I walked up to the desk and sat down.


    On top of the desk, alongside a deck of cards and an old model of a Sony Walkman, were a whole lot of paper sheets full of calctions and charts.


    "So, what do you think? Would you like to take part in it?" Professor ke asked again, taking a sip of his coffee.


    "The College Fed Challenge? It''s a grouppetition, no?" I asked.


    Professor ke nodded, cing his coffee cup down. "Yes, it is. Let me exin it to you. This year, over 80 teams from around the U.S. will be participating. Thepetition has strong support from the Federal Reserve Banks and the Board of the Federal Reserve.


    "


    He continued, "Each team has to make a presentation that includes an analysis of the current state of the economy, a prediction of the near-term state of the economy, a discussion of major risks to the economy that should be taken into ount, and finally, suggestions for mary policy and supporting reasons for the rmendation."


    Professor ke leaned back slightly. "Eighteen teams will be chosen to participate in regional virtual meetings, during which there will be a Q&A session with judges. Six of the teams will advance to the Nationals."


    I gave it some thought. "Aren''t there any third-year students interested in participating?" I asked.


    Professor ke shrugged his shoulders. "Let''s just say that no one has answered my question as thoroughly as you did, so I suspect you have enough knowledge to easily oupete the third-year students."


    "Who is on the team at the moment?"


    "Actually, Alex from your major is part of the team... other than him there''s a second-year female student and two third-year male students. Each team taking part in thepetition must have five members plus the advisor, as in Me."


    I thought for a while about what good it could bring me.


    "Professor... is there a way to elerate my graduation?" I asked directly.


    Professor ke looked at me, caughtpletely off guard by the question.


    He took a moment to consider. "It''s not typical, but there are some exceptions. If you can get enough sses ahead of schedule and get additional credits for special projects, it might be possible."


    He paused, adjusting his sses. "Why do you ask? You want to get your degree faster?"


    I nodded thoughtfully. "Would I receive any special credits for participating in thispetition?"


    "Only if our team makes it to the national stage."


    "If we do make it to the national stage, would you be willing to put in a good word for me with the administration? I will be straight forward Professor; I already know everything that the undergraduate program can teach me."


    Professor ke chuckled at my words and considered them for a while. "Let me just say that if you contribute significantly to the team''s sess, I''d be happy to support you. However, I don''t have the power to directly elerate your graduation. The university''s board will have the final say."


    I looked at him, tapping the side of my chair a few times.


    "I will take part in thepetition." I finally said.


    Pofessor ke sprang out of his seat and almost knocked over his coffee cup. "Good!" he said, clearly relieved."You''re saving me.... the deadline for team registration was in two days and no one else wanted to join."


    He started writing down my name on the application paper.


    I thought for a moment. "Will we organize a meeting for this? To make sure that everyone on the team knows what they need to do and what they need to research before we start working on the presentation?


    Professor ke nodded. "Yes, absolutely. We need to submit the presentation before the end of the year, so let''s just say we have a meeting early next week. I believe I''m giving you a lecture Monday morning, I''ll tell you more then."


    "Alright, Professor, Thank you for the opportunity," I said and then I stood up and walked to the door.


    "Don''t think I didn''t notice you skipping my lecture yesterday..." Professor ke spoke quietly.


    "I am sorry, Professor," I told him as I turned around. "Enjoy your day." I added and then left his office.


    I found Sam waiting outside with his tall bodyguard in tow. As soon as he heard me leave the office, he held out a folder to me.


    Without saying a word, I took the folder from him and flipped it open. Inside was the contract we had discussed.


    The terms were exactly as we had agreed upon: 10% of the voting shares of the Ondo Branch of Johnson Trading Corp.


    Johnson Trading Corp. had three branches: Ondo, Miami, and Tampa.


    The Ondo Branch had the fewest funds; as Sam mentioned to me before, it should be around $290,000,000.


    Thepany itself was one of three outposts of Johnsons'' Financial Empire.


    Their wealth was spread across Johnson Trading Corp., WhitePath Corp., and thergest of them all, the holdings directly under Arnold Johnson, Sam''s father.


    I continued reading and noticed the sry section.


    $13,000 per month.


    This was more than double the pay for an experienced stock analyst.


    The only obligations I had were being avable over the phone during open market hours and giving investment advice if asked.


    Without further hesitation, I picked up the pen and signed the contract.


    With that single signature, my worth had just made a massive leap.


    +$29,000,000


    Technically... Allegedly...


    ''During my conversation with the brokerage, I will also be in a stronger position.'' I thought.


    I picked up the contract and handed the folder back to Sam.


    "This is actually perfect timing, Sam," I said with a smile.


    "Yes?"


    "I was thinking about going to Charles Schwab in Ondo. I might as well stop by thepany while I am there."


    Sam nodded thoughtfully. "Well... I''m always there from Friday to Sunday, so feel free toe by. But it would be best if you came in on Friday, because everyone other than me has weekends off. Maybe I could bring you along with me again?"


    "No, not this time, Sam," I said. "I want to go to my hometown after visiting Ondo."


    Sam nodded, his eyes closed.


    I nced at him with a thoughtful expression. "Also... Don''t worry. You were wise to get me on board, and I will show you that soon enough."


    ...


    I got back to the dorm, peeked through the window and saw people ying basketball on the court. I quickly changed into my game clothes and was about to go y and loosen up a bit when I got a call.


    Unknown Number.


    "Hello?"


    "Hey! It''s Alice. I hope this isn''t a bad time."