Stained River Read Online Free

above average along with stellar performance in varsity football and baseball. Moreover, he had helped organize and publish the first school newspaper.
    The letter was timely since t he congressman happened to be losing votes in that particular part of his district. He thought selecting a kid from there made good political sense. Local papers ate those things up, he reasoned. Connery received his official acceptance with elation. His long shot had paid off, securing him a free education at a prestigious military academy and a chance to escape the dull confines of his hometown.
    With his degree and military service behind him, he began a meteoric rise in the world of finance and investing. His knack for calculated risk taking, along with a sense for picking the right stocks, could often double or triple an investment. It wasn’t long before word of his success got to the right people. Few could match what he achieved in such a brief time. In a seamless transition, he rose from ham and cheese to caviar and Dom Perignon, complete with mansions, yachts, and nannies, all by the time he was thirty two. He moved with ease in an elite crowd that sought his presence at their most elegant gatherings. Initially, some of the more prestigious in his circle wondered if he wasn't one of those ' big hat, no cattle ’ guys who dazzled for a while then faded in the stretch. In truth, most couldn't match his balance sheet, even then.
    Five years later , it all went wrong. That's when Pam finally served him with divorce papers. He should have seen it coming. They had met toward the end of his sophomore year at the academy and married soon after graduation. The couple left church that day under a canopy of drawn swords and all the other accoutrements and hoopla accorded a newly commissioned officer. His career in the service was unspectacular, although he finished with the rank of captain. After military, they moved to New York where he launched a career that would turn him into a very rich man.
    Their first years together were great; two kids, a marriage that seemed stable, a somewhat normal family life. Pam was beautiful, a near perfect wife who supported him in anything he wanted to do. He should have been content with the way things were but eventually began messing around with another woman, the first of many attracted to his good looks and lots of money. It wasn't long before he spent more time in their bed rooms than his own. Ego had taken command. He covered his tracks carefully, always with a ready alibi. Pam didn't catch on right away, accepting his excuses for late nights and lengthy stays away from home. When she finally discovered the truth, none of his bogus explanations and attempt to gloss things over, worked. In an explosive scene one night, she ripped his shirt and clawed at his face, leaving deep scratches he had to explain for days after.
    “How could you? You bastard…!”
    Their marriage never really recovered. They stayed together but the relationship grew even more strained. It was but a matter of time before it ended.
    That same year , his business became successful beyond all belief. He was on a fast track to making a fortune, and wealthy clients, anxious for the steady returns his funds produced, almost begged him to take their money. To mention that you were with Hawthorne Capital became a sort of status symbol. Accounts weren’t opened with less than a million dollars. Investments under his management increased to a billion and climbed rapidly toward four billion and beyond. Money flowed, far beyond his dreams, and along with it prestige, public appearances, and meetings with people of influence. His picture appeared on the cover of several business magazines, and guest slots on CNBC followed. Everyone wanted to know what Connery thought. Where would the Dow be at year end?  What sectors looked good? Would the Fed increase rates?  At the top of his game: power, money, fame, and just over forty- one.
    He moved a