A week had already passed since Alfred Lancaster bought Cohen Holdings & Investment Bank though it no longer carries that name. Now it stands under a different banner:
A.G.L Private Bank.
The change of ownership and renaming happened quietly. There was no press releases or interviews even boardroom drama didn't appear. What did happen was just signatures, restructuring directives and authority transfers executed with surgical precision. Vince handled everything while Alfred watched everything from a laptop screen in his room. He controlled everything from behind, exactly the way he preferred it.
Alice Cohen's first directive as the Chief Financial Officer after the acquisition finalized was to create two VVIP accounts with unlimited transactional authority, top-tier encrypted access and highest clearance security layers available in the American banking system. One was a person for Alfred the other a corporate account for A.G.L Consortium their company. Alice personally supervised the creation of these accounts. The day after the accounts became active, Alfred transferred the money he had into these accounts. First 310 billion dollars into the corporate account, then 190 billion dollars into his personal account. As soon as soon as the numbers appeared on Alice's encrypted work computer, she stared at the numbers. She checked the screen once refreshed the page, again and again for three times. By the third time her hands stopped moving. She slowly looked up at Vince who was sitting across form her:
"…Is this correct?" she asked carefully.
Vince nodded once, "Yes."
Alice leaned back slowly in her chair, Five hundred billion dollars liquid cash, this money was accessible and unrestricted. She had worked in banking her entire life. Her grandfather built branches across their state and her father expanded the bank and made it regional. She had also saved the institution from collapse twice before turning thirty but she once in her life had ever seen so many zeros or capital move like that.
"Your employer, no our employer .…" she began slowly. "…who exactly is he?"
Vince smiled faintly, " He is the past present and future that seamlessly doesn't exist to the world." Vince took a deep breath. "A Ghost."
Alfred's instructions continued immediately after, Alice was instructed through Vince to acquire four to five small investment firms and merge them into A.G.L Private Bank's investment division and to upgrade research capacity. She was also told to expand asset strategy teams and increase institutional credibility.
Alice moved fast. Within five days she secured acquisition targets and soon after mergers were underway. And where capital speaks things just move quickly it didn't take long for A.G.L Private Bank's investment division to be ranked among California's strongest emerging financial advisory structures.
Even with things moving excellently with the bank, Alfred wasn't finished. The bank was only the beginning of his exploits because every empire needed money, law and protection. Alfred already owned the first, money now he needed the second: Law.
It all began with research, weeks of it. Alfred and Vince reviewed California's top-tier legal institutions carefully. They did not look at the loudest firms or the most public. What they searched for something else, they wanted a firm with influence but not exposure. One with power but did not depend on anyone. The also valued reputation, no scandals before hand. After and exhaustive search, they found it in a San Francisco firm called Whitmore, Hale & Carrington LLP.
The firm had history, seventy years of it and a quiet prestige. It also had federal-level litigation success, corporate restructuring specialists and government contract negotiation experts. Most importantly the firm was internally loyal, they had never been acquired before, diluted or merged. In Vince's eyes this was a problem in a way as it would make it hard to aquire them but to Alfred it meant something else. The firm could still be reshaped. Vince flew to San Francisco personally. He met some partners privately, reviewed internal divisions and interviewed senior associates without revealing intent before reporting back.
"They are disciplined," Vince said simply. "And they are expensive."
Alfred smiled, "Everything worth owning is."
The acquisition began a few days later. It was silent but direct and professional. Within nine days or so Whitmore, Hale & Carrington LLP belonged entirely to A.G.L Consortium. 100 percent ownership, the partners stayed after salaries and benefits where bumped. The structure of the firm also remained intact. Only one thing changed, loyalty had shifted and now they answered to Alfred.
Time passed quickly after that, four and a half quiet but busy months. They were productive months for Alfred and Vince. The outside world still didn't know Afreds name but inside financial circles movement already begun. People who looked closer enough could see it. Untraceable capital flows, silent acquisitions and sudden mergers as well as strategic consolidations. A pattern was undoubtedly forming. Someone was building something large and deliberate. And that someone was Alfred.
Technology acquisitions had began as a modest idea for Alfred. They could improve efficiency, provide automation and security architecture if used right that is. At first Alfred planned only internal software capability. Then after he studied market projections he found out things like Artificial intelligence, Cloud optimization, Data infrastructure dominance, Cybersecurity privatization could be useful so he changed his mind immediately. Instead of building internal support he opted to built a giant of his own in Technology. So he acquired a mid-sized Silicon Valley software infrastructure company quietly. Then three startups, two cybersecurity labs, a cloud-storage platform developer and then a predictive analytics firm. Within six weeks they merged, rebranded and re-launched as: A.G.L Smart Technologies.
A full-scale technology arm that provided security, automation, data architecture among other things. The consortium now had a brain.
The media acquisitions were Vince's idea. While they were reviewing expansion maps in a small beat-up office Vince had rented late one night when he said:
"You will need to control perception one day."
Alfred looked up. "Explain," he said.
"Money controls markets," Vince continued calmly, " and law controls structure." He paused. " but media controls reality."
Alfred didn't respond immediately but he understood instantly at least he thought so. After Vince thoroughly schooled Alfred on the importance of shaping people perspective and how one can influence people using media Alfred finally understood. Even though he was a genius Alfred also had a lot to learn. So after the lesson from his consigliere Alfred moved. He purchased a dying medium large media company as well as some small publishing houses first. Then moved to regional magazine companies next. Then came local newspapers, digital journalism platforms. Then lastly a production studio, record label and talent agencies in case he ever wanted to move into Hollywood in the future. Each acquisition looked unrelated but the result after merging was A.G.L Media. A media centre with news distribution networks, talent management pipelines, a record label and production studio infrastructure. With this Alfred could now shape the narrative and keep himself out of the spotlight and his consortium now had a voice.
After media Alfred moved on to security. Alfred needed protection, and his empire needed protection. Not from lawsuits but protection from things like corporate espionage or other underhanded tactics especially if he ever revealed his face. Now security required trust, loyalty and a proven track record. Loyalty was something Vince understood better than anyone. On the morning they discussed about security he to Alfred he had someone the knew.
"Where is your contact from and can you vouch for him," Alfred asked Vince.
"From Egypt and yes I can vouch for him, we had a few run ins during my time in my previous life." Vince replied, then continued, " The man is talent, survived three wars, buried a lot of friends instead of betraying them. He saved my life once.:
Alfred nodded once, "Call him."
The man's name was Altair Asad, former special forces team leader turned international private security strategist after early retirement. He was also a field operations specialist, cross-continental network builder, professional and a born leader. Altair arrived in California five days later. He met with Vince first then Alfred, the reason was simple. If Alfred was to hire Altair he would be responsible for the Team protecting him as well as the overall security of A.G.L Consortium as the Chief Security Officer so by virtue he was going to be protecting Alfred, he was the only other person to know the face of the faceless Ghost.
The conversation lasted an hour. Altair accepted immediately but Alfred didn't stop there. He asked Altair to find a team for skilled operatives that would be responsible his security from this moment onwards in the shadows. He would name it Ghost Shield. They had to be loyal soldiers and would have to be top of the line and able to keep his identity a secret and eliminate threats before ever Alfred and Vince as well as Altair noticed them. They won't be know to the rest of the company only Alfred, Vince and Alfred will know they exist. They also needed a base of operation and since Alfred was going to by a mega-mansion they would set up underground there and monitor his protection around the clock. Altair also had to select a team leader who would command this team.
After everything was laid out, Alfred moved on to acquired a security company Altair had recommended. It was an international network already operating across: Europe, Africa and Asia. The acquisition cost: 12 billion dollars and it took exactly one month. That is how: A.G.L Private Security came to be. Altair also became Chief Security Officer of A.G.L Consortium.
The consortium now had a shield.
After establishing A.G.L Private Security, Alfred went on to establish A.G.L Transportation, a division that focused on nationwide transportation and distribution networks both on land and the sea. What the company's he had bought and merged lacked was a air transportation so Alfred bought failing airline and also integrated it into his transportation system. What followed after was the establishment of A.G.L Property Management, a real estate division that would be responsible for managing the properties and land under A.G.L Consortium and Alfred. He merged various real estate firms a created a large real estate organisation.
Once the bones of his consortium had been set Alfred went to buy the business hub he had discussed earlier in the previous month or so with Vince and name the square A.G.L Campus. This was going to be his HQ where everything went down. A.G.L Campus has six towers, five outer and one central and it cost close to a billion dollars. Everything was now set exactly as Alfred envisioned months earlier inside a quiet café corner.
No one knew his name. Inside his room at the Stanley Estate, Alfred stood beside the window quietly looking out toward the jungle road beyond the estate gates. This was the same road where he met Vince when behind him his phone vibrated once. It was a message from Vince.
Next phase ready.
Alfred smiled slightly, it was time to choose the minds that would run his empire. The people who would one day become some of the most influential individuals in America.