nucmednet Chapter 148: Preparations
Chapter 148: Preparations
Chapter 148: The Architecture of Power
The evening sun dipped below the horizon, leaving the 45th floor of Apex Plaza bathed in a deep, amber twilight. Jake sat alone at the massive quartzite table, the ambient lights of the city slowly blinking to life through the glass walls. The floor was completely empty, save for the faint hum of the central air conditioning.
He leaned back, tapping a silver pen against his chin, staring at the blank glowing document on his laptop screen.
’We’re moving too fast for a skeleton crew,’ Jake thought to himself. ’Two months ago, Golden Investments didn’t even exist. Now, it’s one of the country’s giants.’
He opened a separate spreadsheet containing the updated valuation ledger. The numbers were staggering, even to him. The company had just consolidated an array of massive assets into a single umbrella:
20% of Aurelia Capitals: 14.7 billion marks.
The Apex Plaza Tower (100% Deed): 21 billion marks.
16% of the Meridian Group: 50 billion marks.
Existing Baseline Assets (Hotel, Restaurant, Brewery, Art Gallery, Faceup Tech, and secondary shares): 9 billion marks.
Total Current valuation: 94.7 billion marks. Pushing right against the 100-billion-mark threshold. And every single share, every single block of equity, was one hundred percent owned by one person. Him.
’I am the CEO, and up until yesterday, Alice was the only employee on the payroll,’ Jake mused, rubbing his temples. ’Rob Kingsley starts as CFO in a week. Diana Cruz is taking the COO spot. But they can’t run a ten-billion-mark empire with just a laptop and a prayer. If I don’t build a proper perimeter around them, the sheer weight of these subsidiaries will crush the headquarters.’
He leaned forward, his fingers hovering over the keyboard. He didn’t want Golden Investments to be an operational nightmare. He had zero intention of spending his mornings reviewing supply chain invoices for the brewery or tracking room occupancy rates for the Meridian hotels. No, Golden Investments had to be a pure holding company. A lean, defensive fortress that sat above the chaos, controlling the capital flow and high-level strategy, while the day-to-day headaches remained strictly with the management teams of the individual subsidiaries.
’I need a structure that insulates me, protects the money, and gives Rob and Diana the exact tools they need to audit these companies without drowning in paperwork,’ Jake thought.
He began to type, mapping out the corporate blueprint, structuring the exact divisions based on who would report to whom.
Golden Investments: Internal Corporate Framework
Executive Leadership Group
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) & 100% Owner: Holds absolute authority over the portfolio. Focuses entirely on macro capital allocation, wealth preservation, and high-level relationships, serving as chairperson for the external board.
Personal Assistant (PA) to the CEO: The primary gatekeeper. Manages the CEO’s schedule, filters corporate communications, handles sensitive logistics, and protects the owner’s time. (Current Status: Alice).
Direct C-Suite Reports (Reporting directly to the CEO)
Chief Financial Officer (CFO): Overlooks overall financial health, macro budgeting, multi-million-dollar dividend distributions, and treasury strategy. (Current Status: Rob Kingsley - Onboarding Monday).
Chief Operating Officer (COO): Translates macro strategy into operational reality. Audits the performance of direct assets and ensures subsidiaries meet structural targets. (Current Status: Diana Cruz - Offer extended).
Chief Risk & Compliance Officer (CRCO): Safeguards the empire against regulatory issues, global tax compliance liabilities, anti-money laundering protocols, and potential government audits.
Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO): Governs talent strategy, executive compensation structures, headhunting for subsidiaries, and corporate labor compliance.
Chief Information Officer (CIO): Architect of the firm’s technological defense and encrypted communications. Protects corporate banking lines and executive devices from digital fraud or espionage.
The core is solid, Jake thought, his eyes scanning the screen. But Rob and Diana are going to need immediate support staff. They can’t do the grunt work themselves.
He tapped the enter key and began breaking down the sub-departments.
Financial Control (Under the CFO)
Corporate Treasurer: Controls daily liquidity, shifts incoming cash flows into high-yield vehicles, manages foreign exchange risks, and coordinates with global institutional banks.
M&A / Investment Analyst Team: Conducts deep financial modeling, market research, and valuations on target companies or real estate proposed for future acquisition.
Operations & Legal (Under the COO)
Portfolio Asset Manager: Acts as the direct liaison between the holding company and external property managers or subsidiary leadership (the brewery, the hotels, Faceup). Monitors minority stakes like Aurelia and Meridian.
Corporate Legal Counsel & Paralegal Team: Drafts and executes all shareholder agreements, lease contracts, and merger documents. Ensures maximum liability insulation for the parent company.
Head of Public Relations & Communications: Official media spokesperson. Handles crisis control, drafts press releases, and shields the owner from unwanted public scrutiny.
Compliance & Infrastructure Support
Compliance Auditors (Under the CRCO): Conducts regular internal audits on the financial records and operating procedures of all subsidiaries to catch issues before regulators do.
Cyber Security Engineers (Under the CIO): Executes hands-on technical defense, multi-layer encryption, and secure network infrastructure for the 45th floor.
Independent Advisory Body
External Advisory Board: A panel of 3 to 5 independent industry titans holding zero equity or voting rights. They meet quarterly to critique strategy and provide unbiased risk evaluation to the CEO.
Jake stopped typing and read through the complete ledger. It was a lean, elite setup. Less than thirty people would eventually occupy this entire floor, but they would wield enough leverage to control assets worth tens of billions. And once things were settled, he intended to hire more.
’This is the blueprint,’ Jake thought, closing the document window and saving it to an encrypted drive. ’But I don’t have time to manage the hiring pipeline right now. Tomorrow is completely locked out.’
He picked up his desk phone and hit the speed dial for Alice. She answered on the second ring, her voice slightly muffled by the sound of shuffling papers in her temporary office down the hall.
"Hey, Jake. I’m just finalizing a few documents for one of the secondary companies. What’s up?"
"I just sent a document to your secure email," Jake said, leaning back in his chair. "It’s the complete corporate structure for Golden Investments. I’ve detailed every single department, from compliance auditors to the treasury team."
A brief pause echoed over the line, followed by the rapid clicking of a mouse as Alice opened the file. Jake heard her take a quick, sharp breath. "Wow... Jake, this is a lot of slots to fill. You want to build out the entire headquarters at once?"
"Not all at once, but we need the core positions filled immediately," Jake explained. "Print out the job descriptions and start routing them to the top executive recruitment agencies tonight. I want you to make arrangements to secure interviews for these roles starting next week."
"Next week? Monday morning?" Alice asked, her pen scratching against a notepad. "Are you going to be open for preliminary screenings over the weekend?"
"No," Jake said definitively. "I’m completely offline this weekend. You know I’m leaving early tomorrow morning with my family. We’re going to South Africa for my mother’s birthday. I won’t be back in the office or available for any business calls until Monday morning. You have total clearance to filter the initial resumes until then."
"Ooh yeah... Nice. Tell your mom I said happy birthday," Alice said, her tone softening with a bit of relief. "Alright, I’ll set up the agency parameters tonight and organize the candidate packets. By the time you get back on Monday, Rob and Diana will be here, and we’ll have a shortlist of compliance and tech candidates ready for you to look at."
"Perfect. You can ask Rob and Diana for recommendations and advice," Jake said.
"Will do. Have a safe flight tomorrow."
Jake hung up the phone and closed his laptop. He stood up, walking back over to the expansive window. The city below looked like a massive grid of glowing gold circuits, pulsing with endless activity.
For the past two months, his life had been a non-stop sprint of market execution, asset accumulation, and high-stakes corporate maneuvering. Every hour had been calculated, every decision critical. But before he could completely step away from the desk, his mind drifted to the logistics of the coming morning.
He pulled out his personal phone and dialed Aliya’s number to check on their status.
The line rang twice before her voice came through, sounding lively despite the background noise of shuffling clothes and zipper clicks. "If it isn’t the prodigal one."
"Hello to you too," Jake said, leaning his shoulder against the glass window frame. "Just checking in. Is everyone packed and ready for the trip tomorrow?"
"Yeah, we’re entirely sorted," Aliya confirmed, a hint of excitement clear in her tone. "Mom’s already moved her suitcases to the front hallway, and Dad’s just double-checking the flight confirmations now. We’re completely ready on this end."
Jake paused, looking down at the streetlights below as his mind flashed back to her recent discharge from the hospital. "Alright, good. But look, Aliya... I wanted to ask, have you really recovered enough to handle the travel? If you’re still feeling—"
"Jake, stop," Aliya cut him off before he could even finish the sentence, her voice dropping into that familiar, stubborn register that left absolutely zero room for negotiation. "The trip is happening, no matter what. I am not spending Mom’s birthday sitting in bed, and I am definitely not letting you cancel this. We are getting on that plane tomorrow morning, so just make sure you’re on time."
Jake let out a short, defeated chuckle, shaking his head at the glass. "Alright, alright. I hear you. Just don’t overexert yourself tonight."
"I’m fine. See you tomorrow, Mr Rich man," she said, her tone softening just enough before she ended the call.
Jake smiled faintly and stared at the screen for a moment before clicking on another contact.
He dialed Catherine. It was time to check up on her and let her know that today was finally the day.
The call connected, and her voice came through, a warm contrast to the sterile quiet of the 45th floor. "Hey, stranger. Are you still at the office?"
"Just wrapping up," Jake said, his tone softening completely. "Tomorrow is the day. We’re heading out early in the morning."
"I know," Catherine said, letting out a soft, dramatic sigh. "Honestly, if it wasn’t because I’m still an intern, I would absolutely skip work tomorrow just to take you to the airport."
Jake chuckled, leaning back against the edge of the quartzite table. "Then why not do it? I thought you were on your supervisor’s good books now."
"Hey, just because I’m in her good books doesn’t mean I can just do as I like," Catherine countered playfully. "The firm still keeps tabs on my hours. I can’t leverage my way out like you."
"Fair point," Jake smiled, checking the gold watch on his wrist. "Look, I’m about to leave the office right now. I can pass by your apartment before I head home to get some rest."
"Really?" Catherine’s voice perked up instantly. "Well, if you’re coming over, you should have dinner with me and my roommates. We just finished cooking."
"Sounds like a plan. I’ll see you in a bit," Jake said.
"Drive safe. Bye."
Jake hung up, feeling the lingering tension of the business week finally evaporate. He walked out of the massive boardroom, and stepped into the private elevator lobby.
"Elias," Jake said, nodding to the burly man standing perfectly at attention near the secure doors. "Get the car ready. We’re leaving."
"Right away, Mr. Rivers," Elias replied, pulling out his earpiece to signal the security detail downstairs as the elevator doors slid open.
The empire could wait until Monday. Tomorrow, the family was leaving the city behind, but tonight belonged to the people who kept him grounded.
---