "Dr. Hance at the St. Jude Wellness Center has prepared a private, high-security suite. The intake includes a full medical detoxification protocol, round-the-clock nursing care, and dedicated psychological evaluation. The entire invoice has been settled through our private corporate services account."
A subtle sense of relief settled over Jake. "Thank you, Alice. Make sure Catharine’s mother receives all the direct, priority contact numbers for Dr. Hance’s office so she can get updates whenever she wants."
"I will handle it personally, sir."
Once Alice left, closing the heavy mahogany doors behind her, the spacious suite fell into a peaceful silence.
Jake walked over to his desk, pulling out his phone. He dialed Catharine’s number, leaning back against the edge of the wood as it rang. She answered on the second ring.
"Jake!" Catharine’s voice came through, rich with emotion, relief, and an underlying excitement. "I just saw the news bulletin on television! The review was dismissed! Oh my god, I was holding my breath all morning!"
Jake let out a soft chuckle, his tone relaxing completely. "I told you yesterday, Cath. Reacher had nothing on us. Carter kept them tied to the actual law, and the panel had no choice."
"I know, but hearing all those news anchors talk about federal freezes and enforcement actions... it was terrifying," she admitted softly. She paused, her voice softening into deep tenderness. "Mom called me twenty minutes ago, too. Alice’s team reached out to her about the St. Jude center. Jake... Mom was actually crying. She couldn’t believe how quickly and respectfully everything was arranged. Thank you. Truly."
"She doesn’t need to feel ashamed or scared anymore, Cath," Jake said gently. "Your dad is getting the best professional care possible, and you, your mom, and Mel can breathe. You don’t have to look over your shoulder in Darmin."
"I’m coming over to the Zenith tonight," Catharine said firmly, a playful note returning to her voice. "I’m cooking dinner. You don’t get a say in this."
"I wouldn’t dream of arguing," Jake smiled warmly. "I’ll see you at seven."
After hanging up, Jake walked over to the floor-to-ceiling glass wall, looking out over the sprawling, sunlit metropolis of Aurelia.
He brought up his personal trading interface on the desktop terminal. The numbers displayed across his account balance were breathtaking. Right now, Golden Investments’ trading account held over 22.4 billion marks in liquid, fully cleared capital.
With that level of capital, Sterling International Bank could provide him with institutional leverage tiers that few private individuals on earth could touch. If he sent a single signal to Silas Thorne, Sterling’s execution team would deploy billions into the market within milliseconds.
"This should be the perfect time to show them the real power of public armor," Jake said quietly. "If I’m going to implement the project I have in mind, then I have to curb anything that might try to stop me. They’ll have to think twice after this."
Jake leaned back in his chair, a faint, amused smile playing on his lips. He unlocked his phone, tapping open the LOOP app. The notification tab was overflowing with millions of mentions, tags, and defense threads from users demanding justice on his behalf.
He didn’t address the drama, the doubters, or the online apology demands directly. Instead, he pulled up the post composer, typed out a single short sentence, and hit publish.
>I’m no weather specialist buh tomorrow looks like a good day for rain🤑🔥...
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