Arrogant Billionaire Asks Waitress for Financial Advice to Mock Her — What She Says Stuns Him
Chapter 7
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"First, accounts receivable. Nexus reports that their accounts receivable grew 340% year-over-year, but their revenue only grew 12%." She paused, letting the numbers sink in. "Do you know what that means? They're booking sales that haven't actually been paid for. It's called channel stuffing. They're shipping products to distributors who never ordered them, counting it as revenue, then taking the products back after the quarter ends. It's one of the oldest accounting tricks in the book."The fund managers at the table exchanged uneasy glances.Felicia raised a second finger."Second, insider selling. Nexus's CFO sold $12 million in stock last month through a 10b5-1 plan. These plans are supposed to be set up months in advance to avoid insider trading accusations, but his plan was filed just 46 days before the sale. The legal minimum is 45 days." She looked directly at Garrett. "When a CFO sells that much stock that fast, it means one thing: he knows something bad is coming, and he's running for the exit."Caroline had pulled out her phone, frantically typing.Felicia raised a third finger."Third, the auditors. Peterson and Associates has been Nexus's external auditor for 11 years. Last quarter, they quietly resigned. No announcement, no explanation... just gone." She let that sit for a moment. "Auditors don't resign from eight-billion-dollar clients unless they've seen something they don't want their name attached to. Something like fraud."The table was silent. One of the fund managers, a man who'd been laughing loudest at Garrett's jokes, had gone pale."Holy shit," he muttered. "I have 20 million in Nexus."Garrett's face had turned red. A vein pulsed in his temple. "This is ridiculous!" he snapped. "She's a waitress! She's reading conspiracy theories off the internet and pretending to be an expert!"Felicia looked at him calmly. "Then why are you sweating, Mr. Whitmore?"Something dangerous flashed in Garrett's eyes. He wasn't used to being challenged, certainly not by someone like her."You know nothing about real finance," he said, his voice low and hard. "Nothing about how the world actually works. You carry plates for a living.""And you carry other people's money," Felicia replied. "The question is whether you're carrying it to safety or carrying it into a fire you started yourself."From the corner of the restaurant, Harold Brennan watched with quiet satisfaction. He'd always known Felicia was exceptional; now everyone else was about to find out.Caroline stood up abruptly. "I need to make a call." She walked toward the exit, phone already pressed to her ear.Other diners had stopped pretending not to watch. Whispers rippled through the room.Garrett, sensing he was losing control of the narrative, made a desperate move. "You know what? Let's settle this right now." He pointed at the CNBC screen. "Pull up Nexus. Let's see what the real experts say."Phillip, the manager, hurried to increase the volume.On the screen, Nexus's stock price held steady: $142.50. Green, stable, normal.