Ch. 651..660
Life at the Top Chapter 651
Jasper explained casually.
“Alright, are you going to Coreana in a couple of days? Can you take me with you?” Henry grumbled.
“The amusement park will be completed in two months, and the Southface River Project will have already held its topping out by then. You should keep an eye on the amusement park and not go anywhere for these two months.” Jasper immediately rejected Henry’s request.
Henry himself knew he had his duties to tend to, but he was so used to being rebellious that his force of habit caused him to resist this little. However, he had no choice but to obey Jasper upon hearing his displeasure.
…
The next day, Jasper met with Grant and his team in the hotel.
“Mr. Laine, forgive me for being forward, but you’re so much younger than I imagined.”
Grant, who was one of America’s most well-known architects, was already past 60. He had met countless successful people, but they were all around his age.
Grant Morgan had thought his mysterious order from an Eastern country was from some rich kid who came from a prestigious family. He had not expected Jasper to have built his empire from the ground up.
He sighed in admiration as he gazed at Jasper, genuine respect and appreciation shining in his eyes.
Jasper smiled as he shook Grant’s hand and said, “Mr. Morgan, thank you for your praise. I’m a big fan of Sky Theatre, the building in Sauof which you designed some time ago. In my opinion, you’re the only architect who has succeeded in fusing both modernities with tradition among all other world-known architects.”
People were supposed to praise each other. Grant was obviously pleased with Jasper’s flattery as he said politely, “You’re a very likable man, Mr. Laine. I think we’re going to enjoy working with each other.”
Smiling, Jasper invited Grant to take a seat as he said, “Henry Law has already explained the conditions of the surrounding terrain to you via email. May I know how long it will take for you to come up with a first draft for the design, Mr. Morgan?”
The expression on Grant’s face turned serious as he said, “Mr. Laine, what you want to design is the tallest building in the world. A building that’s at least 630 feet tall will pose a huge challenge to any architect. It’s not an easy feat.”
“But a design fee of 1.2 billion US dollars is not cheap either, is it? Furthermore, every architect dreams of designing the tallest building in the world. Wouldn’t you want to put your best foot forward for that, Mr. Morgan?” Jasper asked as he laughed lightly.
Grant had an excited expression on his face as he said, “It’s indeed tempting, which is why we rushed all the way here last night. We’ll be conducting site visits this time. Do you have any other specific requests, Mr. Laine?”
Jasper said calmly, “I won’t have much time because I’ll be traveling to Coreana tomorrow. But I do have one request. It’s to do what you do best, Mr. Morgan. I want you to combine both modernities and tradition. I want a skyscraper that the entire world will marvel at.”
Grant said probingly, “This is a huge building that will require a lot of resources. Based on my team’s experience, we estimate that it won’t be possible without at least 15 billion Somer Dollars.”
Jasper massaged his temples. Grant’s statement had hit him where it hurt.
He had calculated the amount of money it would take to construct the building, and 15 billion Somer Dollars was only a modest estimate. In his past life, the construction of Waterhoof City Financial Tower had used a total of 17 billion dollars, while Jasper’s estimation was around 18 billion dollars.
This was just for the outer shell of the building. A tuned mass damper that needed to be used in reducing the building’s vibrations would already cost two billion dollars.
The cost required to purchase equipment and furnish the buildings would require at least another seven billion dollars.
An investment that cost nearly around 25 billion dollars was not something the average person could take part in.
Thus, Jasper realized that he was out of money!
Life at the Top Chapter 652
Jasper’s current financial situation was not complicated. He had about six billion dollars in funds in his investment company.
He had another billion dollars from his long-term investments in the country’s stock market.
He also had a little more in Harbor City, around four billion dollars.
Moreover, he had around 1.5 billion dollars in cash in his personal account.
Which meant Jasper could procure only 12.5 billion dollars if he did not sell any of his existing assets.
It was already a shocking number.
However, he had to take out 1.5 billion dollars from that 12.5 billion a couple of days later to pay Waterhoof City Hall as a deposit for the 266 commercial properties he had purchased on Golden Pedestrian Street.
Thus, Jasper would only have, at most, 11.1 billion dollars left.
It was still a mind-blowing number.
However, it was far from enough to construct the building that would require at least 25 billion dollars.
It was the first time Jasper was feeling poor since his reincarnation.
It was this sense of urgency from feeling poor that had Jasper in such a rush to travel to Coreana to obtain the agent rights for United Legends and the patent for the MP3 player.
These two projects would generate huge profits for Jasper within the next two years.
“Mr. Morgan, an architect is supposed to stick to the person in charge’s requests as closely as possible to complete the design, not worry about their financial status,” Jasper said as he smiled.
Grant laughed and said, “Mr. Laine, please don’t misunderstand. I just meant that I could come up with an even more radical design if you have the sufficient funds.”
“I wouldn’t want to design the tallest building in the world if I was being conservative, would I?” Jasper asked.
Grant’s eyes lit up. He could not care less about how much money Jasper had and whether he would go into debt by constructing this building. All he needed was a moneymaker who would fund his lifelong dream in architecture and let him work to his heart’s content for once.
“Mr. Laine, I understand what you mean now. I must say you’re one of the most special people of Somer descent that I’ve ever met. I have a feeling that we’ll not only be partners but also friends,” Grant said solemnly.
“That would be my honor.”
…
After four or five hours of bouncing off ideas with Grant’s team, Jasper finally got these western architects to understand how he wanted the building to look.
Grant’s team would stay in Waterhoof City to conduct inspections after this. Jasper could not get involved in this.
Jasper was satisfied when Grant’s team promised him they would come up with a design draft by the end of the month at the very latest. Taking Julian with him, the two boarded the plane to Coreana.
Nearly at the same time when Jasper and Julian were boarding the plane…
In an office in Coreana that belonged to the person who invented the MP3 player, Damond Golding.
“Mr. Conrad Monty, congratulations on obtaining the patent to sell MP3 players within Somerland.”
After exchanging contracts, Damond laughed and clapped Conrad on the shoulder as he spoke.
The patent fee cost 80 million US dollars, and Conrad would have to pay a commission fee of one US dollar for every MP3 player he produced.
These terms were enough for Damond to treat Conrad as his closest business partner.
Although the MP3 player had only recently started gaining popularity, the majority of the people had yet to fully accept this product. Additionally, Somerland’s level of consumption was still extremely low, which was why Damond had not expected to earn much from selling the patent.
However, Conrad’s generosity managed to both shock and surprise him.
Life at the Top Chapter 653
People of Somer descent were really stupid people with a lot of money.
However, Conrad was extremely satisfied. After he rejected Damond’s invitation to stay back for dinner, he left the office with the patent licensing agreement.
In his car downstairs, Conrad flipped through the documents he was holding as he said calmly, “So, this is what Jasper Laine wanted so badly?”
A look of deep hatred flashed through Conrad’s eyes when Jasper’s name was mentioned.
His previous defeat had been so painful he would probably be depressed now if it were not for his strong will.
He had only managed to snap out of it in the shortest time possible when his father related to him a piece of news.
According to a reliable source, Jasper was just about to head to Coreana to negotiate for a patent for MP3 players.
That proved why Jasper had spent so much money taking away the right to represent the electronics industry from the Hanks family.
Admittedly, it might be to defeat the Hanks family. However, there were plenty of ways to defeat the Hanks family. There was no need to pick the most costly one.
More importantly, Jasper had even increased his investment in electronics after the Hanks family was defeated.
“JW Electronics spent 60 million dollars in a week to purchase four product lines. Preparations for the plant, equipment, and its employees are in full swing right now, and it’s all for this?”
Conrad smiled as he pinched the documents in his hands.
He would take everything Jasper wanted from him. He wondered what the expression on Jasper’s face would be like when he made the long trip here and realized that Conrad had been a step faster than him.
His assistant, who was sitting in front, turned and asked confusedly, “Mr. Monty, Damond Golding knows he’s committing daylight robbery on us. He sold his patent to other countries for half the price he offered us, and yet you still agreed to it?”
Conrad said calmly, “I don’t mind giving him a little more money. After all, these problems can all be solved using money.
“Jasper must think this product will do well if he’s this desperate to get his hands on the patent. The people I sent to research the market will return with results soon. I’m more than willing to dominate the market for MP3 players in the country before Jasper does.
“Even if we don’t make any money, this deal will be considered a success as long as we manage to make him feel pissed.”
The assistant shrugged and said, “Mr. Monty, in my opinion, you could just get someone to kill arrogant men like him.”
“This is why you can only work as my assistant and can’t hope to fly solo,” Conrad answered calmly.
Realizing that he had said something wrong, the assistant hurriedly changed the subject and said, “So are we going back to the hotel now?”
“We’re flying back home now. I want to finish assembling the production line before Jasper does. Let’s see how he can retaliate this time!” Conrad said coldly.
…
This was Jasper’s first time traveling overseas. In his past life, a colleague of his had a girlfriend who worked as a personal shopper. She frequently posted photos of her plane tickets and the products she had bought on Instagram.
Ever since then, Coreana had established itself as a modern, commercial country in Jasper’s mind.
In reality, Coreana did not disappoint Jasper as well.
Sela, Coreana’s financial hub, was an area that exuded strong business vibes. Tall buildings could be seen everywhere, and the faces of every person on the crowded streets were lit up by flashing neon lights. Everyone seemed to be hurrying as if they had countless matters to attend to.
The person whom the Law family had appointed to be in charge of the Sela office had come to pick them up from the airport. His name was Edmond Kelley.
After exchanging greetings, Jasper was sitting in the car and admiring the beauty of Sela when Edmond, who had just contacted one of his men through the phone, broke the news to Jasper with an uncomfortable expression on his face.
“Mr. Laine, we’ve contacted Damond Golding’s office and expressed our intent to visit as per your request. However, we’ve been informed that the patent for Somerland has already been purchased by someone else.”
The expression on Jasper’s face turned incredibly dark when he heard that.
Life at the Top Chapter 654
Jasper never thought that he would end up being intercepted by someone else when he had been using his memories from his past life to progress without any hiccups thus far.
He had always been the one who intercepted others. What did this mean?
Did that mean things were returning to bite him on his bottom?
At the same time, this served as a punishment to Jasper. It led him to understand that his memories from before he reincarnated were not invincible, and mistakes were inevitable. He could not rely solely on his memory to do anything.
Else, he would suffer great losses.
“Can you find out who it is?” Jasper managed to recover from the regret and anger he was experiencing. He chose to focus his attention on solving the problem instead.
Edmond breathed a sigh of both relief and admiration when he saw how quickly Jasper had managed to regulate his emotions.
“Damond isn’t willing to disclose that information. He says they’ve signed a privacy policy.”
Jasper laughed coldly as he said, “Is he afraid his thieving actions will be exposed? Let’s see if he’ll be able to never use that patent after buying it.”
According to his memories from his past life, no one in the country had bought the patent for MP3 players. Even in his later life, fake ones could be found everywhere on the streets. Any random workshop could produce one, but no one had ever bought the patent for it.
After all, the country had been known for its counterfeit products then.
In many cases, patents were the last resort for many companies to avoid repercussions.
For example, Jasper’s goal was to establish a multinational consortium, so he could not let foreigners use any issues regarding patents against him.
Thus, whoever had managed to buy the patent for MP3 players was definitely coming for him.
Who could it be?
Countless thoughts emerged and dissipated from his mind. Sighing lightly, Jasper said, “Make an appointment with Damon Golding for me. Tell him I would like to have breakfast with him tomorrow morning.”
Edmond nodded and said, “Very well, Mr. Laine. I’ll do that right now.”
“That’s right, about Damond, I have zero understanding of him. Did you make any preparations on that part?” Jasper asked.
Edmond smiled and said, “Mr. Laine, this is what the office was established to do. Don’t worry. According to our sources, Damon has a 16-year-old daughter who he treasures a lot. We’ll prepare the relevant gifts tomorrow.”
Jasper nodded in satisfaction.
At the same time, he observed the difference between himself and the Law family.
The Law family had even established an office in Coreana for the sole purpose of finding out what the higher-ups liked and forming good relations with them. This way, they would be giving themselves a chance to collaborate in the future.
It was his first time in Coreana, and if he had not had the help of the Law family’s office here, he would be running around like a headless chicken.
After all, the local higher-ups could not care less about who he was. It was not that simple to arrange a meeting with them.
JW still had a lot of room for growth in this area.
When they returned to the hotel, Jasper shut himself in the study for three to four hours. He did not come out for meals even when Julian called for him.
However, Jasper was not demotivated. Instead, he was working hard to solve the crisis at hand.
He got in touch with Anna who was far away from him in the west.
“Hey, busy bee. You’re finally the one who called first.”
Life at the Top Chapter 655
On the other end of the video call, Anna’s background showed that the sun was shining where she was. She was sitting in an office, her delicate fingers fiddling with a pencil as she rebuked him.
Jasper said somewhat embarrassedly, “I’ve been really busy. A lot has happened.”
“My dad told me all about it. Everything’s been taken care of now, right?” Anna asked as she smiled slightly.
As he nodded, Jasper was still thinking about how he should bring up the topic when he heard Anna say, “So tell me, how can I help you?”
“How did you know?” Jasper asked in surprise.
Anna’s flirtatious behavior was evident even though she was thousands of miles away. She stared at Jasper with her beautiful eyes and said, “I know you better than you think I do.”
Seeing how his goal had been exposed, Jasper gave up trying to be secretive and said, “I remember you once told me you had a friend who’s part of the Sentel family?”
Anna nodded and said, “That’s right. She’s the third granddaughter of Sentel Corporation’s current president, Kit Lang. We’re on pretty good terms.”
Jasper hurriedly said, “I was hoping you could introduce us.”
Anna said in surprise, “You want to meet her? That might be a challenge.”
“What’s wrong?” Jasper asked as he frowned.
“She just left for Greece last week and won’t be back for another month.
“But can you tell me what’s going on?” Anna asked.
Jasper did not hide anything from her and told her his objective, “I’m planning to buy the patent for MP3 players from Sentel Corporation.”
Anna was startled. She might not be in the business sector, but she was still part of the Law family and was well-informed in what went on in the business sector.
She said, “I’ve heard of MP3 players, but I remember the person who invented it is Damond Golding, the current president of Sunrea Company. Although he used to work in Sentel, the patent was only completed after he began working at Sunrea. Shouldn’t you meet with Damond instead of Sentel if you intend to purchase a patent?”
Jasper smiled as he said, “There are still things you don’t know about. Back when Damond was working in Sentel, he was already using the company’s resources to design the first MP3 player. He had even built a prototype, but Sentel didn’t pay much attention to it at that time.
“Damond only arrived at Sunrea after Sentel encountered a financial crisis and fired him.
“According to Coreana law, Sentel has the right to 50% of the patent because Damond used the company’s resources to complete his invention while he was still employed there.
“However, Damond was given priority to its benefits, which is why Sentel is not earning from the sales of MP3 players even though they’re slowly gaining popularity now. Not only is this patent worthless to Sentel, but it also annoys them.”
“So, you’re planning to buy off the 50% of the patent that Sentel holds?” Anna immediately understood what Jasper was thinking after a brief explanation.
Jasper sighed and said, “As Coreana’s largest monopolistic corporation, Sentel is both a brutal and greedy corporation. Moreover, this affair will include several legal disputes, which is why I’m leaning more toward purchasing the patent from Damond. However, I’ve been intercepted. This is my only way now.”
“You’ve been intercepted?” Anna asked as she raised an eyebrow.
“I’ll help you get in touch with Sentel, it shouldn’t be a problem. But you can’t just ignore the fact that you’ve been intercepted. Do you have any ideas yet?”
“Seems like I can’t fool you,” Jasper said as he smiled.
“It’ll be impossible for me to get the patent from Damond now. Since that’s the case, I can still obtain authorization to upgrade the MP3 players. By promising to upgrade and develop the technology used in MP3 players, Damond will waiver his rights to the patent.
“The technology used to produce MP3 players isn’t that advanced. It can easily become MP4 or MP5 players if we just change the design slightly and conduct a little product iteration. That way, not only can I dodge past the patent required for MP3 players, but I can also force the person who intercepted me into a dead end.”
“We’ll see who’s the embarrassed one when that happens,” Anna said happily as she immediately caught onto Jasper’s train of thought.
Jasper’s eyes shone as he said slowly, “That’s right, but Damond only holds 50% of the patent’s ownership and priority rights. Thus, the 50% of rights that Sentel holds to the patent is key!”
Life at the Top Chapter 656
It could not be denied Anna had an extremely strong network and public relations skills.
The next morning, Jasper was on his way to meet Damond when he received an email from the office of Sentel Corporation’s president.
He had one hour to meet with the current president of Sentel Corporation, Emerson Lang, this afternoon.
Jasper’s brows, which had been tightly knotted the entire night, finally relaxed when he received the news.
As long as he was given the chance to converse with the higher-ups at Sentel Corporation, Jasper was confident he could persuade the other party.
After all, they were both businessmen. He knew what Sentel Corporation wanted.
Jasper met with Damond at the cafe below Sunrea Company.
Unlike the frail, old man he had seen in pictures from his past life, Damond was still a little chubby now. However, just like most people in the tech industry, the top of his head was balding.
“How do you do, President Golding? I’m Jasper Laine from Somerland.” Jasper took the initiative to introduce himself first.
In his past life, Jasper had spent a lot of effort on mastering Coreana’s national language just so he could secure himself a customer from Coreana. Thus, he was quite fluent in the language.
Halfway through the meal, Jasper retrieved a large present that had been prepared by Edmond.
“President Golding, I heard your daughter grew up in the Netherlands and has a particular affinity for the tulips there. I’ve specially prepared these purple tulips that usually only the royalty have access to. I hope both you and your daughter enjoy them.”
Damond happily took the present from him and said, “Mr. Laine, I must say that your present is extremely apt. I was just fretting about what I should give her for her 17th birthday party. Many thanks.”
Damond smiled as he invited Jasper to take a seat and asked, “Mr. Laine, I was wondering if you’re used to having a typical breakfast most people from Coreana have?”
“I’m the type of person to go with the flow, and I’m not picky with my food either,” Jasper said as he smiled.
Damond nodded in approval before he ordered two typical breakfast sets.
“I’ve been frequenting this cafe for several years. Their food is extremely tasty to me. I hope you’ll enjoy it too, Mr. Laine.”
Jasper felt his scalp grow numb as he stared at the various plates of pickles before him.
However, he seemed at ease as he chewed on the sour, pungent pickles. He looked completely comfortable with the food here.
Jasper’s attitude caused Damond to take a liking to him, and he said, “Coreana’s food is the best in the world. I’m extremely happy that a person of Somer descent like you would like it too, Mr. Laine. I had a former customer from Somerland who could not get used to the taste.”
Jasper said meaningfully, “But that customer from Somerland must have gotten what he wanted from you, right, President Golding?”
Damond took a sip of seafood broth and smiled as he said, “Mr. Laine, you must understand that I can’t reveal anything more to you due to the privacy policy.”
“I understand,” Jasper said and shrugged before immediately continuing, “Frankly, I was also planning on buying the patent to sell MP3 players in Somerland from you, President Golding. However, it seems that this is impossible now.”
Damond had a curious expression on his face as he said, “From what I understand, the economy in Somerland is still extremely stunted, and citizens would never be able to purchase an MP3 player with their current consumption level. Why the sudden fight to obtain a patent from me?”
“President Golding, you must understand that there will always be a way of earning money in this world. The only difference is that some can do it themselves, while others can only imitate,” Jasper said.
“Seems like you have a plan of your own, Mr. Laine,” Damond said.
Life at the Top Chapter 657
“I’ll be direct with you. I’m planning to purchase a letter of authorization from you that allows me to upgrade the MP3 players, President Golding,” Jasper said.
Startled, the smile on Damon’s face grew cold as he said, “Mr. Laine, do you think you have more advanced techniques than I have and that the MP3 player can be further improved?”
“Yes.” Jasper paid no attention to the indignant expression on Damon’s face as he answered confidently.
Damond sneered as he said, “Mr. Laine, I think our conversation has been an utter waste of time. I will never allow anyone to exploit my patent. I don’t need an outsider to come here and say they want to upgrade my inventions!”
“President Golding, you may be a technician, but you’re also a businessman. Why wouldn’t you take advantage of this situation to earn more money if you think the MP3 player has no further room for improvement?” Jasper asked.
Damond laughed and said, “You’re an excellent negotiator, but I won’t fall for your tricks. Goodbye, Mr. Laine!”
Then, Damond got up and left.
“President Golding, it’s extremely rude to up and leave when the other person has not finished speaking. I thought people from Coreana were extremely particular about manners?” Jasper asked.
“I’ll only take a couple of minutes of your time, President Golding. After all, I have many matters to tend to as well. For example, I have a meeting with the president of Sentel Corporation, Emerson Lang, this afternoon.”
When he heard Jasper’s words, Damond finally realized that this young man from Somerland was entirely different from Conrad Monty, whom he had met with before this. This man was like a sly fox and much more difficult to deal with.
“What do you mean?” Damond asked expressionlessly.
“Truth is, Sentel Corporation could not be bothered with your invention of the MP3 player, Mr. Damon. Thus, even though the MP3 player is slowly gaining attention, Sentel Corporation can’t do anything with the half of the patent it owns because you’re currently employed in Sunrea Company, President Golding.
“I trust no one would be pleased with this, would they? Much less a multinational group like Sentel Corporation? You must’ve had a front-row seat in witnessing just how overbearing they could be, President Golding.”
“Are you threatening me?” Damond said as he laughed coldly.
“I’m a businessman from Somerland, not an employee at Sentel Corporation. I have no right to threaten you, President Golding, but I need you to understand what will happen if I obtain 50% of the patent and upgrade the technology in the existing MP3 players.
“When that happens, your MP3 players will be blocked by my patent. You will have to either pay huge amounts of money to get past the barriers or turn around and purchase the rights to use from me. President Golding, this is not a good deal, is it?”
Damond glanced darkly at Jasper as he said, “Are all Somerland businessmen as despicable as you are?”
“No, I’m not being despicable. I merely hope we can build a strong base for our collaboration, President Golding,” Jasper said as he smiled.
“How are you so confident that you’ll be able to upgrade the MP3 players and receive the market’s approval?” Damond asked expressionlessly.
“That’s my business, President Golding. All you have to do is think about how much you’ll price this authorization letter for me and then receive the check. Everyone will be delighted then,” Jasper said calmly.
“One billion US dollars.” Damond quoted his price after a moment’s thought.
Jasper laughed in disbelief.
“President Golding, are you joking?”
“I would immediately pay up if this were the price for the patent. However, are you going to charge me one billion US dollars for only half of an authorization letter to upgrade the technology?”
Damond laughed coldly as he said, “That’s my condition. It’s up to you whether or not you’ll accept it, Mr. Laine.”
“How about we make a bet?”
Life at the Top Chapter 658
“A bet?”
Damond looked like he had just heard a joke. “What are you going to bet?”
“It’s simple.”
Jasper gazed confidently at Damond and said, “Let’s make a bet since you think I can’t upgrade the MP3 player. If I manage to successfully upgrade the MP3 player, you’ll have to give me the authorization letter for free.”
“What if you fail?” Damond was now interested as he asked.
“If I fail…” Jasper shrugged and said nonchalantly, “I’ll give you two billion US dollars.”
“You Somerland people are really sly.”
When Damond heard what Jasper said, he was obviously unhappy but still smiled coldly at Jasper with an expression that screamed ‘I’ve already seen through your tricks!’
Jasper narrowed his eyes as he gazed at Damon, waiting for him to continue.
Sure enough, Damond soon spoke again, “We haven’t agreed on a time. Will I have to spend the next ten years waiting for you if you take ten years to do it? Thus, I’ll only give you three months.”
Damond glanced confidently at Jasper. He was convinced Jasper would never dare agree to such harsh terms.
In his opinion, the technology used in MP3 players might have room for improvement, but there was no way anything could be accomplished in three months.
How long did it take him to create the MP3 player from nothing?
Two whole years!
One also had to put in mind that he was one of Coreana’s best experts in the tech industry.
In Damon’s opinion, Somerland was a poor, backward place that would never be able to produce a talent half as talented as he was.
They might require half a year to just understand the technology used in his MP3 players.
Thus, how was it possible that Jasper could upgrade it in three months?
However, it was beyond his expectation that Jasper did not have an indignant expression on his face and even breathed a sigh of relief after hearing what he said.
“Alright.”
Jasper’s determined one-word answer immediately caused Damond to feel like he had walked straight into Jasper’s trap.
Damond tried his best to recall every detail in the conversation they just had. The second he realized that it really was a trap, he would immediately go back on his promise. After all, nothing had been written down on paper yet.
However, the more he thought about it, the more Damond realized this deal would only bring him benefits. He had a clear advantage.
Glancing suspiciously at Jasper, Damond laughed coldly and said, “You’d best think it through. You won’t be able to pull out halfway once the bet is made!”
Jasper immediately beckoned for a waiter to hand them a sheet of paper and a pen. The pen scratched across the paper as he wrote down the details of their bet. Handing the paper to Damon, he said, “Please sign it if you don’t have any questions.”
Damond frowned as he took the agreement and realized it had been phrased carefully. There were no loopholes that could be found.
That made Damond think of Jasper as a proud fool who was practically dumping money at his doorstep.
“You people of Somer descent are really rich.”
After saying that one sentence with a meaningful look on his face, Damond spun his pen and signed his name on the contract.
“You can use my patent now that this agreement exists. I’ll get someone to send over the relevant information this afternoon. However, you must remember that you’ll have to pay me two billion US dollars if you fail to upgrade the MP3 player within three months.”
Life at the Top Chapter 659
Damond shot a warning glare at Jasper before adding, “I won’t mind fighting an international lawsuit for two billion US dollars.”
“Don’t worry, President Golding.”
Jasper carefully tucked away his copy of the agreement and smiled as he said, “If you win, I won’t be a sore loser.”
“Hopefully.”
When Damond finished speaking, he stood and stared deep into Jasper’s eyes. ‘Such arrogance! You will pay for your words and actions. Your technology is so backward there’s no way you’ll be able to decipher and upgrade my technology within three months!’
“I’m looking forward to the day you wire two billion US dollars into my account.”
Then, Damond turned and left.
Jasper remained seated and waited until Damond had left for his office before standing up.
When he walked to the door and saw Julian, who was waiting for him, Jasper immediately took Julian to a nearby burger joint.
The food in Coreana was disgusting.
While they ate, Jasper shared what had happened during the meeting earlier like how one would share anecdotes.
Julian was a martial artist who was not sensitive to the mutual deception going on in the business industry. However, he was extremely displeased that Damond had looked down on his country.
“If I ever meet anyone like that, I’ll make sure they get firsthand experience of the beauty of Somerland’s martial arts!” Julian huffed.
Smiling, Jasper sipped on his tea and said, “It’s the same concept of them needing to drink seafood broth first thing in the morning while we drink tea instead. Everyone has their traditions and culture, but it doesn’t matter if you drink seafood broth or tea, you shouldn’t look down on anyone else.
“I have my ways of teaching such people a lesson so memorable they’ll shudder every time they hear the word ‘Somer’ in the future.
“It was a spur of the moment thing and didn’t mean much,” Jasper said calmly.
If today’s bet were made between anyone else in the world today, it would only end badly.
Damond Golding might be a despicable person, but he was so skilled in technology that he would still hold his position at the top of the industry even after ten years had passed.
However, Jasper had the advantage of being reincarnated, so he knew the first version of the MP3 player was filled with mistakes. All he needed to do was give it a few upgrades before he could market it as a completely new version.
Consumers were not idiots. They could discern if a product was good or bad.
Without taking anything else into account, he would surpass all the original MP3 players just by adding a screen that could show the name of the song and its lyrics.
When such a product was released to the market, Jasper was confident he would be able to cause whoever had taken his patent to become bankrupt.
As for Damond Golding, he would be shocked when he realized he had ended up worse off after trying to gain an advantage!
After they were done eating, Jasper arrived at Sentel Corporation when it was almost time for his meeting.
It was much easier than Jasper had expected to meet with the president of a corporation ranked annually within the top 100 of Fortune 500 companies.
“Mr. Laine, I know you’re a friend of Ms. Sylphie, but you’ll have to forgive me for only being able to give you an hour because of how busy I am.”
Emerson, who already had gray hair even though he was only 50 years old, spoke politely to Jasper as they sat in his spacious office.
Sylphie, who was Anna’s best friend, was also the third granddaughter of Sentel Corporation. Upon her referral, Emerson had taken time out of his day to meet Jasper even though he was extremely busy.
Jasper accepted Emerson’s invitation to sit down on the couch that was prepared for guests. He understood that the Ms. Sylphie he had just referred to must be the princess of Sentel Corporation.
“I won’t beat around the bush then, Mr. Lang. I’m here because I hope to purchase the half of the patent Sentel Corporation owns for MP3 players.”
Life at the Top Chapter 660
Emerson looked startled for a split second before he rang the call bell.
“Get the head of the patent department here.”
Several seconds later, an elegantly dressed woman in her 40s hurried over to Emerson’s office.
“This is Mr. Laine from Somerland. He wants to purchase the half of the patent the corporation owns for MP3 players. Is there such a thing?”
Jasper felt slightly disgruntled when he heard Emerson’s question.
He had been rushing to places for the MP3 player patent and was close to using up all his tricks and contacts.
However, in Sentel Corporation, the MP3 player patent was not even worth remembering for these higher-ups.
The woman was skilled in her job and immediately began explaining how the patent had come about.
After understanding everything that had happened, Emerson got her to leave before he smiled at Jasper. He said, “Sorry about that, Mr. Laine. We have tens of thousands of patents registered under the company’s name, which is why I can’t possibly remember everything.”
“I understand.”
Jasper, who was thinking to himself that JW still had a long way to go, answered calmly.
“I’ve now understood the situation. You heard it too. The legal department has been gearing up to sue both the patent office and Damond Golding. After all, this is a loss for the company as well.”
“I understand, which is why I’m now offering you a way to get rid of it once and for all,” Jasper said with a smile.
“By buying it? Forgive me for being straightforward but there’s no use in buying only 50% of the ownership as it’s not entitled to any priorities, Mr. Laine. Even Sentel Corporation would have to resolve the situation via legal means… Or have you made an agreement of sorts with Damond Golding, Mr. Laine?”
As the president of Sentel Group, Emerson’s train of thought was extremely sharp and agile. He only needed a couple of minutes to come up with a hypothesis that was very close to the truth.
Jasper was not planning to hide matters as the other party would find out sooner or later. He took the contract and showed it to Emerson.
After looking through its contents, Emerson said in surprise, “Mr. Laine, this contract is extremely disadvantageous to you.”
“I’ve requested Damond to sign it. He had no reason to say no to such a bargain. However, you can just think of it as preparing your bait before you fish,” Jasper said as he smiled.
Emerson laughed and said, “Thank you for your honesty, Mr. Laine. You didn’t need to tell me about this, but I can sense your sincerity from your actions.
“To be honest, I would be happy to see Damond suffer losses too. After all, he’s considered a traitor to the company.”
‘You were the one who kicked him out of the company during the layoffs that happened when you suffered an economic crisis, and yet, you’re calling him a traitor.’
Jasper muttered sarcastically to himself but put on a surprised expression.
“So, do we have a deal?”
Emerson smiled and said, “In theory, there should be no problem. After all, the company is not interested in doing much with the MP3 players, and it would take a long time to file a lawsuit. If you’re interested, Mr. Laine, we would be happy to sell you our half of the patent.
“Since you’re a friend of Ms. Sylphie, you’ll be given special treatment in regards to the price. How does 20 million US dollars for a buyout sound?”
In all honesty, 20 million US dollars was extremely cheap.
However, to Sentel Corporation, they would have earned 20 million US dollars for absolutely nothing.
After all, all Sentel Corporation had done to obtain this patent was provide some equipment. The thought process and skills that went into this all belonged to Damond Golding. All they had to do was sit back and enjoy the benefits it brought.
Jasper did not dwell too much on these problems and immediately agreed.
“Deal.”
Emerson smiled as he stood and said while shaking Jasper’s hand, “You’re a very frank person, Mr. Laine. I’ll arrange to have the relevant information prepared as soon as possible.”