Chapter 53
+25 BONUS
Niamh was wearing a helmet, so no one could see the pale, panicked expression on her face. Fortunately, the motorcycle had barely picked up speed, so she wasn’t going too fast.
Beau had been thrown forward onto the fuel tank, his helmet slamming against the dashboard.
“Ugh!” He winced as his chest took the impact, making him cough uncontrollably.
“Beau! Seriously? Sit properly and hold on tight, got it?” Seeing that Beau wasn’t hurt, Niamh let out a sigh of relief.
She grabbed the back of his jacket and hoisted him upright setting him back into position.
Beau adjusted his helmet and shouted, “I’m fine!”
His voice was loud he was saying it for Elara and Bambi to hear.
“Damn it! Who the hell drives like that?” Niamh grumbled as the car that had nearly collided with her came to a stop as well.
The driver, gripping the steering wheel, leaned out of the window and yelled, “You were going the wrong way!”
“Didn’t you see I had a kid on board? What the fuck, man!”
The driver looked thoroughly unimpressed. “Taking a kid for a ride on a souped–up motorcycle? You’re just asking for trouble!”
Niamh immediately flipped him off. Beau, ever the eager student, copied her and flipped the driver off, too.
Gritting her teeth, Niamh wrestled her motorcycle free from the crushed guardrail and scowled when she saw the shattered headlight.
She had come here to mock Elara, yet now Elara had witnessed her own embarrassment. Not in the mood for an argument, she revved the engine and sped off.
As they disappeared down the road, Elara’s heartbeat, which had briefly spiked, gradually returned to normal.
She turned to Bambi and said, “Come on, let’s head upstairs and finish packing.”
From now on, no matter what happened to Beau, it had nothing to do with her. Seeing how much he clung to Niamh, she had already prepared herself for the worst.
For the past few days, Elara and Bambi had been staying in a hotel. She had been searching for a new place to live, but even renting wasn’t easy.
The location, layout, and the quality of the neighborhood’s residents were all factors she carefully considered. Finally, she found a small apartment that met her criteria. Since Bambi would be starting elementary school soon, Elara decided to buy it outright.
Logging into her Bright Peak Securities‘ app, she was stunned to find that her stock portfolio–worth nearly 80 million–had been frozen.
When August answered her call, he got straight to the point
“Ms. Jones, I just received the notice this morning. Due to a report filed against you, you’re under investigation for potential insider trading. The stock exchange has frozen your 79 million in assets.
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Chapter 53
+25 BONUS
“The funds in your account originated from Mr. Fisher. The regulatory commission suspects he transferred such a large sum to you as a way to influence your stock purchases This could be considered speculative manipulation, which violates market regulations.
“Until they complete the investigation and confirm your transactions are legitimate, the freeze will remain in place.”
Elara explained, “I used my own stock analysis program to predict which stocks would rise during the economic adjustments.”
August chuckled. “And you think the regulatory commission will believe that? A housewife like you? Even if you present this so–called program, can you prove you developed it alone?”
Elara’s voice remained firm. “If I place in the ALI Math Competition, would that prove my capability? The prestige of that competition should be enough to validate my skills.”
August burst into laughter. “You do realize the Advanced Logical Intelligence Mathematics Competition is the most prestigious math contest in the country, right?
“Ms. Jones, you said that you’re getting a ranking? Stop joking! You probably can’t even understand the questions!
Elara’s determination didn’t waver. “I’ll provide proof to the commission.”
The preliminary rankings for the ALI Math Competition would be released next Tuesday.
With an official ranking from the most respected competition in the country, she could prove to the regulators that her stock decisions were entirely her own.
Soon, it was Monday. They were supposed to meet at the courthouse. Harvey stepped out of his car and immediately spotted Elara.
A flicker of something unreadable crossed his eyes.
She was wearing makeup?
Her lips were glossed with a radiant sheen, and her smooth complexion looked flawless.
