From Bullets To Billions

Chapter 205: A Wave Of Wealth (Part 2)

Only a few days into the new month, something had stirred Dennis’s curiosity. A gut feeling. For months, nothing had really changed. The reports had been uneventful, just numbers, predictable habits.

Until now.

There was one particular heir whose financial movements had started to shift. Uncharacteristically so. And that heir... was Max.

Dennis remembered his previous conclusion clearly. He had deemed Max’s attempts at business nothing more than childish games. Amateur efforts that, while somewhat creative, held no real long-term value.

Still, today, he felt the urge to take a second look. Just to be sure.

Fred, his long-time assistant, silently slid over the stack of documents across the glossy mahogany desk. With a respectful bow, he stepped back, folding his hands behind his back. Dennis closed his eyes as he flipped open the first page, taking in the numbers.

Fred, however, couldn’t resist his curiosity.

As the silence stretched, he occasionally cracked one eye open, stealing glances at Dennis’s expression. It was subtle at first. A twitch of the brow. A tightening of the jaw. Then... it happened.

Dennis’s hands started to tremble.

”Is it the first of April?” Dennis asked, his voice sharp with disbelief.

”It is not, sir,” Fred replied calmly. ”And even if it was, you know I would never play such a cruel joke on you.”

Dennis’s fingers twitched as he pushed the documents away slightly. ”Then what is this?” he demanded. ”How do you explain all of this? How could he, in such a short amount of time, increase his wealth like this?”

The report laid everything out in black and white, no exaggeration, no sugarcoating. Max had doubled his money in a single move. One bold transaction had flipped the numbers completely. At first glance, it seemed absurd. But the paperwork didn’t lie.

Fred had done his homework.

”I traced the transaction,” he explained. ”It appears it came from a gambling payout. Led by a group of unpleasant people. I’ve made notes beside the relevant entries for reference.”

Dennis raised an eyebrow, but Fred continued, unbothered by the tension. ”I tried to gather as much information as I could. I was just as shocked as you when I first saw the figure. But if you review the entire timeline, it’s actually quite methodical. Not a single step was wasted. He’s been executing his strategy with precision, capturing a market most would ignore... with almost no resistance.”

Fred had broken it all down, every stage, every bold decision, right there in the report for Dennis to see.

It started with Max’s purchase under the Billion Bloodline Group as a VC, something Dennis had previously dismissed as naive and laughable. From there, Max had acquired the gyms. What looked like a reckless investment at first had turned out to be the core of something explosive.

But what shocked Dennis even more, Max hadn’t lost a single dollar in expansion. The opposite, in fact. He’d gained. Substantially.

Fred had even included projected revenue numbers, calculated based on the growing number of gym members. He had tracked the rate of increase and estimated the income expected by the end of the month.

”According to this,” Fred continued, pointing to a highlighted section, ”each customer is spending, on average, around fifty dollars on merchandise. Some are even spending close to a thousand.”

Dennis leaned back in his chair, stunned. ”I still don’t understand how any of this is possible,” he muttered, rubbing his temple. ”This breaks every rule I know about growth. The gyms, the merch, it hasn’t even been that long. There’s no way he built up enough trust with customers to get them spending like this.”

His voice grew more agitated with each word.

”And how has there not been a single setback?” Dennis asked. ”You’re telling me this brand just took off, clean and perfect? I’ve launched fashion lines before. I’ve poured millions into campaigns, hired entire design teams. I’ve used celebrity endorsements, influencers, ran promos across every major channel... and some of those ventures are still sitting on the edge of profit and loss.”

He gritted his teeth. ”Even Karen, especially Karen, with her department store support and blank-check advertising can’t get her clothing line off the ground.”

”So how,” Dennis said again, flipping through the report, ”how was he able to do something like this?”

Fred remained composed, but even he couldn’t hide the slight disbelief in his voice. ”I was surprised myself,” he admitted. ”I thought there had to be an error. Something... off. But everything checks out. All the numbers, all the paperwork, it’s solid.”

He hesitated for a moment before continuing.

”If things continue the way they are now... there’s no doubt about it. Max will begin to rise. Among the Stern family heirs... he’ll start climbing fast.”

Now that the initial shock had passed, Dennis wasn’t fuming anymore.

Instead, a wide grin was spreading across his face, genuine, almost boyish in its excitement.

”Not long ago, he starts using the money... I don’t even fully understand what he’s trying to accomplish with it,” Dennis said, shaking his head, both amused and amazed. ”And yet, somehow, he’s making more. Max, that boy is making my heart pump blood through my body like no one else in this family ever has.”

He let out a low chuckle, the kind that came from deep within his chest. It was a sound rarely heard from him.

”Did you check if he spent any of that money on press or advertisements?” Dennis asked suddenly, narrowing his eyes again as the strategist in him kicked in.

”Not a single penny was spent on traditional marketing methods,” Fred answered, adjusting the papers in his hand. ”I’ve written a full report on it. However... there are some gaps, pieces that don’t quite line up.”

Fred flipped a few pages to show Dennis his handwritten notes.

”Regardless, what we can confirm is that schools around the area began wearing the clothing. They flocked to the gyms, and from there, the trend expanded outward.”

Dennis leaned back in his chair, fingertips steepled under his chin, eyes gleaming with renewed interest. The excitement bubbling inside him hadn’t gone away. If anything, it was still rising.

”Finally,” he muttered, ”is there actually one person in this family who can do something?”

His words weren’t bitter, but hopeful. For the first time in a long while, Dennis felt something more than just responsibility. He felt pride. Potential.

”Continue keeping a close eye on him,” Dennis ordered. ”Track everything, every move, every transaction, every expansion. I want nothing to go unnoticed.”

Fred nodded once, making a note on his tablet.

Dennis tapped his fingers on the armrest thoughtfully, his grin slowly shifting into something more focused.

”And... perhaps,” he added, ”I should arrange a meeting with him soon.”