If viewed from God's perspective, Jordan actually didn't lack the ability to make money; as long as he had the opportunity, he could quickly rise.
The reason he ended up in his current situation was merely due to a lack of a broader perspective and the necessary ability to make choices.
Coincidentally, Mike's greatest strength was his broad perspective, and what he lacked were talented individuals who could charge into battle and make money for him.
No amount of such talent was too much.
So, in his view, Jordan was definitely his 'chosen employee'.
"There's still plenty of time; you can go back and think about it slowly." For a chosen employee, Mike naturally didn't mind being a little more patient.
"No, I've decided. I'm willing to join your King Group." Jordan, who quickly weighed the pros and cons, made the most correct choice.
Afterward, he asked with concern, "How are you going to solve the trouble I'm in? The IRS and FBI are not easy to deal with."
Regarding these two departments, there were still some sayings circulating in the market. For example: You can offend the president, but you can't owe the IRS money.
And: If the FBI wants to investigate someone, information about how many times that person went to the restroom that day will be on the FBI's desk.
While such rumors were a bit exaggerated, they also described the strong capabilities of these two departments.
During this period, Jordan, who had been harassed by these two departments to the point of not being able to live normally, had a lot to say.
Then, under Jordan's suspicious gaze, Mike dialed a string of numbers.
"Wall Street economic fraudster? Let me think who to find..." A middle-aged man's voice sounded on the phone: "Right, Patrick happens to be an FBI Agent in charge of such cases. I'll give you his contact information, write it down..."
The person talking to Mike was Mitch Keilaway, the detective chief who had previously been responsible for tracking down the Green-Faced Monster.
That mission caused a huge stir, and in the end, Mike was the one who helped the NYPD clean up. It was not at all excessive to collect some interest from Chief Mitch now.
Soon, Mike dialed the phone again.
"The person Mitch introduced... Mike..."
This time, the person on the phone sounded a little unhappy. You know, FBI connections are not something just anyone can pull.
'Mike? Who is this person!'
If the other party hadn't said that it was his acquaintance Mitch who gave him the number, Patrick would have hung up long ago.
But soon, this FBI Agent connected his friend Mitch's experience and had a bold idea.
'Mike... Agent M... MIB...'
Yes, the NYPD, who participated in the Vampire mission a few days ago, did not have their memories wiped afterward.
As a result, the mysterious MIB had surfaced, becoming the hottest topic among police officers.2
Patrick knew his friend's rigid personality; he was not someone who would easily let people pull strings.
Combined with the 'MIB' legend the other party had mentioned when 'bragging' to him privately.
"Are you a MIB Agent?" Patrick, who had guessed the answer, was a little excited.
Those were the MIB who had dealt with the Green-Faced Monster and Vampire incidents.
Because of the MIB Headquarters' decision to gradually let ordinary people accept mysterious events, the legend of the MIB currently only circulated within law enforcement personnel.
The NYPD who had previously participated in the Vampire mission also signed a confidentiality document afterward, stating that they were not to actively publicize mysterious events to ordinary people.
This situation led to all law enforcement personnel having the right to know about the existence of mysterious events, but when discussing such matters, there was still a sense of secrecy and furtiveness.
Of course, this was also the effect the MIB Headquarters wanted: to first let mysterious events circulate within a specific small range, and then slowly spread to the general public.
This approach could maximize the avoidance of public panic.
"Yes," Mike first confirmed his identity, then said, "So, we can talk about the economic fraud now, can't we!"
The MIB, which maintained world peace, actually had some privileges.
Even if Mike didn't call Mitch, he could directly contact the Headquarters and ask them to help deal with Jordan's trouble.
It's just that it might make things a bit more complicated, requiring them to first give Jordan an 'insider' identity.
Now things were much simpler; after learning Mike's identity as a MIB Agent, Patrick immediately stated that Jordan's economic fraud could be handled at discretion.
And he even proactively helped Mike contact the IRS personnel who were also handling Jordan's economic fraud.
Yes, Patrick was the direct presiding officer of Jordan's economic fraud case.
He had a lot of say in whether Jordan could successfully 'get away' this time.
...
"Alright, later the IRS will deal with the tax issues for that money; once the taxes are paid, it'll be fine." Mike hung up the phone and looked at the anxious Jordan, saying, "As for the FBI's economic fraud accusation, I'll arrange a lawyer team for you later, so you don't have to worry too much. After your troubles are dealt with, just come to work at King Group with peace of mind."
"My troubles, solved so simply?" Jordan felt a bit unreal.
But he was very familiar with Patrick's voice on the phone just now; the other party had roughly broken into his house with a search warrant just a few days ago.
At that time, the other party was not as easy to talk to as he was on the phone just now.
"It's not solved; you'll need to pay back taxes, and for the economic fraud charges, you'll also need to pay money to develop that small shoe factory that went public and lost money because of you..." Mike reminded him, "You might only keep less than one percent of the money you've made, so be prepared."
"This is already very good." Jordan expressed that he could completely accept the current outcome.
He knew that during the most difficult times, he had thought about ways to avoid disaster by losing money. But the situation had already spun out of his control, and he couldn't find a way to settle the matter peacefully.
How could it be like now, where he could keep his identity and even keep a portion of living expenses?
"Good that you have no objections." Mike was in a good mood after successfully recruiting Jordan, and then said, "You go home first and wait for the tax officials and court summons. The sooner you deal with your troubles, the more relaxed you'll be."
However, since the accusers were 'insiders,' Jordan's economic fraud case, if nothing unexpected happened, was already considered successfully resolved.
...
"Jordan, what are you doing here?" At the entrance of the commercial building, a tall, thin, curly-haired man called out to Jordan.
"Steve!" Jordan was also surprised to see the curly-haired man here.
If one were to ask who was the most miserable victim in Jordan's economic fraud case this time, it would definitely be the curly-haired man in front of him—Steve Madden.
Jordan and Donnie took the shareholders' money and walked away, while Steve, the owner of the publicly listed small shoe factory, was left behind to face all the anger of the shareholders who lost money.
"Forget it, I have nothing to say to you. I hope we don't meet again..." The heartbroken Steve still seemed unable to forgive Jordan.
Without waiting for the other party to say anything, he shook his head and walked into the building.
Steve came to Wall Street this time because he heard his company boss had arrived, so he specifically came to thank him.
If it weren't for the King Group's angel investment business, which allowed Steve's small shoe factory to barely survive, Steve had no doubt that the shareholders who had lost their shirts would literally eat him alive.
Watching Steve walk away, Jordan, who had originally intended to apologize, shook his head helplessly and walked in the opposite direction.
He seemed to know that a perfunctory, belated apology would likely be useless to Steve now.
Moreover, such an apology looked like an excuse for the wrongdoer to feel at ease, or rather, a form of self-pity!