A Wall Street Genius’s Final Investment Playbook

The fox hunt begins at 7 a.m.

However, the instructions stated that we had to gather at Rupert’s mansion by 6 a.m.

And so, the next morning.

I woke up before sunrise, changed into my riding gear, and stood in front of the mirror.

I adjusted my outfit here and there, but I wasn’t satisfied with how I looked.

‘I should’ve had a riding suit tailored in advance.’

I hadn’t expected to go on a hunt, so I hadn’t prepared one.

Given the tight schedule, getting a tailored suit was out of the question, so I had to make do with an altered off-the-rack one...

But the limitations of ready-made clothing were evident.

The jacket sleeves were too short, the waistline was too loose, and the boots dug uncomfortably behind my knees. ‘Well, it can’t be helped.’

I adjusted my stock tie with resignation.

When I came down to the first floor, Rachel had already arrived.

She was perfectly dressed.

She gave me a gentle smile as she looked at me.

“You look good.”

“You too, Rachel.”

It wasn’t just a polite reply—she genuinely looked great.

Rachel wore a deep navy riding suit, and the restrained fit characteristic of riding attire perfectly hugged her silhouette.

She radiated elegance, truly.

‘She really was born for this.’

Rachel exuded not a forced sense of luxury, but the effortless refinement that only the true upper class possessed.

A moment later, Gerrard also showed up.

He was wearing a bright scarlet jacket that instantly caught the eye.

“Quite flashy.”

That was the most polite way I could put it.

In response, Gerrard offered his excuse.

“I had no choice. It’s tradition… Veterans have to wear the ‘pink jacket.’ Ah, we call this ‘pink,’ and it’s kind of a symbol for veterans.”

“Yes, a lovely symbol.”

When I replied coolly, making it clear I wasn’t impressed, Gerrard looked me up and down as well.

His eyes seemed to ask, "And what are you wearing?"

Just when I thought he was about to criticize the flaws of my off-the-rack outfit, he said something unexpected.

“You look surprisingly good.”

“What do you mean, ‘surprisingly’?”

“Well, you don’t exactly look like the athletic type.”

He was referring to my riding gear.

And to be fair, I wasn’t the most enthusiastic when it came to sweaty physical activity.

However, “I told you, didn’t I? I learned quite a bit of riding.”

It wasn’t a lie—I had enjoyed horseback riding for five years in my previous life.

‘I was pretty into it at one point.’

What’s the point of making money if you don’t learn how to spend it?

I had started with golf, the typical sport of the wealthy, but as I climbed the financial ladder, I learned something.

Among true elites, golf was considered too common—more of a "mainstream" sport.

The real upper-class sports were ones like horseback riding or yachting—sports with entirely different cost scales.

So up until just before Castleman’s diagnosis, I had been quite dedicated to riding too. Well.

Gerrard looked at me doubtfully and said,

“Are you sure you’ll be okay? Riding a few times at the club is totally different from hunting. Hunting happens in nature, you know—there are obstacles, and the terrain isn’t even.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“No, I mean, don’t take it so lightly. Even if you’ve learned, there’s no way you had time to truly master it.”

His concern was understandable.

If you only looked at this life, it would be hard to believe I had time to learn horseback riding.

After graduating from med school, I worked at an investment bank, and both were notoriously brutal jobs.

But I couldn’t waste time just trying to ease Gerrard’s anxiety.

“Let’s talk about that in the car. Let’s go.”

Rupert’s mansion looked like something straight out of the aristocratic era.

Built from elegant white stone, the mansion was overwhelmingly grand.

Surrounding the mansion was a vast garden, and beyond that, expansive fields and forests stretched out like a painting.

As our car came to a stop, a valet quickly approached and opened the door, followed by a butler who greeted us politely.

“Master Gerrard, welcome. And Miss Judy…?”

“She’ll arrive right on time. We came early because our guest wanted to look around first.”

“Understood. Let me guide you.”

The butler made a graceful gesture and led us through the lawn garden.

Despite the early hour, the garden—lavishly decorated with Renaissance-style marble statues—was already dotted with groups of people.

But the moment we entered, the atmosphere subtly shifted.

Every gaze turned toward us all at once.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve felt this kind of attention.’

I’d gotten used to attracting attention due to recent media buzz, but this was different.

These weren’t curious or intrigued stares.

They were hostile.

‘It must be because I’m an outsider.’

Even without anyone saying it, it was obvious I was not one of them.

All the seasoned hunters, like Gerrard, were wearing red coats.

And here I was, the only one in a black off-the-rack suit—how could I not stand out?

Not to mention, I was the only East Asian here.

Among all the blondes and brunettes, my black hair felt especially out of place.

“This way first…”

Gerrard tried to introduce me to the other relatives, but the moment they noticed us approaching, their expressions changed in an instant.

Then, as if suddenly remembering urgent business, they dispersed, avoiding us naturally.

Judy’s warning had come true.

—You are already a pariah. You've been branded as someone who’s had a negative influence on Gerrard. No one will want to talk to you during the hunt. No one wants to appear friendly with you in front of my brothers.

I had braced myself, but I hadn’t expected them to be this blatant.

“This way…”

Gerrard continued trying to introduce me, but the relatives pulled away as if we were carrying the plague.

It wasn’t like we could chase each one of them down.

And even if we did, it wasn’t like we could expect meaningful conversation.

Amid all that—

‘Some of them are actually enjoying this?’

There were quite a few faces with smirks, clearly entertained by our isolation.

This scene wasn’t a good look.

Just then, Rachel suggested brightly,

“How about we go see the hounds first?”

Going to see the hunting dogs.

It was a fairly natural excuse to escape this uncomfortable atmosphere.

Following Rachel and Gerrard's lead to one side of the garden, we found over twenty hunting dogs gathered near a trainer.

“They’re all foxhounds, a breed specialized for fox hunting. We brought them directly from England…”

While Gerrard enthusiastically continued explaining, Rachel gracefully lowered herself and began petting a few of the dogs.

Then she looked up at me and smiled.

“Sean, you should try petting them too. They're well-trained, so there's no need to worry about being bitten.”

As if they understood Rachel’s words, a few of the hounds wagged their tails and approached me.

But I politely stepped back, waving my hand.

“No, I’m fine.”

“You… don’t like dogs?”

Rachel wore a puzzled expression.

Her tone implied that she found the very idea of not liking dogs strange.

“It’s not that I dislike them. I just don’t enjoy petting them.”

To me, the act of touching animals was difficult to comprehend.

Even touching other humans—who bathe daily—can be uncomfortable, so why touch animals that don’t even bathe regularly, with bare hands?

Why bother?

Just then, a stranger’s voice called out.

“Gerrard.”

I turned my head to see a man, about Gerrard’s age, striding over.

He was the first person to speak to us since we arrived.

“Sean, say hello. This is my cousin, Bradley. And you know this guy, right? Ha Si-heon, from Pareto Innovation…”

“Of course, I know him.”

He was a cousin who looked nothing like Rachel or Gerrard.

It was as if his face had stopped halfway through forming—a vague, lifeless look.

To be honest, most of the people in this family looked like that.

It seemed Gerrard and Rachel’s exceptional looks came from their father, Raymond.

As I was thinking that, the half-formed cousin grinned at me.

“Looks like it’s your first hunt.”

Something about his tone was annoying.

There was a subtle, provocative edge to it.

“You seemed a little scared of the hounds.”

In other words, he was calling me a coward.

Then, stiffening his posture, he continued.

“If it’s your first time, there are a lot of rules to be careful about. There are strict hierarchies and protocols in hunting, and it’s important to respect them. The hounds are managed by the huntsmen, so you must never give them commands on your own. The same applies to people. You must follow the master’s decisions without question, and never act on your own.”

He went on to explain the rules in detail…

And each one carried a consistent message.

“There’s also a principle here that the hounds come first. Here, dogs take priority over hunters. Keep your distance, and never obstruct their path. If you ignore the master’s instructions and try to take the lead… you could get seriously hurt.”

Don’t stand out, don’t get in the way, and know your place.

After delivering this long-winded message, the cousin then sharply glared at Gerrard.

“You too, be careful. You’ve been acting too independently lately, but you should know better than to show that behavior during a hunt.”

He was referring to Gerrard recently demanding the position of interim CEO based on Ha Si-heon’s algorithm.

The cousin was criticizing Gerrard’s actions as a violation of the family’s rules.

Surprisingly though, Gerrard couldn’t properly defend himself.

‘Is the gaslighting still affecting him?’

Even after the cousin left, he simply gave a bitter smile and shook his head.

Then Rachel said apologetically,

“I’m sorry. That cousin is just a bit…”

“Rachel, you don’t have to apologize. I’m fine. I expected this.”

It was just as Judy had warned.

‘So that’s why she said persuading the side branches would be impossible.’

To persuade someone, you need to talk first—but even that seemed difficult.

They didn’t even want to be seen talking to me.

Still, it wasn’t a big problem.

Thanks to Judy, I had already prepared a backup plan.

I checked the piece of art on my wrist—it was already 6 a.m.

The official gathering time.

Soon, Judy and Raymond would arrive.

And once they did, the situation would change.

The very people avoiding me now would be desperate to exchange even a word with me.

***

Meanwhile, inside the grand mansion.

Rupert, the eldest son of the Marquis family, was looking out over the garden.

Just then, the butler entered and reported.

“Gerrard has arrived. He’s with Ha Si-heon… Judy did not come with them.”

A faint wrinkle formed on Rupert’s forehead.

He dismissed the butler with a gesture, and once the door closed, he slowly turned around.

Beside him stood Harold and Patricia.

They were relatives from a side branch of the family, especially close to Rupert.

“So Judy didn’t come… I guess she’s losing control.”

Lately, Judy had been getting on Rupert’s nerves.

Gerrard had been acting independently, using Ha Si-heon’s Black Swan algorithm, and Judy had done nothing to stop it.

‘Gerrard might be young and easily swayed…’

It was understandable for a young nephew to be misled by a hedge fund manager.

The problem was his mother, Judy, who had failed to stop it.

“Probably because her blood is thin—she has no talent in this area.”

Harold sneered.

Judy’s mother was from a middle-class background, and this fact was still a point of mockery among the side relatives.

“With a background like that, incompetence is inevitable.”

Harold blamed Judy’s incompetence on her origins, but Patricia had a different view.

“No. Judy was a clever child from a young age. Maybe… she’s just pretending to be incompetent.”

“Pretending?”

“She might be acting like she can’t control things on purpose, to make Gerrard a more independent heir.”

Her implication was clear.

Judy was secretly pulling the strings to establish an independent power base.

“Isn’t that giving her too much credit?”

Harold scoffed, but Rupert cut in.

“Either way, it’s time to cut her off.”

Whether Judy was incompetent or scheming.

It made little difference to Rupert.

In either case, she was no longer useful to him.

“From now on, be cautious about what you say in front of Judy.”

That meant he intended to block her access to all internal information.

Patricia smiled, seemingly satisfied.

“How was Joseph?”

Joseph was her nephew and her preferred candidate for heir.

“The boy was impressive. But… you know the situation.”

It wouldn’t be easy to present Joseph as the successor.

A side-branch relative needed approval from the council to participate in the family business.

“Desmond will oppose it. Even if we gather all the side-branch votes, we’d still need to persuade the trust administrator…”

There was a hint of irritation in Rupert’s voice.

The trust administrator prioritized preserving the family’s assets and placed high importance on the next leader’s qualifications.

But Joseph’s education and career weren’t enough to convince him.

‘If only Gerrard would just behave himself.’

Rupert sighed deeply.

Just then, the study door opened and the butler entered.

“Judy has arrived. But…”

The butler hesitated before continuing.

“Raymond is with her.”

“Raymond?”

Rupert’s eyes narrowed.

Raymond was Judy’s husband.

Or more accurately, soon to be ex-husband.

He was currently in the process of divorce, had effectively cut ties with the family, and hadn’t appeared at any official events for a long time.

And yet, here he was, suddenly showing up at the fox hunt.

Why?

‘What’s going on…?’

Rupert paused, pondering the situation.

And then.

A subtle change came over his expression.

His furrowed brow relaxed, and a cold smile appeared on his lips.

“So… that’s what this is about.”