They owned various stakes in legitimate businesses, from logistics to local infrastructure, but more importantly, they held a terrifying currency: a vast database of blackmail. They had leverage on high-ranking officials across nearly every major industry. Seeing the sheer volume of sensitive data, it finally made sense how they were able to manipulate even a member of the Stern family into a corner. It also explained why someone would go to such violent lengths to ensure those secrets stayed buried forever.
In the end, Max was profoundly thankful that Ramon had decided to be cooperative. By providing the access codes and the ongoing financial ledgers of the Gilt Rats’ businesses, Ramon saved Max a massive headache. Without that cooperation, there would have been months of legal pushback and hidden trapdoors that could have collapsed the entire transition. In exchange for this, Max held up his end of the bargain; he ensured Ramon’s confinement was as comfortable as a prison could possibly be. Ramon essentially lived under a form of high-security house arrest, with access to the tools and comforts of the outside world, so long as he remained in his one designated location.
To keep every single one of those companies running would have required a level of manpower and a steep learning curve that Max simply didn’t want to navigate. There was also a more practical reason for the sell-off: the Gilt Rats were surprisingly low on liquid cash. A massive portion of their wealth had been poured into the research and development of the exoskeleton suits. Max now understood where nearly all of Chad’s stolen money had gone and why they had been so desperate to find new sources of funding.
Dennis was visibly surprised by how quickly the debt was cleared. He even remarked that Max could have kept the money longer if he needed it, but Max knew better. Dennis was the most dangerous man he knew, and in this world, being in debt to a shark like that was a death sentence. It was far safer to clear the books as quickly as possible.
As Max sat at his desk, the quiet of the office a sharp contrast to the chaos of the previous weeks, he sent the final payment.
"I have to," Max replied, looking at his screen. "It’s been a tough two weeks, Aron. And after everything has been completed and the debts are paid, it’s strange to see that I’ve landed right back on the same number."
Current Balance: $2,006,380,000
"Aron, that money I sent you... that is hard-earned money from your own pocket," Max said firmly. "I can’t imagine what you went through to accumulate that. You have to take it back. Otherwise, I’ll feel so guilty I won’t be able to focus on what comes next."
"That would be nice, sir," Aron replied with a small, weary smile. "And when do you think this will all be over? When you officially become the heir?"
In his head, he added the second part of that answer. And when I finally take out the person who betrayed me. I wonder... now that we’ve become a true syndicate, am I finally strong enough to fight the White Tigers?