Chapter 17: Arrangements and Departure
Night fell, and neon lights flickered to life.
Chris and the others had entered the casino a little after 5 PM, but by the time they left the arcade, it was already past 7 PM.
The sky wasn't completely dark yet, but the arcade was becoming even more crowded.
This was because the real crowd was just arriving—the young people who worked during the day finally had time to come here and play.
However, Chris and his two companions went against the flow and left the arcade.
At this moment, Darry's eyes were filled with barely contained excitement, and even Trish had emerged from the melancholy of their impending separation.
It wasn't until they were in the car that Darry exclaimed, "Holy crap! We actually won over seventy grand in just two hours starting with only five hundred seventy-three bucks! Tell me this isn't a dream!"
Looking at Darry's shocked expression, Trish scoffed and interrupted, "You're definitely not dreaming, but this was all Chris's winnings! I don't remember you doing anything."
Facing Trish's sarcasm, Darry smiled even wider, "Guess I'm not dreaming after all—my sister is still as bitchy as ever."
Hearing Darry say that about her, Trish snorted, "Considering the seed money came from you, I won't bother arguing."
It was then that Chris spoke, "Actually, if I wasn't worried about the casino owner causing trouble for you two, I could have won way more. But for your safety, you two shouldn't show your faces around here anymore."
The siblings thought about Chris's performance at the gambling table, winning seven out of ten bets, and immediately understood what he meant.
And Chris, looking at the seventy thousand plus in cash they had, felt he could proceed with the next phase of his plan.
Today was March 2nd, and based on what he knew, the Creeper would fall into hibernation around the 5th, so Chris guessed his departure might also be around that date.
Although he didn't know the exact mechanism, that almost tangible premonition told Chris it wasn't just his imagination.
So, to earn enough money for Trish to achieve financial independence, he still needed to play the stock market, and ideally, teach her how to invest.
Therefore, even though Chris could have won every single bet, he'd intentionally controlled his wins and losses at the casino.
Of course, this was also because this was just a small-time operation, with a daily cash flow probably only a few hundred thousand dollars, and the casino owner probably only cleared tens of thousands to maybe a hundred grand a week.
Knowing this, Chris quit while he was ahead, only taking a little over seventy grand.
If it were just him, he would naturally do whatever he pleased, and it wouldn't matter if he cleaned out everyone in the casino.
With his abilities, he was confident the casino would pay up.
But he had two people depending on him now, didn't he?
So Chris had to show restraint to avoid putting the girl he'd been intimate with in danger.
After all, although he'd been raised tough, he was genuinely a good person at heart.
Rubbing the money in his hands, Chris sighed, wishing they were closer to Vegas.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have to be so careful; he could just go all out.
Even if he won hundreds of millions, he might even become a Vegas VIP.
Why would he need to worry about making money from the stock market?
However, Chris could only dream about it now, since he could only stay for three more days at most. Even if he flew to Vegas right now, winning the money would eat up most of his time, not to mention the subsequent withdrawal and paperwork.
Even if he got the cash, he'd still need to transfer it to Trish's name, which would take considerable time.
So it was better to do it efficiently: trade stocks directly under Trish's name, then teach the siblings the specific investment strategies.
He believed that with his guidance from the future, even if these two screwed up, they could still acquire enough funds to live comfortably.
Having decided on the execution plan, the three returned to the motel.
This time, even Darry didn't go home. After calling his family, he also booked a room.
He planned to be a full-time driver for a few days, then make enough money to last a lifetime.
Perhaps it was having tens of thousands of dollars already in hand, plus Chris's promise of more wealth; or perhaps it was knowing their time together was running out.
In any case, Trish was exceptionally passionate that night.
If Chris's physical conditioning hadn't been extraordinary, he wouldn't have even thought about taking them to trade stocks the next day—he might not have been able to get out of bed.
But the final result was the opposite: Chris was still energized, while Trish was exhausted, needing Chris's help just to get dressed.
Fortunately, opening an account and buying stocks weren't physically demanding, otherwise Chris's second plan might have been derailed.
The town where Trish lived was sizable, so various commercial services were readily available, even having a brokerage firm, which saved the hassle of online trading.
With Darry driving, the three spent half an hour getting to the brokerage office.
Then they spent another hour opening an account. Of course, the main reason it took so long was the account manager's relentless stock recommendations, which dragged things out.
If Chris hadn't firmly refused, the guy might have gone on for several more hours.
After all, the three looked young and walked in with actual cash, so being treated as easy marks was expected.
But in the end, everything was resolved. The moment Trish opened her account, Chris began teaching her step by step which stocks to buy and when to sell them.
Worried about changing the timeline too much, Chris focused on explaining stocks and investment sectors that were trending and unlikely to shift.
For example, tech companies, energy, and the most stable asset: gold.
While explaining, Chris also had Darry write everything down to prevent them from forgetting.
While discussing future opportunities, Chris also helped Trish purchase some short-term profitable stocks.
After covering most of the basics, Chris then mentioned an upcoming opportunity to make serious money—an event that would shock the world.
"On September 11th of this year, something major will happen in New York City. You can prepare for it ahead of time. After you've built up your capital, remember to invest heavily in defense contractors and energy companies right after."
Chris's words were vague, but he believed that once 9/11 occurred, the siblings would absolutely know how to maximize their profits from it.
In fact, if they played it smart, they could even climb the social ladder and become part of America's upper class.
However, that would have nothing to do with Chris by then. He could only share the crucial information he knew; the specific execution would be up to them.
After leaving the brokerage office, Chris seemed to forget everything that had happened, taking the two thousand dollars he'd kept and starting to enjoy himself.
And so, time flew by. By the morning of the 5th, the first thing Trish discovered when she opened her eyes was that Chris was gone.
She sat up, feeling hollow inside, and quietly recalled the past few days, realizing this had been the most intense period of her life.
"Damn it, Chris... you really are something else."
Her quiet words captured exactly what Chris had been—a whirlwind that had blown through her life and vanished just as quickly.
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