Blackstone Code-Chapter 256:
"Good morning, Mr. Bennett." A bank employee was locking his car door when Bennett's car happened to park next to his. He had no choice but to immediately stop what he was doing, stand at attention, and greet him with a "Good morning."
Recently, people had noticed that Bennett was in particularly high spirits. He was easier to talk to than ever before and showed more passion and energy in his work. This made it hard for the bank's employees not to compare the enthusiastic Bennett with the low-profile, almost invisible Mr. Joegleman.
When there were no comparisons, people didn't notice any significant issues. But once the comparison was made, they realized that if Mr. Bennett were to replace Mr. Joegleman, it might not be unacceptable to those within the bank.
In an institution like a bank, factionalism was quite prevalent. People tended to dislike those who came from regional branches or headquarters and prefered those who rose from the grassroots. This emotional resistance and preference largely stemmed from personal relationships, but in this case, everyone stood on Bennett's side.
"Good morning to you too." Bennett replied as he stepped out of his car, even addressing the employee by name. This brought a glow of pride to the bank employee's face.
After nodding to each other, they went their separate ways. Bennett continued to greet people as he made his way to his office, in an exceptionally good mood.
Last night, he and Annie had attended an opera. Bennett could tell that Annie didn't enjoy the somewhat serious atmosphere of the opera house and wasn't fond of opera itself. But this was a crucial part of upper-class life.
Cultured people often discussed art—operas, paintings, and anything related to these subjects. So, to integrate into high society, one must first improve their refinement and taste. The cruder things should be left behind.
Though Annie was impatient and restless, she at least managed to sit through the evening with him. They clapped together for the performers' excellent work, strolled under the starlit sky, and dined together.
Seeing Annie transform quickly from a strip dancer into someone who fit his ideal of high society filled Bennett with immense joy, especially the feeling of control. This fulfilled a long-standing void in Bennett's life, particularly in romantic relationships and familial bonds.
This was what real life should be—a perfect, flawless life.
As soon as he entered his office, his secretary brought him coffee. In the past, he had been slightly interested in his secretary, but now he was no longer as intrigued. After all, Annie was much better than such a superficial woman.
Without hesitation, he took the coffee and asked the secretary to close the door on her way out. He then began to tackle his work.
Career and family, both thriving—nothing could make a man happier.
Immersed in his work, Bennett quickly handled some simple tasks. Next up was a "big job," as the people in the regional headquarters liked to describe substantial workloads using the term "big."
When he opened the first file, an inch thick, Bennett's expression grew serious. It was a commissioned job handed over by the local court and city hall to the bank.
To prevent corruption in judicial auctions, the federal government passed a law mandating that third parties conduct these auctions. Judicial institutions and local governments no longer had the right to auction assets but still retained supervisory authority.
This seemed to greatly reduce corruption. At least, that was what those who proposed the idea and those who voted for it believed.
Recently, Sabin City had extensively covered the aftermath of the Listoan chemical plant disaster, which had left workers deformed and disabled. These workers not only suffered from physical pain but also from financial burdens they couldn't afford, eventually being abandoned by their families and dying on the streets or in shelters.
The reports, which were both authentic and closely related to people's lives, caused a significant stir across all levels of society. They even influenced cities in other states, with residents demanding their city halls investigate whether similar issues existed in their areas.
In response to public petitions and with the approval of state judges and the Baylor Federation's Department of Justice, Sabin City initiated a series of compensation programs, including asset auctions.
Whether it was due to the bank's lobbying skills or something else, they managed to secure this lucrative opportunity, which made Bennett feel some newfound respect for the current branch manager. At least he was getting things done and showing results.
Bennett began reviewing the documents. The city hall had seized a warehouse and a light manufacturing workshop under the Listoan Group, with a large number of pneumatic sewing machines and other related machinery included in the auction list.
Additionally, there were some raw materials for production. The city hall had set a minimum price they could accept, meaning the auction results from the bank must exceed this price, or there would be many complications during the handover.
Bennett glanced at the price—it wasn't high, even somewhat low. Considering the current economic climate, the price set by the city hall was reasonable. Few people would be interested in purchasing these machines, which were now as good as scrap metal. Employing workers to produce goods with these machines would simply be too costly.
After confirming that all the documents and legal procedures were in order, Bennett began processing them according to the rules. First, he needed to send some documents to the branch manager of the bank for approval, then communicate with the city hall to finalize the bank's profit from the auction.
Finally, he had to apply to the bank for a venue to host the auction, provided the city hall had not specified one. The last step was to prepare the invitation cards and make the auction announcement.
There were also many clever tricks in this process. In society, people often heared about certain assets being auctioned off at ridiculously low prices, almost like picking up a bargain. But such rumors remained just that—rumors. Ordinary people rarely got to participate.
The bank's announcement would never appear in newspapers or other public venues, only on internal bank bulletins, effectively cutting off outside awareness. The only people who could attend such auctions were either bank employees and their friends and family, or those invited by the bank—typically people with whom the bank had good relationships or who had significant deposits to spend.
As for everyone else, they could only "hear about it" and then envy those involved. As for attending? That was simply never going to happen.
Except for seeking the branch manager's approval, Bennett could delegate most of the other tasks by writing instructions, providing clear directions and goals, and leaving the rest to others.
For instance, applying for an auction venue—Bennett would never personally go to city hall or coordinate with other departments to use the bank's own venue. That was for those outside his office to handle.
He thought this would be a quick task to resolve, but an unexpected problem arose.
"This doesn't have Joegleman's signature," said the branch manager after reviewing Bennett's work. "Joegleman, as the head of the bank's credit department and the auction supervisor, must approve this before I sign off."
The bank manager casually tossed the documents back onto the desk. "Our partner is the city hall, not some department within the bank. We must follow the rules." He said as he adjusted the nameplate on his desk that faced Bennett, the one that read "Bank Manager."
Having worked at the regional headquarter for many years, Bennett understood the manager's message perfectly and did not misconstrue it as dissatisfaction with him. The manager had made it clear—these were the rules.
Moreover, his signature had to follow Joegleman's, showing respect for both the bank's internal rules and the unspoken societal rules.
If he disrespected these rules, they'd come back to slap him in the face someday.
Bennett was well past the age of challenging authority. He immediately took the documents and left the manager's office, heading to another office to find Joegleman.
When he opened the door, Joegleman was playing golf in his office. He had set up a portable golf course, featuring a winding fairway approximately ten meters long and one and a half meters wide, leading to a putting green around three meters in diameter.
This type of indoor golf setup was becoming popular in many places. Golf was gradually replacing polo as the sport of the "new aristocracy." This shift reflected a broader societal change—a generational gap and clash between the new and old capitalists.
As passionate as the older generation was about polo, the new generation was equally enthusiastic about golf.
When the door opened, Joegleman didn't immediately stop what he was doing. He continued standing at the tee, calculating the exact force needed to sink the ball into the hole.
"Wait a moment, I'll finish this shot first." As he finished speaking, his textbook-perfect putt sent the golf ball rolling along the fairway, slowly approaching the hole until it finally dropped in.
"Nice shot." Joegleman commented as he placed his club back into its bag, then removed his gloves as he walked toward his chair.
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Commentary from the author: This chapter contrasts the upper society that Lynch is exposed to with the "high society" that Bennett is trying to infiltrate. It highlights that Bennett's world is just as controlled and superficial as Annie's. While Bennett dominates Annie, he himself is dominated by the pretense and vanity of his social ambitions, hinting at the true nature of their relationship and foreshadowing its likely outcome.Please vote for this novel at /series/blackstone-code/There are advance chapters available nowAccess will be granted 24 hours after the donationTier 1: 7 Advance chapters Link
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