The Zurich morning was quiet, too quiet for someone who had just placed a twenty-million-dollar bet.
Kael sat at the hotel desk, laptop open.
[Investment Confirmed: $20,000,000 in Aeterna Biocore ($AETB)]
Stock Price: $72.10
Position: 277,777 Shares
He closed the screen after one last glance. Watching the price every second wouldn't change anything.
"Four days," he muttered. "That's all I need."
The system had been clear—the real movement would come soon. Until then, waiting was his only job.
Zurich – The Old and the New
Instead of drowning in numbers, Kael decided to walk. Zurich wasn't just a financial hub—it was a city where medieval alleys wrapped around banks holding trillions.
He wandered through Bahnhofstrasse, the world-famous shopping street, passing luxury stores with watches priced higher than some apartments in New York.
Kael smirked faintly. "Spend $50,000 on a watch, or invest it in stocks that'll turn into half a million. Easy choice."
Still… he lingered by a display of Patek Philippe watches longer than he admitted.
Later, he sat at a café by the Limmat River, sipping espresso so smooth it made BrewFi feel like instant coffee. He jotted notes in a leather notebook—not about Radiance, not about BrewFi, but about the future of Aurelius Capital.
"Entertainment. Food. Finance. Now biotech…" He tapped the pen. "Diversify, but control. Don't scatter."
A couple at the next table debated loudly over whether to buy matching hiking boots. Kael almost laughed. "At least their gamble costs less than mine."
Lucerne – Postcard Perfect
On the second day, Kael took a train to Lucerne. The medieval wooden Chapel Bridge stretched across the river, flowers spilling from its sides. Tourists posed for photos while church bells rang in the distance.
For once, Kael allowed himself to blend in. No boardrooms, no contracts—just a man standing by a lake, the Alps reflecting in the water.
He thought of the stock again, then forced the thought away.
"Patience is also a skill," he reminded himself.
At a lakeside restaurant, he ordered rösti and fish. The waiter asked if he was here for leisure or business.
Kael's lips curved slightly. "…Business. Always business."
But he didn't explain further.
Interlaken – Between Two Lakes
By the third day, he was in Interlaken. Paragliders drifted across the sky like lazy birds. A group of tourists cheered as someone jumped from the cliff, screaming with joy.
Kael folded his arms, watching. "They risk their lives for thrill. I risk millions for Aurelius."
The thought almost made him laugh. Both games required courage… but at least his didn't involve a parachute.
At night, in his hotel, he checked the ticker again. $74.30. Barely a move.
Kael didn't flinch. "Tomorrow."
Day Four – The Rise
On the fourth morning, Kael sat at a café in Geneva, overlooking the Jet d'Eau fountain shooting water into the sky. He refreshed the stock app casually, almost as if it didn't matter.
Then he saw it.
$85.20.
+18% overnight.
His heart gave a hard thud. Not the explosion yet, but the first spark.
Kael set down his coffee slowly, expression calm, but inside every nerve was awake.
"This is it," he murmured. "The beginning."
The system flickered faintly in his vision.
[Future Path: Unfolding]
Kael leaned back in his chair, the lake breeze brushing past. The gamble was working. Switzerland's beauty felt sharper, brighter—like the whole country was quietly celebrating with him.
"Step by step," he whispered again.
And for the first time in years, he allowed himself to just sit there, watching the fountain, as twenty million dollars began to transform into something far greater.