Bitcoin Billionaire: I Regressed to Invest in the First Bitcoin!-Chapter 44: Corporate Conquest

The polished mahogany table gleamed under the golden light of the casino's chandeliers.

The centerpiece of the table was a miniature, silver-plated skyscraper, it was the "company" they would be managing throughout the game.

Around it sat the players — one of the wealthiest of the wealthy's in Los Alverez, their faces reflecting varying degrees of confidence, skepticism, and amusement.

Darren adjusted his cufflinks, keeping an unreadable expression as he withdrew a neat stack of crisp bills through the attending waiter.

With a subtle flick, he slid the money forward onto the table, joining the buy-in. Across from him, Jaxon Daniels stared at him while shuffling his own stack of bills, flipping through them with a casual air.

"Alright, gentlemen," Gillian Henderson said, leaning back in his chair. "You all know the rules, but since we've got a fresh face here, let's run through it again."

The Rules of the Game;

Each player received ten identical decision cards, each listing key business strategies — Market Expansion, Cost Cutting, Mergers & Acquisitions, Debt Financing, Asset Liquidation, Employee Layoffs, Branding & Advertising, Stock Buyback, Venture Capital Investment, and R&D Innovation.

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Every round, players would pick a card in secret and place it face down. Once everyone locked in their choice, all cards would be revealed at the same time.

The combined choices of the players determined how the "company" fared that round — whether its stock value rose or plummeted.

At the end of each round, a gamble took place.

The players would bet on the projected valuation of the company at that stage. The one whose prediction was closest to the system-generated result won the bets of the others.

At the end of ten rounds, whoever accumulated the most wealth, being cash and shares, was the victor.

Gillian Henderson leaned forward, cracking his knuckles. "Alright, kid. Let's see if you can keep up."

Jaxon decided to speak out. "Don't I know you from somewhere?" he asked Darren.

Darren looked at him and replied. "I don't know you from anywhere."

Jaxon smirked. "Alright. This is going to be fun."

Grant looked at them both.

The game begun.

The dealer rang the brass bell, signaling the first round.

Darren studied the cards in his hands. The others were watching him carefully, though they tried to appear disinterested. He let his fingers brush over the options.

What would they choose first?

Market Expansion was a safe opening move. It indicated confidence, the desire to push growth immediately. A predictable first play.

He flipped the card onto the table, face down. The others did the same.

"Reveal," the dealer said.

The cards turned over simultaneously.

Three Market Expansions. One Branding & Advertising. One R&D Innovation.

The result flashed on the screen embedded in the table:

Stock Valuation: +4% Increase

Jaxon chuckled. "Alright, alright, playing it safe, huh?"

The gamble phase began. The players wagered on the new company valuation, estimating the upcoming trends.

Darren underbet, purposefully letting the round slip by. He observed how the others placed their bets, for example; Jaxon was aggressive Jaxon, Charles was quiet and methodical, Gillian overestimated the company's early growth.

In the end, Jaxon won the round's gamble.

He grinned as the dealer pushed a stack of bills toward him. "Hey, new guy, you hesitated there. You nervous?"

Darren remained silent, his eyes already scanning the board for the next move.

In Round Two, Charles took home the victory, and the next round began.

The table grew more competitive now.

Jaxon remained aggressive, riding his early winnings. Charles played it safer since that was working for him. Gillian's cocky attitude began showing in his reckless bets as he started to get frustrated after no wins.

Darren lost another small sum, keeping his bets and choices balanced, ensuring he wasn't standing out... yet.

Then, in Round Four, he made his first strike.

The choices flipped over.

Darren played Debt Financing.

Only Charles had done the same.

The others had gone for Market Expansion again. Grant, who wanted to go for Debt Financing had changed his mind because of Gillian.

The table's valuation flashed.

Stock Valuation: -8% Decline

"What?" Gillian snapped.

Darren sipped his wine, his voice calm. "I think you lack simple risk assessment. Don't you see if you expand too much without securing finances the e company's liquidity gets strangled. You should've refinanced debt first."

Charles looked at Darren and let out a low chuckle. "Not bad, kid."

Gillian appeared insulted, he glared at Charles.

"What? I was thinking the same thing," Charles shrugged.

Jaxon raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

The gambling phase began. Darren placed a calculated bet, and this time, he won.

Gillian cursed under his breath. "Beginner's luck."

Darren said nothing.

From round six to eight, the game intensified.

Men were the same. Always.

No matter the age.

Men in the same fields always came together to compete amongst themselves whilst having fun. That was what's going on here. But there's the gamble part because everyone loves when money is on the line.

For Gillian, he let his pride make him overplay his hands. Jaxon tried to adapt but found himself constantly a step behind. Grant Hayes couldn't make up his mind on anything, clearly he didn't know much about managing a giant business.

Which led Darren to wonder how he would manage the enormous Golden Hay Empire.

He understood more and more why the system wanted him to get him as an Ally.

Meanwhile, in the game, Darren began dominating.

He predicted every move perfectly, playing R&D Innovation at the exact moment others shifted to Cost Cutting, forcing them into reactive plays.

He placed an Asset Liquidation card at the perfect moment, devaluing the company for one round before playing Stock Buyback the next, restoring the valuation while securing control.

Each round, his wealth increased.

By round nine, the others looked frustrated.

And at round ten, he struck the Final Move

By now, Darren had amassed the most wealth at the table. The others were trying to salvage their losses.

For the final round, he played Venture Capital Investment while they attempted desperate Branding & Advertising plays to keep the company afloat.

The valuation flashed:

Stock Valuation: +15% Increase

Silence.

The dealer distributed the final winnings.

"Hold on. What the hell just happened how?" Gillian realized that he had no money in front of him, he'd lost everything.

And so had Jaxon, Charles and Grant.

"He outplayed us completely," Charles said. "Gotta hand it to him. Kid must be a genius in business."

Gillian clenched his jaw. He couldn't even accuse Darren of cheating as that wasn't possible in a game like this where only knowledge was tested.

He realized all of it now.

Darren's initial losses had been bait. Every play had been methodical. Every loss, a calculated investment in appearing weaker before striking.

The final total appeared on the screen:

Winner: Guest — $1.6 million in cash and shares.

Jaxon exhaled through his nose. "Damn."

Gillian scowled. "You've got to be kidding me. Hey! Tell us your name."

Grant, who had been staring at Darren in awe, leaned in as well.

"I am also curious. Please, who are you?" he asked.

Darren would have loved to answer Grant separately, but he checked his watch and saw he didn't have time.

"It was nice playing with you gentlemen. I hope we'll do this again."

He gestured to the waiter, who placed a briefcase on the table and neatly packed the bills inside.

With an effortless motion, Darren stood, closed the case, and turned. He walked passed Charles, brushing him and tapping him on the shoulder as though apologizing.

Grant hesitated, then pushed back his chair to follow.

Meanwhile, across the room—

"Thank you all for playing! Now if I'll just—"

Kara, grinning like a fox, swept the pile of casino chips from the table into her bag. The players around her looked devastated.

Darren reached her just as she was stuffing the last chips in. "We're leaving."

Kara blinked. "Wait, let me—"

"No. Now."

She clutched the bag to her chest like it was her firstborn child. "Fine, fine, but damn, I'm rich! Thank you all. I so love taking other people's money!"

As they exited, Grant tried to catch up, but by the time he reached the doors, they had enter the car and disappeared into the streets.

He turned to the guards. "Do you know what that guy was? Is he coming to the exclusive party tonight?"

The guards exchanged glances. "No, sir. We don't have him on the guest list."

Grant frowned.

'Who was that man?'