CHAPTER 55: CAUSING WAVES

Liam was currently in the dining, enjoying the lovely breakfast that the maids prepared for him.

But he had no idea that while he ate, his name was causing a bit of a ruckus in two of the biggest companies in the world.

***

The 48th floor of 383 Madison Avenue, home to JPMorgan’s Investor Relations team.

It’s usually a controlled space as spreadsheets, earnings reports, and analyst calls dictated the rhythm here. Nothing much surprised them anymore. Especially not when they handled some of the largest institutional investors on the planet.

But this morning was different.

A very familiar name had popped up on their tracking systems. It was a name that has been popping up consecutively since the beginning of the week. And each time, it popped up, it was always with the same about of shares—0.02%.

It has happened so many times that they have stopped paying attention to it but they can’t do that today.

And this was because the name didn’t pop up with the usual percentage of shares but an even more staggering percentage.

1%

When they sae that the system had flagged a shareholder crossing a critical ownership threshold. They thought that it was of the usual suspects — BlackRock, Vanguard, Fidelity, or State Street. Or a sovereign wealth fund.

But it wasn’t one of those names. It was the same name that they all have come to become familiar with during the week.

Liam Scott.

Before today, he previously held 0.12% of the company, but with the new purchase, he now holds 1.12%.

In raw numbers, that represented nearly $17.6 billion worth of shares. This was enough to put him among the bank’s largest individual shareholders worldwide. And also enough to make the boardroom take notice of him.

"Who is this guy really?" one analyst muttered, leaning over his colleague’s screen.

"Just... an individual," the colleague replied, scrolling through the Bloomberg terminal.

That was the unsettling part.

Marianne Duval adjusted her glasses and sat straighter at her desk. She remembered the first day his name popped up and she was told to attend to him.

Then, who had thought that this random name was actually a hidden monster, going from 0.02% to 1.12% in just a week.

She was really finding it hard to believe that this name belongs to an individual and not a institution.

But the name’s actual identity is none of her business. All she needs to do was her job and that was what she’s doing as her fingers moving quickly across the keyboard, updating Liam’s file on her computer.

Next to Liam’s name, she added a bright red tag:

VIP PRIORITY — ULTRA HIGH NET WORTH SHAREHOLDER.

This wasn’t something to handle casually. A shareholder of that size would expect—

Not expect but demand direct access, clear communication, and tailored service. And it wasn’t something she can handle.

She immediately flagged the record for escalation and forwarded it up the chain. From her seniors, it would rise to the director. From there, perhaps higher still.

After she did that, she sat back, staring at the name on her screen.

Liam Scott... Who exactly are you?

***

Applē Park, Cupertino, California

On the other side of the country, the reaction was equally the same.

The company’s Investor Relations team operated from within the ring-shaped campus at Cupertino — a temple of glass and steel.

They were used to fielding calls from the largest funds in the world, managing trillion-dollar market optics with poise.

But when the system flagged a shareholder crossing the 0.5% threshold — a $17.2 billion stake — even the most seasoned officers felt their composure wobble.

Half a percent of the company wasn’t a casual number. Even Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, their most famous shareholder, loomed large over the company. The arrival of a new name, outside of the usual institutional channels, demanded immediate scrutiny.

A small group gathered in the glass-walled conference room overlooking the inner park. In front of them, screens glowed with spreadsheets and registry data.

"Liam Scott," one officer said flatly, the name still unfamiliar in her mouth. "There has been no prior filings for this name before. His name doesn’t tie him to any family office or affiliated fund."

Another frowned. "Could be a proxy. Someone shielding a larger interest."

"Or," the first replied, "it’s exactly what it looks like. An individual. Which makes it more complicated."

The company didn’t like surprises. Every shareholder above a certain threshold was mapped, tracked, and quietly profiled. The fact that someone could appear with half a percent stake and with no footprint was more than surprising. It was borderline unnerving.

They quickly escalated the file. Within the hour, Applē’s CFO had been briefed and his instructions were firm:

"Reach out quietly and offer courtesy engagement. We need to know who we’re dealing with."

***

Both companies’ teama got to work and by mid-morning, they had updated their top investor lists. And in both, the name Liam Scott now sat prominently near the top, highlighted in bold.

Both companies began doing what they did best: mobilizing resources.

The compliance team checked regulatory filings, ensuring that Liam’s stake had been properly recorded with the SEC.

Corporate Security team ran background checks — discreetly, of course. Nothing invasive enough to spark headlines, but thorough enough to confirm he wasn’t tied to a hostile entity.

And most importantly, Applē’s vestor Relations prepared their outreach. Including JP Morgan.

***

Meanwhile, Liam was just finishing his meal. He placed the cutlery in its appropriate position and stood up.

"The meal was delicious as always, Evelyn," he said, as he left the dining.

"Thank you, sir. I will pass your compliment to the girls," Evelyn said, with a low bow.

Liam walked to the garage’s interior door and opened it. He stepped into the garage and the lights lot up simultaneously, flooding the space.

Immediately, what caught Liam’s attention was the new car. The McLaren P1 LM-X.

The car’s looked like an absolute beast under the garage’s light. The paintwork shifted like liquid metal, a seamless blend of platinum white and black diamond flecks that glittered like starlight whenever the light struck at an angle. The surface shimmered, as if it were alive, bending the glow into a spectrum of icy silvers and midnight shadows.

Wow!

It looked even more beautiful in person than the image in his head.

Liam waved his had, retrieving its key fob from the inventory as he walked towards it. He pressed the unlock button and it made the familiar beep sound.

He opened the door and slowly slid into the extremely comfortable driver’s seat. He stared at the peculiar wheel and grabbed with it with a smile, having a feel of it in his hand.

He slowly reached for the ignition button and pressed it, and immediately, the car roared to life in the garage.

The sound of the engine was melodious to Liam’s ear.

How could it not? This is a $7m engine singing. The sound is definitely Grammy awards worthy.

With a bright smile on his face, Liam slowly steered the car towards the exit ofthe garage.

The door opened up automatically and he drove up the sloppy entrance of the garage, and down the long driveway, to the gate.

It also opened automatically and Liam drove out onto the wider roads of Holmby Hills. He didn’t step on the gas as he wants to enjoy a leisure ride first before truly unleashing the beast.