The representative director's office, Lorenz Capital Partners.

You might think they rested on weekends, but for the masters of Wall Street, time was money.

Especially at the start of the year, when the year's crop was being sown, they were busier still.

"Natural gas?"

Robert looked up from his monitor. The secretary, who'd come in for the weekend, went on with the report, eyes on the tablet.

"Director Emilia has sent an investment plan to the trading team. A short in the Henry Hub March contract."

"Not a long?"

"No. She's asking for a review to build a short position."

Robert closed the email he'd been reading.

It hadn't been long since he'd heard that his niece had spent the night at a hotel with the Korean. And now, the moment she was back in the office, she wanted to short natural gas.

"How big?"

"She's listed one billion dollars as available capital. The actual number of contracts will be set after the trading team's review."

"So she's put down every dollar she's allowed to move on her own."

One corner of Robert's mouth went up. That money was entrusted to Emilia, and Emilia alone.

Within that limit, she could pick what to invest in and when to do it herself.

Of course, having the authority and making good calls were two separate matters.

"Send me the file."

"Yes."

A copy of the investment plan came up on the monitor on his desk.

Robert slowly rolled the mouse wheel. He read the instrument and the entry conditions, then stopped at the section summarizing the weather outlook.

Warm weather. Slowing heating demand. Inventory overhang.

Nothing new there. These were the reasons natural gas prices had fallen lately.

The market already knew them, and they were largely priced in.

He brought up a chart in a new window. The price that had soared last year had collapsed.

You could plainly see where buyers had given up and bailed out after days of falling prices.

Robert saw something different in that chart than his niece did. To him, it looked ready to rebound.