Ch. 1221..1230
Life at the Top Chapter 1221
Opening the door, he saw Conrad standing outside. “What are you doing here?”
Prince stared at Conrad icily and asked.
Conrad gave a small smile and replied, “Did you forget, Your Highness? Today’s the deadline we set one week ago. I’m here to take back the 1 billion you owe us.”
Prince was stunned for a moment before he waved the man off in annoyance. ‘Get lost. I’m not in a good mood now so don’t make me attack you. Can’t you tell what kind of situation I’m in? Where am I supposed to get you the money? I’ll pay you back once my dad returns.”
Prince was about to close the door after he said this. However, Conrad raised his hand to stop the door from closing.
Faced with Prince’s dark gaze, Conrad said with a small smile, “We signed a contract in black and white, Your Highness.
“The 1 billion was lent to you for one week without any interest. But if you were unable to return the 1 billion when the time is up, then three companies under your name had to be liquidated.”
Prince finally understood that Conrad had come to collect his debt.
“What are you implying here?!”
Prince glared at Conrad icily and said venomously, “Are you claiming that I won’t be able to pay you back?!”
“Of course not,” Conrad shook his head.
“Your Highness has Clear Seas’ support and your father is one of the country’s financial industry’s leading figures. There’s no way you couldn’t pay the 1 billion back.”
“So, you are aware! ”
Prince sneered and continued, “Then what are you still doing here?”
“Your Highness.”
Conrad pulled out his loan contract and said calmly, “Either I leave with the money you owe us, or I leave with a stock transfer agreement for the three listed companies today. There’s no way I can return empty handed.”
“You wouldn’t f*cking dare!”
The fury and humiliation Prince had been suppressing over the past week exploded at that instant.
Prince pointed at Conrad’s nose and scolded, “As if you’d f*cking dare! You’re just Fabian’s dog! Not even Fabian would dare to speak to me like this, so who do you think you are?”
“I’m telling you right now! I don’t have your money and you can dream on if you think I’ll sign some stock transfer agreement! What can you even do to me, huh?!”
Conrad looked at Prince, who was both furious and fearless, then shook his head while sighing. “I guess there’s no other option, then.”
After this, Conrad tilted his body slightly and moved out of the way so that the people behind him could move forward.
Out from behind him walked Jasper, with an impatient Henry and a calm Julian following closely behind.
Prince’s mouth gaped in shock at the sight of this, his mind had yet to process what was happening.
“Looks like the crown prince is in financial embarrassment and debt.”
Jasper said first with a smile.
Jasper then turned to look at Conrad and replied, “Mr. Monty, His Highness is still Clear Seas’ crown prince and I’m certain that he’d repay his debt in due time. How about this, I’ll pay you 1 billion instead, and you transfer the creditor fights to me? Would that be alright?”
Conrad chuckled and glanced at a dazed Prince before replying, “Of course. All I need is the principal loan amount. The crown prince is of formidable status and I am but a mere dog. I would never dare to collect the crown prince’s debts.”
Prince watched as Conrad and Jasper spoke in an almost rehearsed fashion.
Conrad then handed the loan contract to Jasper as Prince felt a rush of blood rise to his brain. He roared, “Motherf*cker! You set me up?”
Conrad glanced at Prince and replied calmly, “You might not know this very well, Your Highness, but the most distinguishing characteristic of a dog… is that it bites.”
Life at the Top Chapter 1222
Prince paled at Conrad’s words.
Not out of fear, but infuriation.
Due to the huge difference in status between the two, Prince had never considered Conrad a threat.
He meant it when he said that Conrad was merely Fabian’s dog, as he truly saw Conrad as nothing more than a dog that could speak the human language.
This was also why Prince acted as arrogant as he did with people who were below him in terms of identity and status.
His disrespect for Conrad was the reason why Prince was so furious when he realized that Conrad had played him like a fool.
“Son of a b*tch! I’ll kill you for this!”
Prince shouted and raised his fist to punch Conrad. Conrad had already learned of Prince’s mad dog like aggression and was prepared this time.
The man took half a step backward and moved out of the way.
No one knew if it was coincidental or intentional, but Conrad moving out of the way put Henry right in the path of Prince’s fist.
Henry, who had been in a horrible mood since Prince set him up more than a week ago, was already itchy with the desire to fight since they made their way over.
Hence, when Henry saw Prince’s fist coming toward him, he did not care if it was a misunderstanding or not as he grabbed Prince’s wrist backhandedly. Before the man would yelp, Henry raised his foot to kick him in the stomach.
Prince was a young master whose body had long been hollowed out by alcohol and sex. The man was no match for a powerful trust-fund child like Henry who constantly trained his body and even picked up a few tricks from Julian. This kick landed on Prince’s stomach solidly.
Everyone watched as Prince widened his eyes and curled over like a cooked prawn. The man opened his mouth but no sound came out. His expression was extremely pained and twisted.
“Did that feel good, motherf*cker?”
Henry barked out a wretched smile and raised his hand to grab Prince’s collar. The former’s eyes shone fiercely.
“White… White Glove! How dare you f*cking stand dare and watch him kill me?” Prince suppressed the pain in his stomach and shouted.
Once he finished speaking, the figure of a middle aged man appeared by his side.
White Glove raised his hand to grab Henry’s hand which was on Prince’s collar.
Everything happened in a flash.
Before Jasper and Henry could react, Julian first grabbed White Glove’s wrist and stopped the man. Julian appeared beside Henry in a flash and reached out to meet White Glove’s pahn mid-air.
The two parried each other’s blows seven times in the blink of an eye.
Both Julian and White Glove had backed down at the same time once Jasper and Henry realized what was going on.
White Glove remained unmoving while Julian had a slight sway in his stance. It seemed like the latter had lost slightly.
However, White Glove did not manage to get Prince out. This fight had ended with a draw.
White Glove looked at Julian intently and said, “You’re rather skilled, young man.”
Julian did not say anything as he glared daggers at White Glove while oozing with fighting spirit.
Henry jumped once he realized what happened. He grabbed Prince’s collar with one hand and raised the other to slap Prince’s face.
“Motherf*cker! Trying to scare me with dogs, are you?” Prince was impatient and angry after taking an unwarranted slap. He felt both wronged and mistreated.
“Mr. Law, perhaps you could listen to a servant’s words? Since you’ve come to solve a problem, then how about we solve the issue first? Fighting would not help the situation at all.”
White Glove seemed to recognize Henry and said to the man.
Henry scoffed and replied, “Who are you? If you know that you’re just a servant then why are you speaking now? Is this the place for you to talk?”
Prince finally realized the situation he was in.
He had lost this round.
However, his loss that he merely needed to pay the price and leave. It would be pointless to also be beaten up by Henry.
After coming to that conclusion, Prince quickly said, “Look, Henry. You wouldn’t dare kill me. Even if you did, you’d only be in deep trouble.”
“You win this time and I’ll just pay whatever price you want me to pay! But if you beat me up, then I’ll do everything to fight back!”
Henry looked at Prince icily and sneered. “You still think you’re in the position to negotiate terms with me, idiot?” Henry then held Prince down and beat him up.
Prince shouted raspily in pain. He wanted to fight back but he was no match against Henry. He could not even evade the other’s attacks.
White Glove frowned slightly and wanted to make a move but Julian was currently staring down at the man. The current situation was clear. Prince and Henry would deal with their own issue and no one else would interfere.
If White Glove wanted to get involved, Julian would not just stand by and watch either.
Thankfully, Henry did not lose his rationale. While he was beating Prince up, his attacks went no further than a few slaps and perhaps a few kicks. Most of the attacks were focused on the man’s limbs; his thighs and arms. It might hurt a lot, but it posed no danger to Prince’s life.
The beating lasted for another few more minutes before Henry panted and kicked Prince one last time on the ground. Pointing at the man, Henry scolded, “I’ve officially got beef with you now, you hear me, stupid f*cker? This beating is revenge for setting me up, but this doesn’t mean I’m letting you go.”
“You better walk the other way next time you see me, or I’ll beat you up every time I see you!”
“Think twice about whether you can afford to suffer the consequences before you try to plot against me again.”
“I’ll give you one word of advice today. Next time, you’d kill me in one go, or I’ll beat you to death for it!”
At this moment, Prince looked absolutely embarrassing as he laid on the floor bruised and battered.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his lips and stared at Henry with utter hatred. He clenched his teeth as the internal anger and resentment he felt filled him with the urge to eat Henry alive.
However, the man’s last remaining shred of logic stopped him from saying anything harsh.
Prince himself knew that saying something rude would only lead to him getting another heating from Henry.
Prince rose to his feet with great difficulty and grit his teeth. “Fine, then. You people are cruel!
“But the future is unknown. Just you wait!”
Prince then limped away, intending to return to the room.
“Did you forget, Your Highness? That the three listed companies under your name don’t belong to you anymore?”
Jasper’s words had Prince’s expression paling immediately.
Life at the Top Chapter 1223
“Are you really going to go so far to get rid of me, Jasper?!”
Prince stared at Jasper and shrieked pitifully. Prince was completely humiliated.
There was nothing wrong with the son of a wealthy family like him losing once. It was only slightly embarrassing.
However, to be completely beaten up by Henry just now was truly humiliating.
Even so, according to the unspoken rules of trust-fund children, you could utterly humiliate them but you could not touch what made up their power.
He did not expect Jasper to ignore this unspoken rule. Who was he kidding? Jasper had spent over 1.3 billion funds on this and even promised ownership of two of these listed companies to others.
Jasper would suffer a huge loss if he did not take his share from Prince’s foundational powers.
There was no way Jasper, a man who considered breaking even as a loss, would make such an unprofitable trade.
“And you’re not afraid that my dad will make you pay for this?!”
Jasper replied calmly to Prince’s frantic threat, “If I choose to back off now, would the crown prince give up on your revenge?”
Prince was completely stunned.
His threat was just a formality, for he already felt hopeless.
However, upon hearing Jasper’s words now, it seemed like the threat worked on the man.
A huge gush of hope surged in his chest and Prince frantically answered, “Definitely! There’s never been any deep resentment or hatred between us anyway, right?”
“If you’re willing to let me go, then we’ll put this matter to bed. I promise I’ll never cause you trouble again.”
‘Motherf*cker. Once I catch my breath and my dad comes home, you’ll be the first one I’ll get rid of!’
‘Not only will I kill you, but I’ll kill your whole family too!’
‘I’ll kill everyone that’s got connections with you!’
Despite what Prince thought internally, his expression was still extremely sincere.
Jasper nodded and smiled after he heard Prince.
This caused Prince’s hope to grow, and the man could not help but smile in relief as well. Yet, before Prince could continue making promises, Jasper wiped the elated expression clean off of Prince’s face.
“You made it sound very sincere. But I don’t believe you.”
Prince would not be this disappointed if Jasper had rejected his plea for mercy in the beginning.
Utter hopelessness was when someone lit an ember of hope within you during your time of desperation, only to smother it right in front of you. This was how Prince felt now.
The abundance of hope Prince once felt now turned into despair and fury.
“Hahaha. Look at this f*cker’s face. Did he actually believe you?” Henry pointed at Prince and laughed out loud.
Grinding his molars, Prince stared at Jasper and roared, “How dare you play me like a fool, Jasper! F*ck you! Kill me if you think you’re so powerful, then! But if you don’t kill me now, I’ll make you regret it in the future!”
“Kill you?”
Jasper said calmly, “Murder is illegal and people like you aren’t worth committing a crime over. I’m a law abiding citizen, you see.”
“Not only do I obey the law, I even have the duty to report any illegal behavior I see.”
Jasper then clapped his hands. The clap seemed to be a signal, as a group of people walked over from behind right after this.
Life at the Top Chapter 1224
Timothy was in the lead. Behind him was a large group of people.
Prince was stunned. When he saw Timothy again, a horrible feeling filled his chest
He looked at Conrad subconsciously, only to see an expressionless face.
“Prince Chavez!” Timothy shouted, resentful and furious.
“You killed my son! I’ll make you pay for this!”
At this moment, despite the extreme unease he felt, Prince mustered the bravery to argue, “What kind of f*cking nonsense is that? Henry was the one who killed your son! It has nothing to do with me!”
Timothy scoffed and replied, “The incident’s already been investigated! You threatened my son and pushed him while he was drunk, causing his head to knock against the coffee table! That’s how he died! You’re the murderer that killed my son!”
At this moment, the color drained from Prince’s face and even White Glove’s expression changed. Everything could still be negotiated if this was merely a struggle of interests.
However, there was nothing to be done once homicide was involved.
Looking at the group of people staring Prince down, for the first time ever, White Glove felt lost about what to do.
No matter how loyal he was to Vere, or how powerful he thought himself to be, he still could not help Prince fend off this murder charge.
The Chavez family’s status was too high, and there were just too many people with their eyes on this family!
No one could endure the result of this murder.
At this moment, all White Glove could do was hope that Prince genuinely had nothing to do with this murder. Unfortunately, his heart sank when he spotted Prince’s colorless complexion.
Prince… was truly frantic now.
No matter how powerful their family was, there were a few red lines trust-fund children in the country could not cross.
Poison, arms dealing, and murder. The first two resulted in the death penalty while the latter ensured a tragic end.
“Cut that bullsh*t! I never did anything to your son! You think you can frame me?” Prince struggled for the last time, like a gravely injured lone wolf.
“Prince Chavez! Don’t think that just because your family’s powerful that it means everyone will be afraid of you! My Burke family might not be as wealthy as your Chavez family, and your family might be able to get rid of me easily, but what do I have to fear for when my only son’s dead?! I’d risk my own life if it means I’ll make you pay!”
Timothy shouted in extreme fury as he stared at Prince with bloodshot eyes.
Prince took an instinctive step backward and turned to look at Conrad again. He was about to say something when he heard Conrad tell Timothy with a smile, “Your enemy is right before your eyes, Mr. Burke. What are you waiting for? Make him pay his price.”
Conrad’s words had figuratively kicked Prince into the abyss.
“F*ck you, Conrad! You were the one that came up with the idea but you’re also the first to sell me out once there’s a problem?!”
Conrad looked at Prince and said calmly, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Also, please don’t spout nonsense. You’re already carrying the weight of murder. Do you also also want to face defamation charges?”
Prince wanted to say more but the sound of a police siren suddenly cut through the room.
Jasper watched the chaos in front of him expressionlessly. He did not know what Timothy would do in his bout of rage, so it would always be better to hand such incidents to the police instead.
A group of uniformed officers rushed to the scene as the man leading them walked over to speak to Prince. “Prince Chavez, you’re suspected of being involved in the murder of Halbert Burke, and are the prime suspect. I hereby summon you according to the law, please cooperate with our investigation.”
Then, he waved his hands as two of his subordinates immediately came over to restrain Prince.
Prince did not stop struggling while he roared, “Let me go! My dad is Vere Chavez! You wouldn’t dare to arrest me!”
Life at the Top Chapter 1225
Jasper shook his head when he heard Prince’s words. This man had gone completely crazy. He would not have said something so stupid if he this was not the case.
As expected, the middle-aged man shouted, “I don’t care who your dad is! You’ll have to face legal charges if you committed the crime! Cut the nonsense and bring him away!”
A few officers then began to drag Prince to leave.
At this moment, White Glove had no other choice but to step forward. “Wait. ”
The middle aged man looked at White Glove warily and asked in a solemn tone, “Who are you?”
White Glove replied, “An employee of the Chavez family.”
The middle aged man responded expressionlessly, “Even if you were his employee, please don’t obstruct us from performing our official duties.”
White Glove replied, “I’m an employee of the Chavez family, not his personal employee. I have no intention to obstruct your official duties either. I was just hoping that you would let him make a call to his father before you bring him away.”
Prince seemed to become enlightened when he heard White Glove. He struggled and shouted, “That’s right! I need to call my dad! You have no right to prevent me front calling my dad!”
Jasper arched his brow slightly.
It had to be said that in terms of intellect, White Glove was much more capable than Prince.
It would be an extremely unwise choice to protest against an arrest at that moment. The best course of action would be to immediately contact Vere.
Still… there was nothing that could be done.
White Glove’s plan would be doomed from the start. As expected the middle aged man remained unmoving as he replied, “My apologies. But Prince Chavez is currently a huge suspect, and according to our regulations, he’s not allowed to contact anyone for the moment except his lawyer.”
White Glove frowned slightly and glanced at Prince exasperatedly. Then, he took a silent step backward to state that he would not hold them back anymore.
The middle aged man’s expression eased slightly at the sight and waved his hand. “Bring him away.”
Before Prince left, the man turned his head to stare at Jasper and Conrad before he said resentfully, “Just you two wait! You two will die once I get out!”
Prince was then pulled away before he could finish threatening them.
After Prince left, White Glove walked over to Jasper and said expressionlessly, “Jasper Laine, right? I’ve read a lot about you.”
“It’s an honor,” Jasper replied calmly.
White Glove tugged at the corner of his mouth and said meaningfully, “What happened on the stock market could be regarded as child’s play. The old master did not care about that. But I don’t think he’ll let this matter so easily anymore.”
“Is this a word of advice or a warning?”
White Glove narrowed his eyes at Jasper and replied, “Depends on how you interpret it.”
“Sorry, but I’m horrible at understanding things.” Jasper shrugged. With a smile, he asked warmly, “Or perhaps you’re implying that these are things Prince can do, but I‘m not allowed to?”
“Prince was the one who framed Henry. All I did was reveal the truth behind the incident. Comparing the nature of these two behaviors, my actions are countless times better, no?”
White Glove harrumphed and gave Jasper one intense look before he turned to leave.
Life at the Top Chapter 1226
Standing next to Jasper, Julian stared at White Glove’s back and said, “I can make him stay if you want, Jasper.”
Jasper waved him off and replied, “No need. He’s just Vere’s subordinate, and getting rid of him won’t change anything. Vere Chavez is our main concern.”
Julian did not say anything anymore when he heard this. Julian knew nothing when it came to power and planning, but he did not fear anyone when it came to physical fights.
The only person who ever posed a threat to him was the man beside the little prince. White Glove was skilled, but Julian would not lose against him.
After White Glove left, Timothy walked over to Jasper and Henry before bowing deeply to the two.
“I’m really sorry, Mr. Laine, Mr. Law. It was all a misunderstanding before and I was blinded by my hatred. Thank you two for discovering the truth behind my son’s death, otherwise the true culprit would’ve gotten away with it.”
Jasper clapped Timothy’s shoulder and said softly, “Nothing is too far when a father is taking revenge for his son. Since it was a misunderstanding, all that matters now is that the misunderstanding’s cleared up. There’s no need to feel guilty about it anymore.”
Jasper then glanced at Henry and said, “How about you two shake hands? Fatherly love is something we all have to understand.”
Henry was not an unreasonable man and said tensely, “It’s fine. You lost more than I did in this incident, so I won’t hold this over your head either.”
Timothy smiled wryly and replied, “Thank you two for your generosity.”
“Mr. Burke, both of us are well aware of the truth here. While Prince was involved in your son’s death, it was still an accident.”
“Prince is in the wrong, but their family’s power and the circumstances of the case means that he won’t be in too much trouble. He might be out after some time, so what do you have planned?”
The corner of Timothy’s mouth twitched and he sighed deeply. While it brought immense joy to say something cruel, Timothy had to admit that he was powerless against a figure as powerful as the Chavez family.
The man seemed to age a dozen years at this moment a she replied, “Let’s see what the charges are first. From what I can tell right now, it’ll most likely be a bit of financial compensation and some simple punishment.”
“After all, he didn’t intend to kill my son, but my son still died because of him. Therefore, it’ll simply be a matter of when I take my revenge against him!”
Timothy then bowed to the two again. “I’m not in the mood to dwell here any longer, gentlemen. So, if you’ll excuse me.”
Timothy then turned and left. No matter how one looked at it, the man’s silhouette appeared desolate.
Jasper turned around after sending Timothy away and realized that Conrad was nowhere to be seen. “When did Conrad leave?” Jasper asked.
“He left while you two were talking to Timothy. He told me to give this to you before he left.” Julian handed Jasper a document.
Jasper chuckled when he saw that it was a company stock transfer agreement with Conrad’s signature on it. The debt was officially between Conrad and Prince, so Conrad still had to liquidate it himself. The transfer of creditor rights was just a little performance they had put on for Prince.
It would be truly troublesome to carry that transfer out. After Conrad transferred the other two company’s stocks over to Jasper, he saved the one for himself.
After Conrad transferred the other two company’s stocks over to Jasper, he saved the one for himself.
Both of them remained silent and tacit. They took their respective benefits and moved on. Whether they would be friends or foes the next time they met would be up to fate.
“Now that this is finally over, let’s go. I’m paying, so let’s eat something good and relax.” Jasper stretched his back and said with a large smile.
Life at the Top Chapter 1227
Jasper and Prince’s battle came and went quickly, like a tremendous gust of wind.
People within the industry were still watching the situation and predicting whether Clear Seas’ huge capital would enter the market to help their crown prince when the battle had suddenly ended.
Jasper walked out away with complete victory. Of course, everyone was smart and they knew that the matter was far from over.
“Vere’s currently being held back by something outside the country. To old crafty people like him, a small issue or some trouble their child was facing is far less important than some huge partnership they were formally negotiating.”
“To a group as huge as Clear Seas, these three listed companies can hardly be considered important businesses, so it’s not worth making a big deal out of losing them.”
“The only thing that probably rattled him would be Prince involvement in a homicide.”
Jasper analyzed the current situation with Henry in the restaurant.
More than combing through the situation, Jasper was trying to guide Henry into understanding the thought process of someone from a higher status as well as their perspective.
Henry also realized that this incident had indeed affected him to some degree. It taught him that in front of true bigshots, the simple identity of the Law family’s third generation was far from enough.
In the end, having a powerful background when fighting someone of a high enough rank only ensured that he would not be killed off. After all, no one would want to risk a full out war with the Law family by killing Henry.
“What should we do next, then?” Henry asked.
Jasper shook his head but did not engage on Henry’s topic. Instead, he grabbed his wine glass and clinked it with Henry’s before he asked, “When are you going back to Harbor City?”
Henry looked at Jasper as if the other was a ghost. “How did you know I’m going back?!
“After what happened this time, there’s no way you can still fool around here in the Mainlands. Either you get your life together once you go back this time, or you stay in Harbor City obediently for the rest of your life.”
Henry’s expressions darkened. Jasper’s words had hit him where it hurt.
While Harbor City was still much more developed than the Mainlands, and there were many better places to enjoy one’s self there, the problem with Harbor City was that the place was too small. Henry had long enjoyed his fill of Harbor City, so the Mainlands were comparatively much more attractive to him.
More importantly, he and Jill’s relationship was still at its early stages. While the two were currently in conflict, every relationship had its ups and downs, and he would not give up on Jill over something so insignificant.
“I’ll go back and see what my dad says. I’m bored of Harbor City already, so worse come to worst, I’ll just agree to some condition that involves losing autonomy, but I’d be my own man.” Henry was very confident.
Jasper smiled and replied, “There’s another month or so before I have to start setting up for the huge and profitable plan. Stay in Harbor City before then, and I’ll have your dad let you out once the time’s right.”
Henry’s eyes lit up and this good news immediately diluted most of the dejection he felt from being dragged around and locked at home by his dad.
“Deal!”
“Deal!”
Once he decided to leave, there was no point on dwelling around any longer. Thus, after lunch that afternoon, Henry bought a ticket back to Harbor City from Waterhoof City.
After Henry left, Jasper started communicating with Jake.
This was a huge opportunity Jasper had had his eyes on since he reincarnated. The biggest chance to earn big money within the next five years.
Jasper had also hoped to win big with this opportunity, and had already accumulated all the capital JW would require in its inception. It was never too early to plan for something this big.
“Clear all my securities accounts in the United States’ share market.”
Jasper’s first sentence stunned Jake in Harbor City.
“Mr. Laine, the economy is stable worldwide right now, and the plummet brought by the bursting of the dot com bubble from before has also begun to recover. According to our predictions, we’re still very far from the peak.”
“To sell the securities now would be to give up all the interest we could gain in the short term…”
As Jasper’s subordinate, and an important figure in the investment Learn, Jake had the right to propose his opinions to Jasper.
Despite this, Jasper shook his head and took a sip from his teacup. “Let me ask you. How many assets do I have in the United States share market?”
Jake immediately replied, “You currently hold six stocks in the United States Securities Exchange, four stocks in New York Securities Exchange, and twelve stocks in Nasdaq Securities Exchange. The total amount from all three exchanges adds up to…”
After a small pause, Jake continued, “Adds up to 1 billion and 468 million Somer Dollars. In addition to the 200 million reserve funds, you have a asset pool of 1 billion and 668 million Somer Dollars.”
Jasper nodded, satisfied with this amount.
Jasper had control of less than 1.2 billion worth of assets in the United States’ stock market when he first had Jake start managing them.
After more than half a year, thanks to the exciting recovery of the economy, he had managed to earn a profit of 500 million. This was a wonderful result no matter how he had invested it.
“Do you think it’d be that easy to liquidate so many stocks when the stock market becomes bearish?”
Life at the Top Chapter 1228
Jake was stunned when he heard Jasper’s question.
Everyone’s dream when trading stocks would always be to buy in at the lowest point and sell out at the highest price.
This might not be difficult for retail investors, since all they needed was a sharp eye, a bit of luck, and courage.
However, a portfolio as huge as Jasper’s almost 1.7 billion worth of funds was a huge sum in comparison to the countless retail investors who operated on a smaller scale.
It was impossible to pull such a huge sum out of the market when the prices were highest.
Not when the volume of this investment was big enough to interfere with a small portion of the market.
To Jake, the most important thing was Jasper’s judgment of the stock market’s future development.
“Mr. Laine, do you think that the stock market will drop in the future?” Jake asked impatiently.
As an extremely professional trader, Jake believed in numbers and data above all else.
However, there was no sign of a drop in the current data or the overall market. He had no idea what Jasper’s judgment was based on.
However, Jasper’s glorious records urged lake to take the man seriously.
‘Drop?
‘It’s going to do more than just drop.
‘The markets are going to plummet!’
Jasper thought to himself, but he could not explain his thoughts to Jake.
He could not possibly tell Jake that a group of powerful terrorists would drive two planes into New York’s World Trade Center in one and a half months, thus resulting in the biggest, most tragic, and most impactful terrorist incident in the entire world.
“You can take this as an intuition of mine. Don’t think too much about it, just do as I say. Pull out from the market slowly and try your best to not attract attention.”
“At the same time, open positions in the gold futures market. Open many positions but keep every market order small. As I said, keep a low profile.”
Jake’s brow twitched at Jasper’s words.
Global trade was growing in this new millennium, and no country could close its borders and order a national lockdown. As a result, the global economic situation was deeply intertwined with worldwide stability.
The rise and fall of the financial securities market might not represent much in and of itself, but a fall in stock prices coupled with an increase in gold prices could only mean an international conflict was about to occur.
‘Does Mr. Laine have intel on some outbreak of war somewhere in the world?!’
This thought terrified Jake.
However, the man did not dare to ask further. Jake had always known his limits when extremely important and secretive information was involved.
“I understand, Mr. Laine. I’ll get to it immediately.”
Jasper nodded after receiving Jake’s reply, then ended the video call.
As of this moment, Jasper’s business in Waterhoof City was pretty much completed. Counting the days, Jasper realized he had stayed in Waterhoof City for almost a month.
Jasper was just about to start planning his return to Southeast Province when he suddenly received a surprising phone call. It was from Stephen.
“Mr. Laine.”
Stephen sounded very courteous over the phone.
“My new movie Monastery Soccer’s about to be released in the mainlands for the first time tomorrow. Its first stop is in Waterhoof City. I was wondering if you’d have the time to join the premiere.”
Stephen was an extremely talented man.
Coupled with the fact that the man had made extremely little progress in the early years of his start up, Stephen ended up seeming aloof and cold most of the time.
His character meant the man did not have many friends, while bad rumors about him also began to circulate.
However, this did not stop the man from shining. If he was involved in the movie, the movie was basically set to be a blockbuster.
Moreover, Stephen was not an idiot either. He knew to whom he had to act high and mighty in front of and who to remain humble and honest toward.
Jasper was currently the biggest mogul in Harbor City and the Mainland’s entertainment industries. The man’s resources could easily decide which artist would flourish and which could wave goodbye to their careers. It did not matter how many fans you had or how many big bosses you knew. If Jasper shook his head, then you had nothing but a blacklist waiting for you. A blacklist on all aspects, too.
This was the range of Jasper’s influence in the Mainland’s and Harbor City’s entertainment industry.
Capital was what determined the king in the entertainment industry; A ruthless reality truer here than in any other industry.
This was also why businessmen with resources and contacts had never lacked women, and were constantly being fawned over by female celebrities that civilians considered of superior status.
After much difficulty from Scarlet’s side, Stephen had managed to get in contact with Jasper and gotten the man’s investment. With that, Stephen’s career began to pick up as well.
Thanks to Jasper’s investment, Monastery Soccer was the first film Stephen’s filming company produced after its establishment. With Jasper’s support, Monastery Soccer’s box office sales in Harbor City was even more impressive than they were in his past life. Here in the Mainlands, Stephen needed Jasper’s support even more.
While Jasper… in all honesty, the man would have forgotten about his investment in Stephen’s film company had the man not taken initiative to call him.
There was nothing that could be done. Jasper’s business spread too far. If not for the quarterly financial evaluation his company ran, there was no way Jasper would remember all the assets and projects he invested in.
With this result, Stephen’s box office sales would certainly do well in other places around the world in the future.
Not to mention that Monastery Soccer could not be shown in mainland cinemas in his past life. Thanks to Easy Media’s help this time, there seemed to be no issue with showing the movie in the Mainlands.
Tomorrow would be its premiere.
“As expected. Film productions really do make a lot of money.”
Jasper thought back to the 10 million US Dollars he had invested into Stephen. From this film alone, after paying production, advertisement, theater distribution, and sales channel expenses, he would be able to gain back more than half of the principal sum.
Jasper was soon in a good mood as he had a great feeling about the entertainment media’s future.
Life at the Top Chapter 1229
The following day, Jasper first went to fetch the gentle and soft Tiffany from Hoofmorn University.
This lady loved watching Stephen’s movies in his past life and she always used to complain about how one needed to watch Steph’s films in the cinemas. Thus, every time Stephen’s films premiered in cinemas in his past life, she would always drag Jasper along to watch it with her.
This was a feeling shared by a majority of eighties children in the mainlands.
Therefore, Jasper did not forget her this time.
“Really? Do you mean it, Jasper? Can we really go to the premiere?”
“A few of my classmates and I have already heard about this long ago. This is the first time Steph’s film is launching in the Mainlands and a lot of classmates are planning to line up overnight to buy tickets once it’s released in the cinemas!”
Jasper smiled when he heard Tiffany’s excitement. Everything was worth it if it made Tiffany happy.
Not to mention, Jasper could tell from Tiffany and her friends’ reactions that Monastery Soccer would earn a lot of money this time.
Whether it was due to the production quality of Monastery Soccer, Stephen’s branding, or the Mainlander’s appreciation for Stephen, a miracle was destined to happen with the box office sales.
“Of course I mean it. Since when have I lied to you?” Jasper asked with a smile.
“Jasper, will there be a lot of celebrities there?” Tiffany asked worriedly.
Jasper gave it some thought before he replied. He had never attended a premiere before, but he had seen the scene from all sorts of entertainment news channels before. The host would normally invite good friends and formidable figures they knew in the industry to hype up the premiere.
Not to mention that both the mainland’s Easy Media and Harbor City’s Advent Entertainment Group valued this premiere greatly. This film was the first attempt Harbor City was making to introduce their films to the mainland market, so there would almost certainly be a lot of fuss surrounding it.
“There should be,” Jasper nodded and affirmed.
“I’m so nervous,” Tiffany said softly.
“Celebrities are people too. There’s nothing to be nervous about. Who knows, maybe they’ll be the ones trying to please you when the time comes,” Jasper said with a crescent eyed smile.
Due to Jasper’s current status in both territories’ entertainment industries, the man was not showing off when he said this.
However, Tiffany did not know that, so she thought that jasper was simply joking with her.
The car soon arrived at the booked venue, Golden Exchange International Cinemas.
As a state own enterprise, Golden Exchange was the first national theatre chain and currently the most high-class cinema in the country.
At this moment, the cinema had already been decorated for the premiere of Monastery Soccer.
Many reporters were conducting interviews on both sides of the carpet as a bunch of excited movie fans who had been chosen to watch the premiere lined up outside the venue.
Before they could enter though, the more important agenda on the itinerary was the arrival of celebrities. Quite a few celebrities had already arrived by the time jasper brought Tiffany to the scene.
One had to admit that both Easy Media and Advent Entertainment Group were unrivaled in the entertainment industry.
Every celebrity, regardless of status in the Mainlands and Harbor City, had tried their best to participate in this premiere.
Attending this premiere would give them a chance to meet Stephen and potentially work with the man. More importantly, luckier celebrities might even get in contact with senior executives of Easy Media or Advent Entertainment Group, at which point they would be set for life.
When Jasper and Tiffany got out of the car, the sight that met them was the grandiose of an extremely sophisticated award ceremony.
“Ms. Flowers, could I ask…”
Life at the Top Chapter 1230
“Mr. Williamson, I heard that you and…”
“Ms. Barlow, your recent project in…”
All renowned and top-notch celebrities in both the Mainlands and Harbor City seemed to have arrived as well.
Jasper had not informed Easy Media or JW Entertainment Group that he was attending. Jasper had even told Stephen that he wished to come in a relatively low profile manner.
Thus, Jasper’s attendance was completely incognito such that no one was aware of his arrival.
Jasper and Tiffany had just gotten out of the car when cameras began to flash and blur his vision.
“Relax a little. These reporters are only taking pictures of celebrities. All we have to do is ignore them and walk in.”
Jasper comforted her when he saw how Tiffany tensed slightly.
Tiffany grabbed Jasper’s hand tightly and nodded. She looked on with shock at the celebrities that were being surrounded and interviewed by reporters.
“There are so many people clamoring after them for interviews, Jasper. It’s so majestic.”
Jasper followed Tiffany’s gaze and looked at these so-called prestigious actors and actresses. He naturally thought back to how humbly and courteously these people bowed, toasted, and spoke to him when they ate together before.
Jasper said with a crescent eyed smile, “I can raise you to their level if you want. You could be as famous as them.”
Tiffany beamed into a smile in response. “No thanks. I can’ t sing and my acting skills aren’t that great either. I won’t be able to do it.”
“When it comes to the performing arts, it all comes down to money. If the money says yes, then you’ll get it no matter how unskilled you are. If the money says no, then you’ll never make it big regardless of your capabilities,” Jasper said meaningfully.
Tiffany blinked. Innocent and unaccustomed to the harshness of reality, she did not really understand what Jasper meant.
As the two conversed and were about to enter the venue, a voice rang out from behind.
“Those in front! Don’t you two know that this is a red carpet for celebrities only? Get lost immediately!”
An ear piercing shriek caused jasper to turn around. Only to see a woman, dressed to the nines with decent features and a slim figure.
“This is where the guests enter. I’m here to attend the premiere as well, so it’s only natural I enter from here.
You can walk first if you’re in a rush, but what’s with your aggression?” Jasper asked calmly.
The woman scoffed and looked Jasper and Tiffany over. After confirming that they were not from within the industry, she said, “You guys are guests? Bullsh*t!”
“All the guests here are huge celebrities, and I don’t recognize you two. What right do you two have to walk in here?”
“With one look I can tell that you two are just nobodies non-famous artists trying to take advantage of this opportunity to walk the red carpet! Either that or you two are mindless fans! Stop acting already!”
The woman then pointed at the car behind her arrogantly and said, “Do you even know who’s in the car behind? It’s Terra’s idol prince! You’d get lost and not block the roads if you knew what’s good for you! Otherwise, I’ll make life a living hell for you two! ”
The woman’s arrogant and domineering attitude had even Tiffany infuriated, let alone Jasper.
“You, you’re being too unreasonable!” Tiffany said angrily.
The mockery on the woman’s expression deepened. “Are you getting lost or not? Did I not make myself clear? This isn’t a place for questionable people like you!”
“Run off to the back if you’re here for a celebrity’s signature. They might give you one if they’re in a good mood. Otherwise, I’ll call security to throw you out right this instant!”