Ch. 1121..1130
Life at the Top Chapter 1121
Jake immediately understood after Jasper explained. At the same time, he felt a little sad.
He realized that the distance between him and Jasper was just too large.
He had not thought of such an important point at all, and had only realized it after Jasper had reminded him. “Don’t think too much about it. We’re looking at the issue from two different angles, so it’s only natural we understand the issue differently.”
“From a financial trader’s point of View, there’s nothing wrong with your opinion. But Alban and I are both entrepreneurs, so we’ll look at the issue from more than just the financial perspective.”
Jasper seemed to have seen through Jake’s thoughts. His calm words comforted Jake greatly.
“Still, Mr. Laine, my vision is was too narrow. I’ll make sure to do better next time,” Jake replied genuinely.
Jasper smiled. He was satisfied with Jake’s attitude.
As his businesses continues to grow, Jasper would start to demand more of the people around him. If these people could not grow with JW, then they would have to be eliminated eventually.
Jake seemed to understand this concept from the way he behaved.
“Seatreasures Group is Alban’s life blood; his life and wealth all depend on that business. So there’s no way he’ll just stand by and watch as Seatreasures Group crumbles to ruin.”
“The most important thing now is to understand what the government is thinking.”
“The economy of privately-owned enterprises is controlled mainly by the market, this is an absolute law. The government’s goal is just to rectify the shady business practices in the medical treatment industry so that citizens can purchase medication in a relatively fair environment. They’re setting up the framework for future health insurance reformation.”
“Thus, we can see that the government’s goal has never been to destroy privately-owned pharmaceutical enterprises.”
“This is a concept both Alban and I understand.”
“Because of this, the government will allow a large privately-owned enterprise like Seatreasures Group some room to save themselves. They might even give the group some time to deal with their issues.”
Jake frowned when he heard Jasper’s analysis. “Mr. Laine, you mean that the Seatreasures Group won’t fall?”
“Definitely not.” Jasper shook his head.
The truth from his past life was that even though Seatreasures Group had made a huge loss in this incident, they did not close down, nor did they even exit the market. Their market price had only dropped badly.
In this life, Jasper’s vision and knowledge surpassed that of his past life, when he was a mere employee in the financial industry. He had a more unique and deeper understanding of problems now.
Hence, he was certain that the Seatreasures Group would come out of this incident heavily wounded but still alive.
“I’m sure Alban and the government will arrive at some level of understanding shortly. That’ll be the time Alban cleans up this mess and starts to stop his share price from collapsing further. This will happen any moment now.”
“Both Alban and the government know very well that the capitalist market can change drastically within a split second. It’s already been affected badly and there’s no saying how Seatreasures Group’s future is going to end up if they didn’t attempt to save it as fast as possible.”
“No one can guarantee the future of a listed enterprise because no one can be certain of investors’ thoughts.”
Jake’s eyes shone as he exclaimed, “If that’s the case, then now’s the perfect time to open a long account!”
Jasper laughed out loud and replied, “Now you understand. The Seatreasures Group will go to great lengths just to save their market cap. So instead of thinking that I want to win the bet between Alban and me, how aboutl say that I want to some of the money that Seatreasures Group has been accumulating over all these years.”
“I know what to do now, Mr. Laine,” Jake replied firmly.
Jasper nodded and said, “Then let’s get to work.”
Henry who had been in the room, lying on the couch the entire time, glanced at Jasper and said, “What the f*ck. I did not understand a single word.”
“You can transfer your money over now,” Jasper said with a smile.
“No, but how did you know about something big like this in advance?” Henry asked curiously.
Jasper simply replied, “That’s why I told you to read the news more. There’s nothing wrong with being more attuned to current affairs. Important information is always hidden among these seemingly unimportant pieces of news.”
“The country’s been heavy on health insurance lately, which is a matter of citizen’s livelihoods. It’s great that the country wants to make its people’s lives better, but in order to do that, they’d have to put an end to all the shady businesses in the industry. This is the very foundation of their plan.”
“If you link all these details together, the conclusion is pretty clear to see. I just happened to be pretty lucky that such a thing was occurring now.”
No one would know about Jasper’s reincarnation anyway, so the man had no qualms about lying to Henry so blatantly.
Henry felt lightheaded when he heard the man, then quickly transferred the 3.7 million he had saved until now into the account Jasper had opened.
All he knew was the number of the account he needed to transfer his money to. Everything else flew completely over his head.
“What’s with such a complicated number?” Jasper looked at the account and asked confusedly.
Henry’s cheeks flushed. “F*ck you. I only left 20 thousand for myself, I transferred you everything else.”
“I have never seen such an extreme young master like you,” Jasper shook his head and transferred the sum to Jake. He told the other to do additional calculations based on a 5 million principal, then distribute the profits to Henry based proportionately.”
“How much can we earn this time?” Henry asked excitedly.
“I’ve been frustrated, thinking about where I’m supposed to get the money to pay for that stupid plane’s parking and maintenance fee next month.”
Jasper gave it some thoughts and smiled. “Counting your percentage on the principal sum of 5 million, and considering the fact that Seatreasures Group had earned a lot of dirty money over the past few years, I predict that they’ll have to take out at least eighty percent of their capital for this. If we’re lucky, your 5 million will turn into 10 million in two day’s time.”
“F*ck! Seatreasures Group is with 40 billion on the market. What do we have to do to make twice the initial amount?” Henry asked irritably.
“Be grateful we even have this opportunity. Those organizations and hot money traders haven’t realized anything yet, but once Alban makes a move and news of this get out, they’ll all rush over for the grab a piece of Seatreasures Group.”
“We’ll still earn something because we came in early, but soon there’ll be nothing left for the other small investors,” Jasper replied calmly.
People did not compete over who was more stupid in the capitalist market, only who was craftier.
In the blink of an eye, Seatreasures Group had become a slab of meat worth 40 billion that everyone wanted a taste of.
Jasper got up and stretched. Then, he walked to the hotel’s broad floor-to-ceiling windows. He looked out a t the luxurious city view of Waterhoof City and murmured to himself, “This is the appeal of possessing capital.”
Life at the Top Chapter 1122
Seatreasures Group.
Alban had rushed over from Waterhoof City as quickly as possible to deal with the unease within the group.
Still, as Jasper had predicted, Alban knew that his Seatreasures Group was big enough that the government would not completely crush him, be it for the sake of tax or thousands of employees‘ livelihoods.
While his Seatreasures Group was no more than an insignificant ant to the government, the government still had to act in a way that benefited everybody.
Hence, despite his Seatreasures Group appearing to be in a perilous position, it was actually pretty stable.
After understanding this, Alban immediately tried to contact the government through the investigative groups.
He finally managed to get rid of two out of the three investigative groups. Meanwhile, Seatreasures Group also lost one vice president, two senior-level managers, and six middle-level employees. These people were found guilty of corruption.
These people were scapegoats that Seatreasures Group had thrown out.
Even so, they were not completely innocent, since they had indeed bribed hospitals and doctors on behalf of the company.
“I hope that you don’t blame me for this. Even if you’d done it with the group’s interest in mind, you’ve also reaped your share of the benefits.”
Alban stood in his office in the group building and looked down at his subordinates that were being escorted into the cars. His expression was neither sad nor elated.
Just then, the office doors were opened, and a shrewd and capable middle-aged man walked in.
“Mr. Ball, I’ve already drafted the statement that is to be released by the Harbor Stocks Securities Regulatory Commission. Please have a look. ”
Alban took the statement and gave it a closer look. He corrected the statement word-by-word and changed some terms that he found unsuitable. It was obvious how important this statement was to them.
“This statement will directly affect the trust Harbor Stock’s investors have in our group. We have to make sure we don’t slip up.
“I want the investors to know that even though something had happened with the Seatreasures Group, there’s nothing wrong with its core decision-making team. The group’s businesses will not be affected, and we are still a reliable and safe option for investment.”
The middle-aged man smiled wryly when he heard Alban’s words and replied, “But the market has already lost their trust in us. Our Seatreasure Group’s share price is currently locked on the limit down.”
Alban’s brows twitched. “The group will invest more and we’ll begin recycling our shares.”
The middle-aged man was stunned, and he replied, “Mr. Ball. While recycling our shares now will reignite trust in the investors, there are just too many of them throwing away Seatreasures Group’s shares. We might have to invest billions to do so.”
“Then so be it!”
Alban clenched his jaw and said grimly, “The government has decided to rectify the medical treatment system. From here on out, working in the pharmaceutical industry won’t be as smooth-sailing as before.”
“Medicine is still Seatreasure’s core business, but after what happened this time, I’ve also decided to shift the group vision to walk a more diverse path.”
“The moment the government begins their rectification of the medical treatment system, the coming health insurance reform will make it such that most normal medication will fall under the cover of health insurance. This means they will be bought by the government. Profits of our pharmaceutical enterprise will become very transparent while competition within the industry will only grow tougher.”
“A harsh will sweep over the entire pharmaceutical industry, such that everyone will have to be more frugal. We’ll be walking a path with little profits but high turnover.”
Alban sighed deeply. “The time of greedy development in this industry is over. The government wants to make its people’s lives easier, so there’s no going against that!”
“The entire pharmaceutical industry can’t fight against the government even if we teamed up, let alone Seatreasures Group itself. Whoever tries to do something so foolish will meet an early, end so we have no other option but to go along.”
“I predict that the electronics market is going to be huge in the future. Technology is improving rapidly, and people’s lives seem to be becoming increasingly intertwined with these electronics. That’s why we have to take JW’s MP5 patented technology!”
“Because of this, Seatreasures Group’s market prices cannot continue to drop tomorrow. We have to rescue the market no matter what!”
One had to admit that Alban had his own set of unique capabilities as well. After all, the man had managed to tum Seatreasures from a small pharmaceutical factory into one of the top five largest private-owned enterprises in the country’s pharmaceutical industry.
Be it his deduction of the pharmaceutical industry’s future, or with electronics and data, he had managed to develop perfect foresight.
This proved that Alban’s success was not without reason.
“How much liquid funds are there in the group?”
The shrewd and capable man replied, “We have around 2.2-2. 5 billion liquid funds right now. If we need more, then we’ll have to consider taking a bank loan or asking our debtors to pay up early.”
“According to the current situation, I personally suggest investing around 2 billion into the market. If things go well and we manage to raise the share prices to the initial value before the incident, then our group’s daily operations won’t be affected.”
“But the moment we use more than 2.5 billion funds, the company will face the issue of a capital chain rupture.”
Alban’s expression darkened.
This 2 billion was profit the group had set aside after the past two years of expansion. The principal capital was included in this amount.
While Seatreasures Group was worth 40 billion on the market, this market value was purely from an accounting perspective. The 40 billion included fixed assets like inventory, factories and machinery, office buildings, patented technology, and so on.
The larger the company was, the more the expenses it accrues. After all, shipment of raw materials, company operation, and wages were all expenses that needed to be paid. Seatreasures Group, for example, had about 60 million in monthly expenses.
Moreover, there was nothing strange about monthly expenses reaching the hundred of millions if a manufacturing line needed to be renewed.
Because of all this, it was by sheer coincidence that Seatreasures Group could spare 2 billion right now.
“Has Jasper made any moves?” Alban asked.
The middle-aged man shook his head and replied. “He’s remained dormant and there haven’t been any movements from his side.”
“Maybe he’s already waiting for Seatreasure’s share prices to continue dropping to the limit down tomorrow. That way he’d get to win the bet with you without doing a thing, Mr. Ball.”
Alban sneered. “He is still a young man, after all. He hasn’t gotten enough experience. He thinks that just because he’s lucky that he gets to rest easily. Sure, luck matters in society, but the thing that truly decides the winner will always be a person’s capabilities.”
“Since he’s decided to do nothing but wait, then there’s no need for us to worry too much either. I’ve already amended the statement, so release it tomorrow morning the moment Harbor Stocks’ market opens!”
“We’ll release the statement at the same time the group begins to recycle its shares. I’ll make sure Jasper fails horribly this time!”
The middle-aged man was energized, and he replied loudly, “Yes, sir! I’ll get to it right away!”
Life at the Top Chapter 1123
No matter how many people had their eyes glued to the situation, father time did not wait.
The following morning, when the sun rose, countless professionals were already sitting in front of their computers half an hour early as they waited for the market to open.
They knew that one day was not enough to show the full severity of this storm involving both the medical system and pharmaceutical enterprises.
All these listed pharmaceutical companies were huge businesses, and there was no way they would be willing to watch their share price fall without intervening.
If two opposing parties were respectively trying to raise and drop share prices, then the situation would develop into a cash grab for capitalists. A bloody battle was about to commence!
Countless people were anticipating today’s market; they knew that havoc would wreak through the stock market today.
Due to its huge market cap as well as the bet with Jasper, Seatreasures Group’s market was the most attractive target.
Seatreasures Group on Harbor Stocks even vaguely seemed to have the air of a leading enterprise in the pharmaceutical industry.
Thus, both investors and organizations had all tacitly begun to pay attention to Seatreasures Group’s trendline half an hour before the market even opened.
It was 10 a.m., and Harbor Stocks officially began trading for the day.
The moment the clock struck 10 a.m., the computing center immediately gathered all auction stage data and the trendline for the share price began to move.
“Seatreasures Group dropped by 1 index point since the market opened.”
Jake’s report sounded by Jasper’s ears. Seatreasures Group’s share price continued to drop!
Jasper and Henry were in the hotel study. They placed a projector in the study so they could project and look at Seatreasures Group’s trendline on the wall.
Another large screen showed Jake and his team of traders bustling about.
“Enter the market,” Jasper instructed.
Henry was stunned for a moment. While he had no understanding of finance at all, he had learned quite a bit from Jasper just from being by his side. Hence,
Henry could at least understand the data on the market.
“There’s still a lot of sell orders. Everyone’s trying to sell out the shares they have on hand, so the share prices will definitely keep dropping. Won’t we make a loss if we enter now?”
Henry piped up since he functioned on the principle of asking when he did not understand something.
Jasper wanted Henry to become familiar with these simple tricks in the securities market, so he replied. “Making a loss is guaranteed the moment we enter the market, but it won’t be a huge loss. Alban’s in more of a rush than we are. Besides, if we wait until we no longerwill make a loss before we enter the market, that would mean that Seatreasures Group’s share prices have already begun to rise. We won’t be left with much if we wait until then to enter.”
Henry only seemed to vaguely understand Jasper’s explanation.
At that moment, Jake had already begun to carry out Jasper’s instruction.
A huge buy order entered the market
Amidst the countless sell orders, this buy order seemed especially eye-catching.
The numbers continued to move and the funds on Jasper’s accounts began to drop horrifyingly fast.
Replacing them were a mountain of Seatreasures International Group shares.
Under the scrutiny of countless pairs of eyes, Jasper’s action had stirred all sorts of reactions.
Jasper’s and Alban’s bet was no longer a secret, and Jasper’s account was well-known in the industry.
Thus, some organizations and investors were stunned when they saw Jasper buy in with such a large number of shares.
“What the f*ck. I thought Jasper wanted Seatreasures Group’s share prices to drop? Instead of shorting his account, why is he buying more? Is Jasper crazy?!”
“Seatreasures Group’s share prices had been plummeting since the market opened. Rather than Alban himself, the first order to rescue the market actually came from his enemy, Jasper?! What’s he trying to do?”
“Maybe Jasper made the wrong trade? Maybe he ended up buying when he was trying to sell?”
This was not the first time someone acted against the market trend. In fact, the largest fat-finger transaction had involved more than one billion funds, happening abroad.
While countless people wondered if Jasper had gone mad, a large professional organization seemed to have understood what Jasper was trying to do
Life at the Top Chapter 1124
“You used to be really low-profile and careful with every other listed company you tried to screw over before. So, why’re you making such large movements this time?”
Henry seemed to have transformed into a curious child as he repeatedly asked Jasper questions.
“The Seatreasures Group is too huge, and we alone cannot devour all of it. If anything, it’s highly likely that we’re going to get screwed over instead if we try.
Thus, I have to put myself out in the open in hopes of attracting more capital to the pool.
“The last thing the capitalist market lacks is smart people. Everyone will come to a tacit understanding in the blink of an eye. After all, chances like this to earn such huge sums of money are rare.”
Jasper explained with a smile.
Just as Jasper finished speaking, Jake’s voice rang out as well.
“Mr. Laine, there are other large buy orders. I suspect that an organization has entered the market.”
“I’ve traced the source of the funds. It’s one of the country’s large organizations.”
“Good.”
Jasper nodded in satisfaction. Then, he turned to Henry, who was in awe, and said.
“See, the smart people have already entered the market. We were the first and our initial investment was sizeable. Because of this, these organizations will surround us to form a temporary group. This group will soon suck Seatreasures of every penny it is worth.”
“Wow! ” Henry exclaimed genuinely.
He had a sudden epiphany about how weak his previous methods of asserting dominance were as he resorted to disrespecting and beating people up.
Meanwhile, Jasper had managed to take control over the financial market during their joyful conversation, or at the very least, seized control of the 40 billion Somer Dollar market of a huge group like Seatreasures. This was a transaction worth billions of dollars. This wastrue power.
His methods on the other hand…
They were nothing more than child’s play.
At that moment, Harbor City Securities Regulatory Commission released a statement.
There were three main points in the statement.
Firstly, it revealed that Seatreasures Group was currently under government investigation.
Secondly, it promised and guaranteed that Seatreasures Group’s day-to-day operations would not be affected. It stated that the core management team had already passed the investigation and there would not be any huge personnel changes.
Thirdly, it stated that Seatreasures Group would recycle their 2 billion worth of shares.
With this statement, Seatreasures Group’s share prices were instantly thrown into chaos.
The moment 2 billion of Seatreasures Group’s own funds entered the market, the share prices were instantly stabilized. This was thanks to Jasper and the other organizations that had entered the market beforehand.
The tragic red of Seatreasures Group’s share prices suddenly reverted into a green trend again.
It had only been three minutes since the statement was released and Seatreasures Group before had recovered and turned the tables.
From a low opening price, the shares began to rise, with the trend predicting further increases that were soon to come.
Far away in Seatreasure Group’s headquarters in Teo City, Alban was enraged when he saw this.
“Dammit! These greedy bstards! Jasper you bstard, so you were waiting for this all along!”
Seatreasures Group’s share price had indeed stopped dropping. Alban had achieved his goal, but all of this had happened too quickly and easily.
While he had managed to avert the crisis, the current situation was not something Alban wanted to see.
What he needed was for Seatreasures Group’s share prices to start rising again thanks to the group’s own funds.
However, the rise right now was thanks to Jasper and that group of opportunistic organizations, with the former leading the latter.
In other words, Jasper and those large capitalist organizations were like eager jackals, ready to devour the entire 2 billion that Alban had invested at a moment’s notice!
Life at the Top Chapter 1125
“Mr. Ball, what do we do now?”
The shrewd and capable man felt lost as he stared at the situation before him. Even if Alban was currently enraged, he had no other option but to muster the courage and ask.
Alban panted heavily and replied harshly, “This was Jasper’s objective all along. He predicted that this would happen, and we’ve been forced into a dead-end. There’s no way to turn this around, so we can only march forward even if it. spells our end.”
“Which means…”
The middle-aged man had a sour look on his face.
“Even if we know that Jasper and the rest are going to devour our money, we can’t do anything to stop them?”
Alban closed his eyes. His chest felt tight, and he replied painfully, “Jasper, oh, Jasper. I’ve really underestimated this little brat. Is he really just in his twenties?”
“I suppose it’s only right, he did make his first profit through the stock market.”
Alban thought back to the night a few days ago. He remembered how Jasper had told him with vigor, confidence, and decisiveness that he had made his first big money through the stock market.
Everyone there thought that Jasper was a moron, including himself.
Yet, now Alban finally understood. Jasper was truly skilled.
Forced into a corner, Alban clenched his jaw and pulled out his phone to make a call.
The phone ring for a long time before it connected. Alban began with a grim tone, “Gale, something went wrong with our partnership and now Jasper’s coming for my head. You can’t just let me die like this.”
Gale chuckled and replied, “We had agreed before that the partnership was a one-off thing, regardless of whether it succeeded or failed. Whether or not he is coming after you has nothing to do with me.”
Alban was enraged. “Are you really not going to help me, Old Master Hurlbutt? Aren’t you afraid that the person in Harbor City will cause your trouble?”
Gale replied calmly, “My relationship with them goes no further than a mere partnership. One that has nothing to do with you.”
“Moreover, you think he would trouble me because of you? You really think that because I have retired and decided not to involve myself in business matters that you bullsh*t businesspeople from Teo have the power to compete with the Haddock Chamber of Commerce?”
“Alban, as an old man, let me tell you something. Just stop here. You might not believe what I am about to tell you.
“After the forum that night, Jasper had already predicted the events that would unfold today, as well as your attempts at contacting me to further our partnership. Even so, he gave me a little piece of information.”
“You have something to hold over me, yes?”
Alban was horrified by what he heard. Mouth and eyes agape, he stood blankly in place.
“He called me that night. I know that he was trying to pit us against each other and end all possibilities of us cooperating again. But even if he did not do that, there is no way I would work together with you again. This is because you are just a discarded pawn to me.”
After Gale finished speaking, Alban heard the beeping of a disconnected line.
Crash.
Alban’s phone fell to the floor. He was completely stunned.
At that moment, the shrewd and capable man suddenly shouted in a panic, “Mr. Ball! Jasper and the others have made their move!”
Alban’s head snapped over to the market index.
He instantly saw that the column for sell orders was instantly filled, even though it was almost empty mere moments ago. Transactions now filled the column like a swarm of bees.
Seatreasures Group’s share prices had begun to give again, less than an hour after it showed a bullish trend from a low opening price.
Instead of a dive, it would be more accurate to call this a plummet.
The share prices resembled a crashing plane as it plummeted from the heavens.
Without needing to think, Alban knew that Jasper had made his move.
After Jasper had made the first move, the other organizations followed suit.
Life at the Top Chapter 1126
Seatreasures Group’s share price plummeted.
“What do we do now, Mr. Ball?”
Alban felt lightheaded and his lips dried up.
“Save it! Quick!” Alban shouted heart-wrenchingly.
Seatreasures Group’s share price could not fall at that moment. The statement about the group entering the market with their funds was just released to the public, so if the share prices continued to fall, it meant their self-rescue plan was a failure.
Seatreasures Group would end up being abandoned by the market and completely lose the trust of their investors.
If that were to happen, Seatreasures Group’s shares would become trash that no one wanted.
If Seatreasures Group was unable to gain income through the share market, then it would face the horrible fate of a capital chain rupture.
“Seatreasures Group is still holding on, Mr. Laine.” Jake’s excited tone resonated through the study.
On the large projected screen, Seatreasures Group’s market index looked very strange.
With Jasper leading the charge, the other large capitalist organizations soon began to sell their Seatreasures Group’s shares crazily.
After this, many frantic retail investors followed suit and also exited the market.
The only people buying shares were the Seatreasures Group themselves.
From the way the situation looked, it seemed like Seatreasures Group was trying to fight against the capitalist market all by themselves.
Jasper and the organizations around him did not care about what would happen to Alban, nor did they care that the money they were earning were all the fruits of Seatreasures Group’s hard work and business operations.
Jasper and the organizations were like bloodthirsty sharks as they circled the huge Seatreasures Group. They were ready to open their large mouths to bite and tear away at every inch of Seatreasures’ flesh.
“The Seatreasures Group right now is like a juicy lamb standing on the edge of the cliff while being surrounded by wolves. The moment it steps backward, it’ll fall to its death.
“But if it remains on the edge of the cliff, us wolves will continue to tear away at its flesh. It will hurt, but the lamb might not die. Hence, all it can do is stand in place and watch as the wolves bite away at him.”
Jasper looked back at Henry, the latter’s eyes shining brightly while his checks were slightly flushed. Jasper chuckled and said, “This is the capitalist market. What do you think?”
“So f*cking exciting!” Henry shouted, thrilled.
Jasper laughed out loud. He turned to Jake and said, “Increase the intensity. Have Seatreasures hit and stay at the limit down before the market closes for the morning session. He’ll definitely come lip with a plan to save themselves during the lunch break. The victor will be decided this afternoon.”
“Yes, Mr. Laine,” Jake shouted excitedly. Then, he began to lead his team to short Seatreasures Group crazily.
Under Jasper’s instruction, the capital frenzy reached its climax.
Thanks to Jasper, the organizations, and frantic retail investors, and the overall downward trend of Seatreasures Group’s share price were already set. No matter how desperately Alban strived to rescue the group, there was a limit to the funds under his control.
In just one morning, 15 minutes before the market closed for lunch, the 2 billion Seatreasures Group had prepared completely vanished.
This meant that Jasper and the organizations had already won the round, and had managed to consume the 2 billion invested by Seatreasures Group!
After devouring everything, this group of ‘jackals’ refused to stop as they continued to attack Seatreasures Group’s pitiful share price.
Over the next 15 minutes, Seatreasures Group seemed to be unable to do anything as they hopelessly watched the share price continue to drop.
Without fresh funds entering the market, the group’s share price hit the limit down three minutes before the market closed, where it remained unmoving.
The 1.5 million sell orders morphed into a metaphorical steel coffin, preventing Seatreasures Group’s share price from moving anywhere.
By 12:30 in the afternoon, Harbor Stocks went on break, and the exchange center no longer accepted transactional requests.
The market was temporarily closed.
In one morning, Seatreasures Group’s share prices had dropped another 10% from the day before. Including the 2 billion Seatreasures had invested today, Alban had lost more than 5 billion over the course of just one morning.
Life at the Top Chapter 1127
Holy fcking sht! In just one morning, I turned 5 million into 8 million?!”
Henry was extremely excited.
This sudden wealth was too surprising and timely for Young Master Law, who was terrified of being broke.
“We should be able to earn even more in the afternoon; 10 million won’t be a problem at all. In fact, I think we can earn more than that.” Jasper laughed out loud.
Henry’s funds had nearly doubled, and the 1 billion Jasper invested had earned him around 800 million.
The incident had come right in the nick of time for Jasper, who was also going crazy from how broke he was.
“Let’s rest for now. We’ll continue when the market reopens later. After this is over, Jake, you’ll get half a year’s salary worth of bonus while everyone else will get three months’ worth.”
Jasper would not forget to help the others when he was earning money. Thus, he informed Jake and the team, who were busy analyzing data and information on the other end of the call, of this.
Jake was instantly elated. Jake did not care much about money and bonuses since he was already pretty well off. After all, as a financial investing genius, Jake had managed to become financially independent a long time ago.
Still, everyone loved earning more money.
Not to mention, members of his team still had to make a living and had families to feed.
Cheers immediately rang out and Jake replied with a smile, “Thank you, Mr. Laine.”
Jasper waved him off and said, “Go eat lunch first. There’ll be another battle in the afternoon.”
Jake nodded and replied, “Alright, Mr. Laine. We’re just going to analyze a bit more information so we’ll have a better grasp of the battlefield in the afternoon later.”
Jasper was very pleased with Jake’s dedication, so he gave encouraged the man a little more before ending the video call.
“We should eat lunch downstairs as well,” Jasper told Henry.
Meanwhile, Henry was still drowning in the excitement of making money.
“Seriously, Jasper. How about I pass you most of my money after this? You just need to give me a bit for allowance while you are holding it. A form of long-term financial management, if you will. What do you say?”
Henry was pleased at himself for thinking of such a comprehensive plan.
However, he did not expect Jasper to reject him right away.
Jasper brought Henry to the restaurant downstairs and replied unkindly, “Why do you think your dad’s so strict with your allowance? He wants you to learn that money doesn’t come easy, and he wants you to try and earn every buck by yourself.”
“Just think about it. With your family’s wealth, it’s no issue for them to provide for a hundred of you, let alone just you alone. However, someone has to continue the family business one day.”
“This is a form of training for you. If you park money with me for long-term financial management, then what? Am I supposed to give you allowance after that? I can spare you money for an emergency, but there’s no way I’ll be able to provide for you forever. Furthermore, I’m also scared that your dad will call to scold me.”
Henry’s expression darkened when he heard Jasper.
“Just marry my sister, then. All of the Law family’s assets will go to you. There’s no way we’d make a loss by doing so. Just remember to distribute dividends to me every year. I’m really not interested in doing business at all,” Henry said bitterly.
“Look at my dad. He works all year long and only spends a few days a year at home. He’s busy every single second of the day, and so are you. Look at how boring your lives are.”
Jasper smiled but did not continue the conversation.
When it came to the Law family’s most important and sensitive interests, there was a limit to how much Jasper could say, regardless of how close his relationship with them was. He would be in trouble if he overstepped his boundaries.
Jasper had nothing but respect for Old Master Law and Mr. Law.
He had no desire to be involved in family businesses at all. If possible, Jasper was still willing to help Henry so that the other could continue the Law family business.
After all, Henry was a promising man, and if taught well, could accomplish great things.
The two, as well as Julian, did not go far, opting to order some food at the hotel restaurant instead.
They had just sat down, and some dishes had not even been served yet, when an uninvited guest arrived.
Dudley.
Like a rapid dog, Dudley seemed to have been waiting here for a long time. When he saw Jasper, the man immediately rushed over with reddened eyes.
Reacting instinctively, Julian grabbed Dudley’s collar so that he could not approach Jasper.
Life at the Top Chapter 1128
Dudley began to struggle maddeningly as he shouted at Jasper, “Jasper Laine, I hope you f*cking die!”
Dudley mightjust be a trust~fund child, but had long been aware that what happened this morning was inevitable. He also knew that his family business was in grave danger, and that all of this was Jasper’s fault.
“You f*cking set me and my dad up. Are you even human?! I’m telling you, karma will get back at you for how cruel you are!”
Jasper looked at Dudley and slightly frowned.
He did not expect Dudley to still be in Waterhoof City, let alone to come look for him at the hotel.
Not that it mattered.
“Cruel? Even if I was cruel, I’m still miles away from people like you. Besides, didn’t your dad say it himself? It’s a privilege to lose in business. If you think of it that way, I come bearing gifts for you and your father. You’re welcome.”
Jasper’s words caused Dudley, who was already furious, to nearly lose his mind.
“Don’t act so proud, Jasper. People like you will be crushed one day! I’d like to see how pitiful you’d look then!” Dudley cursed him resentfully.
“Where’d this stupid f*cker come from?”
Henry was in a great mood before Dudley popped up and harassed him. Pissed, Henry swept his gaze over the man coldly and said, “Keep yapping and I will punch your teeth out. ”
Dudley’s eyes reddened with anger while the man panted so hard he seemed like he was going crazy.
He stared at Jasper and Henry, then roared, “Come on, then! If you think you’re so powerful, hit me!”
“Oh, much braver this time, hmm?” Henry chuckled joyfully. He loved stubborn idiots like this the most because they were the most enjoyable to beat up.
He rolled up his sleeves to make a move, but Jasper quickly frowned at him.
Jasper looked at Dudley and asked calmly, “Where’s Lisa? Call her out.”
Dudley was stunned, and he replied instinctively, “What the f*ck are you talking about?”
“You wouldn’t know about me staying here without her help,” Jasper explained calmly.
“Lisa been using you to get rid of me the entire time. Don’t you understand?”
Dudley had heard this line before.
His father Alban had told him the same thing before he left the day before.
He had ignored it then, but Dudley could not help but look back on the entire process again now.
He soon realized that Jasper was right, and that Lisa was just using him.
Lisa had been urging him to take revenge on Jasper the entire way over.
Once he realized this, Dudley clenched his jaw and growled, “That b*tch… but you aren’t any better, Jasper!”
Jasper smiled calmly. “I didn’t tell you this to let bygones be bygones and move on, since there’s no point in doing so. I’m still waiting to destroy Seatreasures Group this afternoon, so why would I care about what you think of me?”
“Let’s be honest, you can’t do anything but shout at me uselessly here. You can do nothing to me at all.”
Jasper’s words cut deeply into Dudley’s heart like a knife.
For the first time, Dudley regretted not building himself up more and waste away all his time on having fun.
At that moment, as he stood in front of Jasper, Dudley felt the full extent of his own powerlessness.
Jasper was powerful; the fate of Seatreasures Group was now in his hands.
Despite this, Dudley could do nothing.
All he had done in this situation was mock Jasper before it happened and shout powerlessly at him after. Nothing more.
As Dudley was in despair, Jasper’s voice sounded again. “Do you want to save Seatreasures Group? This is your family business, and contains the fruits of your dad’s entire life. It’s all up to you now.”
Life at the Top Chapter 1129
Jasper’s words brightened Dudley’s infinitely dark world like a lightbulb.
He stopped shouting and struggling, opting to instead look at Jasper with eyes widened in disbelief.
Jasper was unsurprised by Dudley’s reaction. He had Julian let go of the man as Jasper pointed at the empty chair before him and said, “If you’re interested, how about we sit down and talk?”
Dudley could instinctively feel that Jasper had an ulterior motive. The man could not be so kind.
Yet, Jasper’s offer was too tempting…
After some thought, Dudley walked over to Jasper and sat down.
“Very good. See? Now that we’re off to a good start, we’re already halfway there. I’m sure we’ll have a very happy partnership.” Jasper chuckled.
Dudley took a deep breath and asked, “Are you really willing to stop the attack, and rescue Seatreasures Group?”
Jasper waved him off and replied, “I don’t mind stopping my attacks, but I don’t have any say in letting Seatreasures Group off the hook.”
Dudley was enraged and he accused, “So you really are lying to me! In that case, what partnership can there be?”
“The capitalist market has already started to encircle Seatreasures Group. You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you that I could leave the market right now and have these predatory organizations finish the group off, would you?”
“It’d be a lie if I told you that I can save Seatreasures Group.”
Dudley’s expression flickered drastically.
He might have been a useless trust-fund child, but he still had common knowledge of finance.
He also knew that Seatreasures Group was currently being surrounded by hungry wolves, and that Jasper did not have the power to determine what would happen at such a time.
“But, if I leave the market, then you will have sliver of hope. All those other organizations want is to earn money. Seatreasures Group just needs to take out a sum of money to feed them and they will stop their attack.”
“It would be a harsh blow to the group, but you will survive this incident.”
Jasper continued after he saw how Dudley had calmed down again.
Henry had a weird expression on his face when he heard Jasper’s claim.
Jasper was absolutely horrible.
Henry remembered from Jasper’s analysis that no matter what they did today, they would only be able to severely injure Seatreasures Group. After all, this was a comprehensive group worth 40 billion on the market; Completely destroying it was unrealistic.
Not to mention that they were a comprehensive group, meaning that they could always just halt trading at any moment and leave the market. Other than a heavy blow to their commercial reputation, they would not suffer too much.
Seatreasures Group would not die, not while their pharmaceutical factories, sales channels, and patented medical technology were still around.
Hence, Jasper had only ever planned to earn a sum of money and leave.
Yet, here the man was, using the difference in available information to make a trade. Jasper was using his initial plan as a bargaining chip to force Dudley to strike a deal to maximize his benefits.
What else, if not being absolutely horrible?
At the same time, Henry was also curious. He wanted to know what trash like Dudley could possibly offer Jasper.
What piqued Henry’s curiosity also happened to be the same thing Dudley was confused about
“What do you want me to do?” Dudley asked.
Jasper rapped his finger against the table and went straight to the point. He did not hold anything back. “Don’t you think that it’s an eyesore to have a branch of Haddock’s Chamber of Commerce in a place like Waterhoof City?”
Both Dudley and Henry sucked in a cold breath.
No one expected Jasper’s secondary plan.
Dudley’s stared at Jasper, his emotions unstable.
Jasper took a sip of tea casually and continued, “To put it plainly, I want you businesspeople from Teo to use your contacts and powers to completely get rid of Haddock Chamber of Commerce’s Waterhoof City branch.”
Dudley’s eyes flickered in consideration.
“Businesspeople from Teo and Haddock have always been at each other’s necks. Seatreasures Group is set to receive heavy injuries this time around, and if you’re not going to use this opportunity to weaken the Haddock Chamber of Commerce, then how are you going to fight them again in the future?”
Jasper’s words had Dudley clenching his jaw as the latter replied, “I can’t decide something so important myself. I have to discuss this with my dad.”
“Go ahead,” Jasper shrugged.
Dudley turned and left after hearing the reply. It seemed like he had walked off to contact Alban.
Alban’s tone was harsh.
Jasper had never expected the same words he used to trick Dudley to also work on Alban. Despite this, Jasper smiled and replied, “You’re too serious, Mr. Ball. They may be my enemy, but they are your enemy as well. Even more so than mine.”
“You’re right, Seatreasures Group will still be Seatreasures Group whether I pull out of the market or not. The question is, how much of Seatreasures Group will be left?”
Alban answered darkly, “Stop trying to lie to me, Jasper. You must’ve earned quite a bit this afternoon, huh? How many of Seatreasures Group’s shares do you still have in your account now?”
“If you’re going to keep attacking this afternoon, then you’re going to have to buy Seatreasures Group’s shares first. You’re going to end up throwing away all the profit you made if you attack the company again!”
“At the end of the day, it is all still is your money, Mr. Ball. The amount I earn doesn’t really matter to me,” Jasper replied.
Alban’s breathing grew heavier on the other end of the line. The man was far from calm.
Jasper’s words hit Alban where it hurt most.
“So, Mr. Ball. Will you chose to lose everything or will you opt for a win-win situation?” Jasper asked.
Alban sneered. “Win-win? More like you winning again.”
Jasper chuckled but did not say any more.
He knew that Alban had already made his choice.
As expected, Alban replied grimly after a short moment of silence, “I hope you don’t go back on your word.”
“Don’t worry. It’s only an hour or so until the afternoon market reopens. I’ll make sure to completely exit the market once it reopens,” Jasper replied.
“Alright. I’ll put pressure on the Haddock Chamber of Commerce once you pull out.
“But let me make it clear now. You explain this to Gale yourself.”
Jasper replied calmly, “There’s nothing to explain. This is the price he has to pay.”
“Ha, what a cruel young man you are.”
“You’re making them fight each other. What a sinister play.”
Henry told Jasper after Dudley left.
“Be it Teo Chamber of Commerce’s Sea treasures Group of Haddock Chamber of Commerce’s Gale. It’s going to be very difficult for us to deal with either of them alone, so we can only borrow external powers.”
Jasper shook his head calmly.
“Besides, this is a mutually beneficial relationship and they have no reason to decline.”
After a moment, Dudley returned and handed his phone to Jasper unkindly.
Alban wanted to speak to Jasper directly.
Jasper did not hesitate as he took the phone and placed it by his ear.
“Jasper. Dudley may be an idiot but do I look stupid to you too?”
“Seatreasures Group will still be Seatreasures Group whether you pull out of the market or not. You think that this is a good enough reason to let you use the Teo Chamber of Commerce to get rid of your enemy? Who do you take me for?”
Life at the Top Chapter 1130
Harbor Stock’s lunch break was over and the greatly anticipated afternoon market officially opened at 2:30 p.m.
However, a strange movement on Seatreasures Group’s share prices appeared once the afternoon market opened.
The share price that had been locked on the limit down this morning had begun to shift again.
Then, Seatreasures Group released an official statement.
The group, alongside several financial organizations, announced that they had signed a term sheet where Seatreasures Group’s chairman Mr. Alban Ball would pledge 24.13% of his shares in return for a total investment of 5 billion Somer Dollars from the financial organizations.
Seatreasures Group had a current market value of 40 billion. Ignoring the situation with premium shares, 24.13% was worth at least 9.7 billion. Yet, he had sold his shares for 5 billion dollars.
It was not a profitable trade no matter how one looked at it.
Despite this, there was no other option. At such a time, Seatreasures Group had no other choice but to accept reality.
After this statement was released, Seatreasures Group made another official announcement stating that these 5 billion Somer Dollars will all be used to recycle their company’s shares on Harbor Stocks.
With that, the humongous purchase order had managed to completely devour the millions of orders at the limit down.
At that moment, both organizations and retail investors sought out Jasper with widened eyes.
Despite this, Jasper, the first to attack this morning, had completely vanished.
The organizations that followed Jasper into the market were angry and exasperated once they realized that Jasper had left.
Jasper had either gotten wind of what was going to happen beforehand, or he had arrived at a deal with Alban. Otherwise, there was no way Jasper would leave in the afternoon after earning such a huge amount that morning.
Not that it mattered, since everyone still made money in the end.
Among them, Jasper had managed to earn a whopping 900 million profit from Seatreasures Group. He had made a huge profit.
In any case, this incident had ended with Jasper exiting the market.
Alban had lost almost 7 billion today, and he was mocked as the wealthy businessman that lost the most money around the world today.
“Mr. Ball, the share price has stabilized for now. Or at least, it’s not touching the limit down anymore,” The shrewd and capable man reported to Alban, the latter looking haggard as he sat in his office.
“How much did we lose this time?” Alban asked darkly.
The other man hesitated before he replied softly, “Including the shares you pledged at half-price today, we’ve lost around 7 billion as of now.”
“Bang!”
Alban slammed his palm on the table and roared indignantly, “It’s also that b*stard’s fault! Jasper took at least six to seven hundred million from me!”
The other man replied despondently, “The government’s statement had come too coincidentally and out of the blue. We did not have any time to prepare at all. There’s nothing we could do but endure it when Jasper and the other organizations took this opportunity to take a huge sum of money from us.”
“But Mr. Ball, do we continue with the plan involving Haddock’s Chamber of Commerce’s Waterhoof City branch?”
Alban harrumphed and replied, “Of course. Why should we stop?
“We’ve already lost so much, so how can we let Gale that old man continue living comfortably? Get to it right now. I’d like to see the look on that old man’s face once I get rid of Haddock Chamber of Commerce’s power in Waterhoof City.”
At the same time, Jasper had already split the profits with Henry.
“It’s such a great feeling.”
Henry grinned so wide that his lips reached the back of his head as he looked at the money in his account.
Jasper had immediately liquidated all his positions once the afternoon market opened. Thanks to the last burst of funds, the 5 million Henry had invested, which was more like a little more than 4 million, had returned to his bank account as 10 million.