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Chapter 59: The Incoming Opportunity in Life
"Come to my office..." Joegleman, who hadn't even had lunch, went straight back to his office. Compared to the stack of files in his hand, a 39 buck steak couldn't divert his attention.
Two minutes later, a middle-aged man, meticulously dressed and sporting a lawyer's badge on his chest, walked in.
Any law student who graduated from college and obtained a lawyer's qualification could possess such an "entry badge."
Although it was just an "entry badge," even the most prominent federal lawyers would also wear it every day. It was a symbol of their identity and an unconventional mark of nobility.
"Naf (纳夫), take a look at these documents," When Joegleman left, besides voluntarily providing him with two copies of pledge agreements, Lynch unexpectedly prepared duplicates of other documents as well. This action elevated Joegleman's opinion of Lynch.
There's a saying that rings true: everyone gets opportunities, but not everyone can grab hold of them, and not everyone's ready when they come knocking.
Most people understand that not everyone can seize opportunities. About ninety-five percent of people are still in mediocrity. In their mediocre lives, there are always a few opportunities to change their fate, but they just can't see or grasp them.
People get the first part, but often miss the rest. Sometimes, when you take hold of an opportunity, it feels like a life-changing moment... and sometimes, it truly is.
That happens when you're already geared up. Opportunities can bring wealth, status, and recognition aligned with your full potential. To those who are ready, opportunities flow like a gentle, welcoming stream.
But if you're not prepared, that opportunity can smack you like a speeding train. There are plenty of stories about people who, by 'seizing' an opportunity, ended up losing everything.
Lynch was prepared and able to create opportunities. Joegleman had encountered such individuals before. With his status, he had met some social elites in the local and surrounding areas. In Lynch, he saw shades of these people.
Ambitious, always ready (like a hunter hidden in the dark), such individuals were difficult to fail. That was why Joegleman was willing to give Lynch a chance.
No one would complain about having too many high-quality connections. As long as one lives in this society, this is one of the things they cannot cannot avoid.
The guy referred to as "Naf" was a member of the legal team at GoldenExchange Bank in Sabin City. The bank dealt with a high volume of lawsuits annually, and hiring external lawyers for each case was becoming excessively costly. So, they took the initiative to train and establish an in-house team of lawyers to manage their legal matters more cost-effectively.
Naf meticulously examined the documents, not missing a single symbol. He even took a piece of paper to note down his thoughts or mark certain sections.
After about half an hour, he breathed a sigh of relief, organized the files in the order he reviewed them, placed them on the table, and looked at Joegleman.
"Any issues with these documents?" Joegleman took out two pure-colored, genuinely pure-colored, Colofu and handed one to Naf, who gratefully accepted it.
"No issues. This pledge agreement is based on the current loan agreement, with some additional clauses added." Answered Naf as he cut off part of the Colofu cap.
"There are two interesting clauses. The first one stipulates that if the borrower fails to repay the loan shortly after the agreement's signing, not only must they forfeit the collateral but also repay the principal and interest." A hint of an enigmatic smile appeared on his face. "Seems like a new agreement from those financial companies outside. It's something that they have never done in the past."
Naf's expression showed contempt for those financial companies, the same contempt Joegleman held.
In the past, when Mr. Fox distributed aid, most people merely had to write an IOU. If it was someone from the streets, they might not even need to write one. All this changed after Lynch appeared.
Joegleman nodded, and Naf continued, "I noticed a line in their additional clauses...," He pointed it out for Joegleman to see. It mentioned that the agreement was signed with a third-party witness, voluntarily and without coercion. The names of the third parties and their signatures were listed.
"This is a rather clever clause. From my perspective, it's problematic. When a person needs money, they will sign any agreement to get it."
"Legally, this situation could be considered coercion or being dominant, but paradoxically, it still holds legal validity. You can feel its conflict, contradiction, yet can't ignore it. Whoever proposed this idea is very smart."
When a person urgently needs money, they would fall into a passive and vulnerable state. Saying that they are being dominated or coerced, as Naf mentioned, isn't entirely wrong.
People in dire need of money would do anything to get it, let alone sign such a declaration. So, subjectively, this clause was clearly a cover-up to conceal the truth.
Yet, legally, it held value because judges wouldn't consider what the borrower was thinking at the time. Lawyers wouldn't provide borrowers a chance to explain. They would only ask if someone threatened them with a knife, gun, or any other weapon, whether they were in a sound state of mind, and if they knew what they signed... and those were more than enough to validate it.
"Are you suggesting we could use this in our agreements?" Joegleman queried, to which Naf nodded. "Good, report it to the regional division and have them look into it," he paused, then added, "Carry on."
After setting aside the two pledge agreements, Naf picked up the other documents. "These are official documents, legally binding. However, in the clauses where Gettnau Financial entrusts Dyson Asset Management with full authority over their assets, there are some counter-clauses..."
He then pointed out those specific clauses, providing a brief explanation. However, both of them knew that fundamentally these things held no value; it was unrealistic to expect people from those financial companies to spend their days in court.
Their value lay solely in their legal validity; they lacked enforceability. Perhaps, in comparison to enforceability, the subordinates nurtured by financial companies might be more capable.
"What I mean is, are Dyson Asset Management's control and authority over these agreements and their content legal?" Joegleman asked, even though Naf had already explained earlier.
"Yes, Mr. Joegleman. Before the counter-clauses take effect, Dyson Asset Management legally owns these 'assets.'"
Joegleman further inquired, "Including pledging these pledge agreements?" Naf paused for a moment, realizing why Joegleman, the credit department manager, had him look at these documents. After a couple of seconds, he nodded. "At least, according to our state law. If you need information from other states, I can request legal aid from the branch."
Joegleman waved his hand and stood up. "No need. Thank you for taking the time to help me look at these..."
Naf promptly stood up as well, buttoning his coat. "This is what I should do." He shook Joegleman's hand when he saw him extend his hand to him, then took his leave proactively.
After seeing Naf off, Joegleman closed the door and looked at the files on his table, revealing a slight smile.
According to Lynch's words, he possessed pledge loan agreements worth millions, if not countless agreements. Joegleman realized that when Lynch got the money, it was tantamount to Gettnau Financial getting the money.
What would a financial company do once they received money? Naturally, they would continue to aid those in need, creating a snowball effect, growing larger and larger.
By managing the risk properly, ending the authority period before the counter-clauses in the pledge agreements took effect, the bank could avoid all risks. Both Dyson Asset Management, the middleman, and Gettnau Financial, the frontline company, would bear the risks themselves. The bank, including Lynch himself, faced minimal risks.
In fact, the only one truly in danger was Dyson Asset Management. From the financial company's perspective, whether they had these agreements or not wouldn't stop them from recovering debts. But the issues within the agreements would turn them into bad debts for the asset management company, possibly even a way for the financial company to evade taxes by hiding large sums of money!
However, none of this concerned Joegleman. Standing by the window for a moment, he confidently returned to his desk, picked up the phone, and said, "...What was the reward for the best performance at the regional division this year?"
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I assume you didn't mean to include "Certainly, here's a more culturally adapted version suitable for a Western audience:"
ReplyDeleteLol, you're right.
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