Bitcoin Billionaire: I Regressed to Invest in the First Bitcoin!-Chapter 55: Socrates

Trust not a woman when she weeps, for it is in her nature to weep when she wants her will.

Darren had Socrates to thank for teaching him that.

He hoped he hadn’t been too harsh on Alison. He pitied her plight, really. But in the end, he felt she was undeniably using him.

So he told her no. And he told her that holding on to the glories of her past isn’t going to make her feel any better. Gaining pleasure from nostalgia only makes one a ghost.

Living in the present was what made us human. Alison had to face what her life was today, especially if she had any plans of it getting better.

If she did this and became proud of who she was now. Then she could call him, and they could talk.

Darren sighed, taking a sip of his wine. ’Who knew? Maybe I have some Socrates in me too.’

’And perhaps it sounds ironic coming from someone who’s literally reliving his past. But the difference is, my past is now my present.’

He exhaled.

’Either way, telling her no was probably for the best. I’m not fond of the idea of being leeched on. Alison wants me to walk into the Reunion with her so she wouldn’t look alone, and now that I’m... well, a millionaire, that’s also some status for her as well.’

He collapsed on his couch and picked up the remote. ’Not happening.’

The TV screen flickered on and music blasted into the air of his living room.

"It’s been a volatile month in the financial sector as Bitcoin — once again — proves why it remains the Wild West of investments. But this time, the chaos isn’t from a crash. Today we have finally decided to bring light on the mystery investor that has all crypto enthusiasts talking."

Darren raised a brow. ’Mmm?’

The camera panned to Brooklyn Baker, the poised and professional anchor of Business Everyday. She wore a tailored navy-blue suit, her expression tight as she continued.

’This chick again...’ Darren narrowed his eyes.

"Indeed ladies and gentlemen, it has been a requested topic by many and we’ve finally decided to give him the publicity he’s so clearly after."

"The individual operating under the absurd alias ’FuglyDuckling’ has broken records with aggressive Bitcoin purchases, triggering fluctuations in the market. This so-called investor has pulled vast amounts of BTC in a recent exchange, causing speculation and paranoia."

She sighed, clearly unimpressed.

"Experts are calling it reckless. Some believe this is the work of a new player trying to manipulate the market, while others claim it’s simply another fool who will learn the hard way why cryptocurrency is an unstable joke."

Brooklyn’s lips pursed before delivering the final dig.

"Whoever they are, one thing is clear —FuglyDuckling is either a financial genius… or an absolute idiot."

"Just last week, the minor fall and then rise, and then fall again just proves the madness of this currency. It entails a jjookmcwesnk... jjftiol...

Her voice faded off.

The TV casted a dim glow on a new location; a sleek, modern office.

A smoky voice sighed. "Will you look at that?They think he’s after publicity. Those fools can’t see that if that was the case then he wouldn’t keep his identity hidden?"

The office settled into silence, save for the rhythmic tapping of fingers against a keyboard.

Ryan Anders leaned back in his leather chair, fingers steepled, eyes narrowing at the man sitting across from him.

Rico Evans.

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The hacker they had caught trying to breach their own systems. A man with quick hands and a quicker mouth. Since he was destined to go to jail because of it, his freedom depended entirely on one thing.

Finding FuglyDuckling.

Anders exhaled slowly. "I hope I don’t need to remind you what happens if you fail."

Rico didn’t look up from his laptop, but the smirk on his face faltered.

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered. "I get thrown into a nice, cold cell and get to play chess with a bunch of guys who don’t like hackers."

Anders didn’t smile. "More like you disappear, and no one asks questions."

The tension thickened. Amelia, Anders’ secretary, stood near the desk, her arms crossed. She was watching Rico carefully, her sharp blue eyes unreadable.

Rico sighed, rubbing his temple. "Look, I don’t want to go to jail. Who wants to? So I’m going to do everything possible. But I ain’t Jesus, I can’t do miracles. If I’m not able to track it, there’s nothing I can do."

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"And I promise, it aint as easy as you think. Whoever this FuglyDuckling is, they’re smart— real smart. Not only have they kept their wallet and personal details completely separate, but the firewalls they’ve set up is like a diamond wall. It’s almost like someone had attempted to hack into it before and it was multi-secured after."

"Whoever that was by the way, fuck you. You’ve only gone and made my work harder. But the point is, that guy’s not a duckling. He’s a ghost."

Anders’ fingers drummed against the desk. He glanced at Amelia then back at him.."Then why am I still keeping you around, Rico?"

Rico raised a hand in surrender. "I said it’s difficult, not impossible." He turned the laptop around, displaying a series of numbers and data streams. "See this? I traced the most recent heavy Bitcoin transaction. The 1.5 million? It came from here."

A beat.

Anders leaned forward. Amelia did the same, glancing at the screen.

The location flashed.

Malegreen Street.

Silence.

"That can’t be right." Amelia frowned. "Malegreen’s just a working-class neighborhood. No one living there could afford to make moves like this."

Anders studied the address, his mind racing. "Unless they don’t want to be found."

He smiled deeply. "I’m in love with you, dear Duckling sir. You are one cunning man. One who hides his identity online and hides it as well in the real world."

The idea made sense. A person secretive online could be just as secretive in real life. But who?

Anders turned to Amelia. "I want everything on Malegreen Street. Property owners, renters, anyone who could be operating from there. Find out who the hell we’re dealing with."

She nodded, already pulling out her phone.

Meanwhile, Rico sat still, staring at the screen. His fingers twitched. A memory surfaced.

Malegreen Street.

He did know someone from Malegreen.

Not just anyone. Someone who had been obsessed with crypto back in college. Always talking about blockchain this, decentralization that. Always saying if he had the money, he’d take over the market.

But back then, he didn’t have a cent to his name.

Anders turned back to Rico. "Get me a name, Evans."

Rico forced a grin. "Working on it, boss."

But as soon as he left the office, he pulled out his phone.

It rang twice before the line clicked.

A voice, smooth and familiar.

"Rico?" A pause. Then, amusement. "Hey man, it’s been a long time, man."

Rico exhaled, gripping the phone tighter. "Yeah, Darren... it has."