Darkstone Code
Chapter 58 - 0058 Left hand, pocket, right hand

Chapter 58: 0058 Left hand, pocket, right hand

Jogriman deliberately arrived at their agreed location ten minutes early. He came early partly out of personal manners and partly because he didn’t want to give Director Johnson any chance to take advantage.

He didn’t want to offend Director Johnson, but he also didn’t want to appear too close. Recently, the tax system has had quite a few troubles, so avoiding him was actually the best choice.

But he didn’t expect that there was another person there, and he seemed somewhat familiar.

Jogriman wouldn’t focus on the appearance of a small character, and after a fleeting doubt, a warm smile appeared on his face, as if he, Director Johnson, and the stranger were good friends.

After the three shook hands, he figured out who the person in front of him was, which surprised him greatly. He originally thought these two should have been at odds, but it seemed things were not that simple, suggesting there might be more behind the recent uproar in the news.

They used the recent weather and the continuously declining market atmosphere as the opening topic for their conversation. Originally, Director Johnson was supposed to only introduce Jogriman to Lynch and then leave, but now he didn’t quite want to go.

It’s not that he felt there was anything noteworthy between the two, but the note in his hand made him restless and unsure, so he wanted to wait until Lynch and Jogriman finished their talk before speaking with Lynch.

As they maintained the atmosphere, he gradually began to find some merit in Lynch’s statements. Michael’s wife had never worked, his child would be released next spring, and their house and everything else needed money, which they were extremely short of. Without Michael, the family had no income at all.

Michael might face a sentence of not less than three years, according to the consultant group from the Tax Bureau. His deliberate law-breaking was a key reason for the extended sentence.

A family without income can’t support itself for long, and the guilt inside Johnson made him want to make some amends, giving this amount of money a sense of value, also convincing himself that it wasn’t bribery since the money wasn’t spent on himself.

As he pondered this, Lynch suddenly asked, "Director Johnson, didn’t you say earlier you had some pressing matters to attend to?"

Director Johnson snapped back to reality, looking at Lynch for a few seconds before realizing what was said, "Ah... Ah! Yes, I have some matters..."

Lynch brought the conversation to this point, and if he didn’t leave, he couldn’t stay; he stood up, apologized to the two, and reluctantly left.

Jogriman watched Director Johnson’s departure, pondering the meaning behind today’s meeting, unable to understand it fully. However, since it was a meeting endorsed by Director Johnson, he would take it seriously.

"Mr. Jogriman, you know I’m a businessman..." The Jogriman opposite nodded slightly, aware of Lynch’s identity, due to reports in newspapers. Lynch continued, "I have some business recently that needs funding turnover..."

Listening to this, Jogriman roughly understood what it meant. Although he didn’t know why Lynch became friends with Johnson or why Director Johnson vouched for him, ultimately Lynch just wanted money.

This is neither difficult nor straightforward; his mouth slightly lifted into a natural expression, resembling the subtle and condescending demeanor he showed when facing pleas from small business owners, "How much do you want?"

"As much as possible!", Lynch took a document bag from behind, and his answer made Jogriman laugh aloud.

"Everyone says that, but you should know we have policy regulations. In consideration of Director Johnson, I can offer you a credit loan of five thousand dollars."

Credit loans haven’t fully rolled out yet. The six major banks are very cautious in issuing them, their purpose being to reactivate the Federation’s market economy.

Since economic development slowed down more than two years ago, society has faced various issues. The President’s Cabinet and executives of the six banks spent about a year discussing a trial plan: to open unsecured personal credit loans, helping some people get through tough times while lowering interest rates to stimulate the economy.

Five thousand dollars isn’t a significant amount. Even if Lynch can’t repay it, Jogriman himself can cover it, thus not only giving face to Director Johnson but also making the other party owe him a significant favor, viewing this deal as not a loss.

Lynch neither rejected nor agreed but instead placed several mortgage loan agreements on the table and pushed them over.

Jogriman frowned slightly. After a cursory glance at the documents on the table, he reached into his pocket for a finely crafted glasses case and began reading the documents with his glasses on.

After more than ten minutes, he removed his glasses and pressed down on the documents, rubbing his nose, "It seems there’s not much difference from bank mortgage contracts. You added a supplementary agreement to waive collateral rights..." He scrutinized carefully, "These things... I’m sorry, they can’t work here. If you read the newspaper, you should know that Sabin City has been cracking down on financial crimes recently, and Gaitenau is already on the blacklist."

He spoke in a firm tone, as these small financial companies essentially compete with banks for market share. However, due to their simple lending conditions and lenient reviews, many people who find it difficult to pass at the bank go to these financial companies for assistance.

He looks down on these people and despises them, but these people are essential constituents of society, and considering Jogriman’s stature and attitude, he doesn’t wish to associate with these people or these matters.

Lynch was not displeased but instead took out several more documents and pushed them across.

Jogriman looked at him, nodded slightly, and after repeated hesitation, once again put on his glasses and began reading.

Some of these documents are establishment and authority proof materials. A person named Dyson exclusively founded a company named Dyson Asset Management Company, with corresponding various paperwork and tax registration certificates, making it a legitimate business.

Another part is an agreement by which Gaitenau entrusts these asset mortgage contracts to Dyson Asset Management Company for management. It states from the signing date, Dyson Asset Management Company will legally hold full rights to these mortgage contracts.

Whether there are any shady dealings between Dyson Asset Management Company and Gaitenau Financial Company is not discussed. Strictly from these documents, statements, legal papers, and even notices of power transfer proof in the local newspaper’s crevices, the rights to these mortgage contracts have transferred to Dyson Asset Management Company.

In other words, they no longer belong to Gaitenau Financial Company.

Seeing Jogriman’s thoughtful expression, Lynch knew the deal was halfway done.

Gaitenau Financial Company, namely Mr. Fox’s finance company, entrusted these contracts to Dyson Asset Management Company for management, making Dyson Asset Management Company the legal authority of these debts. The shift in authority changed, meaning in legal terms, these debtors no longer had any relation to Mr. Fox.

But this is also a trust agreement. Simply adding some text in the supplemental terms, such as provisions for what happens post-term, could find a way around legal barriers, making everything appear legitimate.

Even if not all legal, at least it’s not illegal.

Jogriman set down all the documents and tapped his finger on the registration document for Dyson Asset Management Company, "Who is this Dyson?"

"That’s not important, sir. What’s important is he registered the company independently as a legal Federal citizen!"

Jogriman nodded, understanding Lynch’s meaning. In a proprietorship, responsibility division is clear because there’s only one authority, eliminating legal disputes.

If a company has multiple responsible parties, a lawsuit could become a marathon legal battle—after resolving external legal disputes, lengthy internal responsibility allocation lawsuits could follow, and even if resolved, the company might directly apply for bankruptcy protection and liquidation, making it overly complicated.

But a proprietorship is different. When issues arise, they can be resolved quickly and simply, and Jogriman already understood Lynch’s general idea: this is an empty shell, but it’s a valuable one.

Honestly, he’s somewhat tempted.

Banks have to maintain appearances, as unattractive as those appearances may always be, but now Lynch presents these, which Jogriman considers high-quality assets.

He noted the dates of these pledge documents, observed that Gaitenau Financial Company currently has no issues with their interest rates, but their supplementary agreements have problems.

Essentially, anyone signing this agreement will ultimately give up these collaterals, which is a disguised form of high interest that has yet to be legally banned.

Being not banned means it could potentially receive the Judge’s support.

"I need to go back and discuss with our legal department..." He put away his glasses and suddenly found Lynch becoming much more agreeable, "If I need to, where can I find you?"

Lynch timely presented his business card, "Here’s my phone, available anytime!"

Jogriman glanced at the business card, somewhat surprised. He looked at Lynch again, his expression becoming a bit more earnest, "Auction House General Manager..."

Yes, the auction house, registered just this morning, although it’s also part of Lynch’s plan.

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