Blackstone Code-Chapter 661: Because I Want To!

“I’ve brought in a few people…”

Lime had made quite a bit of money following Lynch. In Eminence, traders and stockbrokers were always among the top earners.

Stockbrokers, in particular, were legendary in this era—creating endless stories of wealth, even those who started small. On Eminence’s busiest streets, there were countless tales of brokers rising to become company presidents overnight—Lime being one of them.

Traders earned even more. Good ones were paid according to the size of the capital they managed.

As president of such a firm, Lime had undeniably reached the peak of success.

Lynch backed Lime’s company not just to support him, but also as a strategic move in the financial sector—he was the largest shareholder.

It also served Lynch’s personal needs. Traders signed strict contracts ensuring Lynch’s interests wouldn’t be compromised for profit.

Many inside tips often came from traders and brokers who picked up information from clients—like now.

If word got out that Lynch was shorting Danlemore, it could cause chaos and disrupt his plans.

Lime talked at length about what he’d learned over the year, his views on the profession and his future. It was obvious he was excited.

After spending so long at the bottom in Eminence, owning his own business was a major breakthrough.

When dinner ended, Lynch put down his cutlery and looked at Lime. “I know you’re curious why I’m certain Danlemore’s stock will fall…”

Lime also put down his cutlery and sat up straight, nearly placing his hands on his knees. “Yes, Mr. Lynch. From the market’s perspective, Danlemore stock doesn’t seem likely to drop…”

He backed this up with several points: Danlemore held advanced power generation technology and patents, had the support of the Merrick Consortium in production and logistics, and had just signed a massive deal with the Governor of Amellia. No one believed the stock could crash—absolutely no one.

But Lime had a near-instinctual faith in Lynch, and that contradiction left him deeply unsettled. He wanted to understand why.

Lynch tossed him a cigarette, lighting one for himself. Post-dinner smoke—blissful as heaven.

Smoke curled around Lynch’s face, giving his sharp, handsome features an air of mystery. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

“One last lesson, Lime. If you pay close attention to the Federation’s financial markets, you’ll see that beyond normal market behavior, there are always invisible hands pulling the strings.”

“All those things you believe are impossible or irrational—they happen because someone behind the scenes made them happen.”

“To make their moves look legitimate, these players—brokers, traders, even the hidden hands—cloak everything in professional analysis and call it a ‘miracle.’”

“But how many true miracles exist in this world?”

“It’s just powerful people moving chess pieces from outside the board.”

“Why will Danlemore fall?”

Lynch scoffed, confidence radiating from his expression. “Because I want it to fall.”

Lime was stunned, unable to speak for a long moment.

Every time an abnormal financial event happened in Eminence, people held salons to analyze and theorize why. Lime had attended many of them, exposed to all kinds of bizarre theories. He’d even developed his own framework.

That’s how most financial professionals evolve—starting naïve, building their own systems, and believing in them—until they’re shattered.

Now, Lynch’s words echoed in his head: Because I want it to fall.

Yes. That explained those unexplainable financial events. Because someone with enough power wanted a bankrupt company’s value to suddenly multiply—or wanted a healthy company in the Federation’s top 50 to go bankrupt. Because they simply wanted it.

And the market would bend its own rules to accommodate their will.

It was the first time Lime had heard anything like this—and it felt right. A new world opened before him. He felt small—and exhilarated.

“You… have reached that level?” he asked, using an honorific for the first time.

In a Federation that valued freedom and equality, no one used honorifics—not even the homeless. Status didn’t change how people addressed each other.

But in this moment, Lime couldn’t help it. He needed it to express his awe.

Lynch smiled and exhaled a puff of smoke.

Later that night, Fox Jr. called Lynch in distress.

“The board’s forcing me to resign…” He didn’t waste time with pleasantries.

His voice was bitter. Over the past two years, Fox Pictures had done extremely well—especially after filming two Lynch Adventures. Finances were solid.

Other films had also performed well at the box office. Fox Pictures had firmly established itself.

But that success drew attention from capital. In the Federation, this was normal—if your company could generate proven profits, you had to accept investment or go public.

A company that wanted to profit alone would find its road growing narrower. Only those willing to share the profits would see it widen.

About 40% of Fox Pictures was held by other investors. This helped reduce the Fox family’s risk.

But Fox Jr. didn’t expect that not long after his father was taken away, those shareholders would turn on them.

They claimed the Foxes were under suspicion for serious tax fraud and demanded Fox Jr. resign from all company positions and hand control to others.

Their stated reason: protecting the company’s public image. After all, if the father was guilty, the son couldn’t be assumed innocent.

A CEO under investigation for tax crimes would harm Fox Pictures’ reputation—and attract scrutiny from the IRS.

There was nothing wrong with this logic—except it completely ignored Fox Jr.’s emotional capacity to handle it.

This is also the difference between the roughnecks and the regulars, or rather, between ordinary people and capitalists.

For capitalists, interests come first. As long as something aligns with their collective interests, they’re willing to do anything—even if it means having some of their own step down from company positions. If it benefits them or helps them avoid losses, they’ll do it gladly.

But for someone like Fox Jr., who clawed his way up from the bottom and comes from a street gang background, this was blatant betrayal—a serious wound.

He couldn’t understand it, nor could he forgive it.

To Lynch, this was an immature reaction. The shareholders weren’t wrong. If the York State Tax Bureau couldn’t get to Fox, they’d likely go after Fox Jr. to pressure the elder into implicating Lynch.

This tactic is common with tax authorities—using friends and family to apply pressure is a standard way to force people to yield.

If Fox Jr. got dragged into it, rumors would spread that “Fox Pictures is caught in an investigation storm,” which could derail upcoming releases.

But knowing this doesn’t make it any easier—just like how people know certain things are harmful, wrong, or illegal. Knowing is one thing, doing is another.

Since Fox was still holding out behind bars, Lynch felt it was time to support Fox Jr..

“Set up a shareholders’ meeting soon. I’ll handle it in person when the time comes…”

He then comforted Fox Jr. for a while. Compared to his father, the younger man still seemed a bit green—despite being in his thirties.

Not long after the call ended, Vera called.

“The York State Tax Bureau wants me to return and submit some receipt records. Should I go?” She wasn’t worried—just unsure.

She and her child were now living in Eminence, managing Blackstone Fund’s accounts. Her work in Sabin was mostly wrapped up.

The accounting for Lynch’s Interstellar Trading Company had been outsourced to a professional firm there. Each financial report still had to go through Vera for final review. Lynch didn’t believe in blindly pushing for extreme tax avoidance—he thought it was foolish.

Combined with his obsession over clean records, he was confident there would be no issues.

But that didn’t mean there couldn’t be problems. The tax bureau wasn’t exactly known for playing fair—they had no qualms about using any method at their disposal.

“I’ll come by shortly…”