Chapter 488: Scam
Michael was surprised to learn that not only was Max a victim of a scam, but that the scammer was none other than Uncle Jack, a relative of the royal family in Metropolis.
Now, Uncle Jack was surely a despicable person that was of no use to society. But that didn’t necessarily mean that he was the one who scammed Max.
"What makes you think so, uncle?"
"It’s because of that red mark on the guard’s chest," Max said, discreetly pointing to the unconscious assassin.
"I will never forget it. When I met with the hooded figure, they were always accompanied by a group of masked men who showed nothing about their identity other than their eyes and this distinct emblem that was stitched onto their uniforms. They told me that this was the symbol of their company, so I thought nothing more of it.
When I realized I got scammed, I contacted the Association to try and get some justice.
I pointed to them about the red symbol that I saw the guards wear. But they told me this company never existed in the first place. And even if it did, then it would have probably existed outside of Metropolis, which meant they had no jurisdiction over them.
I was distraught when I learned this. I became depressed. So much so that my work suffered for it. It’s true that I lost a significant amount of money from that scam. But it was the emotional distress after it that truly led to the eventual downfall of the Vanderbilt business.
I lost my confidence. After all, I had to loan my territory just to get the money that was needed for the project. I thought I was securing my future. But I was dooming it instead.
Bad decision after bad decision followed after the scam. And before I knew it, the Vanderbilt name that was revered and respected in Metropolis had turned into a laughingstock because of my idiocy.
And after all these years, I never let go of my grudge, even when I thought I wouldn’t get any justice in my lifetime.