A Wall Street Genius’s Final Investment Playbook
Chapter 208

‘I must never lose.’

Gerrard clenched his fists tightly in tension.

In his mind, Ha Si-heon’s voice echoed.

—The biggest problem is the system your uncles have built.

“They claim the credit when things go well, and shift the blame when they don’t.”

This structure, where outcomes are interpreted to suit themselves, needs to be fixed first.

As Ha Si-heon pointed out, this structure was extremely disadvantageous to Gerrard.

However, it wasn’t as if Gerrard had neglected it because he was unaware.

He just hadn’t found a solution.

—There’s only one way. Get them to make a bet.

A bet?

The moment he heard the word, Gerrard felt dizzy.

But Ha Si-heon continued without the slightest hesitation.

—There’s no system as fair as betting. The outcome is predetermined, and the reward is clearly defined based on that.

But to bet with his uncles…?

That was unthinkable.

Above all—

Would they even agree to a bet?

The current ambiguous system benefited them.

Why would they risk choosing a fair game?

—It’s alright. When Gerrard first bet with me, did you do it because you wanted to? Think about it carefully. Why did you step up back then?

‘Well…’

Because Ha Si-heon was too arrogant.

Even when a gun was pointed at him, he calmly spoke his mind, which was infuriating.

And his sly tongue made it impossible to argue back, which added to the frustration.

In the end, Gerrard jumped in out of a desire to put him in his place.

But the moment he remembered that far, Gerrard understood what Ha Si-heon meant.

—You want me to do that?

That was impossible.

Especially when the targets were his uncles.

But as soon as he heard that, Ha Si-heon nodded with a face full of understanding.

—Of course, you don’t have to push yourself. If you're unwilling, there's always the option of an exposé…

—N-No! I didn’t mean I wouldn’t!

And so, Gerrard followed Ha Si-heon’s method.

He subtly provoked his uncles by mimicking Ha Si-heon’s shameless attitude and used the Black Swan event—the crash of the Chinese stock market—as justification to demand the CEO position.

‘I was worried if I could pull it off…’

But once he did, the worry seemed completely unnecessary.

In fact, it even felt a bit exhilarating.

‘Am I… enjoying this?’

This was proof that he was a leader.

That’s how he had come to this point.

“You really thought we’d grant such an absurd request based on such flimsy reasoning?!”

His uncle’s angry shout rang in his ears.

Normally, his heart would’ve pounded and his limbs would’ve gone weak.

But not today.

Instead, a slight smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

‘He bit.’

His younger uncle had taken the bait.

The basic principle of betting is this:

You reduce the options to two and force a choice.

There are only two possible responses—agree or disagree.

To make a bet happen, you had to present a binary choice and push the opponent to the other side.

And now, his younger uncle had positioned himself on the opposing side.

Thus, the prerequisite condition for a bet had been fulfilled.

Gerrard looked directly at his uncle and slowly asked again.

“So, are you saying you’re against my proposal, Uncle?”

“You jump to believe such extreme claims, and that’s why people say you’re thoughtless!”

“That’s why I need your wisdom, Uncle. In your opinion, will this Black Swan event happen or not?”

“……”

His uncle was momentarily speechless.

Because Gerrard had forced him into a binary choice.

‘Which side will he pick?’

There were only two options.

If he bet that the Black Swan would happen, he’d have to appoint Gerrard as CEO.

There’s no way he’d make that choice.

But if he bet that the Black Swan would not happen?

Then he’d be effectively declaring that Ha Si-heon’s prediction was wrong.

Yet Ha Si-heon was someone who had repeatedly succeeded with such uncanny predictions.

It wasn’t easy to confidently bet on his failure.

In the end, only one choice remained for his uncle.

“This is too significant to decide hastily. We must collect wide-ranging opinions from industry experts and make a careful judgment.”

Postponement.

But Ha Si-heon had already told him what to do in such cases.

—The key to betting is eliminating all other options. You must drive them to choose between ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

“If I had plenty of time, I’d also prefer to consult more people before making a decision. But according to Ha Si-heon, even if we move immediately, it’s barely enough. We can’t afford to delay.”

Compress the timeline and eliminate any room for waiting.

Make it seem like now is the only moment.

However, his uncle scoffed.

“A delay of a week won’t make a big difference.”

“Are you certain?”

Gerrard asked again in a firm tone.

Then, looking straight into his uncle’s eyes, he continued.

“If, because of that week, we fail to prevent the damage in time—will you take responsibility, Uncle?”

Gerrard openly mentioned responsibility.

Choosing to postpone now meant that responsibility would fall squarely on his uncle Desmond.

At that, his uncle’s face twisted.

“And you want to overturn everything—from exchange rates to distribution strategy—based solely on one man’s word? If that information is wrong, we could suffer massive losses. Can you take responsibility for that?”

As always, his uncle tried to shift the burden of responsibility back onto him.

That was exactly what Gerrard wanted.

“Yes, I will take responsibility.”

Gerrard declared firmly.

His lips curled into a smile again.

“If I’m granted full authority as CEO and my judgment proves wrong, leading to losses—then I will personally cover them. Even if it means using the entire trust fund I hold. Furthermore, I’ll take full responsibility and withdraw from all future involvement in the Marquis Group’s business.”

“……”

This was no different than putting everything on the line.

His inheritance and his future.

In short, it was an all-in.

‘I thought this kind of thing was reckless when he did it…’

A crazy gamble, staking his entire fortune and future.

Back then, he thought Ha Si-heon was out of his mind for behaving this way.

But now…

Now that he had done it himself, it didn’t feel so bad.

No—in fact… it felt quite good.

‘This…’

The dopamine hit was no joke.

It felt like he could get addicted.

“……”

When one side goes all-in so boldly, the other has no choice but to hesitate.

And indeed, his uncle shrank under Gerrard’s momentum and couldn’t say a word.

The uncle who once seemed so intimidating now felt like nothing at all.

And that wasn’t all.

Before they knew it, a heavy silence had descended over the meeting room.

Everyone’s eyes were on them.

The weighty air added to the pressure, tightening around his uncle even more.

When one side makes an all-in bet like this, refusing to respond can seem cowardly.

All eyes were silently pressuring him.

‘Make your choice now.’

But his uncle’s choice was…

“I understand your position. I’ll try to make a decision on this matter promptly, ideally by next week.”

Another postponement.

‘If it turns out like this…?’

Now, only one option remained.

“By next week… I suppose there’s no choice then. I hereby resign effective today.”

Gerrard continued, looking at his younger uncle.

“And I’ll warn the public through a press interview. I’ll say I clearly warned of the potential crash in the Chinese stock market, but my opinion was dismissed just because I was too young.”

“If you do that, you’ll lose your right to the trust.”

The Marquis family adhered to extreme secrecy.

It was clearly stated in their rules that disclosing internal affairs to the press would result in losing inheritance.

However—

“It doesn’t matter. I told you, didn’t I? I’ve already put everything on the line.”

That’s the terrifying part of going all-in.

There’s nothing left to lose.

“Even if you say that, you’ll only look like a clown! The media will brand you as a whining, immature youth…”

“That’s not what you should be worried about, Uncle. What if the Black Swan does happen? Just as I warned?”

The Marquis would be seen as a foolish company that suffered losses despite having the information.

And right now, this was the family council.

The family council was different from a board of directors.

Their goal wasn’t profit maximization—it was to elevate the family’s prestige and honor.

Therefore, threatening to damage the family’s reputation was the most effective move.

“They didn’t listen because I’m young? If this spreads, the family might be seen as one on the path to decline.”

“You… You’re going to tarnish the family name?! You’d defile the family for your petty ambitions?!”

His uncle shouted again, but Gerrard didn’t flinch at all.

Now, his uncle only looked like someone cornered, raising his voice in desperation.

Gerrard even had this thought:

‘Should I yell too?’

He could shout just as loudly.

He had simply never tried it before.

“…Do you think I’m doing all this just to become CEO?”

“Then what else could it be…?”

Bang!

Gerrard slammed the podium and shouted.

“I already told you! Someone with the best algorithm in the industry predicted this Black Swan event. And said that if we don’t act immediately, the damage will be inevitable! Yet you’re telling me to stall for more time!”

It felt liberating.

It was a sense of freedom he had never experienced in his life.

Gerrard banged the podium again and again as he continued.

“This is a matter of life and death! Do you think this is a game?! I’m doing all this because I want to protect the Marquis!”

“You say we should act immediately, but are you absolutely certain…?”

“I am! I’ve staked everything on it! What about you, Uncle? Are you certain that delaying is safe? If so, prove it with actions—not words!”

Bang! Bang!

In the end, his uncle fell silent.

To stop Gerrard now, he would have to display the same level of conviction—willing to risk his position and inheritance.

But he couldn’t do it.

Now the momentum was completely with Gerrard.

He glanced around the room.

“What do the rest of you think?”

Everyone who had been silently observing in the meeting room flinched.

Each of them wore expressions they had never shown before.

His older uncle, who had quietly hoped Gerrard would fail, was now flustered by his unexpected assertiveness.

Judy, shocked by her son’s sudden behavior.

And the rest, frozen in place, overwhelmed.

The adults who once seemed like giants suddenly felt insignificant.

Gerrard turned to the secretary.

“How long has it been since this motion was proposed? Why hasn’t the vote been conducted yet?”

The secretary nervously looked around at the uncles, but they had already lost the momentum and said nothing.

“Th-then we’ll proceed with the vote. All those in favor of appointing Gerrard as acting CEO for one year, please raise your hands.”

At last, the vote began.

And the result was just as expected.

“The motion has passed. Gerrard will be appointed acting CEO for one year…”

He had won.

***

[We did it. It’s only for a year, but… I became CEO!]

Gerrard excitedly reported his success.

It seemed the special training had paid off.

It would’ve been ideal if he had also coaxed the uncles into placing additional stakes beyond the CEO position.

But—

‘That would’ve been too hard.’

It was still too much for Gerrard.

He had only just begun to break free from their gaslighting.

For now, the important thing was that he had successfully caused a major stir in the family council.

I was already waiting for the next ripple effect Gerrard would trigger.

‘It’s about time I hear from her…’

A normally obedient son suddenly goes all-in in front of the elders?

There’s no way Gerrard’s mother, Judy, would stay silent after hearing that.

‘After all, she participated in my first all-in bet with Gerrard.’

Her son, babbling about Black Swan and Orca, was now even using strategies she’d seen before?

She’d naturally worry that someone strange had corrupted him.

As expected, I was right.

Bzzz!

The phone rang.

It was an unknown number, but the voice on the other end was familiar.

[You may not remember me. This is Judy, Gerrard’s mother.]

“Of course I remember. I’ve been expecting your call.”

[Expecting me?]

I didn’t bother hiding that I was the one behind Gerrard’s sudden behavior.

It was more advantageous this way.

[I have something important to discuss, but it’s not something I can say over the phone. It would be nice if you could spare some time soon.]

“Of course. I heard there’s a fox hunting event next week. I happen to enjoy horseback riding myself. If you’d extend me an invitation, I’d be happy to attend.”

When I openly asked to be invited, there was a brief pause before she responded.

[…That’s just a small gathering for family and relatives. You likely won’t have time to talk, nor would you find it fun.]

“That’s unfortunate. But my schedule is packed after next week. How about sometime in May?”

[…]

That was practically saying: Meet me during the fox hunt, or don’t expect to meet at all.

Judy had no choice but to speak.

[If you’re willing to endure the boredom, I’ll extend the invitation.]

And just like that, I secured the invitation.

After the call, I hummed a little tune and checked the situation.

‘Alright, the basic setup is complete.’

Of course, Judy would start to suspect me now…

But that was a necessary suspicion.

‘That’s what will make her want to talk.’

If I were someone unrelated to the family asking for a meeting, the Marquis people would’ve drawn the line with “it’s a family matter.”

But what about now?

If I was the one behind Gerrard’s change?

And I showed up at the fox hunt?

Then Judy, and even the uncles and other council members, would definitely try to approach me and figure things out.

That would create a rather entertaining scenario.

‘Of course, I’ll need to prepare…’

And so, I began making full preparations.

A week later—

The day of the fox hunt arrived.