Reborn Before The Apocalypse: The Last Safe Hotel

Chapter 007 – FN Capital’s Higher Up

*****

Ronan headed straight for the first brokerage house, hoping it wouldn't be crowded so early in the morning.

He was wrong… the place was already packed, even more than the previous day.

No one paid him much attention until he reached the desk where he had placed his previous orders.

Then one of the traders recognized him and laughed. “If this isn't the same person who burned $600 yesterday, who would it be?”

Laughter spread through the brokerage house. Some people shook their heads in pity, while others looked at Ronan like an ignorant newcomer wasting money.

He quickly realized that word of his ridiculous trades had already spread through the brokerage house.

He merely smiled, not appearing offended or embarrassed in the slightest.

“Confirm my trades,” he said indifferently, handing his trade confirmations to the broker.

The broker accepted the documents with an indifferent expression, clearly expecting nothing unusual.

But the moment he entered the transaction ID and pressed Enter, his expression changed. He froze.

“What’s wrong?” someone asked after noticing his expression.

Several people glanced over and exchanged confused looks.

‘Why does he look like he’s just seen a ghost?’

A few casually looked toward the second screen on the desk, the one facing Ronan.

The moment they saw it… the entire brokerage house fell silent.

A familiar transaction confirmation was displayed on the screen. But what truly shocked them was the projected profit.

$1.44 million.

Several people rubbed their eyes as though the number might disappear.

Ronan, on the other hand, merely glanced at the screen to confirm the amount before looking at the broker.

“I’ll have the money transferred to my account,” he said casually, jolting the man back to his senses.

The broker trembled, gawking at Ronan as though he had just realized the young man had two heads.

‘A $1.44 million profit?’

Cold sweat broke out across his forehead.

“I... please hold on. Only the manager can approve a transaction of this size.”

He didn't even finish speaking before turning around and bolting toward the inner office.

A few minutes later, the manager, a middle-aged man, arrived.

He sized Ronan up from head to toe, several emotions flashing across his face. “Brother, you're the one who made $1.44 million in profit with $600?”

Ronan nodded casually.

The manager's eyes flashed briefly before he quickly masked them with a professional, flattering smile.

“You're our VIP customer now. Would you be kind enough to follow me to my office? We can't handle a transaction of this size out here.”

‘Here it comes...’

Ronan's eyes flashed slightly, but he remained indifferent.

“Alright.”

He followed the manager inside.

The customers didn't recover until the door closed behind them. Then the brokerage house erupted.

Some cursed themselves for not copying Ronan's trades. They had seen his positions the previous day but assumed he was merely an inexperienced trader wasting his money. Now, their regret came too late.

….

Inside the office, two men were waiting.

One was a middle-aged man sitting comfortably on a sofa, a thick cigarette dangling between his fingers.

Behind him stood a muscular, intimidating bodyguard, who instantly scrutinized Ronan from head to toe before dismissing him with contempt.

The middle-aged man, meanwhile, ignored Ronan for a moment, as though he were beneath his notice.

The bodyguard's intimidating presence and the middle-aged man's pressure would have unnerved an ordinary person, but compared to what Ronan had endured during the apocalypse, it was nothing.

He merely folded his hands against his chest.

After several seconds of silence, the middle-aged man finally looked directly at Ronan.

Ronan met his gaze without flinching, earning a flicker of interest. His oppressive aura vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

“Little brother,” he called as he rose from his seat and extended his hand. “Nice meeting you. I'm Kade Arden, a stakeholder of FN Capital.”

Ronan shook his hand firmly. “I'm Ronan Ashmore.”

Kade noticed the lack of fear in both Ronan's expression and handshake, and his interest deepened.

“The headquarters sent me here after learning someone made nearly $1.5 million in profit with only $600. They wanted to determine whether there was any irregularity in the trades.”

Ronan smiled.

‘I prefer straightforward people.’

Kade offered him a seat and poured him a glass of wine, which Ronan politely declined.

“Little brother, judging by how calm you are, I don't think there was anything improper about your trades,” Kade said, studying him unblinkingly as though trying to see through him. “And I don't think you simply got lucky either.”

“I studied the market myself,” Ronan replied. “Or does your company intend not to release my profits?”

Kade was caught off guard for a second.

“Hahaha. You joke a lot. "He laughed. “$1.44 million may be a fortune to ordinary people, but it's like a drop in the ocean compared to my company's wealth. We won't ruin our reputation over it.”

He leaned back slightly.

“As long as it's confirmed that the trades were executed legitimately, the money is yours.”

Ronan nodded, seemingly lost in thought for a moment. “So, how would you confirm that?”

Kade smiled knowingly.

“We should be asking you that,” he said. “You claimed you analyzed the market. Prove it.”

Ronan's lips curled upward. “I can. In fact, I can help your company with my knowledge.”

Kade frowned, while the manager and bodyguard exchanged surprised looks.

“You want to help FN Capital?” the bodyguard scoffed. “Arrogant!”

Kade silenced him with a glance, then turned back to Ronan. “Don't mind him. But I believe you may have overestimated your abilities.”

FN Capital had remained at the top because of its enormous resources. Kade couldn't imagine what a single young man could possibly offer them.

Ronan could hear the condescension, but he wasn't offended. This was exactly the reaction he'd expected.

“I expected you wouldn't believe me.”

He reached into his pocket and produced another set of trade confirmations.

“Will this change your mind?”

Kade accepted them skeptically.

But the moment he scanned the confirmations, he shot to his feet, his expression changing completely.

“Wait... this… these were also your trades?”

Ronan merely nodded.

FN Capital's headquarters had been alerted about two extraordinarily profitable trades from Fidelity City, but they had assumed two different traders were responsible. They had never imagined both transactions belonged to the same person.

Kade slowly regained his composure.

“You said you could help my company?”

“Yes.”

“What do you want in return?”