The Shadow Billionaire

CHAPTER 4: HALF-TRILLION RUPIAH CONCRETE OVEN

Cendrawasih Theater's auction room was designed to intimidate. Thick maroon carpets muffled every footstep, while curved ceilings adorned with crystal chandeliers created echoes making whispers sound like threats. Indoor air felt freezing, heavily laced with expensive musk perfume and paper documents.

Kaelen sat in a middle row, leaning his pair of aluminum crutches against a velvet chair. His white cast-bound left leg remained stretched forward. Sitting rigidly beside him, Leon held a leather briefcase on his lap.

In front rows, Bastian Suryanegara sat with crossed legs. Occasionally, that young heir turned around, throwing mocking sneers at Kaelen. Beside him, Valerie appeared busy typing something on her phone, completely ignoring a tense atmosphere slowly enveloping their room.

A middle-aged auctioneer wearing half-rim glasses stepped onto a teakwood podium. He struck a wooden gavel in his hand twice. Those knocks instantly silenced every noise inside.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Let us save our valuable time," an auctioneer announced with a baritone tone while gesturing toward a giant screen behind him. "We are heading straight to our Main Lot. Sector Six. Twelve hectares of premium land located at western arterial toll intersections. Opening price is four hundred billion rupiah."

Heartbeats across that room began to race.

Several mid-sized property directors already folded their documents, knowing perfectly well they could never compete against massive conglomerate capital.

Bastian raised placard number 01 without hesitation.

"Four hundred billion from Suryanegara Capital," an auctioneer stated with a quick tone while pointing his gavel forward. "Four hundred and ten?"

A man in a right corner raised his placard, representing a local telecommunications group.

"Four hundred and ten. Four hundred and twenty?" an auctioneer asked with an inviting tone while looking around to bait higher bids.

Bastian raised his placard again, but this time he lifted his chin haughtily. He was not just bidding he was displaying total dominance.

"Five hundred billion," Bastian interrupted standard procedures with an arrogant voice while stating his number verbally to show off his father's financial power.

Murmurs rippled through their entire room. That telecommunications representative shook his head and lowered his placard. Their profit margins would make absolutely no sense if they bought that dirt above five hundred.

"Five hundred billion rupiah for Suryanegara Capital," an auctioneer announced with a marveling tone while looking across his audience. "Does anyone bid five hundred and fifty?"

Bastian turned his head backward. His eyes searched for Kaelen. That young heir's smirk widened upon seeing his former director sitting motionless. No placard was raised. Kaelen did not even look at any screens, keeping his eyes glued to an electronic tablet in his hand.

"No other bids? Five hundred billion going once, going twice, sold!" an auctioneer shouted with finality while striking his wooden block loudly.

Formal applause thundered from front rows. A senior director beside Bastian patted his shoulder proudly. Bastian puffed out his chest, feeling as if he had just conquered an entire business world merely by raising a numbered board. He had successfully secured land for his massive Data Center project.

Screens behind that podium shifted. Green and gray topographical images appeared, displaying an area filled with dark puddles and concrete rubble.

"Our next lot is Sector Four," an auctioneer continued with a much flatter tone while glancing at his notes. "Four hectares of former chemical processing plant land, bordering directly against Sector Six's western walls. Its land status is classified as an abandoned swamp area, which requires full reclamation. Opening price is thirty billion rupiah."

Dead silence filled their auction room. Several investors even stood up to leave for a lobby break. Former chemical factory land was every developer's worst nightmare. Toxic waste seeping into soil required decontamination costs often exceeding actual property values.

"Thirty billion?" an auctioneer asked with a doubtful tone while searching a quiet room.

Kaelen gave a subtle gesture with his finger.

Beside him, Leon raised placard number 47.

"Thirty billion from bidder number forty-seven," an auctioneer confirmed with a flat tone while writing down a number.

Hearing that announcement, Bastian instantly snapped his neck backward. His eyes narrowed upon seeing a placard held by Kaelen's assistant. He scoffed cynically. His hand reached for placard number 01 on his lap, intending to lock Kaelen in a bidding war just to humiliate him further.

However, before Bastian could raise his arm, Suryanegara's Senior Director—an old man named Sanjaya—grabbed his sleeve tightly.

"Do not do that, Young Master," Sanjaya whispered with a warning tone while gripping Bastian's arm firmly. "That is Sector Four, a toxic swamp. Mister Herman will be furious if we burn another thirty billion on industrial waste holding zero commercial prospects. Let that cripple throw away his borrowed money."

Bastian glared at Sanjaya, then glanced back at Kaelen, who looked pale while leaning on his crutches. A burning desire to destroy Kaelen was strong, but warnings about Herman's wrath made Bastian lose his nerve. He released his placard, letting Kaelen win a garbage lot.

"Thirty-five billion going once, going twice, sold!" an auctioneer counted down with a final tone while striking his block. "Sold to bidder number forty-seven."

Kaelen lowered his placard, then leaned back into his chair. No victorious smile appeared on his face, let alone joyful cheers usually displayed by winning bidders. Only a slight shift occurred in his eyes, as if thirty-five billion rupiah had just unlocked a door to his real game.

Leon caught that subtle shift. He asked no questions because Kaelen had already ordered him to prepare Sector Four's usage rights transfer documents beforehand, complete with utility permits and full technical data.

Their auction concluded.

Kaelen slipped his tablet into Leon's bag, then stood up using his crutches. Sharp pain stung his left leg again, yet he ignored it and walked slowly out of a theater toward its main lobby.

Across granite floors, waiters in white uniforms walked around carrying champagne trays. Bastian, who had exited earlier through VIP doors, stood center stage with Valerie. Seeing Kaelen limping toward an exit, Bastian deliberately stepped sideways, blocking his path.

"I thought you borrowed money from a loan shark to fight me, Kaelen," Bastian mocked with a loud tone while deliberately echoing his laughter across a thinning lobby. "It turns out you threw away thirty-five billion just to buy a toxic swamp? Your plan is truly brilliant. Maybe you can breed dengue mosquitoes there."

Valerie crossed her arms over her chest. Her gaze radiated condescending pity.

"I do not know who blindly gave you a loan last night, Kael," Valerie added with a condescending tone while shaking her head slowly. "But buying industrial waste on city outskirts is proof your business instincts died alongside your termination. Stop humiliating yourself."

Kaelen stopped exactly two meters in front of them. He shifted his weight onto his right crutch, letting silence dominate their conversation for a few seconds.

"You people always view business from glossy brochures served on tables," Kaelen stated with a low yet authoritative tone while balancing his weight carefully. "Even though an asset's true value does not always lie in what appears on its surface."

Right at that exact second, main glass lobby doors slid open.

A group of men wearing white shirts with silver identity badges on their left chests walked inside. Leading them, an Oriental man wearing thin-framed glasses walked straight ahead, ignoring local tycoons completely.

Sanjaya, Suryanegara's Senior Director, widened his eyes instantly upon recognizing him.

"That is Richard Chen... CEO of NexaCorp Singapore," Sanjaya whispered with a panic-stricken tone while tugging Bastian's suit sleeve. "Southeast Asia's largest technology consortium."

Bastian hurriedly adjusted his suit collar. NexaCorp was a primary partner target he wanted for his Sector Six Data Center project. He pasted his best smile and stepped forward to welcome this conglomerate boss.

However, Richard Chen walked right past Bastian as if he were merely a bronze lobby statue. Singapore's CEO stopped directly in front of Kaelen.

"Mister Kaelen," Richard Chen greeted with a respectful tone while bowing slightly. "We received your intelligence agency Obsidian's contract draft at dawn. I heard you just secured its key this morning?"

Kaelen gave a slow nod.

"Sector Four's usage rights are already in my hands, Mister Chen. Thirty-five billion," Kaelen replied with a calm tone while confirming his victory.

Richard Chen smiled widely.

"We are willing to purchase those usage rights along with its utility permits for one hundred and fifty billion rupiah. We will transfer these funds this afternoon," Richard Chen offered with a highly satisfied tone while looking directly at Kaelen.

Hearing those numbers, their lobby fell completely silent. Bastian froze in place. Valerie blinked repeatedly, her brain failing to process how a toxic swamp doubled in value within less than fifteen minutes.

"W-Wait a minute," Bastian stammered with a panicking tone while stepping back into the center. "Mister Chen, NexaCorp is looking for data center land. We just won Sector Six for half a trillion rupiah! Why are you bidding on a trash swamp next to us instead?"

Richard Chen turned his head, staring at Bastian through his glasses with an extremely cold, calculating gaze.

"Because a foolish Suryanegara Director just bought the wrong property," Kaelen answered with a piercing tone while cutting through the lobby's air like a sword.

Kaelen stared right into Bastian's eyes.

"A massive data center requires millions of gallons of water every day to cool their server machines. Sector Six, which you bought for five hundred billion, stands above solid rock layers. You cannot pump a single drop of groundwater from there," Kaelen explained relentlessly with an icy stare while locking eyes with Bastian.

Bastian's face paled. Blood seemingly drained from his head entirely.

"Our western district's only access to underground aquifers..." Kaelen continued with a mocking tone while tapping his crutch tip on granite floors. "...lies directly beneath Sector Four's toxic swamp which I just bought."

Valerie held her breath, covering her mouth with one hand. Brutal reality finally shattered her business logic.

"Without permission to extract water from my land, your trillion-rupiah servers will melt within four hours of operation," Kaelen declared with a ruthless tone while stripping away Bastian's remaining arrogance. "You paid five hundred billion for Sector Six, but now every single drop of water your data center needs must pass through my property. You did not buy a project, Bastian. You bought dependency."

Kaelen lifted a corner of his lips slightly.

"And I just bought its key for thirty-five billion," Kaelen finished with a faint smirk while relishing his opponent's destruction.

Bastian's chest heaved rapidly. His hands trembled violently at his sides. He looked at Sanjaya, seeking denial, yet that senior director only bowed his head deeply—a silent confirmation of their fatal stupidity.

Amidst suffocating silence, Richard Chen patted Kaelen's shoulder gently. Singapore's conglomerate boss leaned his head down, whispering something only Kaelen could hear.

"A brilliant assassination strategy, Kaelen," Richard Chen whispered with a low tone while leaning his head closer. "But as a partner, I must warn you. You are holding an old tiger's tail."

Kaelen glanced from a corner of his eye.

"Do not forget, bureaucracy in this city is a deadlier weapon than capital," Richard Chen elaborated with a serious tone while staring sharply ahead. "Herman Suryanegara regularly plays golf with our Minister of Spatial Planning. In this country, water rights and zoning boundaries can turn into trash paper if rulers draw new lines on maps. Your adoptive father did not build his conglomerate by playing fair at auction houses. Twenty-five years ago, his main competitor was found hanging after his company got choked to death through forged regulations."

Veins in Kaelen's neck tensed slightly. Classified information regarding a businessman's death two decades ago... Kaelen had briefly read it inside old Suryanegara archives. Files concerning a man surnamed Tanoe—an original surname written on Kaelen's birth certificate before Herman adopted him from an orphanage.

For a first time since entering this lobby, Kaelen's expression changed. Not from fear, but because one old puzzle piece suddenly connected with something he never previously understood. Tanoe's name. Suryanegara's old archives. And a businessman's death considered suicide for years.

If Richard was right, then Herman was not just a man who threw him away last night. It was highly possible he also possessed ties to a reason why Kaelen's true identity was hidden.

Richard Chen's warning was not a mere assumption; it was a bloody shadow of future events. Kaelen knew defeating Bastian was only an opening act. Defeating Herman would require sacrificing flesh and bone.

"I understand those risks, Mister Chen. Let us finalize this transaction inside your car," Kaelen replied with a steady tone while maintaining his composure.

Without looking back at Bastian standing like a living corpse, or Valerie whose eyes were now filled with regret over her own decisions, Kaelen walked past them.

His aluminum crutches tapped rhythmically against granite floors, leaving an auction house lobby behind.

Behind him, Bastian stood frozen, staring at his phone screen after receiving a message from headquarters.

"Young Master, our Board of Directors demands an explanation. NexaCorp just canceled their partnership meeting for our Sector Six project," an assistant's text message read, sealing his humiliation.

For a first time that morning, Bastian realized Kaelen never came to an auction to buy land. He came to take something far more valuable: Bastian's future.