Football Dynasty

As 1997 drew to a close, Manchester City stood proudly at the top of the Premier League table, holding a six-point lead over their nearest—and most unexpected—challengers: Arsenal.

Not long ago, that second-place spot had belonged to Leicester City, who had clung stubbornly to Manchester City's heels for much of the autumn. But a dismal run in their last six matches—just one win, three defeats, and two draws—had sent them tumbling.

Arsenal, underestimated and dismissed by pundits only weeks earlier, seized their moment.

Six matches, six victories—a perfect 100% record—catapulted them past Leicester and straight into second place, breathing life into a title race that had seemed all but decided.

Behind them, the fight for third and fourth place was heating up.

Manchester United and Chelsea were locked in a fierce contest, trading wins and points in a battle that could decide the final positions. The current reigning champions who were expected to defend their title, have surprisingly produced inconsistent results.

Pundits, media, and critics believe this is due to the absence of their captain, Roy Keane who has been ruled out for the rest of the season with knee ligament damage. In his absence, Peter Schmeichel has been appointed captain.

After the match ended, a reporter from The Times got straight to the point, "Given Manchester City's current momentum, the league title should be yours, right?"

O'Neill, looking relaxed, replied with a smile, "Of course not — that's not possible. We've only played 20 rounds; there's still a long way to go. Even though we're in the lead, if we lose three matches in a row, our advantage could disappear instantly. We're still far from the championship. I've always stressed that we focus only on the next match. Of course, we aim to perform well in every game to improve our players and chase the title. If my players can perform as brilliantly as they did today in every match, then we have no reason to hand the trophy to anyone else."

The reporter pressed on, "Do you think Manchester United still has a chance to defend their title? Losing three consecutive matches and conceding 35 goals in the league might be the darkest moment in their history."

O'Neill shook his head and replied earnestly, "That kind of statement isn't fair; it makes no logical sense. Was Manchester United better off when they were relegated? They're still competing in the Champions League. They're just going through a difficult spell. Many of their players are young, and Ferguson has promoted several academy players this season, giving them opportunities to grow — and that comes at a cost. I firmly believe Manchester United's troubles are temporary. Ferguson doesn't need to prove anything; he has the ability to bring them back from the abyss when everyone doubts him. That's why City must remain vigilant — if we think Manchester United is out of the running, it would be an irreparable mistake."

To be honest, O'Neill cunningly wants to remind the other Premier League teams about what happened last season with Newcastle United. He wants them to be wary of United.

"Can you comment on the players' performance? Who do you think was the best player in this match?"

"That's a tough question. All my players performed well. The forwards scored, and the midfielders contributed significantly. If I absolutely had to name one, I would say it was Makelele. Manchester United was really pushing hard for a while, but Makelele's top-notch performance made their attacks falter at the front. I believe that, in the holding midfielder position, Makélélé is already the top star in the Premier League. You might say Keane is a complete midfielder, but in the holding role — and let's set attacking capabilities aside — in terms of defensive work, nobody does it better than Makélélé. He will definitely become a world-class player in the future, but he needs more matches. I'm confident we will give him and other outstanding players the highest stage to improve, and I hope the French national team will give him opportunities to gain valuable experience in international competitions."

Back in the United States, Richard turned toward Stuart, who had been quietly checking his phone.

"Have they arrived?" Richard asked.

Stuart, who had been monitoring the situation all morning, nodded. "Yes — they landed just before dawn," he replied.

Financial analyst and FX trader from Maddox Capital, was instructed by Richard to have them picked up immediately using his private jet, ensuring they would be brought over without delay.

When the team of four arrived at Goldman Sachs' offices, they were halfway across the parking lot when one of them suddenly slowed, his gaze fixed on something gleaming in the morning sun.

"Check this out. Isn't it sleek and sexy?" he said, pointing.

The others turned to see a bright yellow Porsche 911 parked neatly in a reserved spot, its polished curves catching every glint of light.

"Oh man, that's gorgeous," another trader said, his eyes widening. "Looks like a brand-new model."

"This is the new Carrera S, right? Is it the boss's?" one of them asked.

The first man grinned and shook his head. "No way the boss would bring his car here—probably the same type, though. It's got a 286-horsepower air-cooled engine, I heard." He hesitated, then muttered with a mix of envy and admiration, "I heard the boss has both a Porsche and a McLaren… though he barely gets to drive them. If only I could be that rich."

"Keep dreaming," another laughed. "Don't you know that car's basically just a display piece for him? It's like pocket change."

"That's right, that's right," a third chimed in, before noticing one of their teammates staring at the Porsche with open longing. He nudged him playfully. "So… using your year-end bonus to buy one of these?"

"Must've cost a fortune, right?" someone else asked.

"With all the options, about eighty grand," came the reply.

They were still buzzing with lighthearted chatter, but beneath it all, Maddox Capital was in high gear. To be fair, the four of them were new hires, yet Richard had unexpectedly invited them to sit in on critical negotiations—meetings that ended with Maddox securing stakes in fast-rising startups like GeoCities, Infoseek, and DoubleClick. Their bonuses this year were going to be generous.

"Let's see when the time comes," one of them said with a grin. "Come on—don't make the boss wait."

"That's right," another agreed, and they headed toward the entrance, leaving the Porsche to gleam quietly in the sun.

When they stepped onto the same floor Richard was on, what they saw left them in quiet awe.

The trading desk—usually a chaotic symphony of ringing phones, shouted orders, and rapid-fire deals—was unusually calm. The approaching Christmas holidays had softened the usual intensity.

The spacious office, draped in festive decorations and dotted with twinkling Christmas trees, carried a different kind of energy. Ornaments caught the light, and the air was filled not with urgency, but with the easy hum of relaxed conversation as employees discussed their holiday plans.

Inside the meeting room.

"Did you bring the analysis?"

Of course, rather than trusting Goldman Sachs, Richard still trusted his own team about the Apple acquisition.

"Here, sir," a guy from the analyst team handed over their documents before signing.

To be honest, acquiring Apple seems like a dead end. In fact, most people now believe Apple is finished and destined to decline. At this time, Apple's most important products were the Apple II series, the expensive Lisa, the Macintosh, and the Newton MessagePad, which together held only about 3% of the computer market. It doesn't look competitive at all.

Therefore, all of them with financial backgrounds found it difficult to comment on Richard's statement that he wanted to buy a portion of Apple's shareholder shares.

Richard turned toward Stuart, a friend from Goldman Sachs. "I hope Goldman Sachs can help me contact the shareholders of the company and, if possible, acquire their shares."

"That's no problem. I can help you contact some funds that own Apple shares right away. I'm sure that under the current circumstances, some people are willing to get rid of their shares by selling them directly..."

After all, large-scale stock transactions like this, when not conducted through the secondary market, have very little impact on stock prices. If the stock is sold through an exchange, it will probably cause a sharp drop in the stock price immediately.

The reason Richard wants to buy stocks directly from Apple shareholders is to maintain the current "pessimistic" atmosphere around Apple's stock. If he buys through the secondary market, it's easy for the price of Apple stock to rise after purchasing a significant amount.

"I think you can also contact Mr. Amelio; maybe he is interested in selling his Apple stock..."

Same scenario, different location.

On a large sofa overlooking the Manhattan skyline through floor-to-ceiling windows, Quantum Fund's CIO, Rodney, set aside a stack of papers and spoke.

"This matter can be handled as planned," he said evenly.

Seated to his left, Chief Manager Ian gave a short nod. "Understood."

Across from them sat the big boss of Quantum Fund, George Soros himself.

After signing off on a set of documents, Soros glanced up. "The holidays start tomorrow. Any special plans for the year-end?"

Ian, holding the signed papers, smiled in a relaxed manner. "I'm planning to spend Christmas with my family at our villa in the Caribbean."

"Ah, yes—your place in the Bahamas," Rodney recalled.

"Yes. My wife fell in love with it when we visited a couple of years ago, so I ended up buying a villa there," Ian replied.

"Good choice. There's nothing like a tropical retreat with stunning beaches to unwind," Soros remarked. Then he paused, his tone shifting slightly. "By the way," he said, turning back to Rodney, "keep an eye on Maddox Capital…"

Both Rodney and Ian looked up, slightly taken aback.

Rodney leaned forward, interest piqued. "What about them? Have you noticed something unusual?"

"Well," Soros began, "as you know, they've been aggressively acquiring companies no one had really heard of before."

Rodney nodded slowly. "I recall you mentioning that. And if I'm not mistaken, they've made a hefty profit from it."

"They have," Soros confirmed. "Thanks to moving early, they profited not only from the difference in valuation but from side arrangements I suspect aren't entirely above board."

Rodney's brow furrowed. "Side arrangements?"

Soros set the papers aside and leaned back, his gaze fixed on the city beyond the glass. "Shell companies. Layered transactions. The kind of thing you use to hide where the real money is coming from… or going to."

Ian tilted his head. "So you think they're laundering?"

"I think," Soros replied carefully, "they're positioning themselves for something much bigger. The acquisitions are just the visible part. The real play is in the shadows."

Rodney sat back, considering this. "And you want us to…?"

"Track them quietly," Soros said. "Follow the trail. Who they're meeting, what funds they're moving, which jurisdictions they're using. Don't spook them — yet. I want to know exactly how far this web stretches before we decide our next move."

Ian glanced at Rodney, a flicker of excitement in his eyes. "Sounds like you expect this to lead somewhere… profitable."

Soros smiled faintly. "In finance, gentlemen, every storm is someone's opportunity. I just need to know if this one is ours… or theirs."