The morning sun filtered through the panoramic windows of Sentry Finance's sleek downtown office, casting long rays over the polished desks and humming computer servers. Evan sat at the center of the room, surrounded by multiple monitors, each displaying complex charts, news feeds, and trading platforms. The atmosphere was a unique blend of tense focus and restrained excitement. Today wasn't an ordinary day it was a day where fortune could be made or lost in the blink of an eye.
For weeks, Evan had been meticulously preparing this move. The BP oil company had been a ticking time bomb, with aging pipelines and mounting safety violations. Rumors of an impending disaster were swirling in underground circles, and Evan's system the AI that assisted him in making financial and strategic decisions had pulled together satellite data, shipping reports, internal leaks, and market sentiment. It was a perfect storm forming.
Leaning forward, Evan reviewed the final data packet from the system. Satellite images confirmed corrosion on offshore rigs. Weather forecasts showed a brewing storm that could disrupt maintenance operations. Internal emails, leaked through a trusted contact, hinted at delayed repairs. The conclusion was inevitable: a major oil spill was imminent.
The system's voice, calm and analytical, broke the silence. "Recommendation: Initiate a short position on BP stock with 100 times leverage. Expected downside volatility within 48 hours exceeds 70%. Probability of profit exceeding 95%."
Evan smiled to himself. It was a bold move using leverage magnified his risk, but the potential reward was astronomical.
He tapped a few commands, and the orders cascaded into the stock market. The position was opened with $100 million of his own capital leveraged into a $10 billion short sale. The stakes were colossal, but Evan's confidence in his system was unwavering.
The hours passed with agonizing slowness. News outlets began reporting an oil spill near the Gulf of Mexico, initially small but rapidly worsening. BP's stock price began to freefall.
Evan's portfolio balance shifted dramatically. At first, it grew steadily one billion, two, three but then the pace quickened. Four billion, five billion, six billion. The numbers flickered on his screen in dizzying succession.
His trading team worked like clockwork, monitoring real-time market movements, hedging other positions to balance risk, and ensuring the complex leveraged position remained intact.
At 7 billion dollars in profits, Evan felt the familiar rush of adrenaline. But the system cautioned him to stay vigilant.
Then came the critical alert.
"Attention: Morgan Stanley and BlackRock have initiated coordinated buyback operations. Volume and price movements indicate attempts to stabilize BP stock. Predicted price rebound within 12 hours."
Evan studied the data, weighing the risks. The market manipulation, while predictable, threatened to erase weeks of gains in moments.
He called Able Novak, the director of Sentry Finance and his trusted partner in all financial operations.
"Able, initiate full unwind procedures at 7.8 billion. Close all short positions before the market can rebound."
Able nodded, fingers flying across keyboards. Orders were sent to brokers and algorithmic traders to start reversing the position carefully to avoid signaling the market too early.
Within minutes, the price began to climb, stabilizing as the buybacks took effect. Other traders who had stayed too long watched in horror as their losses deepened.
Evan reclined in his chair, a broad smile breaking across his face. He had secured a net profit of $7.8 billion from a single trade a staggering sum that eclipsed most corporate profits for entire years.
But with great profit came responsibility. Evan was acutely aware of the tax implications.
Despite the profits being largely from U.S. stocks, Evan chose to handle his tax filings under Canadian law. His dual citizenship and savvy advisors ensured he maximized deductions and avoided double taxation traps. Canada's inheritance and capital gains taxes were substantial, but with careful planning, Evan's tax burden was manageable.
After weeks of consultations and paperwork, the taxman came knocking and Evan paid his dues, about 40% of the total profits, a figure that left many staggering.
The math was clear.
From $7.8 billion, after taxes, Evan was left with approximately 4.68 billion dollars a fortune so vast it was almost incomprehensible.
But for Evan, this was not the endgame.
He looked out over the city skyline, feeling the weight and power of his fortune settle around him like a tangible force. The fishing boats, the mining operations, the farm, and now Sentry Finance all parts of a growing empire that was only beginning to reveal its true potential.
He knew the system had played a key role, but his vision, his determination, and his willingness to take calculated risks had made it real.
Evan tapped a few commands, opening new windows of stock data, mining reports, and agricultural market trends.
The world was changing, but he was ready.
He wasn't just playing the game he was rewriting the rules.