Lex smirked faintly, but there was no amusement in it.
Just calculation.
He leaned forward, tapping a finger against the aged parchment of the will."First, we control the narrative."
Elias nodded once, listening.
Lex continued, smooth, certain."The will isn't just a legal document—it's a weapon. But we can't use it yet."
Elias arched a brow. "Because?"
Lex's smirk deepened. "Because if we fire too soon, Barnie panics. He'll start cutting deals, leveraging favors. He still has friends. It'll be a lizard tail situation."
Elias hummed. "Then we wait."
Lex nodded. "We make sure every exit is blocked before he even realizes he's trapped."
Elias exhaled, thoughtful. "What else?"
Lex's eyes flicked back to the board. To the tangled mess of Barnie's past deals, hidden debts, buried connections.
Then, calmly—"We don't just go after Barnie. We go after the foundation that kept him standing."
Elias's fingers tapped lightly against the desk. "His allies."
Lex's smirk was sharp. "One by one."
A pause.
Then, Elias leaned back slightly, his voice dry but approving."Now you sound like me."
Lex chuckled. "Well, someone had to learn from your mistakes."
Elias exhaled, shaking his head. "Then let's make sure you don't repeat them."
Lex leaned forward, eyes gleaming. "Agreed."
Another pause.
Elias sat back, studying Lex with sharp, unreadable eyes."Tell me about the plays."
Lex's smirk returned—calm, razor-sharp."Let's start with WeWork."
He leaned forward, tapping the desk lightly. "Three hundred million. That's what I got from Zhang. You read the contract."
Elias nodded once."I did. And I also read the risks."
Lex exhaled through his nose, smirking. "Before it burned, it was valued at forty-seven billion." His fingers drummed lightly against the desk. "This time, I won't let it crash."
Elias raised a brow. "And how do you plan to fix a company built on hype? Smoke and mirrors."
Lex's smirk sharpened. "I time the property market. WeWork isn't a tech company—it's a real estate play disguised as one." He tilted his head. "And if I use it right, I can tie rental agreements into Maddox Holdings, reviving the company while keeping a majority stake."
Elias exhaled. "So everyone wins."
Lex nodded once. "Now, Airbnb."
Elias glanced at him, intrigued. "Your projections?"
Lex smirked. "By 2020? Nearly one hundred billion." A pause. "And I own eighty percent."
Elias's fingers tapped against the desk, running the numbers in his head."… That's obscene."
Lex chuckled. "That's foresight."
A pause. Then, Elias leaned forward slightly."And Marvel?"
Lex exhaled, stretching lazily. "If I can buy it now, I will." He smirked. "That's big money. Movies, toys, games—the entire IP vault. If I touch it, I'll get a hundred times the return."
Elias's gaze darkened slightly in thought. "… You're serious."
Lex's smirk widened. "Always."
A pause. Then, Elias exhaled, shaking his head. "Give me estimates for each project."
Lex leaned back, completely at ease."Already done. Each with a plan."
Elias studied him for a long moment.
Then—quiet, firm—"Show me."
Lex turned the monitor around, the glow of his spreadsheet illuminating the dark office.
Elias leaned forward, adjusting his glasses as he scanned the numbers.
Precise. Aggressive. Calculated.
Lex tapped the screen lightly. "Short positions—cash out on July 31, 2007. Re-enter on August 9. Final exit in January 2008."
Elias exhaled through his nose."A billion-dollar play on the collapse."
Lex smirked. "If you know the wave is coming, you don't fight it. You ride it as many times you can without getting in trouble."
Elias's eyes flicked to the next section.
WeWorkInitial capital: Lex's grandfather's trust fund.
Additional assets:Ten office buildings acquired from Maddox Holdings.
Total startup valuation:$1 billion.
Equity split:Lex 70%, Zhang 30%.
Expansion goal:100 locations worldwide.
Elias hummed. "You're tying it directly to real estate."
Lex nodded. "That's where WeWork always failed. They were too small. This time, we control the property, not just the leases. It's why Zhange invested. I had good answers."
Elias moved to the next projection.
AirbnbInitial investment:$500K.
Additional capital:$5 million by next year.
Projected 2020 valuation:$100 billion+.
Elias raised a brow. "That's a slow build compared to WeWork."
Lex smirked. "Because I don't need it to scale overnight. I need it to survive. But if my play is right it'll balloon 10 times faster."
Elias nodded slightly, then his gaze landed on the biggest gamble.
Marvel AcquisitionTarget purchase date:Before August 2007.
Purchase price:Under $4 billion.
Funding source:Short position profits.
Elias let out a slow breath. "Disney will be watching."
Lex smirked. "Not yet. They won't make a move until 2008."
Elias tapped the screen lightly. "And if they outbid you?"
Lex leaned back, stretching lazily. "Then I make sure they don't."
Elias leaned back slightly, scanning the numbers one last time. Everything was airtight.
A billion-dollar short position.
A real estate empire built through WeWork.
A takeover of Airbnb.
And Marvel—before Disney even knew what they were missing.
Elias finally exhaled, rubbing his temple. "You do realize this is insanity, yes?"
Lex chuckled."Only if I fail."
Elias snorted, shaking his head. "That's not as reassuring as you think it is."
Lex smirked. "It's not meant to be."
A pause.
Elias drummed his fingers against the desk, thinking. "Your short positions—if the market collapses exactly as you predict, you'll be liquid by early 2008."
Lex nodded. "Which means every move I make now sets up the next decade."
Elias hummed. "And Maddox Holdings?"
Lex's smirk turned sharper."I'll take my rightful share. But it won't be a hedge fund anymore."
Elias tilted his head slightly. "Then what will it be?"
Lex leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. "A conglomerate - every sector."
Silence.
Then Elias let out a slow, measured breath. "You're turning Maddox into your personal central bank."
Lex smirked. "Exactly."
Elias studied him for a long moment. Then—his voice quieter, weightier—
"You're setting the board for something much bigger than revenge, aren't you?"
Lex's gaze flicked to the numbers on the screen, the market trends, the assets, the acquisitions.
Then back to Elias.
His smirk never faded.
"What's the point of winning a battle when you can own the war?"
Lex's voice was quiet, measured."I knew Barnie was doing things rich people couldn't."
Elias's sharp gaze didn't waver.Waiting. Calculating.
Lex leaned back slightly, fingers drumming against the desk. "I just thought he had good friends."
Elias exhaled through his nose, slow and thoughtful. "And now?"
Lex's smirk was faint, but there was no humor in it."Now, I know better."
He turned toward the board, tracing the messy web of connections. The money trails, the real estate acquisitions, the offshore accounts that didn't quite add up.
1999.
It all started there.
Barnie had always been ruthless, opportunistic—but not a mastermind. His uncle had played the game like a man clawing his way up, not someone who had been placed at the top. He should have know the real enermy.
Lex exhaled. "I have a few good plays lined up."
Elias exhaled, watching him carefully."I assumed as much."
Lex stretched slightly, rolling the tension from his shoulders."The Met will be in touch soon."
Elias arched a brow. "With a buy offer?"
Lex nodded, smirking faintly."For the shed's contents."
Elias exhaled through his nose, unsurprised. "Jonathan estimated two hundred and fifty million."
Lex chuckled. "I'm expecting a solid number. Let's see how much they're willing to push."
Elias let out a dry laugh. "I don't think you'll have to wait." He reached into his briefcase, pulling out a folder and sliding it across the desk.
Lex glanced down, flipping it open.
A contract.
Elias tapped the page lightly. "They've already drafted it solid. They want to pay half in cash."
Lex's fingers drummed against the edge of the folder. "And the rest?"
Elias's smirk was razor-sharp. "Verbally, they've made it clear they'd like the remaining pieces as donations."
Lex tapped the folder against the desk, deep in thought.
Donations.
It wasn't a bad play. If structured right, it could offset his future tax burden—especially when his stock market profits started rolling in.
And they would.
His short position alone would bring in billions. Then there was Airbnb, WeWork, Marvel—every calculated move set to snowball into something untouchable.
But if the Met wanted half for free…
Lex smirked. "They need to work for it."
Elias exhaled through his nose, unimpressed but not surprised. "Naturally."
Lex's fingers drummed against the desk."We negotiate. If they want donations, they better make it count."
Elias tilted his head. "Meaning?"
Lex's smirk sharpened. "Exclusivity. Prestige. I want control over how it's displayed, how it's framed. The Maddox-Latham name needs to be everywhere."
Elias hummed, considering. "A full wing?"
Lex leaned back. "At minimum."
Elias studied him for a long moment. Then, slowly, he nodded."I'll make sure they understand."
Lex smirked. "Good."
Because if he was going to give anything away—it was going to pay him back tenfold.