Chapter 252: Desperation

Chapter 252: Chapter 252: Desperation

The name hit Joe like a physical blow.

He froze, his jaw slacking as his eyes stared blankly at the glass wall of his office. ’Jake Rivers.’

The young multi-billionaire behind Golden Investments. The man who had single-handedly restructured the country’s financial landscape over the past few months, crushing corporate titans and buying up institutional assets without taking a single dime in bank leverage.

Joe’s chest tightened so hard he could barely draw breath. ’Fight a liquidity war with Jake Rivers? Royal Aviation couldn’t even cover its monthly debt interest without Mark’s deals.’

The arrogance and anger completely drained out of Joe, leaving behind a broken, desperate man.

"Mark... please," Joe whimpered, his voice dropping to a pathetic, trembling plead. "Please, Mark... you can’t do this to me. We’ve known each other for fifteen years. I helped build your name in this town! If you walk away with this deal, Royal Aviation is going to collapse! The banks will take everything! They’ll take my house, Mark! Please, speak to Mr. Rivers! Tell him it was a mistake! Bring the order back to us!"

Mark stood beside his sedan, listening to his former boss beg for mercy. But there was no remorse in Joe’s voice—only fear of losing his luxury lifestyle.

"It’s useless to beg, Joe," Mark said, his voice hard as iron. "Even now, listening to you whine, you haven’t offered a single genuine apology for what you did. You didn’t care about my family. You didn’t care that my daughter needs surgery to save her hearing. You only cared about using my hard work to cover up your own terrible financial mistakes."

Mark checked his watch. "And frankly, Joe, you’re taking up my time. I have work to do. I still need to complete Mr. Rivers’ acquisition order before Thursday."

Hearing that Mark was still actively handling the $143 million deal outside of Royal Aviation, a sudden, wild spark of legal desperation flared in Joe’s mind.

"You can’t do that!" Joe yelled, grasping at straws. "That order came to Royal Aviation! If you execute that trade independently, I will sue you! I’ll file an immediate injunction for breach of contract, non-compete violations, and theft of proprietary client relationships! I will drag you through the high courts for years, Mark! You won’t see a single cent of that commission! But... but if you come back now, all will be forgiven! We can put the lawyers away!"

Mark shook his head in the dark parking garage, a dark, amused smile touching his face.

"If you want to sue, Joe, then by all means, go ahead and file the papers," Mark said smoothly. "But before you spend the last of your legal reserves, you should probably know who you’re actually suing."

Joe frowned, his heart racing. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means Jake Rivers is currently in the middle of incorporating a brand-new, fully capitalized private aviation brokerage," Mark revealed cleanly, letting every word sink into Joe’s mind. "Golden Investments is providing one hundred percent of the institutional liquidity and global clearing facilities. And Mr. Rivers has personally offered me the position of Chief Executive Officer, along with a twenty percent equity stake in the firm."

Mark paused, letting the silence stretch before adding, "So if you want to file an injunction for client theft, Joe, go right ahead. You’ll be taking on Golden Investments’ legal team, headed by Samuel Carter of Blackwell and Carter. I’m sure they’d love to examine Royal Aviation’s debt ledgers in discovery."

Joe stood completely paralyzed, the phone slipping slightly in his sweaty palm. ’A twenty percent equity stake... CEO of a firm backed directly by Golden Investments... Samuel Carter...’

The sheer scale of the power shift made Joe’s head spin. He realized instantly that any lawsuit he filed against Mark would be crushed under the weight of Blackwell and Carter’s legal apparatus within forty-eight hours.

Then, a sudden, desperate thought struck Joe’s mind like a lightning bolt. *If Jake Rivers was spending millions to build a brand-new aviation firm from scratch, why build when you could buy?*

Joe’s eyes brightened with a sick, sudden hope.

"Mark! Mark, wait!" Joe blurted out frantically, his voice filled with a bizarre, manic excitement. "Listen to me! Tell Mr. Rivers he doesn’t need to waste time starting a new company from scratch! I’m willing to part ways with Royal Aviation! I’ll sell the entire company to him right now!"

He paced rapidly back to his desk, grabbing a pen as if preparing to outline a merger. "It’s much easier to take over an established infrastructure than to start fresh! Royal Aviation already has an established market presence! We have aircraft maintenance contracts, hangar space at Aurelia International, and regional transport influence! Sure, we have a forty-million-mark debt load, but forty million marks is pocket change to a man like Mr. Rivers! He can absorb the debt, acquire our licenses instantly, and we can merge the whole operation under his banner!"

Mark stood by his car, listening to Joe’s frantic pitch with absolute disbelief. The man was so blinded by his own corporate ego that he truly believed his bankrupt, debt-ridden firm was an attractive asset.

"Joe," Mark interrupted, his voice dropping into a flat, decisive tone that instantly killed Joe’s manic rambling. "Mr. Rivers isn’t interested."

"Why not?!" Joe pressed, desperate. "The infrastructure—"

"Because when it comes to market establishment and global influence," Mark cut in cleanly, "the name *Jake Rivers* holds enough power to open every single door in international aviation overnight. We don’t need your debt. We don’t need your reputation. And we certainly don’t need your hangar space."

Mark leaned into his sedan, placing his cardboard box on the passenger seat.

"The new firm is named Rivers Aviation," Mark added, taking a deep breath of clean air. "And as CEO, my first official order of business is executing Mr. Rivers’ flight to Switzerland. Good luck with your bankers, Joe."

"Mark, wait—!"

Mark didn’t listen to another second. He tapped the red button on his screen, ending the call, and instantly blocked Joe Bright’s number.

In the penthouse suite of Royal Aviation, the line went dead.

Joe slowly lowered his mobile phone, his arm dropping limply to his side. The silence that filled the room was total, heavy, and absolute.

He stared at his mahogany desk, at the delinquent debt notices, at the empty scotch glass, and finally out the floor-to-ceiling window toward the airfield. A soft breeze was blowing across the tarmac, carrying away the lingering hum of jet engines.

His strength completely vanished. Joe’s knees gave out, and he slumped heavily into his executive leather chair, staring blankly at the wall. There were no more calls to make. No more tricks to play. No more favors to pull.

He had held a golden ticket worth forty-three million marks in his hands, and in his blind greed, he had thrown it away—destroying his company, his career, and his life in a single afternoon.

---

Forty minutes later, Mark Thompson stepped off the private express elevator onto the top floor of Apex Plaza.

He took a slow breath, adjusting his suit jacket as he stepped out onto the polished marble reception of Golden Investments. The sheer elegance of the facility was striking. There were no noisy shouting floors or chaotic trading desks like at Royal Aviation; instead, the floor exuded a quiet, commanding atmosphere of absolute financial authority.

Alice Chase was waiting near the reception desk. When she saw Mark approach, her professional demeanor softened into a polite, welcoming smile.

"Mr. Thompson," Alice greeted, extending her hand. "Welcome to Golden Investments. I am Alice Chase, Mr. Rivers’ executive manager."

Mark shook her hand firmly. "Miss Chase. It’s a pleasure to meet you in person. Thank you for handling the call with Royal Aviation so cleanly."

"It was no trouble," Alice said smoothly. "Mr. Rivers and Mr. Carter are waiting for you in the primary conference suite. Right this way."

Alice led him down a wide, glass-walled corridor toward the corner executive suite. Outside the door stood Samuel Carter, senior partner at Blackwell and Carter, holding a thick leather-bound folder containing the newly drafted incorporation documents for Rivers Aviation.

"Mark," Samuel said, stepping forward with a warm handshake. "Samuel Carter. Everything on the legal side is prepared. We have cleared the priority trade registration through our expedited corporate channels. All that remains are your signatures."

"Thank you, Mr. Carter," Mark replied, still feeling a surreal wave of momentum wash over him.

Samuel opened the double doors, and Mark stepped inside.

Standing near the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the glowing skyline of the financial district was a young man in a tailored dark suit. He turned around as the doors closed, his piercing gaze settling on Mark.

Mark froze in his tracks, his eyes widening slightly.

He had spoken to Jake Rivers over the phone multiple times, hearing a voice that was cool, completely composed, and dripping with absolute authority. But seeing him in person, Mark was genuinely taken aback by how young the financial titan actually was. Jake barely looked like he was out of his early twenties, yet he carried an effortless aura of quiet power that commanded the entire room.

’He’s so young...’ Mark thought, his mind racing as he processed the sight. ’To hold this much wealth, this much institutional leverage, and act with such ruthless precision at his age... it’s incredible."

Jake leaned back in his leather chair, a calm, amused glint in his eyes. "That was a significant leap of faith, Mark. What made you so sure it wasn’t an impersonator?"

Mark signed the final document and pushed the stack back to Samuel before looking directly at Jake.

"Because in this country, Mr. Rivers," Mark stated with quiet conviction, "there isn’t a single person foolish enough to impersonate you—and even fewer who could materialize a fully capitalized aviation company in under two hours."

Jake let out a smooth, satisfied chuckle. "Fair point."

Jake stood up, buttoning his suit jacket as Samuel gathered the executed documents. "Now that Rivers Aviation is officially registered, let’s get back to business. What is the status of my Bombardier Global 7500?"

Mark stood up instantly, his entire focus shifting into full executive mode.

"The Zurich inspection team has already been alerted," Mark reported confidently. "With our new clearing liquidity active, the escrow deposit will clear by midnight. The pre-flight checks and civil aviation clearances will be finalized tomorrow morning. I guarantee you, Mr. Rivers, your Global 7500 will be fueled, prepped, and waiting on the tarmac for your departure to Switzerland on Thursday evening."

Jake looked out at the glowing city lights, his expression calm and unreadable.

"Excellent," Jake said softly. "Make it happen, Mark."

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