8:The Price of Folly

Hailey Sterling felt like her world had collapsed.

For a top "socialite," handbags, parties, and likes on social media were the entirety of her existence. Now, thanks to her foolish decision to leverage her position on Vance Capital, she had fallen from grace overnight. Forget limited-edition bags; she was in danger of not even being able to pay next month's credit card bill.

In her desperation, she started to get ideas. And in her vanity-filled brain, the only "lifeline" she could think of was her brother-in-law whom she had always looked down upon—Jack Miller.

Although she didn't truly believe Jack was some kind of "stock market god," the fawning of her socialite friends and the bizarre surge of that penny stock "NTRP" had planted a seed of absurd fantasy in her mind.

One day, she received a call from Alex Thorne. Alex was the heir to the Thorne Group and one of Katherine's most high-profile and annoying suitors. He had always seen Jack as a thorn in his side, a country bumpkin who had sullied his goddess.

"Hey, Hailey sweetie," Alex's voice on the phone was oozing with fake concern. "I heard you're a little tight on cash lately? Don't worry, money has never been an issue for me."

"Really? Alex!" Hailey's voice changed, as if she had just grasped a lifeline.

"Of course. But..." Alex's tone shifted, becoming playful. "I've heard that your brother-in-law is a hidden stock market genius? The kind who can get a tenfold return in a week? I'm more interested in that. How about this: you bring him over, let him show me his 'divine skills' in person. If I'm happy, forget lending you money, what's the problem with gifting you a few bags?"

Hailey's pitiful intelligence completely missed the trap in his words. She eagerly agreed and rushed off to find Jack.

"Brother-in-law! My dear brother-in-law!" Hailey clung to Jack's arm, her voice sickly sweet, a complete departure from her usual self. "You have to help me! Alex said if you just show him your skills, he'll lend me money!"

Jack looked at her face, a canvas of "stupidity" and "greed," and felt nothing. With his 【Micro-Expression Analysis】, he easily saw through her little scheme and instantly predicted Alex's malicious intent.

【PING! New threat detected. Side mission issued: Clean House.】

【Mission Objective: Make Alex Thorne pay the price for his folly and make Hailey Sterling realize her mistake.】

【Mission Reward: 200 Predation Points, unlock life skill: Deft Hands (E-rank).】

"Alright," Jack agreed with his usual gentle smile.

That evening, in the VIP room of a top private club in the city, the air was thick with tension.

Alex sat in the main seat like a king, surrounded by a group of gloating rich kids. They looked at Jack, dressed in his plain casual clothes, as if he were a gladiator about to be thrown into the arena, their eyes filled with ridicule.

"Mr. Miller, I've heard so much about you," Alex said, swirling the whiskey in his glass, the ice cubes clinking. He pointed to a state-of-the-art trading terminal nearby. "The equipment is ready. Begin your performance. Let us witness the miracle of a tenfold return in a week."

Hailey nervously tugged at Jack's sleeve, whispering, "Brother-in-law, hurry!"

But Jack didn't walk towards the computer. He just looked at Alex calmly, his gaze falling on the glass of whiskey in his hand. He spoke slowly, "It doesn't have to be that complicated. I bet that before you finish this glass of whiskey, a certain stock will hit its limit up."

"What?" The room erupted in laughter.

"Is he crazy? Who does he think he is? Warren Buffett?"

"Alex, where did you find this clown? He's hilarious!"

Alex laughed too, shaking his head in contempt. "Mr. Miller, bragging won't solve your sister-in-law's debt problem."

Jack ignored their mockery. He picked up a glass of water from the table and walked towards Alex, an apologetic smile on his face. "My apologies, Mr. Thorne. I was a bit nervous. Allow me to toast you with this water first."

As he got closer to Alex, leaning in slightly, his hand "accidentally" trembled, and the entire glass of water spilled onto Alex's expensive custom-made suit.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Jack immediately put the glass down and fumbled for napkins to help Alex wipe the water stains.

"You useless oaf!" Alex shoved him away angrily.

And in that brief moment of physical contact and chaos, Jack's fingers, enhanced by the 【Deft Hands】 skill, moved with a dexterity and speed surpassing a magician's. Like a dragonfly skimming the water, they dipped into the inner pocket of Alex's suit. The entire process was as fast as lightning, smooth as flowing water, completely unnoticed by anyone.

Alex's private phone was now, unbeknownst to him, in Jack's possession.

Jack turned his back, pretending to get more napkins, his fingers flying across the phone's screen. Using a preset shortcut, he sent an encrypted message to Alex's private trader. After that, in the next moment as he turned to apologize again, he silently slipped the phone back into Alex's pocket.

The entire process took no more than five seconds.

"Alright, Mr. Thorne, I believe we can wait now," Jack said, sitting back down and taking a slow sip of his whiskey.

The minutes ticked by. The laughter in the room gradually died down as everyone stared at Jack as if he were an idiot.

Just as Alex's patience was running out and he was about to call security to throw this fraud out, the financial news on the room's TV screen cut to a market alert.

"...We have news that Thorne Technologies, a subsidiary of the Thorne Group, saw an abnormal surge of buy orders in late trading today, instantly pushing the stock to its limit up. Market analysts suggest this might be an unintentional 'fat-finger' error..."

"What?!" Alex shot to his feet. Thorne Technologies was one of his privately held major stocks!

Before he could even feel happy, his phone rang frantically. It was his trader, his voice on the verge of tears. "Boss! It's bad! Just now, your account liquidated our entire position in 'Blue Ocean Energy' and went all-in on 'Thorne Technologies'! 'Blue Ocean Energy' is plummeting because of some bad news, and our losses... our losses are at least in the eight figures!"

The color drained from Alex's face. He fumbled for his phone and stared at the transaction records, looking as if he had been struck by lightning.

Jack set down his empty whiskey glass, the bottom making a soft click on the table. He stood up and smiled at the petrified Alex. "You see, limit up. As for your losses, I think they should be enough to pay off Hailey's debt and buy her a few new bags. Consider it... a small price you pay for your arrogance."

With that, he took the still-dazed Hailey, who hadn't understood a thing that had happened, and turned to leave under the astonished gazes of everyone present.

As they reached the door, Hailey finally snapped out of it. Her eyes sparkling with admiration, she clung to Jack's arm. "Brother-in-law! You're amazing! You really are a stock market god! Please, teach me! I'm begging you!"

Jack just looked at her and shook his head. This foolish woman would probably never understand how much trouble her stupid greed had almost brought upon the entire family.

When they returned to the Sterling estate, Katherine was already waiting in the living room. She had clearly heard about what had happened.

"Hailey was being foolish. You didn't have to go to such lengths for the Sterling family's troubles," Katherine's tone was complex, a mix of reprimand and an undeniable... gratitude.

Jack looked into her icy eyes, which were now rippling with a hint of warmth. He stepped closer, looked directly into her eyes, and said, word by word, with utter seriousness:

"Your trouble is my trouble."

"I am protecting this family."

The words, like a precise bullet, instantly shattered all of Katherine's defenses.

Just then, Jack's phone vibrated. It was an encrypted message from Ben Carter.

"Boss, I found something. David Sterling has been frequently and secretly meeting with the CEO of our biggest competitor—Richard Hammer of Hammer Industries."

Jack's eyes instantly turned cold.

The termite in the house was starting to collude with the wolves outside.