The first money came from a trade everyone dismissed

The next day Everpoint was down 18 percent. The day after that, down 31. Short sellers entered in force, their research notes flying like bullets. That night CNBC aired a special report: “AI Mania: Who’s Paying for Growth?” The camera cut from Everpoint’s collapsing chart to Darren walking out of the trading floor, jacket half-zipped, caught in a live exterior shot by chance or fate. Before he could disappear, Vera Martin stopped him. She was a young reporter from Financial Frontline, with cropped brown hair, sharp eyes, and a voice that cut cleanly through the noise. “Did you know?” she asked. “Know what?” “That Everpoint was going to blow up.”