The chain of the Gilded Pocket Watch had tangled around his fountain pen. With a cigar between his lips, Lanevus spread three ledgers across his mahogany desk.
"An investment of 1,500 pounds from our dear Mr. John Corson..."
This was already the third "investment" this week. That fool in the top hat had signed a check without so much as touching the mine's blueprints.
"Sure enough, greedy people are all idiots."
He sneered at the empty office and made an entry in the ledger with cigar ash clinging to his fingers.
The dividend slips on the corner of his desk bore all sorts of signatures and seals. The bottommost one even had a lipstick mark on it.
It reminded him of that easily sweet-talked baroness from last week.
"Hm?"
A knock struck the door like a sledgehammer. The cigar in Lanevus's hand nearly singed his wool shirt, and his train of thought snapped. His brows drew together slightly.
"Come in."
His secretary pushed the door open and leaned halfway inside.
A company with only its owner would have looked too strange, so he had specifically hired himself a secretary.
The young man was a capable university graduate who lacked experience. He worked hard, and most importantly, he was easy to fool.
His only flaw was that he could occasionally be clumsy and had no sense of priorities.
"Sir, a gentleman says he'd like to make a substantial investment. He's in the reception room now..."
"Tell him I'll be there shortly." Lanevus listened to his secretary's report as he tidied the documents on his desk.
A photograph of himself with the mayor, various forged signatures and contracts, some partly genuine prospecting certificates...
Pleased at the prospect of another sucker, Lanevus sorted through the documents in his hands and mentally rehearsed his