BILLIONAIRE MINOR

Chapter 11: The Gamble

Jeremy leaned back in the creaky chair of his dingy one-room apartment. That once-glorious echo of success was now but a faint whisper, overtaken by the dull hum of regret. The loan he had taken on had kick-started a desperate attempt to claw his way back into the financial world. But it wasn't enough.

The market for cryptocurrency had matured at a fast clip, and Jeremy knew he was playing against professionals who saw him as a washed-up relic. But he still had one ace up his sleeve—one bold gamble he was about to make.

Jeremy's phone buzzed. It was a message from Nina, a brilliant blockchain developer with whom he had collaborated on some of the early tech of his rise. The text read:

"Heard about Krypton Vault? It's the next big thing. I have insider intel—meet me."

Intrigued but wary, Jeremy agreed to meet Nina at a café downtown.

"You're not exactly hard to spot," Nina said with a chuckle, gesturing at Jeremy's threadbare hoodie.

Jeremy smirked. "Thanks for the reminder. What's the deal?

Nina leaned in, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Krypton Vault is on the verge of launching a decentralized trading platform. Their beta phase is closed, but I can get you in. If you're smart and invest now, you could ride the wave when they go public."

Jeremy paused. He'd been burned by insider information before. "Why are you telling me this?

"Because you're desperate, and I need someone reckless enough to make a move." The honesty stung, but strange as it sounds, there was truth to her words. "You have the instincts. I have the access. Let's make a deal."

A week into Jeremy using Krypton Vault's beta to build a fresh portfolio, a call from a number he hadn't recognized would change all of that.

"Jeremy Kane." The voice trailed off with malice—none other than Victor Kane.

Jeremy's grip on the phone tightened. "Victor."

"Your little foray into Krypton Vault won't end well," Victor said, his tone amused. "I have my hands on a large chunk of their shares. One wrong move, and I will sink you again."

"You won't get the chance," Jeremy snapped, though his heart was racing.

Victor chuckled. "You think you have learned the game, but I have mastered it. Let us see how long you last."

The call ended, leaving Jeremy rattled. Victor’s reach was wider than he’d imagined. The odds were stacked against him, but surrender wasn’t an option.

Jeremy sought Nina again, explaining Victor’s interference. “If he’s got shares in Krypton Vault, we’re walking into a trap.”

"Not necessarily," Nina said, the flash of an idea lighting her face. "Victor might have control over market perceptions, but we have the power of technology on our side. Krypton Vault's system can create the trading bot—that's fast, that's fierce, outsmarts every trading bot. Now, if Victor tries anything."

It was the most illegal proposal Jeremy could hear, with heavy risks to face. Still, he nodded: "I have a name of a genius of large-scale codings."

Nina hesitated before suggesting Adrian Black, the enigmatic financial tycoon who had once mentored Jeremy.

Jeremy's stomach twisted. Adrian was as ruthless as Victor, if not more so. But he also possessed the resources they needed. Swallowing his pride, Jeremy reached out.

Adrian greeted Jeremy with a sly smile. "Back from the dead, are we?"

"I need your help," Jeremy said bluntly.

Adrien leaned back in his chair and sipped a glass of whiskey. "And why would I help you?"

"Because if Victor has Krypton Vault, it is just a matter of time before he turns on you. We can stop him—together."

Adrien's interest was drawn, though he did not quite agree to what Jeremy had requested. "I'll think over it. Do not let me down, Jeremy."

With Adrian on board, the team built out the bot, coding day and night. Jeremy poured every penny of his loan into Krypton Vault, carefully disguising his investments to avoid Victor's detection.

Days later, the Krypton Vault platform went live to the public, and Jeremy's bot began executing trades faster than the market could keep up with. His portfolio bulged, doubling, then tripling within hours.

Victor was blind-sided. Reports of Krypton Vault's success swamped the media, and Jeremy had gone cold turkey with the commotion.

As Jeremy was just getting ready to share some afterglow moments with Nina and Adrian, the phone pulsed again. Not Victor.

"Well played, Jeremy. But do you know who really owns Krypton Vault?

- Maya"

Jeremy's heart stopped. Maya, the woman who had been his ally, betrayer, and enigma, was now tied to the very platform he had just gambled everything on.

Before Jeremy could digest the revelation, a breaking news alert flashed across the TV in the room: "Krypton Vault Under Investigation: Insider Trading Allegations Emerge."

Jeremy's success was now under threat, not just from Victor, but from regulators—and possibly Maya herself.

"Looks like the game isn't over," Adrian said with a smirk, as all hell broke loose around them.