Chapter 50 Acquisition II
The opening bell had rung hours ago, but the energy on Wall Street was anything but ordinary. Traders in sharp suits and with sharper tongues barked orders across the chaotic trading floors of Manhattan's towering financial institutions. By mid-morning, one ticker was on everyone's screen: NVIDIA. Its market cap, already a staggering $1.1 trillion, had inexplicably begun to climb, surging past $1.2 trillion. By noon, it was touching $1.3 trillion.
"Who the hell is buying?" barked Ron Sutter, a senior analyst at Paramount Securities. His desk, usually a picture of meticulous organization, was littered with coffee cups, scribbled notes, and half-eaten bagels. He glared at his team as if sheer intimidation could will the answers from them.
"We've ruled out the usual suspects," mumbled Janice, his most trusted junior trader, her eyes glued to the Bloomberg terminal. "Apple, Tesla, Amazon—none of their filings show any unusual activity."
"What about sovereign funds? The Saudis, Qatar? They've got deep pockets," Ron shot back, pacing.
"Nothing conclusive yet," Janice replied. "But whoever it is, they're buying smart—block trades split across multiple accounts. The SEC's radar is pinging hard."
Across the street, at the SEC headquarters, a similar storm brewed. The Regulatory Surveillance Division's analysts were pouring over transaction records.
"This isn't your average pump-and-dump," said Carrie Nguyen, an enforcement officer with a reputation for sniffing out market manipulation. "The buys are spread across so many offshore accounts that it's impossible to trace a single origin point. This isn't amateur hour. This is a masterclass."
Her colleague, Rob Wilkins, leaned back in his chair, his tie loosened, eyes weary from hours of staring at screens. "Could be an institutional play," he mused. "BlackRock? Vanguard? Maybe one of the Big Three is quietly expanding their stake."
"Not likely," Carrie countered. "Even they wouldn't operate like this. It's too calculated, too stealthy. If anything, it smells like Blackwell Investments."
Rob sat up straighter. "Blackwell? The trillion-dollar ghost?"
"Exactly. If anyone has the resources and cunning to pull this off, it's them."
NVIDIA's Boardroom
In a sleek boardroom at NVIDIA's California headquarters, CEO Jensen Huang sat at the head of a long table, his signature leather jacket thrown casually over the back of his chair. Surrounding him were his top executives, legal advisors, and a few visibly worried board members.
"The share price has surged over 18% in less than a week," began Monica Richards, the company's chief financial officer, her tone clipped and professional. "We're now valued at $1.3 trillion."
"This should be good news," interjected a younger board member, leaning forward. "Our shareholders must be thrilled."
"Thrilled?" Jensen's voice was calm but carried an edge. "This isn't a celebration. It's a takeover in the making. The question isn't whether we should be worried—it's who is behind it."
The room fell silent. Jensen gestured for Monica to continue.
"We've identified several large transactions," she said, clicking a remote. A screen lit up with graphs and charts. "The purchases are fragmented, executed across different brokerages and offshore accounts. The pattern is designed to avoid detection, but the volume is impossible to ignore. Whoever's doing this has deep pockets and even deeper strategy."
"Candidates?" Jensen asked, folding his hands.
"The usual suspects," Monica replied. "Apple, Amazon, Tesla—they all have the capital, but none of them have shown any activity suggesting this level of interest in us."
Another executive chimed in. "What about Blackwell Investments? They've been quiet for two years, but their MO fits. They never acquire outright control, but they always get just enough to influence a company's direction."
Jensen's brow furrowed. "Blackwell. That's a name I haven't heard in a while."
"They're enigmatic for a reason," Monica said. "No headquarters, no board of directors—just Alexander Blackwell at the helm. If they're involved, it could mean trouble."
"Or opportunity," added another board member. "If Blackwell sees potential in us, it could validate our trajectory."
"Or it could mean they see us as vulnerable," Jensen snapped. "And I don't like feeling vulnerable. Monica, I want a report on every major transaction involving our stock in the past month. I don't care how many legal hoops you have to jump through—get me names."
The meeting adjourned with a palpable sense of unease. As the executives filed out, Jensen remained seated, staring at the graphs on the screen. His mind raced with possibilities, but one thought loomed larger than the rest: If Blackwell Investments was truly making a move, NVIDIA's future was about to change forever.
The New York skyline glittered like a field of stars from the towering penthouse high above the city streets. Every inch of the place was a testament to wealth, sophistication, and power. The floor-to-ceiling windows framed the world outside, while inside, the penthouse gleamed with modern elegance. Polished marble floors reflected the soft light from crystal chandeliers, their shimmering crystals catching the light as if to remind anyone who entered of the fortune that made this space possible. The walls were adorned with contemporary art—pieces so expensive that even the thought of their price could make a person's head spin.
The furniture was sleek and minimalistic, designed not to take attention away from the view, but rather to complement it. Soft velvet chairs and polished wood tables lined the room, with the occasional piece of brushed steel or glass that spoke of modern luxury. Touchscreen panels were embedded into the walls, seamlessly adjusting the room's temperature, lighting, and even changing the displayed art. The entire space was like something out of a futuristic dream, a playground for the elite.
A soft clicking sound echoed through the marble floors as a woman walked into the penthouse. She moved with confidence, each step punctuated by the rhythm of her heels striking the ground. She was tall, poised, and impeccably dressed, her attire as sharp and polished as the surroundings. Her eyes held a glimmer of authority, but there was an underlying tension—she had business to attend to, and the man waiting for her on the other side of the door was one of the most powerful men in the world.
She reached a large wooden door at the far end of the penthouse and paused, her hand hovering over the knob. She knocked once, gently, but firmly.
"Enter."
The voice was low, commanding, and filled with authority—Nathaniel Rockerfeller, the heir to one of the wealthiest and most influential families in America. She opened the door and stepped inside, her presence immediately filling the space with an air of importance.
Nathaniel stood by his desk, staring out of the large windows that looked over the sprawling city. He didn't turn when she entered, but his gaze flicked toward her as she approached. His tailored suit was a perfect fit, and the subtle gray in his hair only added to his commanding presence. At thirty-three years old, Nathaniel had already built a legacy that most men could only dream of, but in this room, he was still just as sharp, just as calculating, and just as powerful as he had ever been.
"Sir, you asked me to inform you when the Blackwells were up to something," the woman said, her voice steady but carrying the weight of her news.
At the mention of the Blackwell name, Nathaniel's face hardened. A flicker of irritation crossed his features, his jaw tightening as his mind was dragged back to that day at the auction.
He remembered it vividly—the moment when Alexander Blackwell had dared to outbid him, not for valuable works of art or historical relics, but for gadgets—things so trivial that Nathaniel barely thought them worthy of his time. What had truly angered him, though, wasn't the items themselves. It was the public humiliation.
Twice, Alexander Blackwell had defied him. Twice, he had ignored Nathaniel when he tried to speak to him afterward. It was a slap in the face, a bold challenge to the very power Nathaniel had worked his entire life to maintain.
The Blackwells were supposed to know their place. They were supposed to remain wealthy but inconsequential, barely a blip on the radar of the families that truly ran the country. The Rockefellers had kept them small, contained, and out of the limelight. Even BlackRock, the investment firm they controlled, had been used as a tool to diminish their influence, slowly pushing them into the shadows.
But now… something was changing.
Nathaniel's gaze turned colder as he recalled Alexander's eyes—the defiance, the arrogance, as if he were looking at a fool. The Blackwells had become too proud for their own good. And Nathaniel, for the first time in a long while, felt a flicker of something else. Something he hadn't felt in years: a sense of challenge.
He hadn't earned his place at the top by being afraid. Nathaniel had fought tooth and nail for everything he had. He had risen through the ranks of his family, pushing aside older siblings, outmaneuvering his rivals, and securing his position as heir to the Rockefeller fortune. He had been the third son, the fourth child out of eleven siblings, yet he was the one who would inherit it all. His path to power had been filled with fierce, invincible battles—and he wasn't going to lose now.
"What are they up to?" Nathaniel asked, his voice sharp, his mind already racing.
His assistant, a man in his thirties with a calm demeanor, glanced at his notes before responding. "Sir, they've been purchasing NVIDIA stock at an alarming rate. Approximately 3.9 percent of the company's shares have been acquired in the last few weeks."
Nathaniel's mind clicked into overdrive. "NVIDIA," he repeated, his thoughts already lining up with his plans. It wasn't just a company—it was a cornerstone, a key player in the tech world. If the Blackwells were making a move there, it meant they had bigger plans in mind.
"And BlackRock?" Nathaniel asked, his voice quieter but filled with intent.
"The company currently holds 5.62 percent of NVIDIA's shares," the assistant replied, eyes focused on his data. "We've been maintaining the status quo to avoid causing a bubble, but if the Blackwells continue at this pace, a collapse could be inevitable."
Nathaniel's mind churned as he thought about the Blackwells' strategy. They were wealthy, capable, and well-positioned—but they lacked the influence to make real waves. They weren't small-time players, but they didn't hold the kind of power the Rockefellers did. However, if they kept pushing, they could change the game. And Nathaniel wasn't about to let them do that.
"Use ten billion," Nathaniel said, his voice now steady with the confidence that came from years of manipulating the market. "First off, buy up those shares. Inflate the prices. Let's start with that. But don't overdo it. We don't want to cause a collapse just yet."
His assistant nodded and left to carry out the orders. Nathaniel stood by the window, looking out over the city. The Blackwells had made their move. But Nathaniel Rockerfeller wasn't about to let them win. Not now, not ever.
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