Chapter 41: Of rats and lawyers (2)
The old man stared past Jack for a moment before focusing on him and saying, "Well, young man, it seems you've come into quite a bit of money recently and have wisely reached out to us for help. I assure you we will manage your new wealth most effectively. I think we can even see our way clear to provide you with a decent stipend, as thank you for bringing your fortune to us."
What the fuck? Jack thought. Is this guy serious? It sounded an awful lot like this man expected Jack to just hand over his lottery winning like a good little boy. He glanced at Henry, not sure what to expect, and found that Henry had adopted a look of stoic discomfort. It didn't look like Henry was surprised, so either the old man had told Henry his plan in the last few minutes, or Henry knew what was going to happen from the beginning. Still, maybe he was misreading things. Maybe this wasn't what it seemed.
"I think there's been some kind of misunderstanding," Jack said. "I came to this law firm for help to set up a corporation and anonymously collect my winning. I did not come here for financial management services."
"Ah, yes, I can understand your confusion," the man said in a condescending tone. And, as the old man spoke, Jack saw four large men in suits appear and post up outside the conference room, two just outside each of the conference room doors. When the men appeared, Jack again glanced at Henry and noted that Henry looked surprised and distinctly disturbed. Did this mean Henry wasn't part of this?
"It is very fortunate for us," the old man continued, "that you chose to bring the winning lottery ticket with you. Now, be a good little boy, and hand it over. There's no need for any unpleasantness."
So, not a misunderstanding. This asshole actually thinks I'm going to just hand over one point five billion credits, he thought. And given the muscle right outside the conference room, maybe the old man had justification for his confidence. And, he noted, the rat bastard thinks I brought the ticket with me, which means either the old man made an assumption, or Henry lied to him about it.
Still, how was the old snake going to pull this off? All Jack had to do was call 911. Thinking that, he pulled out his phone. When he looked at the signal meter it said, "No Service". Huh, was it just the building, or were they actually using an illegal signal jammer? He knew cell phones would crank up their transmission power when dialing 911, so he tried dialing despite the "No Signal" indicator. His phone made an angry tone and reported "Call Failed". When he looked up from his phone, he saw that the old man smirking at him.
"I've been planning for this day for years," the old man crowed. "We've had several people come in over the years with winning lottery tickets, but none with jackpots nearly as large as yours. So, I waited and planned. I just knew a prize like this would land in my lap, eventually. There's no escape, so just accept your fate and hand over the ticket." Then, in an ominous tone, "Don't even think of damaging it. If you do, my men will make you wish you were never born."
"What's to prevent me from going to the press? There are people who know I'm here, so you won't be able to just make me disappear."
"Who would they believe? You, emotionally distraught after the loss of your adoptive parents, or me, a prestigious lawyer. Even if you have a picture of yourself with the ticket, we can easily prove that it is just a deep fake. As for making you disappear, that can be arranged. I have helped many people over the years and some of them have very flexible morals and would be quite pleased to help me make you disappear."
He knew lawyers could be ruthless, but he'd always assumed they stayed within the confines of the law, using it to both shield themselves and wield it like a weapon. But this, this was the kind of shit you only ever expected to encounter in a crime drama. He was not expecting an actual villain with a capital V! The whole thing was almost comical, in a terrifying sort of way, because he didn't have the ticket, and he wondered what the old villain would do once he found out.