The origin
It was a cold winter day. The wind blew with great force, rustling the fallen leaves on the trees. It felt like a touch on nature's lifeless side. Snow covered the whole place, and you could hardly see from a distance. The strong wind made it very difficult to stay there. It was December 22, and the situation in Berlin was dire. A man died that morning. He was a gentleman who achieved everything through dedication and hard work. This gentleman, called Mayer Aureus, the owner of a financial institution in Berlin. Mayer was a smart and resourceful man; he was always on the move and very dedicated to business. He was a good man as long as money did not stand in the way of the relationship he had established with Mayer. He was the father of 5 children, 5 boys who helped their father with his business. When someone didn't pay their bank debt, they sent a child as a messenger. This was a way to pressure them to pay what they owed. No one knew his past because he arrived in Berlin in 1760, and people said that he came with a false identity. Rumors said Mayer had a forbidden lineage. His bloodline is traced back to Jews wanted in 109 countries. Many of them died in the war of the Ottoman Empire, but very few survivors remained. People said that the survivors went to Russia to fight the Ottoman Empire. Mayer claimed he was from Albania. There's no proof to support this, but also no proof against it. Mayer died of old age, around the age of 90. His children had organized the funeral ceremony. Their father had inherited his business in equal parts to each of his children. But more than that, he had left them 5 envelopes for each to choose without opening them. Nathan Aureus, the eldest child, dropped an envelope. It said his surprise was in the heart of London, a news business. Amschel had a gift in Frankfurt, a costume business. Salomon had an opera house and theater in Vienna as a gift. James received a gift from Paris. It had a message to meet someone important. His father wanted to see this person before he died. Mayer had left a plan half-finished, and death did not let him finish it. What his father's plan was, no one knew. "James, don't worry, he has likely found a woman for you," Nathan said with a laugh. "Or he left you some gold," James said. Everyone laughed. Amschel told James, "Even if he gave you nothing, you still own part of the financial institution in Berlin." He added in a gentle tone, "Don't think you have nothing."
"Your father thought of you before he died." "We joke, James, that you are the youngest, and we joke only with you that you will always be the youngest," said Nathan. Everyone stood up and shook hands. James was curious about the gift his father gave him.
The International Business Network
Six years have passed since the death of Mayer Aureus, who had left each of his children a fortune. Nathan was doing very well in his business. He had started making money with that business. Nathan was one of the richest in London. He was often invited by the royal palace. Nathan connected well with the castle members. He made contracts for slaves, who then worked for him without pay.
Amschel was facing some minor challenges, but everything was almost going very well. He was not in any debt to any financial institution. Salomon was in great difficulty, but he had the help of his brothers and was in safe hands. He was thinking of renting out the business, but no customers showed interest.
Carl was in a similar situation to Nathan. As for James, he was creating an information network across Europe. He wanted to create a network that would use any kind of information for his business. James had his father's business that he had left in Berlin, but he moved it to Paris. Because of the information he had, James knew which person to lend money to and what to take if they didn't pay.
James had an information organization. He was so fast as a network that he found out some information before Napoleon. He bought weapons and knew what to sell to the Empire because he knew the amount of weapons and what they would buy. So he used the information to study the market and defeat his enemies. James also sold information to governments and criminal gangs. He knew everything and saw everything. The gangs paid James for various pieces of information that they needed.
James wasn't rich; he was powerful. He had everything under control. James believed that what makes a man strong isn't his money or his muscles, but his intelligence as well. Knowledge is power. Even the weakest person can outsmart you if they know a secret about you.
James was standing in his office, absorbed in the task of counting gold coins. He was very fond of them and kept a collection in his office for their beautiful appearance. Someone came into his office and handed him a letter on the desk. "What is it?" said James. "War news, Sir," the boy gasped, his breath coming in short bursts from exhaustion. "I hear it's crucial that only you know." James took the letter and told the boy, "Okay, you can come out now."
James opened the letter. His general made an urgent request for weapons. The French Empire was losing. He grabbed a letter and started writing a contract. He planned to get weapons from his connections and sell them for a much higher price. James used this connection to buy items at a low cost or without payment. Then, he sold them for more than he paid. This way, he made a profit in his business. On the way home, he came up with a better idea. "I have another way to make money," James said, laughing to himself, "I will make millions of gold coins." He went home and wrote a letter to his brother. He asked him to retrieve the weapons from his contacts without delay.
The House of Aureus
In two days, Nathan got a letter from James. It said France won the war against England. James advised selling the business without delay. "What are you saying?" said Nathan, "Let's act without wasting any time. Secretary, put the shares up for sale at the lowest price. I don't want our business to end up in the hands of the French for any reason."
The secretary acted immediately and put up sale signs in the shops. People began to suspect that something was going on. The competitors learned France had won. They believed Nathan knew this in advance, so they began selling all their things.
A large man in a black suit noticed that many businesses were putting up sale signs. He approached Nathan's secretary and asked, "What's going on? Why are you selling them so cheap?" The secretary laughed and said, "If you think it's that cheap, buy it."
The gentleman in the suit took a large sum of gold out of his suitcase and immediately bought the business. The delighted secretary reported it to Nathan, who decided to leave as soon as possible.
The gentleman in the suit began buying up every business in London. They all mocked him in secret. They thought they were helping by selling before the businesses lost value.
After a few days in a hotel to cool off, a man met the gentleman in the suit. It was David, who had invested the money and bought the businesses in his name. David had sent him to buy as much as he could.
"Did you spend all the money?" David asked with a serious tone. "Yes, there are only 10 gold coins left," the gentleman replied. "Here are 5 more," said David, "now you have 15 gold coins all to yourself."
The gentleman left satisfied, leaving the business documents with David. David grabbed the documents and laughed. "All this because of James," he said. He began to examine the businesses with great attention to detail.
The one who won the war
The English found out they had won the war. Businessmen felt upset. They had sold their businesses and shares for too little. Everyone felt upset, and Nathan felt the most upset. He wanted to meet David as soon as possible. Nathan had learned that the man in the suit had bought in David's name.
He went to the office and found James sitting in the chair.
"James, where is that gentleman named David?" Nathan said.
James laughed and said:
"First of all, don't call me by that name anymore; from now on, my name is David. I have a different identity."
Nathan was very confused and didn't understand anything.
"James, don't tell me you lied to your family," Nathan said.
James laughed and said to Nathan:
"Nathan, there is no such thing as a victory without cheating, especially in such an unfair world. Wars, conflicts, matches – they have never been fair. Everyone tries to cheat. We live in a society where everyone has their advantages and no one follows the rules. So, Nathan, if I had been fair, I would have lost everything I had created," James said in a calm voice.
"And you decided to destroy me?" Nathan said, "The hard work I put into that business."
"In life, you either choose yourself or others, and I choose myself. Don't blame the player; blame the game. I wasn't the rough one, but the game is yours in life: he who doesn't fight loses," James said.
Nathan left the office furious, and James looked out the window, watching Nathan leave in a rage.
This society has three kinds of people: those who lie, those who believe the lies, and those who trick the liars." And most of them are deceived because the system we live in creates victims, not hunters. They teach people morality and how to be good people so that they don't teach people how to win. They teach the deceivers to set people against each other. Many believe that the fools fool themselves. But the true fools believe they're winning while others use them. That was true for my brother. "He thought he could win by deceiving others, but he lost in the end," James said. He then returned to his work after talking to himself.