Ch. 1861..1870
Life at the Top Chapter 1861
The situation was dire and Swallow Capital was moving as efficiently as possible.
Just as Jasper sent away the little prince and Lord Alvarado and was about to meet with Moses and Simson, who had rushed over urgently, the news from Swallow Capital arrived.
Tony was the first one to call. While Jasper was feeling puzzled, he heard Tony say, “Mr. Mason and I are on the wayfrom the airport. He will tell you the specific details later.”
Jasper stopped prodding when he heard that. Then, he hung up the phone after confirming he understood.
After hanging up the phone, Jasper raised his head and looked at the frowning Simson and Moses before saying slowly, ” In fact, this is what happened. I just talked with Lord Alvarado and the little prince,and they are basically fine with this. However, the Great Northwest is the Great Northwest, and the Tri Delta is the TriDelta. Somerland is a big place and there are many places where there are concealed talents.
“Especially the Southeast Province, where the Millers are located, and Canter County, where the Davidsons are located, and particularly Canter County. As the first special economic zone, I will not give up on the power here.”
Simson smiled bitterly, “Mr. Laine, I understand what you mean, and I also understand your painstaking efforts, but over the years, the Davidsons have been extremely low-key locally and we rarely have any contact with other families. Even if there was contact, it was only for business, and our relationships were very surface -level without forming any deep friendships. I’m afraid it’s a bit difficult to suddenly ask us to persuade them.”
After Moses saw Simson speaking up first, he immediately added, “It is a similar situation for me. Moreover, my side is relatively poorer. You should know that, Mr. Laine.”
Jasper frowned slightly upon seeing their reactions.
He believed that Simson and Moses were not making excuses, but if they said they were powerless, then it would be pure
nonsense.
The reaction of the two also proved to be the essential difference between them and Lord Alvarado and the little prince.
It was the lack of one word, structure. “I know it’s not easy, and that’s why I asked you two. Otherwise, I could find
anyone at random. Why did I insist on asking you to come out?”
Jasper continued flatly, “Or, shall we talk about terms?”
Simson said hurriedly, “Mr. Laine, you really misunderstood us. We didn’t come with the idea of negotiating terms at all. If we were to seek benefits, we would not take the initiative to come to seek cooperation before this, right?”
Moses also nodded.
Jasper frowned. He was really not sure what the two people were worried about. Just as they were about to speak, Mr. Mason and the others arrived.
Tony and Mr. Mason were not the only ones who arrived. Rather, it was a group o f three.
Tony and another middle-aged woman whom Jasper did not know came along with Mr. Mason.
Jasper did not dismiss Moses and Simson. The two were not comparable to the little prince and Lord Alvarado. Although they were all rich and famous, their backgrounds were different and their friendship with Jasper was also different. I f Jasper wanted them to help them unconditionally, he would need to either give them benefits that they could not refuse or show them an authority that they could not resist.
Swallow Capital did not call him, but instead, they asked Mr. Mason to come here to convey the message in person. This was an intimidating level of authority.
And it was an authority that could not be resisted by families with complex backgrounds such as Moses and Simson.
“Mr. Laine.”
“Mr. Mason.”
When Jasper met Mr. Mason this time around, the latter had hurried over from Swallow Capital and was travel-worn.
The two shook hands and smiled at each other.
At this moment, Tony, Moses, and Simson could only watch from the side. O n this occasion, they naturally did nothave the right to speak in front of Mr. Mason.
“Mr. Laine, although it was just a few days since I last saw you, the situation has changed a lot. Everyone, including me, isvery worried.”
Mr. Mason was obviously hiding something in his words. Jasper thought for a moment and replied, “Although thesituation is not optimistic, there is no need to worry too much. Somerland can’t be defeated.”
Seeing that Jasper understood what he meant, Mr. Mason laughed and patted Jasper’s arm affectionately. He said, ”Good, very good. Young people and entrepreneurs ought to share the courage and responsibility that you possess Mr. Laine. I’ve told the higher-ups what you told me before as well as what you told M r. Pratt. They have already made a decision and the reason I come this time i s to officially appoint you.”
Jasper was taken aback for a moment. Then, he asked, “Appoint me?”
Mr. Mason reached out to gesture to the middle-aged woman who had been smiling and keeping quiet the whole time. After that, he said, “This is the deputy director of the Finance Division of the Ministry of Commerce, Ms. Gina Garcia.”
Simson and Moses could not help but glance at each other.
The deputy director of a major government ministry would be equivalent to an assistant department level position a t the very least.
If she was downgraded someday, she would still be a member of the sub province government
In their eyes, the assistant department minister was not a top official, but she was one of the leaders of the Finance Division of the Ministry of Commerce, that is, the immediate boss of businessmen like them. Hence, they had mixed feelings internally.
“Hello, Ms. Garcia.”
Just as Simson and Moses were lamenting the fact that Jasper’s network had reached this point, Jasper greeted Ms. Garcia on his own initiative.
The smile on Ms. Garcia’s face became more amicable when she said, “I won’t be exchanging pleasantries with you. I will first convey the appointment of your superior.”
As she said that, Ms. Garcia took out a very formal document from the briefcase she carried with her and began to read it
out “After careful discussion and long-term observation, it is now decided that Comrade Jasper Laine is appointed as the special consultant the National Development and Reform Commission, and that he will enjoy the special allowance and treatment of the State Council. This appointment will take effect on the date of promulgation.”
After reading it out, Ms. Garcia handed. over the appointment documents to Jasper and said with a smile, “Mr. Laine, this appointment letter contains the high expectations of your superiors. Please accept it.”
Jasper was torn between laughter and tears.
At this moment, Simson and Moses’ eyes were almost turning red behind him.
They were envious.
Although the title of a special consultant had no real power at first glance, this kind of title without real power was a treasure that some businessmen in Somerland craved for throughout their entire lifetimes.
What did this represent? It represented
official recognition.
This kind of title had more value than any local qualification of the National People’s Congress that could be obtained with money.
Just as they were feeling extremely envious, Ms. Garcia took out another bright red job offer.
She smiled and said, “This letter of appointment was brought by the chancellor of Evergreen University. Evergreen University hopes to hire Mr. Laine as an honorary guest professor, and they wonder if you would be interested.”
Life at the Top Chapter 1862
To be honest, Jasper himself was also taken aback, let alone Simson and Moses.
He was a man who had lived two lives and yet he only had a bachelor’s degree from a diploma mill in this life and hislast life.
He did not think ever think about furthering his studies. He did not need a postgraduate degree and a bachelor’sdegree was already enough.
However, he never expected that he would be able to become an honorary guest professor at Evergreen University.
One had to understand that this was Evergreen Universty. Together with Swallow Capital University,they were known as the top universities in the country.
However, Jasper’s attention quickly shifted from this letter of appointment to the one that was previously read out. In a practical sense, the title of a special consultant would be the most helpful to him.
Although he had no real power, Jasper had never thought about going into politics anyway, so he did not need real power at all. In this case, official power would only cause trouble for him.
All things considered, the most unique benefit would be the special allowance from the State Council.
This thing would last for a lifetime, and h e would be able to enjoy it until he died. The most important thing was that itsquota was extremely precious. If one did not make any great contributions in their respective fields and industries or hadextremely high reputations, it would be impossible for them to obtain this.
The people who got to enjoy this were mostly scientists conducting academic research and development, or scholarswith prominent statuses in the academic field.
As for the merchants… there was not a single one who enjoyed this benefit.
In Jasper’s memory, he should be the first businessman to receive this special allowance.
“Mr. Laine, you are the first entrepreneur i n our country to enjoy this special allowance.”
Ms. Garcia seemed to see through what Jasper was thinking and proactively explained.
Her words also confirmed Jasper’s guess.. Jasper laughed and said, “What virtues or abilities have I displayed to be soappreciated by my superiors?” “It’s not appreciation.”
Ms. Garcia shook her head and said, “This is what you deserve. There are often conflicts and oppositions when the higher -ups are making a decision, but there was no such conflict during your appointment.”
“Everyone saw your performance, and we hope that you can continue to maintain it. We all need you to contribute, especially during this special period.” Upon hearing that Jasper’s appointment was made by the people at the highestlevel, Simson and Moses did not dare to say anything anymore. They could only stand properly in the corner and listen. Atthe same time, they raised both ears,fearing that they would miss something.
No matter what was said next, they knew very well that after going back tonight, they would need to explain the wholesituation to their families without missing any details.
They needed to change their attitudes anddecisions toward Jasper now.
Back then, they were friendly and were doing this on goodwill, but now they had t o cooperate more closely with Jasper,whatever the cost. “Of course, we also know that you have made a lot of sacrifices to do these things.At the very least, JW will probably never be able to enter the United States market in the future, and we all understand this.”
Jasper solemnly accepted both
appointment letters with both hands.Then, he said with a smile, “Should there
be a chance to benefit my country, I would do it with my life and death; how could I choose to embrace or avoid such a duty just because of my weal and woe?”
This sentence made Ms. Garcia and Mr. Mason look at each other. Then, they saw the deep relief in each other’s eyes.
“Okay, the Securities Regulatory Commission will fully cooperate with you next. Moreover, the plan for the social security fund to enter the market has also been approved in today’s meeting. The relevant person in charge will contact you directly and I hope that you two will cooperate wholeheartedly.”
Ms. Garcia said and reached out her hand t o Jasper.
Jasper also stretched out his hand to grip Ms. Garcia’s hand firmly. Then, he said,
I will do my best.
“Also, if I may be so bold as to ask a favor from Ms. Garcia and Mr. Mason…” Jasper said suddenly.
Ms. Garcia said, “If you have anything we can help with, just speak up.’ Jasper laughed and said, “This is not my business. Before this, I communicated with the Alvarados from the Northwest and the Royals from Waterhood City. They are willing to do their best to execute this well. The power of private capital is huge and complex, and there are large and small entities scattered all over the country. So, I plan to organize an economic forum in Waterhoof City. If possible, can Ms. Garcia and Mr. Mason come to say a few words?”
Who were Ms. Garcia and Mr. Mason? They had been in the system for a lifetime, and they were very clever. They instantly understood what Jasper meant after he said that.
“In principle, it is possible, but because there is no specific time, we’ll have to arrange the itinerary. After you determine the time and place, tell Mr. Pratt and we will come,” Ms. Garcia replied with a grin.
“That would be great.” Jasper beamed.
Ms. Garcia, Mr. Mason, and even Tony were very busy people, especially during this special period. If Jasper did not hold
the special position as he did now, they would not be able to take time out of their busy schedule to fly over in person.
Thus, after they finished talking about
official business, the three of them bade
farewell and left.
Jasper did not urge them to stay. After he sent them to the door and watched them leave, he returned to his office.
As soon as he arrived back at his office, Simson took the initiative to speak before Jasper had the chance to even open his mouth, “Mr. Laine, about what you said t o me before, please give me a little time and I will it explain to my family immediately.”
“Us too.”
After Moses finished speaking, he put his hands together in a loyal manner and said sincerely, “As long as you need something, the Millers are willing to give i t their all.”
Jasper chuckled softly. “That would be great, Well then, let’s not delay any more, You two should go back to talk to your families first. I will wait for your good news.”
The two nodded. Finally, Simson hesitated before asking carefully, “Mr. Laine, I wonder if it’s alright for me to ask: What kind of attitude do the higher – ups have?”
Jasper glanced at Simson and replied flatly, “A few decades ago, our ancestors created our country with their flesh and blood. A few decades later, their successors would not allow foreigners to act wantonly in this land in any way.
“Our Somerland has a population of more than one billion, and not a single soul would agree to such a thing.”
These words horrified Simson and Moses, but at the same time, they were also a little ashamed.
They were ashamed of their hesitation and uncertainty.
“Okay, we understand. We will go back immediately and try to get this matter settled as soon as possible,” Moses said sincerely.
After the two left, Jasper sat in the office and let out a sigh of relief.
Sure enough, him wasting his breath convincing them was not as important as the statement sent from the higher-ups.
After a while, Jake approached him.
“Mr. Laine, the United States market will open in half an hour. What should we do today?”
Jake knew the domestic situation that had taken place in the morning. Hence, his entire team, including himself, was holding a grudge and could not wait to vent it in the United States.
Life at the Top Chapter 1863
“Short sale the subprime market completely and push the subprime mortgage crisis to its peak. Today, thefour major investment banks will have to lose something, which will serve as burial offerings for the losses Somerland has suffered.”
Jasper’s words destined that today would g o down in the annals of history.
As soon as the United States financial market opened, the market was turbulent, even before JW Foundation could make a move.
It was the age of information and news could be delivered extremely fast. An event in the northern hemisphere could be transmitted to the southern hemisphere in an instant, much less the tragic incident of Somerland’s stock and futuresmarkets being sniped by Wall Street capital in the United States.
Therefore, the United States financial market had long been psychologically prepared to face the insane revengecarried out JW Foundation. Even so, they did not expect the determination and strength of JWFoundation to be so great.
Five minutes after the opening, thealready crippled subprime market wasonce again shorted by JW Foundation.
The sky-high empty orders filled the
subprime market with the smell of blood.
Falls, falls, and falls!
Everything was falling!As long as it was a traded product, it was
falling.
Financial products shrunk dramatically,and their market values were depreciatingwith every passing minute and second.
Under such high pressure, a magicalscene appeared.
There were only sell orders in thesubprime market.
“Today JW Foundation will inevitablylaunch bloody revenge. At this time, noidiot will enter the market to take them on.”.
The president of Morgan Bank frownedand said.
“But if this continues, the entire marketwill crash,” the assistant said cautiously.
“Let it crash then. This is what weexpected anyway, and they have chosen abank as the sacrifice to calm Jasper’sanger, isn’t it?”
The president of Morgan Bank had a halfsmile on his face. It was a rather weirdexpression.
He looked as if he was basking in
schadenfreude, but at the same time, he
looked as if he was having mixed feelings.
“I didn’t think there would come a daywhere we would need to quell the enemy’sanger with a sacrificial lamb.”
The first to bear the brunt of the collapse o
f the subprime market was LaymanInvestment Bank, which had accumulateda large number of assets in the subprimemarket and could not escape because ofthe lock-up.
Today, Layman Investment Bank
remained the same, but the people inside changed.
Dugg was no longer sitting in thechairman’s office, but instead, it was Half-the-Harbor Langdon.
At this moment, Half-the-HarborLangdon had a gloomy expression on hisface as he listened to Kayden’s report.
“Dad, if the market continues like this,Layman’s net asset value will keepdropping, and on the contrary, our debtwill grow higher and higher.
“I have read the financial reports ofinvestment banks. The entire investmentbank has tens of billions of dollars in thesubprime market that cannot berecovered. The sunk cost of this alone is ahuge burden!
“What’s even more extreme is that nearlya quarter of the credit products werebought when the market price was at itshighest. There is still at least one yearbefore the expiration of the creditproducts, but their value has shrunk by asmuch as 70%.
“In other words, these assets have cost usmore than 6 billion US Dollars so far.”
Kayden became more frightened as hespoke. Then, he gritted his teeth andcontinued, “And once these creditproducts are completely converted intowaste paper by Jasper, the tens of billionsof dollars in debt alone will be enough tocrush us.”
Half-the-Harbor Langdon spoke blanklyand calmly, “I have transferred 20 billionHarbor Dollars from Fongroup. Use thismoney to deliver Layman’s high-pricedcontracts into the subprime market first,and then we’ll think of other solutions.”
Kayden was taken aback.
Only the family members knew what wasgoing on in the family.
Both of them had already used up all oftheir wealth to buy Layman InvestmentBank.
So, where did this 20 billion come from?“Dad, did you…”
Before Kayden could finish, Half-theHarbor Langdon answered, “I used thefamily’s investment trust fund ascollateral.” Kayden’s heart trembled as he said, ” That’s our last escape route.”
“Kayden.”
Half-the-Harbor Langdon raised his head to look at his son and said seriously, Many times, we can’t afford to leave escape routes for ourselves. Only by burning our boats can we get a chance of survival during desperate situations.” ”
“Dad, what do you mean? Have we reached this point?” Kayden asked in a panic.
Half-the-Harbor Langdon did not answer immediately. Instead, he took out a few documents from the drawer and threw them in front of Kayden. He said, “Take a look at them. You’ll understand after reading them.”
Kayden looked at the seemingly unremarkable documents and suddenly got a bad premonition.
After forcibly suppressing his anxiety, he picked up one of the documents and opened it.
“Florida Douglas Bank Bankruptcy Claim Form.
“Arizona Angel Bank Bankruptcy Claim Form.
“St. Aegis Bank of Maine Bankruptcy
Claim Form.”
They were countless bank bankruptcy
claim application forms splayed on the table, and Kayden’s brains were almost boiling as he read them.
“What the hell is going on? Did these
banks go bankrupt together at an agreed
time?”
Kayden was not a fool. It could be seen from the date of application that these banks, which had long been insolvent were just forcing themselves through this. Then, they all filed for bankruptcy claims immediately after Kayden and his father bought Layman Investment Bank.
He would not believe anyone who claimed that this was not a trap.
“You see it too.” Half-the-Harbor Langdon was speaking ina monotonous voice. He continued, ”I’m afraid that we have fallen into a welldesigned trap.”
“The claim of these three banks alone is a
s high as 74 million US Dollars. Dad, ifthis goes on, the insurance contract alone is enough to suck our blood dry, let aloneLayman’s!”
Kayden gritted his teeth and said, “It’s nowonder that these punks insisted that weprovide insurance to small and medium –sized banks. They even agreed to makeconcessions on the price just for the sake of this. It turns out they wanted us to takethe fall for this.”
“It’s too late to say that now.”
Half-the-Harbor Langdon looked atKayden seriously and said, “I give you theright to use those 20 billion HarborDollars. You must pull Layman out of thequagmire of the subprime market.”
Kayden said bitterly, “Dad, it’s notenough. It might help if we have 20 billionUS Dollars, 20 billion Harbor Dollarswon’t do anything in the current market conditions.”
“Go find Jasper.”
Half-the-Harbor Langdon said suddenly. He gritted his teeth and continued, “Use the property rights of all our industries in the mainland in exchange for him releasing all of Layman’s position contracts. If he is willing, the 20 billion will be enough.”
Life at the Top Chapter 1864
After hearing what Half-the-Harbor Langdon said, Kayden’s first reaction was to deem it impossible.
He said, “Dad, aside from the fact that the property rights in the mainland are the result of so many years of our hard work, those are high-quality assets that can rise sharply in the future. Jasper will not agree because of his relationship with us.
“It is possible that he, more than anyone else, wants us to go bankrupt now the most. Can we even approach him?”
Half-the-Harbor Langdon seemed to expect Kayden to think that way. He said, “He will agree.
“Jasper’s roots are in the mainland. Even though his relationship with the United States and his actions in the United States financial market has greatly improved his status in the mainland, everything in this world has two sides.
“He was favored by the mainland, but the price of this was the permanent hostility of the United States and the vigilance of other Western countries toward him. “So his base can only be in the country. For him, these assets are precisely the best nutrients that can help him spend countless hours deploying to various cities on the mainland.
“As for the other problem you mentioned, it’s not even a problem.
“Do you not think that Jasper is like me?”
Half-the-Harbor Langdon’s words stunned Kayden such that he could hardly react in time.
“Jasper is a businessman through and through. When he does anything, he considers the advantages and then weighs it against the disadvantages. When the benefits are greater than the costs, he will do it. As for other personal feelings, it is not the most important thing to him.”
Half-the-Harbor Langdon leaned back on the chair and said in a very complicated tone, “Actually, I often think that if you possessed half of what Jasper had, we would not be where we are today.
“Go. Talk to him.”
Kayden gritted his teeth and said, “Dad,are we really going to beg him?”
“Beg?”
Half-the-Harbor Langdon snorted coldly. He said, “If it works to beg him, even I could do it, but what’s the use of justbegging him? At the end of the day, it’s just an exchange of benefits. Are you unable to let go of your pride, or do youhave other concerns?”
Kayden snapped, “Dad, I think the crux of the problem is that even if Jasper agreed t o release Layman’s position and Layman i s temporarily released from the subprime market crisis, those damn banks provided junk credit loans to countless people inthe United States. Once they go bankrupt,we will be pulled back into this.”
“We have to solve our problems step bystep, so you can’t rush this. Now what liesahead is that if the crisis of the subprimemarket is not resolved, then there will be no future for us at all.”
Facing Kayden, who was looking for allkinds of excuses, Half-the-HarborLangdon finally could not hold back the Langdon finally ot hold back the
anger in his heart. He, who had always been gentle and cultivated, rarely lost his temper.
“We acquired Layman Investment Bank for less than half a month before Layman went bankrupt. Do you want us to become the laughing stock of the world? Or do you want me to talk to Jasper in person?”
Kayden opened his mouth as he looked at his furious father, but eventually, he did not say anything. After that, he sighed dejectedly and replied, “Okay, I’ll go talk t o him.”
At this moment, in Nauritus City in Somerland.
Jasper was holding a cup of strong tea. Then, he looked disapprovingly at Jake’s fragrant coffee.
“Mr. Laine, is the smell too strong? I can move away,” Jake offered, feeling slightly embarrassed.
“Never mind, just stay.”
After shaking his head, Jasper looked atthe market on the screen. He chuckled andsaid, “Not bad. The goal of our strategyhas almost been achieved.”
“Did the people from the United Statesgive up on the subprime marketcompletely? They didn’t fight back at all,”Jake asked, feeling pretty pleased.
The task went smoothly, and everythingproceeded in an orderly manner. Hence,Jake naturally felt relaxed.
“You can say that. We could only targetthe subprime market. If it were the stockmarket or other financial markets, itmight not have been so easy.”
Jasper sighed.
At the end of the day, it was still a matter of background. The reason why he could doanything he wanted in the subprimemarket was that the United Statesgovernment acquiesced to use his hand toclean up the malignant tumor in theireconomy.
However, if you followed Wall Streetcapital’s operations in the domestic market, you would inevitably face a hard battle.
This was the difference in economic background between the two countries.
Jasper never thought Somerland was weaker than any country in the world. He even thought, with the bias of a bit of nationalism, that Somerland was the greatest nation and country in the world. However, he still had to acknowledge reality.
This was also the fundamental reason why people in Somerland had gritted their teeth and stubbornly strived hard for development.
However, Jasper was not a person who was willing to become others’ tools. He was already plotting a huge plan in his mind, and once it was successful, he would reap the top ten technology giants i n the United States in 20 year’s time. These companies would then control the future, the future of the whole world!
“There’s movement.”
Jake suddenly gasped, interrupting
Jasper’s thoughts.
Then, they saw a large amount of fundsbegin to uncharacteristically enter thesubprime market. After this, theydeliberately liquidated more than a dozencredit products in a targeted manner.
“Bring me the information on these creditproducts.”
By the time he gave his order, Jake wasalready prepared with what he needed.
After reading the information, the two
raised their heads and said in unison, ”
Layman!”
Yes, the largest customers of thesemultiple credit products all pointed to onecompany, Layman Investment Bank.
Coincidentally, at this moment, a videocall request was sent to the Jaspercomputer.
Jasper was amused when he saw theperson’s name.
“You should leave first,” Jasper said.
Jake nodded. As he was about to leave, heasked, “So, what are we going to do with the changes in the subprime market?”
“Don’t worry, he’s just sending us a signal. The focus is still on this coming conversation,” Jasper said.
After Jake left, Jasper sat down and
answered the video call.
After the computer screen flickered for a while, Kayden’s handsome face appeared.
Jasper was the first to speak. He said with a grin, “Mr. Langdon is glowing with health and vigor. The bruises of the injuries you suffered some time ago are all gone. Presumably, medical treatment offered in the United States is much better than that in Somerland. I can’t see the embarrassment you suffered when you were beaten at that time.”
This opening line enraged Kayden so much that he almost passed away on the spot.
Life at the Top Chapter 1865
“You don’t have to talk to me like that. It won’t work on me.”
Kayden said with a cold expression, “Who in this world does not exist for profit? You can get a group of people to go against Wall Street for your benefit, and I can also make other choices for my benefit. I can’t be the bad guy just because I don’t want to side with you. We’re all grown-ups so there’s no need to be childish, right?”
“Benefits? Childish?”
Jasper chuckled. His unbothered eyes suddenly turned sharp, and the smile on his face also disappeared bit by bit.
“Kayden, if you said this while sitting infront of me, believe it or not, I would havepunched you in the face.”
Kayden said coldly, “Jasper, I didn’t come to quarrel with you today.”
“No? Then we have nothing to say. You can enjoy your beautiful scenery abroad while I enjoy the time of my life inSomerland. Since we don’t have anything i n common, let’s not waste each other’s time.”
After Jasper finished speaking, he hung u p the video decisively. Meanwhile, in the United States, Kayden
was dumbfounded. Although he had foreseen that this conversation would not be straightforward easy, Kayden did notexpect Jasper to be so cruel. This was very different from the impression of Jasper that he had in his mind.
Was it possible that when he had risen to a higher position, he finally shed his polite appearance and started to reveal hisfangs? When he thought of this, Kayden smashed the glass in his hand.
The secretary outside the door heard thecommotion and entered the room.hurriedly to clean up.
However, the enchanting body of the foreign lady that had previously won Kayden’s heart only made him more upsetat this moment. “Get out!”
After Kayden’s roar, the office fall back into silence.
After calming himself, Kayden took a deep breath and requested another video call
aggrievedly and helplessly.
It did not matter if Jasper had shown histrue self or whether he was purposelytoying with Kayden. After all, Kayden wasmore inferior now so he could only chooseto suffer in silence.
Jasper was thrilled when he saw the video.call request again.
It seemed that the father and son duo wastruly driven to desperation.
He did not even hesitate before he rejectedthe call.
When Kayden saw that he was beingrejected, he was so mad he started lookingfor more glasses to smash.
Kayden felt utterly humiliated andinsulted right now. He gritted his teethand started cursing, but in the end, he stillsent another request while brimmingwith anger.
Jasper finally answered the call on thethird try.
“Don’t hang up!”
Kayden, who was scared that Jasper wouldhang up again, spoke the moment he wasconnected, but after he finished speaking,he realized that Jasper did not speak firstthis time. Instead, he just looked atKayden with a smile.
Kayden felt his cheeks turning hot, but hedid not know whether it was from anger or embarrassment. Kayden took a deepbreath and said, “Jasper, let’s put asideour grievances, I just want to negotiate adeal with you. You can take it if you thinkit’s good, and you can just forget it if youdon’t. It’s that simple, okay?”
“Let’s hear it,” Jasper said lightly.
Kayden clenched his fists silently when hesaw that Jasper was looking at him with an unbothered expression, clearly nottaking him seriously.
He swore in his heart that once he gotthrough this difficulty and gained momentum in the future, he would make Jasper pay for the humiliation he suffered today a hundred-fold.
Although he was seething inside, Kayden did not dilly-dally.
“Fongroup and all the properties in mainland under me and my father’s name will be packaged and transferred to you, while all you have to do is release Layman’s position in the subprime market and let Layman get through this.
“The contents of this deal is that simple.”
After hearing Kayden’s words, Jasper
narrowed his eyes slightly.
Sure enough, Layman could not hold on
anymore.
Half-the-Harbor Langdon and his son I could not hold on either.
The J. Langdons’ industry in the mainland was a piece of fat meat and it had attracted many drooling hungry wolves.
Among other things, the J. Langdon father and son had been holding the most central plot in Paradise City for 20 years. When they finally withdrew from the
mainland, they resold it and made a profit of more than 50 times.
In the past, this land was sold to them by the local government in order to attract them to invest while the duo had also promised to build a large-scale business district.
However, after they got the land, they did not do proceed with any construction or development at all. Later, when Paradise City started developing, such a wasteland was left untouched in the prosperous central area, which made countless people wring their hands and sigh.
In the end, the father and son decided to divest and leave. Hence, they took a profit of 50 times their investment and turned around to invest abroad.
Where did these profits come from?
They were the hard-won wealth of the people of Somerland.
This certainly was the disgusting nature o f that old fox, Half-the-Harbor Langdon, but one had to admit that this old fox had a unique vision. He bet 20 years ahead of time and was right.
Moreover, this was just one of their
countless investments in the mainland.
If you considered from a purely
commercial point of view, these industries were all hens that would lay golden eggs in the future.
Kayden inwardly praised his father when he saw that Jasper was moved.
Sure enough, his father was right about Jasper. He was a businessman through and through. As long as there was interest, there was nothing that could not be exchanged.
‘Jasper, no matter how good you are, my father can still see through you.’
Kayden felt proud.
Jasper was silent for four to five minutes.
Kayden did not rush him. Instead, he waited quietly for Jasper to make a decision and give him a reply.
Four to five minutes later, Jasper spoke.
“How long can Layman last?”
This question was beyond Kayden’sexpectations.
However, he replied, “This has nothing todo with our transaction, but if you insist on knowing, I can tell you that thefoundations of Fongroup is deeper thanwhat outsiders think.”
“So, you’re saying that Layman’s crisisand the risk of bankruptcy of small andmedium-sized banks are not enough toaffect Fongroup?” Jasper asked again.
Kayden’s face sank and he asked, “Jasper,
what do you want to say?”“Since Fongroup won’t be affected, then
why did you come to me?”
Jasper chuckled and continued, “I’mcurious as to how deep the foundations of
Fongroup run. I have no othercharacteristics, but once my curiosity ispiqued, I won’t be able to sleep if I don’tget an answer.
“It just so happens that I’m havinginsomnia during this period. So, in order to let me sleep peacefully, I’ve decided towait it out and see. I want to see how thick Fongroup’s flesh and blood are and why Layman can’t suck it dry.
“Mr. Langdon, what you said is right. You can make different choices for your own benefit, but at the same time, you have to understand that many things are already destined the moment you make your choice.
“I’m in the country and you’re abroad. I will be here to watch you rise and prosper. Then, finally, I will watch everything you own collapse, while you end up with nothing.”
After he said that, the video call ended.
Life at the Top Chapter 1866
When the image on the screen disappeared, Kayden was stunned for a long time before coming back to his
senses.
He never expected Jasper’s attitude to be s o harsh and determined. After coming back to his senses, Kayden
flew into a rage.
He had never been so mistreated his entire life!
He grabbed the keyboard in front of the screen and smashed it on the computer screen.
After a loud crash, the screen was smashed into pieces. Kayden was panting as he stood in front of the computer like a
mad bull. “Jasper, you intolerable bully!”
The more Kayden thought about this, the angrier he became. His face was tense as hie went straight upstairs to the office of Half-the-Harbor Langdon. After a few minutes, Kayden retold theentire process to Half-the-Harbor. Langdon.
When he was done, Kayden gritted his teeth and said, “Dad, Jasper never wanted to promise us anything from thebeginning. He just wanted to watch us die. You were wrong!”
After listening to his son, Half-the Harbor Langdon’s face was calm. Half-the-Harbor Langdon closed his eyes
slightly and thought for a moment. Then, he asked, “Do you think Jasper is the one who set this trap?”
Kayden was taken aback for a moment. Then, he immediately shook his head and said, “Impossible, Jasper is now thenumber one enemy of the United States, and they want Jasper to die more than anyon else in the world. So how would.they work with Jasper to set this trap? “What’s more, the most terrible thing for us now is the insurance contract of thesmall and medium-sized banks, and this was issued to us by the United States. It is impossible for Jasper to command the United States,
“Therefore, I think this is just a
coincidence.”
After listening to what Kayden said, Half the-Harbor Langdon remained calm and did not make a statement.
He pondered for a moment before sighing suddenly.
“Since that can’t be done, we have to find another way.”
“Dad, what other ways are there?”
Kayden asked.
Half-the-Harbor Langdon stood up, walked to the french window with his hands behind his back, and looked out at the crowded and bustling Wall Street financial street at his feet. After that, he said slowly, “Maybe this is really not where we should be. We were too impatient, and should have waited at least another 10, or even 20, years. It’s really too early now.
“And now, we have to pay for our
impatience…”
Kayden’s body tightened as he watchedhis father who seemed to be getting olderwith every passing second.
He hurriedly walked to Half-the-HarborLangdon and said in a low voice, “Dad, Ihave an idea…”
Half-the-Harbor Langdon glanced at him sideways.
Kayden gritted his teeth and said, “The subprime market has been continuously shorted. Those credit products are nowworthless, and we are also burdened withloans from small and medium-sized banks. To put it bluntly, Layman is now insolvent.
“We spent tens of billions of dollars, butwhat we bought was a lot of debt. If wepersist, the debt will only increase.
“I believe the situation will continue to deteriorate, and once more small and medium-sized banks file for bankruptcy,the insurance claims alone will be enoughto drain us to our very last drop of blood. It is better to cut our losses quickly…
… and file for bankruptcy!”
Half-the-Harbor Langdon had a blank expression on his face. It was as if he was not at all surprised by Kayden’s proposal. As soon as he heard that, he only asked one question, “But if this is the case, we will become the laughingstock of the world and we will never be able to gain anymore ground.”
“Dad, it’s you who said that as a businessman, you only need to pay attention to the interests. Everything else i s irrelevant.”
Kayden eagerly said, “Even if we become the butt of their jokes, so what? As long as there are other projects in the future, will the other party not work with us because we failed in the acquisition of Layman even though they stand to benefit? That would be impossible.
“Hence, we should just file for bankruptcy. At most, we’ll bear the loss of tens of billions of dollars.”
When Kayden said this, despite looking very free and easy on the outside, but his heart was actually bleeding.
These were tens of billions of dollars andthey meant that most of their hard workwas wasted in this merger.
They had worked hard for their entire
lives and now, they were losing
everything in one business deal.
Ordinary people simply could not bear
such a huge blow.
Yet, Half-the-Harbor Langdon laughed.He nodded, patted Kayden’s shoulderwith his hand, and said, “Yes, you are alot more mature now.
“You should handle this matter. In addition to this, you should contact the Atticus family again. Tell them we areinterested in cooperating with them. Fongroup is willing to have a cross ownership with them, and if they’reinterested in our industry in Harbor City, we can sell it to them at a low price.”
Kayden was surprised and asked, “TheAtticus family? Fabian Atticus?”
“Not just the Atticus family, but also theW. Langdons. Wallace and Kennedy
Langdon are our potential partners.” Half -the-Harbor Langdon said.
“But they know that we are in financial difficulty now and that we can’t go back to Harbor City. I’m afraid they will lower the price a lot and we will definitely suffer a loss if we cooperate with them at this time.”
Half-the-Harbor Langdon replied earnestly after hearing what Kayden said, “This loss right now is not a loss. We must look forward to the long-term plan and focus on long-term benefits.
“At the moment, we have suffered such a big loss in our acquisition of Layman, and we urgently need the help of powerful allies Coincidentally, they are our best allies because we now have a common enemy that is Jasper.
“Since Jasper’s power is growing stronger, and he is slowly getting the entire Harbor City on his side, do you think Wallace and the Atticus family will sit idly by and let that happen? I am afraid that they are more anxious than anyone else. In exchange, we can introduce our project in the United Kingdom to them
and then get them to work with us.
“There is money to be made and we have a common enemy, so there’s no reason for them not to agree. If the three companies unite, we will still have some power in Harbor City and it will not be the end for us.”
Kayden nodded slowly as he listened to Half-the-Harbor Langdon’s explanation and said, “Okay, I understand… I will do it now.”
At this moment, in Nauritus City in Somerland.
Jasper was looking at the rapidly falling subprime market.
“Although the crash was terrible, it still lacks something.”
Jasper narrowed his eyes slightly.
The collapse of a market required more than just the absolute crushing by the short side.
What it needed even more was some symbolic event which would completely crush all the confidence and last drops of dignity of the market.
For example, in his previous life, the complete collapse of the subprime was crowned by bankruptcy of Layman.
After that, the subprime market did not recover for a full decade.
Currently, Layman had the Half-the Harbor Langdon father and son calling in help from thousands of miles away. The salvation with more emphasis on courtesy and comradeship would inevitably help them survive for a while.
However, Jasper believed that that day would not come too late.
He knew very well that the United States government had set this huge trap for the father and son to kill them.
The bomb would explode sooner or later.
Therefore, Jasper refused without thinking about Kayden’s conditions.
Life at the Top Chapter 1867
Jasper was not stupid.
Right now, it could be said that the J. Langdon father and son had betrayed the entire Somerland.
There was no possibility of them coming back and continuing to develop their industries in Somerland in the future.
If the father and son were dragged down by Layman, their industries in the mainland would be expected to berepossessed slowly, and then, those industries would inevitably be sold at a low price.
That would be the perfect time for Jasper to harvest.
Hence, after rejecting Kayden, instead ofagreeing to release Layman’s position,Jasper increased his short-selling efforts.
The direct impact of this was that thesubprime market of the United Statesturned into a landslide. Huge waves keptsurging while the market value droppedagain and again.
Almost all investors in the United Stateswere numb to this.
Until… a piece of news broke out.
“Mr. Laine, Layman Investment Bank has
just filed for bankruptcy protection.”The news from Jake made Jasper stand upsuddenly.
“Bankruptcy? Layman?”
Jasper immediately looked at the trading
situation of the subprime market and sure
enough… The sky had collapsed.
Layman Investment Bank was one of thefour largest investment banks in theworld. Although it was always the last oneon the list, it was still one of the fourlargest investment banks in the world.
Its existence was of great significance inand of itself.
The most important thing was that in thesubprime market, Layman InvestmentBank, as the largest long position holder,independently supported the transactionvolume on most parts of the subprimemarket.
So, even though Layman was sold to Halfthe Harbor Langdon and his son from Somerland some time ago and some
people from the United States were dissatisfied with this, there was no
extreme reaction.
The success of this merger and
acquisition had even brought a small. I wave of favorable market conditions in the financial market.
However, the merger had only been completed less than half a month ago before the father and son from Somerland had filed for bankruptcy.
What did this mean?
If you compared the United States to a big family, then Layman would be its fourth daughter with a reputation for being famous. Eventually, this daughter was ruined by a boorish guy named Jasper Laine.
So, the United States brought in Half-the Harbor Langdon and his son to take over. I t was initially a good thing, which was why Half-the-Harbor Langdon and his son happily took over. However, within half a month, they filed for a divorce and sent the dead body of the daughter back to
her biological family.
It would be unusual if the United States did not fly into a rage.
The subprime market was even more heated.
Jasper did not expect the historical inertia to still exist and still be so powerful.
He was just wondering when Layman would go bankrupt when Half-the Harbor Langdon and his son made such a decisive decision.
“They decided to cut their losses quickly. How interesting.”
Jasper murmured.
“Mr. Laine, what are we going to do now?”
“Nothing. Everything has come crashing down and they’re left with nothing. We shall just watch them crash and burn.”
What kind of a grand occasion was a financial market crash?
This scene that ordinary people might never have the opportunity to see in their
lifetime was presented to financial practitioners all around the world today.
It was a real earth-shattering event.
Layman’s fall squashed the last bit struggle in the United States subprime market. There was no need for Jasper to continue shorting because all funds began fleeing frantically.
Before this, there were still funds who fantasized that the United States government would continue to rescue the market. Some even imagined that Wall Street capital such as Layman would fight against Jasper’s JW Foundation and Layman would launch a complete counter -attack, allowing those who persisted to become rich overnight.
However, as the core, Layman had now declared bankruptcy, which meant that the subprime market was abandoned by the United States government.
Even the most optimistic person had to admit that the subprime market was finished.
Moreover, this was just the storm caused by Layman’s bankruptcy in the subprime
market, with the bigger one storm laying within the outside world.
Layman, one of the world’s top investment banks, had countless businesses all over the world.
Once such a global investment bank filed for bankruptcy, it would have a certain impact on the international financial situation.
In the eyes of the media, the bankruptcy o f Layman Investment Bank could be attributed to Jasper alone.
“A Somerlander, a man from Somerland who appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, personally overthrew the Layman Empire and also made the people of the United States understand that they are not the only ones who know how to play in the game of modern finance.
“Layman has filed for bankruptcy. This century-old company has gone through ups and downs over the course of its life, and it finally collapsed in the subprime mortgage crisis.
“After analyzing the essence of this subprime mortgage crisis from the depth of Layman’s bankruptcy, every country and economic organization in the world needs to take away lessons and experiences it has painstakingly revealed t o us.
“The climax of the subprime mortgage crisis has arrived. Layman has fallen, and who will fall next?”
Wishing for the whole world to be in chaos, the news media used all kinds of eye-catching tactics to headline their news, but no matter which media it was, their key contents all pointed to the same things.
Layman was finished, so what would
happen next?
However, the market quickly answered
this question.
Layman Investment Bank filed for bankruptcy and a total of 23 small and medium-sized banks in the United States Federation declared bankruptcy at the same time.
Almost all of these small and medium –
sized banks had obtained insurance contracts from Layman Investment Bank.
The bankruptcy process of a company was very troublesome, let alone for a large financial business investment bank such a s Layman Investment Bank.
Once it entered the bankruptcy process, it would immediately liquidate its assets. After the assets were liquidated, the debts and assets would be separated and the court with jurisdiction would appoint the company’s bankruptcy liquidation executor.
Anyway, even if the company went bankrupt, some of the previous debts had t o be paid off.
Hence, these small and medium-sized banks began to go bankrupt all at once to meet the requirements to apply for compensation from Layman.
However, the biggest problem was that these small and medium-sized banks had formed a chain of bankruptcy. What would the people think when they saw this?
The bank went f*cking bankrupt. Whatabout the money I put in the bank?
With that, distrust of the bank began toraise a tremendous stink across the
United States. People started lining up at
the bank’s door to take out their savings.
Banks relied on deposits from depositors to make investments to make profits. Oncethis trend was formed, everyone wouldwant to withdraw their money and thebank would run out of money. What elsecould they do then?
No one thought that Layman’s
bankruptcy would have such a big impact.
It directly caused all banks in the UnitedStates to fall under huge pressureinvolving savings, deposits, andwithdrawals.
The Federal Reserve finally could not sit Still on this matter.
Life at the Top Chapter 1868
The first decision made by the Federal Reserve was to increase interest on savings and then to reduce the proportion of deposit reserves that commercial banks needed to pay to the central bank.
In order to ensure the security of savings, all banks would need to pay an amount the central bank based on the amount of savings they owned. This money was used to ensure that they could at least deal with large-scale withdrawals by customers.
The first of the two methods of the central bank was to reduce the proportion of savings customers withdrew. After all, with the interest rate increasing, holding money in the bank could generate more interest.
The second measure was to relieve the pressure on the bank.
However, at this time, the continued collapse of the subprime market caused the chain problem of overdue personal credit to escalate.
On the one hand, the bank had to face the customers who deposited their savings with them withdrawing money from the bank. On the other hand, all the money lent by the bank could not be recovered after the due date.
Therefore, the United States banking industry was in utter chaos.
Soon, the subprime mortgage crisis finally began to cross the border. It crossed from the financial world to the banking industry.
These two closely related and interdependent industries finally realized just how intimately interdependent they were.
With the large-scale shrinkage of real estate combined with overdue personal credit, the banking industry of the United States ushered in the cold winter.
And the initiator of all this, standing at the command center of Nauritus City at this moment, had already begun the next step of the plan.
“Secretly build positions in high-tech companies United States, such as Apple, Weresoft, Qualcomm, General, Amazon, and Oracle.”
Jasper gave orders to Jake and the team.
They had been in this financial war for so long and the difficulty of the process was beyond words, but now, Jasper had finally reached the harvest time he thought was appropriate.
“Affected by the subprime mortgage crisis, the entire United States stock market has fallen into a downturn, with negative trends over the past 20 consecutive trading days. Most of these companies stocks are now at historically low values. This is the best time for us to enter the market.”
Jasper took a deep breath and said with a serious expression, “The people of the United States had been ahead of us over the past few decades, and even centuries. Now, we finally have an opportunity to devour the accumulation of technology in the United States over the next 20 years. These companies are the real future.”
Jake was excited. As he was about to speak, the team’s intelligence collector
reported an update. “The United States Securities RegulatoryCommission announced the extension of a n index futures settlement cycle. The futures settlement originally scheduledfor tomorrow will be postponed to the end of this month.”
Jake was taken aback when he heard the words. Then, he yelled.
“Do those scoundrels from the United States not want to keep their last trace of dignity? Are they really that shameless?
“Back when Soros gathered harborstocks, the Harbor City government never thought about adjusting the stock index settlement cycle even when they were in such a difficult period. If those guys from the United States could defeat them, they would be allowed to take anything they wanted, but now these punks from the United States are doing this?”
The so-called stock index settlement cycle were actually the same concept as futures.
Futures trading was cyclical, and usually monthly. For example, delivery orders in July were usually paid in September.
When the time came, either you took the money or the goods away.
When JW Foundation invested in the subprime market of the United States for short trading, what they actually did wasshort the index of the subprime market.. Now that the subprime market had plummeted, Jasper had won.
According to traditional reasoning, hecould now withdraw cash from thesubprime market and take away theprofits according to the amount andquantity he had shorted in this settlementcycle.
This was a profit of hundreds of billions of US Dollars. It was also profit that all of Somerlandcapital was looking forward to.
Everyone had paid so much effort andtaken such a huge risk, but what werethey after?
Wasn’t it still interests?
However, when the final settlement day came, the United States government was acting as if this whole thing had neverhappened. There would be no settlement! “Why are you in such a hurry?”
Jasper frowned and said to Jake, “It’s just a postponement. They have to settle i unless they want their entire financialsystem to collapse.”
Once the United States shed all pretense o f cordiality and made it clear that they would not settle, the United States’national financial credit would disappear. When others came to their gaming table t o play, they would take both principal and interest once the player lost. However, when the players won, they would flip the table over and refuse to admit defeat. Even the stupidest gambler in the world would not play with such a country.
They would be digging their own grave ifthey were isolated by the global financialcommunity. Hence, the United States would not dothis. No other country would do so either.
Hence, the United States’ postponement
was just a disgusting move in Jasper’seyes.
“Let them postpone it then. They canpostpone it once, but they can’t postpone it a second time. We will proceed accordingto our original plan for now.”
When Jasper was talking, the phone rang.
He glanced down and then walked to his
office.
“This is Jasper.”
After answering the call, Jasper said
directly.
“Layman has gone bankrupt, can we
come back now?”
Henry’s relaxed voice came from the phone.
“Sure, come back. You completed this
mission very well.” Jasper laughed.
Henry chuckled and replied, “I think I wasjust passable. It’s actually all thanks to
Connie.”
Conrad’s cold grumbles came from thephone. He was clearly unhappy with thenew name Henry had given him.
Jasper was about to speak after he let out a
laugh, but Henry was one step ahead of
him.
“Right, I got some news. Even though I
don’t know how true it is, I feel it’s better t
o tell you in advance.”
Henry did not keep Jasper on tenterhooks.He continued, “Do you remember that c*nt Fabian? He’s been staying low-key for so long, but today, one of my boys saw himleaving Harbor City in a plane. He’sheading to the United States.”
Jasper narrowed his eyes and said, “TheAtticus family has business abroad too, soit’s not strange for him to go to the UnitedStates, no?”
Henry chuckled and said, “What’s strange
is that he’s taking the W. Langdons’
private jet and Kennedys’ on board!
“Those two sons of btches are not good people. Plus, there is another son of a btch who’s suffered a painful loss in the United States. Say, do you think those three sons of b*tches will get together and do something?”
Jasper was slightly stunned, and then his expression gradually turned solemn.
“What you said is possible.”
“Right? I think so too.”
Henry said, feeling pleased with himself, ” I don’t know much about your businesses,
but I’m familiar with gang fights!
“Those who are scared of my attacks will most likely gather together to seek warmth. They might just counterattack when they muster enough courage!
“So, do you think those three c*nts are doing exactly that right now? That’s why I figured I should tell you in advance.”
Life at the Top Chapter 1869
“What you said is very important to me. Back then, I always ignored the possibility of the three families joining forces. Now that they have really come together, I have to guard myself against them.
Henry was even more proud when he heard what Jasper said.
“Don’t thank me too much. When you have finally taken care of those idiots named Fabian Atticus and KaydenLangdon, don’t forget to let me have a go a t them.”
“Okay, I won’t forget that,” Jasper agreed happily.
After he hung up, Jasper glanced at the United States subprime market and stopped doing anything. Instead, hestarted laying out his plans for the UnitedStates high-tech giants with Jake. Next, Jasper’s focus would gradually shift to the domestic financial market. What heneeded to do with the United States was to maintain the pressure on the subprime market and press on with the acquisition of stocks of those technology giants.
Since the subprime mortgage crisis had completely erupted, the storm it brought was enough to sweep the entire United States economy. Hence, it was inevitable that they would suffer heavy losses.
Jasper intended to let JW Foundation come out from the dark and start planning its future. He would take advantage of this chaos and absorb as many of the technology giants that he could. These benefits would ultimately be safe in his pockets, and he was doing this for the development of JW in the next 20 years.
While Jasper and Jake were planning the future of the United States financial market, a private jet landed in New York i In the United States amidst a storm.
Kayden personally greeted them at the runway.
At this critical moment, only Kennedy, Fabian, and Sawyer had the power to make Kayden come out and greet them at the airport while risking getting swamped by reporters.
The group of people got off the plane andmet on the ground.
This group of people was divided according to age. Kennedy and Sawyer belonged to the same generation andalthough Kayden and Fabian were in the same generation, Kayden was much older than Fabian.
“Mr. Kenney, Mr. Sawyer, hello.”
Kayden smiled and greeted them politely.
In reality, according to their relationship, Kayden and Half-the-Harbor Langdon seldom participated in the grievancesbetween the old Harbor City giants, so their positions seemed very different. Especially after Kayden and Jasper’scooperation, it would appear that Kayden was closer to the Laws. Although Kayden was not enemies with Fabian and Sawyer, they were definitely not friends.
However, after things developed to this point, i it was completely unnecessary to mention this anymore. Everyone wasfacing a common enemy, so there was always a possibility of cooperation.
“Kayden’s temperament and demeanorcould be said to be the best among theyounger generation of Harbor City,”Sawyer said with a smile.
Kennedy also nodded. Indeed, Kayden’s excellence had been taken note of by all ofthe top families in Harbor City. There hadalways been a saying before this that anyfamily with an heir like Kayden wouldhave no problem flourishing for the next 3o years.
However, the problem came with Jasper’s appearance.
Even the older generation had suffered a crushing defeat by Jasper’s hands. Hence, no one dared to mention this sayinganymore. When Kennedy thought of Jasper, he gritted his teeth and an unpleasant expression appeared on his face.
“Mr. Kennedy, do you have something on your mind?” Kayden asked when he saw that Kennedy looked slightly off-color.
“Who here doesn’t have something ontheir mind?” Kennedy replied.
As soon as he said this, Sawyer started tolook off-color too. He walked toward thecar and said, “Let’s go. We came all theway here, and we need to visit Half-theHarbor Langdon first.”
The two walked towards the car one afteranother. Then, Kayden and Fabianfollowed.
Although Kayden was regarded as thehost, his status was lower than Kennedyand Sawyer. Hence, he was very humble.
He had been educated since young so
others would not nitpick on him
regarding this small detail.
“Did you enjoy getting educated by Jasperthat f*cker during this period? I heardthat you’re even beaten up by Jasper’slackey Henry when you were in HarborCity?” Fabian and Kayden walked side byside as Fabian sneered.
Kayden glanced at Fabian and replied, “Itseems that you are well informed.”
“Hehe, who in Harbor City doesn’t knowabout this? Everyone says that Jasper isthe reason you are unable to go back to your home to Harbor City and the mainland. I wonder how many people are laughing at you and your father now that Layman has gone bankrupt.”
Kayden stopped suddenly when he heard that. Then, he stood still and stared at Fabian.
Fabian frowned slightly. He was a little spooked by how Kayden was staring at him.
Although his self-esteem kept him from showing any timidness, his refusal to look
into Kayden’s eyes exposed his weakness. The moment Fabian looked away, Kayden spoke.
“Everyone in the world is qualified to laugh at me, but you are the only one who has no right to stand here and do so. You couldn’t even withstand three moves from Jasper, so who are you to make fun o f me?
“In the past, our grievances were just child’s play, and I’ll let it go. I don’t plan to split hairs about anything, but from now on, if you still don’t get your attitude in
check, it will undoubtedly affect the cooperative relationship between the three families. I don’t think your father Sawyer would want to see this, right?
“I heard that your father’s position as the head of the family was threatened because of you. If it weren’t for the solid foundation of his business over so many years, I wonder if you two would still be the ones coming here on behalf of the Atticus family.”
Kayden’s words made Fabian’s face gloomy.
Before Fabian could retort, an enthusiastic smile suddenly bloomed on Kayden’s face. He said, “Mr. Fabian, it’s getting late and it’s very windy and rainy i n New York today. It’s really not suitable t o stay out here, why don’t we get into the car soon so that the two elders won’t be kept waiting for too long?”
Fabian, with a stiff complexion, realized that he had been completely crushed by Kayden. With a snort, he got into a car after lowering his head.
As he looked at Fabian’s figure, Kayden’seyes turned dark for a moment.
However, the darkness disappearedimmediately and was then replaced with agentle and noble smile. After that, hebowed his head and got into the car.
The convoy started slowly and headedtowards the upper-class area on theoutskirts of New York.
At this moment, Sawyer and Kennedywere sitting in the same car ahead.
Sawyer glanced at Kennedy and smiled. “It seems that our old opponent can’t hold it anymore.”
“He was scammed by the United Statesout of tens of billions in just one businessdeal. It was even in US Dollars. No one canbear such a blow. Since he’s still standingtall, it means that Fongroup is reallypowerful,” Kennedy said.
Sawyer narrowed his eyes slightly andsaid, “What do you think he will offer forour cooperation?”
“It’s nothing more than giving up some of the existing interests, but no matter what the conditions are, cooperating with him is our best option at the moment. Did you not notice that we’ve been isolated in Harbor City for some time?”
Kennedy’s words made the corners of Sawyer’s mouth twitch and he had a very expression.
Life at the Top Chapter 1870
“They are going to go all the way to the end with Jasper without caring about the consequences. All of the families haveshaken their own foundations while risking huge losses just to lift Jasper up. I think those old farts have all gone crazy!” Sawyer cursed in a low voice full of resentment.
Kennedy glanced at Sawyer and the corners of his mouth rose into a slight curve that was not easy to detect.
He knew why Sawyer was so angry, It was because Sawyer lost his seat on the committee during the Harbor CityBusiness Federation election.
The organization was established decades ago and dated back to when Harbor City was still under the jurisdiction of theUnited Kingdom. At that time, Harbor City copied the United Kingdom’s model. In order to facilitate the management of the increasingly prosperous Harbor City business community, the United Kingdom established this organization under the Harbor City government.
This organization had been serving as a committee member of Harbor City’s top family since its establishment. It couldeven be regarded as a recognition of top families by the Harbor City government.
Only by becoming a member of this committee could one be qualified to call themselves rich and powerful.
However, in this election, Sawyer lost the committee seat that the Atticus family had maintained for the last 50 years.
Although this was only a nominalhonorary seat, the more deeply rooted therich and famous were, the more theyneeded this.
After all, Harbor City was not as good as the mainland where there was vast land and rich resources. Harbor City was too small, and the economy was outrageously developed. Therefore, the competition among the rich was also very high. Thus, i f you were low-key, you would soon be forgotten.
The Atticus family’s current situation was not looking good, and at the same time, they were being boycotted by Harbor City.
It would be very strange if they were still i n a good mood.
Sawyer turned his head when he seemed t o have noticed Kennedy’s sarcasm. Then, he asked with a smile, “I haven’t seen your father for a long time. I heard he’s recuperating.”
Kennedy was taken aback. He narrowed his eyes and said faintly, “My father is getting older, and he has been recuperating for more than a year and a half. If there’s nothing urgent, we seldom disturb him.”
Currently, the strongest asset in rich families like theirs might not be wealth or power. Instead, it was the presence of their old master, who may or may not still be alive.
As long as the old master was still around, the family would stand tall and nothing would happen.
Why were the Laws still at the height of their powers even though it felt as if they were slowly distancing themselves from the rest of the bigwigs in Harbor City?
It was because Old Master Law was stillaround.
And even among all the old masters, OldMaster Law was still the absolute top.
As for Wallace, the old master of the W.Langdons, he was indeed not in goodshape in recent years. The old master’scondition plummeted in an instant whenthe W. Langdons were isolated. He wasstill lying in the hospital and had notcome out until now.
Although the doctor said that there were no life-threatening conditions for the timebeing, everyone could feel that the oldman’s life was slowly depleting, and itwas only a matter of time until he passed.
Moreover, this kind of thing had to bekept secret in the family, but there was noairtight wall in the world. No matter howsecret it was, it was still a fact that the oldmaster had not shown his face for a longtime, and it would eventually be noticed byy someone with ulterior motives like theAtticus family.
“You’re right. The old master is gettingolder, so it’s better not to disturb him with these annoying things,” Sawyer said with a smile.
“By the way, I know a medical team and they are the world’s top experts for treating heart failure. Would you like to introduce them to you?”
As soon as he said this, Kennedy’s expression tightened, and then he turned his head to look at Sawyer coldly.