[Chapter 67: Orlando's Awakening]
With Brand by his side wandering through Wall Street, Orlando naturally hoped to trigger his second most used special ability -- Awakening.
His number one go-to ability was, of course, telepathy.
During his last trip to Wall Street, Orlando had identified the twenty most profitable stocks on the US market from 1990 to 1999. Holding onto them long-term could certainly yield huge returns, but since it took a whole decade, Orlando knew he had to treat it as a long-term investment.
Now, caught between the chaos of Sony Music and Warner Records, feeling like a helpless pawn caught in a crossfire, Orlando experienced a deep frustration. For the first time, he realized that as a so-called big-name star, in the face of capital, he was no different than an ant facing an elephant.
At best, he was a slightly stronger ant -- but still one that could be crushed with a single press.
Whether it was Sony Music or Warner Records, they were just small players within the vast landscape of capital. Sony Music answered to Sony Entertainment, which in turn was controlled by Japan's Sony Corporation.
Warner Records was part of Time Warner, which was even more formidable.
Orlando came to understand that there were even more terrifying forces beyond these entertainment giants.
Powerhouses like the military-industrial complex, energy conglomerates, healthcare insurance empires, and financial institutions dwarfed Time Warner or Sony Corporation -- entities he couldn't even reach let alone influence.
And the families controlling these conglomerates -- facing them, even titans like Morgenthau or Cuomo, who were considered powerful by people like Steve Ross, seemed weak and powerless.
For a moment, Orlando seriously considered changing career paths -- not necessarily to become a capitalist himself, though that was one idea brewing in his mind.
More so, he thought: since he had these extraordinary gifts of telepathy and electricity generation, and his finely honed Awakening predictive ability, and given that America was still a very religious nation at its core, maybe he could become a kind of modern-day spiritual leader, like a 21st-century Jesus, Mohammed, or Buddha.
For a brief second, he imagined becoming a cult figure, preaching a new message.
If the miracles performed by those religious figures were legendary, then his abilities, when properly applied -- even when explained using modern science -- would undoubtedly seem miraculous.
Perhaps that was his only hope to rise above the oligarchs, or even dominate them.
But that thought barely formed before a sudden panic swept over him.
He realized that if he actually tried that, he might not make it through tomorrow.
Instinct told him that such actions would immediately attract the attention of the FBI or other US intelligence agencies.
His telepathy was limited, not under his direct control.
His electrical powers, while strong, couldn't produce massive storms or destructive lightning strikes.
His Awakening visions were inconsistent -- he only got vague directions, never precise details.
These abilities were on the borderline between extraordinary and supernatural.
If discovered, being taken away for experimentation wasn't out of the question.
So, in the end, he decided to stick to the path he'd already embarked on.
Though he couldn't pursue the supernatural route, his passion for singing and acting suddenly dropped by more than half.
With the chaos between Sony Music and Warner holding off new projects except media appearances, Orlando used this lull to focus on Wall Street.
He wanted to gain resources there -- to quickly become part of the capital markets, even if just a small player.
---
Fortune smiled upon his persistence. With Brand awkwardly tagging along, Orlando spent three days immersed in Wall Street before launching his formal investment plan.
First, he realized he couldn't rely on just one Wall Street investment manager for his portfolio anymore.
Not only because of confidentiality concerns but also because the rate of asset growth would never satisfy him.
Orlando planned to register an investment firm and recruit a savvy Wall Street insider as CEO.
He wanted to connect with the financial elite to make everything seem natural and legitimate.
America had too many idle talents and capable people, especially after the Cold War ended; global experts flooded into the US.
If Orlando, a creative singer-songwriter, suddenly rose in capital markets, he'd quickly become a subject of intense scrutiny.
Experts would analyze him, reading too much into offhand comments or thoughtful photos.
Sound exaggerated? Not at all -- many similar stories were later turned into biographies or films that even received Oscar nominations, such as The Wolf of Wall Street.
Damn it all, it was maddening! Why couldn't he just shake the world and have everyone bow before him?
Orlando was a man with deep secrets. Being studied and dissected terrified him -- it was his nightmare.
But there was no choice. This was the fastest way to make money and accumulate vast funds.
He couldn't miss the chance, couldn't give up.
He tried to convince himself, "Be more careful. As long as it all looks natural and reasonable, it'll be fine. I just need a foothold in New York's financial circle. I'm just an investor who's made some money from songwriting and singing, but I want to make more -- to get rich. I'm a young guy willing to bet it all, uneducated and foolish with money, impulsive and reckless, but lucky enough. That's who I am. Nothing will go wrong."
So...
The thirty million dollars he initially poured into stocks had grown to about thirty-four million.
He couldn't just let it sit there growing slowly.
He had to pull some out and find additional funds for faster-turnaround, short-term investments.
His Awakening ability could help, but a team and a professional investment firm that made everything legit were equally important.
This time, he didn't bother Daisy.
Not because he didn't want to trouble her, but because his investment firm represented his most vital future plan.
He wanted to take control himself.
At least during the early stages, he wanted to keep the investment company relatively clean -- not allowing Morgenthau or Cuomo insiders to get involved.
So he decided to hire an executive search firm for the task.
He reached out to Russell Reynolds Associates, founded in 1968 and headquartered in New York, one of the world's top headhunting companies.
Their fees were steep, but their reputation was solid.
*****
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