November in New York is colder than usual, with a biting chill as the wind blows through the streets.
Adam took out the USB stick from his pocket, and the metal surface reflected a faint light under the street lamp.
"Ben, what are you sure these audio files can prove?"
Ben Carter took a cigarette and took a deep puff.
"You'll know after listening."
They found a 24-hour Internet café and sat in the far corner. Adam plugged the USB stick into the computer, and several icons of audio files were displayed on the screen.
The voice of the first document was a little murky, but Adam immediately heard his father's voice.
"Victoria, Sterling's purchase price is too low for us to accept."
"John, the market has crashed and we have no choice." This is Victoria's voice, with a visibly tired look.
"And that real estate fund project, we can survive it."
"That project is too risky, John, you're too stubborn."
The audio ends abruptly here.
Adam's finger paused on the mouse for a few seconds before clicking on the second file.
This time the voice was clearer, it was Victoria on the phone.
"Richard, John still refuses to let go... Yes, he was still thinking about that real estate project... I know, I'll find a way. "
Ben whispered next to him, "This was recorded a week before your father died." "
The third audio file makes Adam's blood almost coagulate.
"Victoria, I found some problems." The father's voice sounded angry, "You gave Sterling the key documents of the project?" "
"John, I'm just..."
"You betrayed our partnership! Do you know what this means? "
"John, calm down, we can talk..."
"There's nothing to talk about. Tomorrow I will convene a board meeting and dismiss all your positions. "
After the audio, only the hum of computer fans remained in the Internet café.
Adam's palms were clenched into fists, and his knuckles made a slight sound.
"Just because my father refused to let them buy it at a low price?"
He stood up abruptly and grabbed Ben by the collar.
"Just because of this?"
Instinctively seeing the bloodshot in Adam's eyes, the almost crazy anger made people's hearts palpitate.
"Adam, calm down..."
"Calm down?" Adam's voice was trembling, "They killed my father, you calm me down?" "
A few people on the Internet around began to look this way, and Ben quickly lowered his voice.
"Sterling is creating panic by shorting our shares while spreading rumors in the media that the White Asset Management company's chain of funds is broken. Victoria cooperated with them to draw salaries from the bottom of the pot internally and transfer core customers and projects away. "
Adam loosened Ben's collar, but his hands were still shaking.
"In the end, by the time your father discovered the truth, it was too late. The company's capital chain was completely broken, banks began to collect debts, and customers frantically redeemed their investments. "
Ben continued, and every word was hammered into Adam's heart like a nail.
"In this way, Sterling completed the acquisition 'legally' at a price of less than one-tenth of the market price."
Adam's vision began to blur and his breathing became rapid.
His chest seemed to be tightly strangled by something, and he couldn't breathe.
The scene in front of him began to distort, and the lights in the Internet café turned into a dazzling white light.
He saw his father standing in front of the office window and saw his desperate eyes as he turned around.
"No..."
Adam's body began to tremble, sweat oozing from his forehead.
Ben immediately realized something was wrong and he put his arm around Adam's shoulder.
"Adam? Adam, can you hear me? "
Adam's hands were clutching the edge of the computer desk, and his knuckles were already white.
The symptoms of PTSD flooded in, and the image of his father jumping off the building appeared in front of his eyes, and that image was repeated over and over again in his mind.
I knew I couldn't drag it on any longer.
He turned off the computer and forcibly helped Adam up.
"Let's go, I'll take you somewhere."
The taxi stopped in front of a low-key gray building on the Upper East Side.
There are no signs here, it looks more like an ordinary residential building.
Ben rang the doorbell and the camera at the door turned to them.
"Is it Mr. Carter?" A woman's voice came from inside the door.
"Yes, I brought a friend."
The security door opens automatically and they enter a minimally decorated but expensive hall.
The elevator leads directly to the third floor, and when the door opens, a woman is already waiting there.
She is in her thirties, wearing gold wire glasses, a beige cashmere sweater and a black pencil skirt under her white coat.
Her hair was tied into a low ponytail, and her whole body exuded an intellectual and calm temperament.
"I'm Dr. Evelyn Reed."
Her voice is gentle, but with a sense of authority that cannot be questioned.
"The patients here are all like us." Ben whispered to Adam, "Wall Street, there is the kind of 'trouble'." "
Evelyn's office is more like an upscale living room, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Central Park and several abstract paintings hanging on the walls.
She motioned for Adam to sit on the sofa and sit down on the chair opposite.
"Mr. Carter briefly told me about the situation." She opened the notebook in her hand, "Adam White, 28 years old, was treated for a nervous breakdown half a year ago? "
Adam nodded, his breathing still a little unsteady.
"What triggered today's attack?"
"I found out... The truth about my father's death. "
Evelyn's pen paused on the paper.
"Can you tell me how you feel now?"
Adam looked up at her, and the woman's eyes were special, gentle and sharp, as if she could see through everything.
"Anger, self-blame, and... Feeling powerless. "
"Powerlessness?"
"I was lying in the hospital when he needed me the most."
Evelyn wrote something in her notebook, her handwriting was neat.
"Adam, take off your coat, it's warmer here."
Adam did so, and as he took off his coat, Evelyn's gaze paused briefly on his body.
During the six-month treatment, Adam did a lot of physical training every day, which was the doctor's recommended stress relief.
As a result, his figure became stronger, with broad shoulders and a tight waist.
Evelyn quickly retracted her gaze and continued her work.
"Adam, I want to ask you a question."
"What?"
"Do you think revenge can solve your inner pain?"
This question stunned Adam for a moment.
"I don't know, but I have to do something."
"Why do you have to?"
Adam's fingers tapped on the armrest of the sofa, a habitual movement he used to thinking.
"Because if I do nothing, I will never be able to get out of my father's shadow."
Evelin put down the pen in her hand.
"Interesting answer."
She stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.
"Adam, do you know? Most people who come to me want to forget something. But you are different, you want to remember. "
"Is there something wrong with remembering?"
"There's nothing wrong, it's just... More difficult to treat. "
Evelin turned around and looked at him again.
"But it's also more interesting."
She returned to her seat and picked up her notebook again.
"Adam, I won't use conventional healing methods to help you forget the pain. Instead, I want to help you learn how to live with pain and turn it into strength. "
"What do you mean?"
"Think of your PTSD symptoms as a model that needs to be addressed. You graduated from Harvard Business School, and analyzing problems should not be difficult for you. "
Adam's eyes began to become focused.
"You mean, put my mental problems... Analyze it as an investment project? "
"Exactly." Evelin smiled slightly, "Find out the root of the problem, formulate a solution, and then execute." "
Adam closed his eyes and began to build an analytical model in his mind.
He lists his symptoms: panic, hallucinations, insomnia, anger.
The triggers and extent of each symptom are then analyzed.
A few minutes later, he opened his eyes.
"The root cause is a sense of loss of control." "I can't accept the fact that I couldn't protect my father. "
"Very good." Evelin wrote a few more lines in her notebook, "What about the solution?" "
"Regain control."
Adam's voice became more and more firm.
"Not by escaping or forgetting, but by action."
He stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking Central Park below.
"I'm going to make those who hurt my father pay."
Evelin looked at his back, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.
She has seen many elites who have risen and fallen on Wall Street, but few have been able to reorganize their thinking in such a short period of time.
"Your mental makeup is interesting." She said, "It's like a sophisticated fortress. "
Adam turned around, his eyes had returned to clarity.
"Thank you, Dr. Reed. I think I know what to do. "
"Wait." Evelyn stood up, "Your treatment fee is five hundred dollars an hour." "
Adam was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly.
"I'm now... I can't afford it for the time being. "
"Then consider it an investment." Evelin walked to her desk and took out a business card from the drawer, "Give it back to me when you get back on your feet." "
Adam took the business card, and there was nothing on it except contact information.
"Why?"
"Because I'm interested in your revenge plan."
When he walked out of the clinic, Adam's pace was much more steady than when he came.
Ben was waiting for him at the door.
"How does it feel?"
"It's much better." Adam took his phone out of his pocket, "Let's go to Brooklyn." "
"What are you going to do there?"
"Take back my things."
Brooklyn's industrial districts were exceptionally quiet at night, with only the roar of truck engines in the distance.
Adam stands in front of a warehouse that looks a little dilapidated.
This is the safe house left to him by his father, which contains some important documents and materials.
"Are you sure you want to act now?" Ben was a little worried, "What if someone is inside..."
"That's even better."
Adam walked to the side door of the warehouse and found the spare key from under the flower pot.
But when he inserted the key, he found that the door lock had been replaced.
Without hesitation, he took a few steps back and slammed into the door panel.
The loud impact was particularly harsh in the quiet of the night.
The door was slammed open, and a few exclamations came from inside.
The three men were sitting at the table inside playing cards, and they were stunned when they saw Adam suddenly break in.
"Who are you?" One of the bald men stood up, still holding playing cards in his hands.
Adam didn't answer, but scanned the room coldly.
The filing cabinets that were originally neatly arranged here have now been turned over, and all kinds of papers are scattered on the ground.
"I ask who you are!" The bald man walked towards Adam, and the other two stood up.
Adam moved his neck and made a slight click.
During his six months at the St. Louis Psychological Clinic, in addition to psychotherapy, he received a lot of physical training.
The purpose of those trainings was to release stress, but now it seems that there are other uses.
The first to rush over was the bald man, who swung his fist at Adam's face.
Adam dodged sideways while pushing his knees against the opponent's abdomen.
The bald man bent down in pain, and Adam took the opportunity to grab him by the hair and slammed it against the wall next to him.
The second man grabbed Adam's waist from behind and tried to knock him down.
Adam slammed his elbow back, hitting the opponent in the nose.
Blood immediately gushed out.
The third man picked up the beer bottle on the table and smashed it at Adam.
Adam grabbed the chair and blocked it, and the glass bottle shattered on the chair.
Then he hit the opponent in the shoulder hard with the chair leg.
In less than two minutes, all three men fell to the ground, groaning in pain.
Adam threw away the chair leg in his hand and looked at them condescendingly.
"Now, let me ask you, who sent you?"
The bald man covered the blood on his forehead and said in a trembling voice: "Wei... Victoria Vance. "
"Very good." Adam squatted down and stayed at the same height as him, "Now get back and tell her that she can't take my things." "
The three men helped each other to stand up and staggered towards the door.
As he passed by Adam, the bald man asked in a trembling voice, "You... Who are you? "
Adam stood up, his voice cold without a hint of temperature.
"I'm Adam White."
The faces of the three men instantly turned pale.
They had obviously heard the name, the former prince of Wall Street, the legendary young man who had been beaten.
But now standing in front of them was clearly a fierce beast.
After they left, Adam began to check the situation in the room.
Most of the documents have been turned over, but the important safe is still there.
He entered the password and the safe opened.
It contained some cash, several important documents, and a letter left to him by his father.
Adam picked up the letter and it said "To my son" on the cover.
But instead of opening it right away, he packed everything into a backpack.
Now is not the time to be emotional.
He has more important things to do.
The first step of revenge has been taken.