Richest Man: It All Started With My Rebate System-Chapter 20: The Appointment

The drive took slightly longer than expected. There was a stretch of slow traffic about halfway through that hadn’t been there when he had mentally mapped the route, and Steven had to resist the urge to push past it in a way that the car was entirely capable of but the situation did not call for. He arrived with six minutes to spare, which was enough.

He pulled into the parking lot adjacent to the building, found a space without difficulty, and cut the engine. He sat for a moment, hands still on the wheel, letting the moment settle.

He had been in banks before. Countless times. Standing in queues with a number ticket, waiting his turn at a standard counter to deposit a small amount or ask a question that could have been answered online. That was the version of a bank he knew.

This was a different version of the same institution, and he was aware of the difference as he stepped out of the car.

He adjusted his jacket, straightened the lapels, and checked that the tie was sitting correctly. Then he crossed the parking lot and walked to the entrance.

He pulled the glass door open and stepped through.

The interior was open and well-lit, with high ceilings and a floor that reflected the light coming in from the windows. There were people at the counters along the far wall and others moving through the space with the quiet purpose of people who knew exactly where they were going. The air was cool and faintly scented.

Steven took it in for a moment, then located the reception desk and walked toward it.

The receptionist looked up as he approached. She was professionally dressed, composed and had a polite smile on her face.

"Good afternoon," she said. "Welcome to Chase. How can I help you?"

"Good afternoon. I have a three o’clock appointment with the Private Banking office. My name is Steven Craig," he said.

She nodded and turned to her screen, typing briefly. A moment later she looked back up.

"Yes, Mr. Craig. We have you confirmed for three o’clock." She reached for her phone, dialled an internal number, and spoke quietly into it. "Mr. Craig is here for his appointment."

There was a brief pause, then she spoke. "Of course. Thank you."

She set the phone down and smiled.

"Someone will be right down to escort you up. If you’d like to take a seat while you wait, there’s a seating area just to your left."

"Thank you," Steven said, and moved to the seating area she had indicated.

He sat down, resting one hand on his knee, and took a quiet breath. He was not nervous. He was aware of the environment, of the register of the space, of what this meeting was and what it could lead to if handled correctly.

He had spent the better part of two days moving from one version of his life to another at a speed that still didn’t fully make sense when he examined it directly. But he had kept his head each time, made decisions that held up under scrutiny, and not once had he acted in a way he would need to walk back. He intended to continue in that direction.

A door opened to his right and a man walked toward him. He was in his early forties, well-dressed in a dark grey suit, with a measured walk and an easy, professional manner about him.

"Mr. Craig?" he said, extending his hand as he approached.

Steven stood and took it.

"That’s me."

"Adrian Reeves. I’m one of the Private Bankers here. It’s good to meet you." His handshake was firm, his eye contact steady. "If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you up."

Steven followed him back through the door and into a hallway that led to a private elevator. Adrian pressed the call button and the doors opened immediately. They stepped in and he pressed the button for the fourth floor. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Was the drive straightforward?" Adrian asked, with the easy small talk of someone who did this regularly.

"Mostly. A bit of traffic on the way in, but nothing serious."

"It’s been like that all week," Adrian said. "There’s construction going on two blocks over. Should be cleared up by the end of the month, apparently."

The elevator reached the fourth floor and the doors opened to a hallway that was noticeably quieter than the ground level. The carpet was thick underfoot and the lighting was warmer. The doors along the corridor were solid and spaced apart. Everything about the floor communicated privacy.

Adrian led him to the second door on the left and pushed it open, holding it for Steven as he stepped inside.

The meeting room was clean and simply arranged. A rectangular table with four chairs, a water jug and two glasses already set out, and a window that looked out over the street below. A folder sat on the table in front of one of the chairs.

"Please, take a seat," Adrian said, settling into the chair across from him and opening the folder.

Steven sat down, adjusted his jacket slightly, and folded his hands on the table.

"So, Mr. Craig," Adrian began, his tone shifting smoothly into the professional register of the meeting. "Thank you for reaching out. I’ve had a chance to review your account ahead of this meeting, and I can confirm that you more than meet the eligibility threshold for our Private Client programme." He paused briefly. "I did want to start by getting a clearer picture of your financial background, if that’s alright. It helps us tailor the conversation to what’s actually useful for your situation."

"Of course," Steven said.

"Your account balance reflects a significant recent deposit. We want to make sure we’re setting you up with the right structure from the start." He kept his tone neutral and unhurried. "Would you be comfortable walking me through the source of funds?"

Steven had been expecting the question. He had known it was coming from the moment he had sent the email that morning, and he had turned it over more than once since then.

The truth was not something he could offer. Not the real version of it.

He took a brief moment, as he thought of what answer to give that would make sense.

And one came to mind almost immediately.

"Inheritance," he said. "My parents passed when I was young. There were assets that were held in trust until I reached a certain point. The funds were released recently."

Adrian nodded slowly, his expression attentive but unreadable.

"I understand. I’m sorry for your losses," he said, and he said it in a way that sounded genuine rather than procedural.

"Thank you," Steven said.

"We will need to do a standard verification on our end as part of the onboarding process. It’s routine for accounts at this level, nothing unusual. We may request documentation to support that as part of compliance. You should receive confirmation through the usual channels once that’s been completed."

"That’s fine," Steven said evenly.

He wasn’t really worried. He had said what he had said, and if the system had been straightforward about everything else, he had reason to believe the paper trail would hold.

But that’s if the system actually generates a believable paper trail. It could be risky for him if it doesn’t.

Adrian made a brief note and moved on without dwelling on it.

"In terms of what we can offer you at the Private Client level," he said, "the core of it comes down to three areas. Investment access, advisory support, and concierge services. I’d like to walk you through each."

For the next thirty minutes, Adrian spoke and Steven listened, asking questions where it made sense and staying quiet where it didn’t. Adrian outlined the investment products available at his tier — options that standard account holders simply didn’t have access to, including private equity vehicles, structured products, and managed portfolios built around his stated goals of growth, protection, and diversification.

The advisory structure was what interested Steven most. A dedicated relationship manager, available directly rather than through a queue. Someone who could coordinate across departments — legal, financing, real estate — when something required it. Someone who already understood his situation and didn’t need to be brought up to speed every time.

That was the part that mattered for what he was planning.

The concierge services Adrian described were extensive — lifestyle management, travel, introductions to legal and accounting professionals, priority handling across all of Chase’s services.

Steven absorbed it without reacting visibly, though he noted internally which parts were immediately useful and which could wait.

By the time Adrian closed the folder, Steven had a clear picture of what he was signing up for and why it made sense.

"Do you have any remaining questions before we proceed to the paperwork?" Adrian asked.

"One," Steven said. "Timeline. From today to full onboarding, how long are we looking at?"

"Assuming the verification clears without complications, which I don’t anticipate, you should be fully active within two to three business days."

Steven nodded. "That works."

The paperwork took another twenty minutes. Adrian walked him through each document clearly, flagging anything that required particular attention rather than just directing him to sign and move on.

Steven read each page at his own pace and signed where indicated. He asked two questions during the process, both of which Adrian answered without hesitation.

When it was done, Adrian gathered the documents, aligned them neatly, and placed them back in the folder.

"That covers everything on our end," he said, standing. "Welcome to Private Banking, Mr. Craig. I’ll be your primary point of contact going forward. Feel free to reach out directly through the number on the card." He slid a business card across the table.

Steven picked it up and looked at it briefly before sliding it into his jacket’s inner pocket.

"Thank you," he said, standing and extending his hand. "I’ll be in touch."

Adrian shook it. "We look forward to working with you."

He escorted Steven back down to the ground floor, walked him to the reception area, and said a final goodbye before heading back toward the elevator.

Steven walked to the glass entrance door and pushed through it, stepping out into the afternoon air.

The meeting had gone exactly as he had hoped. All he had to do now was wait for Adrian to contact him.

Steven walked back across the parking lot toward the car, loosening his tie slightly as he went.