Billionaire in Kingsman with a Marvel System

"I've noticed you've been asking some idiotic questions since lunch. I don't know if the CEO of the Swiss National Bank will lose his mind, but I do know that if you keep this up, you're definitely headed for depression. Relax, buddy. I've already assured you that I'll take care of things."

"Are you sure?" Gareth's voice trembled as he asked this.

"Gareth, are you sure you're okay? If you're really not feeling well, I can arrange for a private jet to take you to Switzerland to see a psychiatrist. Or, I can have the doctor come to the castle," William offered, genuinely concerned. He was more than willing to spend a little money to do a good deed.

"No, I'm not that far gone. As long as you handle the leak, I'll feel much better."

William glanced at the staff around the stables. "Don't worry. I'll take you to pick a horse first. We can talk more in the forest."

He led Gareth to see Red Hare, the horse that would compete in the supplementary race for the St. Leger Stakes at Doncaster in South Yorkshire in just over ten days.

After paying a sponsorship fee of £100,000, Red Hare qualified for the supplementary race. According to old Neil, 23 horses were participating this year, the highest number in the history of the supplementary race.

Due to the stock market crash, many racehorses over five years old were returning to the track as their owners hoped to win a Grade 1 race and then sell the horses at a high price to ease their financial burdens.

One horse had withdrawn because its owner had overworked it by entering it in consecutive Grade 1 races since May, leading to an injury and eventual withdrawal.

William cheerfully patted Red Hare's neck and greeted old Neil and the jockey, Kenny, who had walked over.

"Old Neil, Kenny, this is Gareth. Gareth, these are old Neil, the head trainer at the stables, and Kenny, Red Hare's jockey," William introduced them with a smile, and the three exchanged greetings.

Old Neil, sounding a bit excited, said, "Boss, Red Hare's performance in today's test was excellent. It covered 2,937 meters in 3 minutes and 21 seconds, nearly breaking the St. Leger Stakes record. God, if nothing goes wrong, I believe Red Hare will win in ten days."

"WHAT?" Gareth looked at William in surprise. "You bought a horse with championship potential without making a fuss? Are you secretly God's illegitimate son?"

"Screw you, Gareth. God's illegitimate son wouldn't have black hair. I have zero interest in that guy up there. If you keep talking about this, we'll be at odds."

William knew exactly where God's descendants were. Ever since he killed a member of the Sinclair family in Paris a few months ago, Sophie hadn't contacted him, and William had no desire to reconnect. They had significant differences in their views.

To William, as long as Sophie married and had children, her mission would be complete. The Sinclair family was just a tool to him.

"Alright," Gareth, feeling uncomfortable after William's sharp retort, apologized. "I forgot the Devonshire family isn't religious at all. I promise I won't joke about that again."

Old Neil and Kenny both looked at Gareth in shock, then at William, inwardly exclaiming, "My God, in this day and age, even if someone isn't religious, no one would be so open about it like William."

"Okay, old Neil, pick two horses for us to hunt with. Hurry up; we won't have much time left if we don't get going soon."

"Yes, Boss. Please follow me." Old Neil led William and Gareth to another stable, silently cursing William for being a rich fool, using top-grade Akhal-Tekes worth hundreds of thousands of pounds as riding horses.

After struggling for a while, old Neil realized he couldn't stop William from doing whatever he wanted. Frustrated, he said, "Boss, if you need horses, you can only use the few stallions we have here. But I have to warn you, stallions that haven't been trained tend to be aggressive. I'm worried there might be an accident."

That was a valid point. William wasn't a novice anymore. After reading up on horses recently, he had learned quite a bit. He turned to Gareth.

"Hehe, no problem. As long as it's not a wild horse, I'm fine. I've been riding since I was six. I've ridden at least eighty, if not a hundred, horses over the years."

"Then there shouldn't be any issue. While those stallions are a bit aggressive, they don't count as wild horses."

After spending about ten minutes preparing, William led a pure black Akhal-Teke out of the stable, while Gareth chose a dark red one.

The two led their horses to the grass, and under the watchful eyes of the trainers and stablehands, William's black Akhal-Teke was surprisingly calm, standing obediently with William on its back. Gareth's horse, however, was much more skittish.

It took several minutes of calming efforts before Gareth could mount his horse.

The two, carrying hunting rifles on their backs, followed William as they rode at a slow trot toward the forest north of the castle.

After about half an hour, they reached the edge of the forest. Gareth pulled on his reins and said, "Can we talk now? I can't focus on hunting until I hear some concrete news."

"You really can't hold it in, can you?" William teased with a smile.

This comment seemed to touch a nerve, and Gareth suddenly exploded, yelling in a low voice, "Damn it, stop beating around the bush! You're just a rich kid; you have no idea what kind of pressure I'm under. Why do you think I'm working so hard? It's for the sake of our noble class! God, sometimes I just want to quit and retire to my family's estate."

William scoffed at Gareth's words. "Don't kid yourself, Gareth. I'm not mocking you, but you're only in your early forties, right in your prime. Are you really willing to step down now? And even if you wanted to, could you really get out of this mess? Don't forget what your job is."

William's words left Gareth silent for a while. He looked out at the distant sky and sighed. "Politics is too complicated, and relationships are as thin as paper. One mistake, and not only would a bunch of people who hate nobles come after me, but even our own people would try to push me out. If it weren't for the relationships I've carefully cultivated over the years, I might already be suspended and under investigation by my own people."

A fierce look crossed Gareth's face as he continued, "It's almost funny. The higher-ups want to protect someone who hasn't made any major mistakes, and they want me to take the fall. So if you know something, you'd better tell me now because I'm at the point where I need to fight back."

William squinted and said, "So you're saying that right now, I'm the only one who can save you?"

Gareth opened his mouth, wanting to say something but unable to. Finally, he said in a defeated tone, "As much as I hate to admit it, you're right. There are plenty of people who want to protect me, but they're all out in the open, with every move they make being watched. 

So there aren't many who can save me. But at a time like this, I can't trust them. The only one I can trust is you, someone who doesn't have a conflict of interest with me."

William laughed heartily, then turned serious. "Gareth, remember your situation today. When the time comes, I'll ask for your help. If you dare refuse me, as long as it doesn't endanger your life or career, I'll make sure you understand the consequences of betrayal."

___________________

Read Ahead

[email protected]/Mutter