Ch. 841..850
Life at the Top Chapter 841
“In recent years, we’ve dispatched more than a dozen exploration teams to search for new minerals, spending at least ten million annually. Aside from national mining enterprises, the Monty family has spent the most money among other private enterprises.
“Our hard work finally paid off. In the mountains of Hill County, we located this aluminum mine. In the preliminary exploration, we found at least ten million tons of aluminum ores, sufficient for continuous mining for ten years according to the annual mining volume of one million tons. Its value is no less than 90 billion.”
At that point, Conrad’s blank face revealed a rare excitement.
“Therefore, I plan to partner up with you to do this business.”
When Jasper was done listening, he raised his eyebrows slightly and said, “If that’s what you’re saying, Mr. Monty, then you can easily make a fortune from this aluminum mine yourself. Why would you want to share it with me?”
Conrad was not the slightest surprised by Jasper’s question. He replied, “Funds.”
“Like I said, Hill County is extremely poor. In order to develop a mine, the first thing you will need to do is build a road that leads directly to the mine so that heavy machinery can go in and out using the road.
“Judging from the current situation in Hill County, at least one billion Somer Dollars in investments is required to construct the road. Another tricky thing is that the minerals are located in the territory of provincial natural resources reserves. According to regulations, the vegetation and trees destroyed from building a mine will have to be replanted.
“That will be at least another billion in expenditure.NôvelDrama.Org owns all © content.
“Also, Hill County’s government once stated their conditions to me, saying that if I build a mine, the mining workers must be recruited from Hill County itself. That’s fine with me since building a mine requires workers, after all. But the problem here is the second condition. We must supply electricity and water to the towns and villages wherever the road passes.
“The expenditure is slightly lesser here, about 300 million Somer Dollars.
“In other words, excluding capital investment such as mining equipment and large amounts of employee safety equipment, as well as other funds, the additional expenditure required in the initial period to construct this aluminum mine is 2.3 billion Somer Dollars. In addition to that, we need at least three billion Somer Dollars in investment when the mining begin, and at least 500 million Somer Dollars for maintenance and operational costs in subsequent years.
“Although the mine is capable of making profits once operations and maintenance begins, during the initial period, including the additional expenditure of 2.3 billion, a total of 5.3 billion Somer Dollars is needed.”
After saying those words, Conrad spread his arms open and said nonchalantly, “If it weren’t for these funding issues, do you think I would want to split this juicy piece of meat with anyone? I would have kept it a secret. Why would I take the initiative to let you know and even invite you to partner up with me?”
“5.3 billion.” Jasper tapped his fingers gently on the armrest of the couch and said calmly, “That’s not a small sum.”
“The Monty family can take out three billion. The remaining 2.3 billion can be converted into shares. The approximate ratio is 60:40. I can give you the 40%.” Conrad put forward his condition for the partnership.
Jasper laughed. “Not everyone can take out so much money at a time even if it’s just 2.3 billion. You think too highly of me, Mr. Monty.”
“Others may not be able to do it, but I believe you can. Don’t tell me that you didn’t even earn two billion when you went to the United States to get Sena listed?” Conrad said indifferently.
Jasper chuckled and said, “Looks like you know a lot about me, Mr. Monty. That’s far too much concern on your side, don’t you think?”
“Let’s cut to the chase. I will give you two days to think about it. If you don’t want to do it, then I will find someone else.” Conrad stood up and walked to the door after finishing his sentence.
“Sure, I’ll give you an answer two days later,” Jasper said.
Conrad had just left when Jasper said to Dawson with a chuckle, “Did you smell it, Uncle Dawson?”
“Smell what?” Dawson frowned, still thinking about the aluminum mine.
“The smell of conspiracy.”
Life at the Top Chapter 842
Dawson asked with a frown, “Are you saying that he’s lying to you? But you can’t lie about a mine that has been explored. We can easily send someone over to investigate. Why would he use such a lousy trick?”
Jasper said knowingly, “Some simple tricks can play a key role in crucial times. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a scam. Half-truths are always the most difficult to expose.”
“Are you going to decline, then?” Dawson asked.
Jasper pondered and said, “If we don’t destroy the Monty family, then they will remain a thorn in our sides or a fish bone stuck in our throats. He wants to destroy me, and I want to use this opportunity to remove the seeds of future troubles.”
“I’m afraid this is not going to be easy to deal with. If Conrad wants to set us up, he will leave plenty of ways out for himself when so much money is involved.”
Dawson frowned slightly as he continued, “Besides, the Monty family has deep roots and a firm foundation. We may be able to deal with Conrad, but let’s not forget that he has a backer, and that person is the hardest to deal with.”
Jasper chuckled and stood up, saying, “No matter what happens, we’ll see how things progress first!”
Two days was neither too long nor too short.
In the midst of his hectic life, two days went by in the blink of an eye.
In the past two days, Jasper and Dawson worked together to prepare for Southface River Project’s topping-out ceremony.
On the other hand, Jack planned to officially launch the online point card payment system, a joint partnership between Sena and Terizone. There were many tasks involved that required frequent communication with Terizone and Commercial Bank.
Plus, Sena was now a proper listed company and currently the most popular foreign-listed internet company in the domestic internet industry. Therefore, he planned to hold an annual meeting in Waterhoof City.
Jack’s intentions were clear when he reported this to Jasper. He wanted Jasper to attend it.
Jasper did not decline. After deciding on a time with Jack, they waited for Sena’s annual meeting next week.
The topping-out ceremony for the Southface River Project would be held immediately after Sena’s annual meeting.
There were many complicated affairs to handle, and when Jasper was done handling them one by one, two days had already gone by.
Today, Conrad showed up at his doorsteps.
He was not alone. He brought with him Valentine Estrada, a man Jasper once had dealings with.
The two of them brought a stack of information and went straight to Jasper’s office.
“If I hadn’t heard about it in advance, I wouldn’t believe that your parent company is squeezed into such a tiny villa.” Conrad sat across from Jasper with a smile.
Jasper asked the clerk to prepare two cups of coffee and laughed.
“When Southface River officially opens, my company will then shift over. We can only do what we can at the moment. We have no choice. The company is less than a year old and is still very weak. It’s best to take things slow.”
“Why do I feel like you’re mocking old companies like us?” Conrad said meaningfully.
“Are you here to have idle talks with me today, Mr. Monty?” Jasper said with a grin.
Conrad motioned to Valentine and the latter immediately pulled out a stack of documents. Conrad said, “Two days are up. I’m here to ask if you have an answer? This is all the information regarding the aluminum mine.
“You will find verifications from the county, city, and province mining departments, as well as detailed and official certification of the surrounding environment of the reserves and mineral resources. I can’t fake these things nor am I allowed to fake these things. Just take a close look at them and you’ll know what I mean,” Conrad said.
Jasper carefully read the documents in his hands without a word.
Conrad picked up his cup of coffee and took a sip in an unruffled manner, turning around to study Jasper’s office. The competitive aura that emitted from within him when he faced Jasper in the past was non-existent now.
Honestly, Jasper knew nothing about the mining industry. The jargon and data shown in this thick stack of information made his head hurt. It was all Greek to him.
Jasper could at least tell a private document and an official document apart.
Among them were a few official documents with clear-written words to prove that the aluminum mine that Conrad mentioned did exist.
No one would fake things like that because, on the one hand, one could make a call to the department to know if this was fake. It would be too easily exposed.
On the other hand, once exposed, one would have to pay a huge price for forging official documents.
“I don’t understand the data and statistics, but I know this is probably real,” Jasper said bluntly while putting down the papers.
Conrad, who was studying Jasper’s office, withdrew his gaze and said mildly, “It’s alright if you don’t understand the data and statistics. You can find any undergraduate with a degree in mineral exploration and he’ll give you a clear calculation.
“If you’ve confirmed that it’s genuine, can you give me an answer now? Do you want this partnership or not?”
After pointing at the large stack of papers on the table, Jasper said with a grin, “Look, I don’t know about these things. Even if I find a professional to go through it, it’ll still take some time. Why don’t you give me two more days?”
Frowning slightly, Conrad looked at Jasper and said, “I’ll give you one more day at most. With every delay, I’m wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars. No one can bear this cost for too long. If you don’t want to, then I can just find other partners.”
“Okay, one day it is then,” Jasper said with a smile.
“Don’t worry, I’ll definitely give you an answer tomorrow at this time.”
Conrad stood up and said, “Hopefully.”
Life at the Top Chapter 843
After bidding an insincere farewell to Jasper, Conrad and Valentine left the villa.
Upon getting into the car, he lifted his head and said, “Cancel all the plans we prepared previously.”
“Mr. Monty, we spent a lot of money and effort to prepare those plans. Are we… cancelling all of them?”
Sitting at the front passenger seat, Valentine turned around and asked.
“Cancel it all. Use a new plan.”
Conrad added mildly, “Starting from the day Jasper built up his fortune, I can recite every piece of information I found about him backwards.
“From those pieces of information that can almost be written into a novel, I can tell that Jasper is an extremely conceited person. He’s distrusting to his core and only believes in his own judgment.
“No matter how outrageous a judgment may seem to outsiders, he will execute his plan once he has made his decision. He has never cared about what outsiders think or say.
“Most terrifyingly… his outrageous judgments have all succeeded. The more outrageous it is, the more benefits he gets. It’s precisely because of this that he’s able to accumulate so much wealth in just one year’s time.
“Ever since Sena was listed, there are not many people in Somerland who can compare to him in terms of wealth and fortune. No more than three digits.
“Just how arrogant and conceited can this man be? He isn’t afraid of schemes and tricks. He believes that he can solve everything.” This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.
At this point, Conrad’s lips were curled into a strange arc.
“A conceited man like him will still eat the poisonous cake we sent him despite knowing that it’s poisonous because he believes that he can handle the poison to get rid of us.
“He covets the gains in front of him without being aware of the danger behind him. Jasper covets the gains yet has no idea that I’m the danger lurking behind him, pointing a sniper at his head.”
After hearing what he said, Valentine could not help but gasp in admiration.
Conrad had lost to Jasper twice, suffering tremendous losses. Moreover, Jasper was always able to leave with a bunch of benefits each time.
Valentine was not around the first time, but he had heard about it.
He experienced it himself the second time.
This was the third time.
Valentine had observed how terrifyingly fast Conrad had grown during this time. Conrad had been reviewing his defeat almost every day, carefully thinking about what went wrong that caused his defeat and Jasper’s victory.
In Valentine’s opinion, Conrad had completely transformed now. It would not make any sense if he did not win this time.
More importantly, Valentine had met Conrad’s father, Steven Monty, recently.
After meeting that man, Valentine realized what a true upright and indomitable man in Southeast Province actually looked like. With a man like him as Conrad’s father and to have him back him up, how could Conrad possibly lose?
…
“They sure are willing to fork out so much money for this bait.”
In the evening. In Jasper’s office, Henry yawned constantly while Jasper studied an encrypted document that had been sent urgently from Harbor City. He tutted non-stop.
He rested his legs on the armrest of the couch, lying flawlessly on the couch. Henry picked a comfortable posture to lie down and said with disdain.
“That idiot Mitch didn’t even have the guts to dig a hole and bury someone on the mountains previously but now he’s bold enough to transport hundreds of tons of aluminum ores to the mountain and hide them, pretending like it’s a new mine that has just been explored? He’s pretty smart, isn’t he?”
“Have you actually buried someone before?” Jasper asked.
“No.”
Henry waved his hands.
“It’s not what you think it is. We just beat up the idiots we don’t like and drag them to the mountain, dig a pit, strip them bare, and throw their clothes into it. Then we bury them up to their chests. This way, no one dies and we can also teach them a good lesson. That’s it, basically.”
Having said that, Henry smirked and said, “Do you remember Bon Lancaster’s son, Zane Lancaster? He’s currently the one who has been buried the most among other trust fund babies in Harbor City. Hahahaha.
“Can you guess who made it to the top of the list for burying the most people? I’ll give you a hint. You know this person very well,” Henry said while winking his eyes.
“It’s not you, is it?” Jasper hissed.
Although he was talking to Henry, his eyes were fixed on the document that came from Harbor City. He was searching his brain for all the clues he already had, reassembling and restoring them as he tried to play out the scenes in his head.
“Hehehe, I knew you’d say that. You got it wrong this time. It’s my sister.” Henry laughed.
Jasper withdrew his gaze from the documents upon hearing his words and shifted it to Henry, asking dubiously, “Anna? I don’t believe you.”
“You don’t believe me? Although my sister doesn’t hang out with us, she has a reputation for teaching all the trust fund babies in Harbor City a lesson. Only Kayden, Fabian, and those who are much older than her had not been bashed up by her before.
“In the years before we met you, if she found any trust fund babies in Harbor City unpleasant to look at, or if they pissed her off, none of them would end well.
“When she was done crippling them, I would bury them. But she’s still the initiator, after all, so those idiots would shudder in fright whenever they see her now!”
Jasper recalled Anna’s matchless beauty and chuckled. “I can’t tell at all.”
“She changed after meeting you. She’s way quieter now,” Henry said with a sigh.
When he finally put down the document that was three to five pages, Jasper ignored Henry’s sighs and said, “I’m afraid Mitch won’t be able to handle something this big…
“Sneaking hundreds of tons of aluminum ores through customs, burying them, and disguising them as a fake mine so flawlessly that it could even fool the most experienced veterans in the industry… This scam alone would cost them hundreds of millions of dollars, right?
“They sure are willing.”
Life at the Top Chapter 844
“What’s the situation now?”
Henry managed to lift half of his body from the couch and asked Jasper.
“Mitch, that idiot, colluded with Conrad to transport hundreds of tons of aluminum ores from Harbor City just to trick you?”
Jasper nodded and said, “Something like that.”
“F*ck!” Henry cursed with displeasure. “Why has no one paid such a huge price to trick me before?”
“It only takes a few women to trick you,” Jasper shot back mercilessly.
“F*ck, I don’t like to hear that!” Henry roared grumpily.
“Stop shouting. It hurts my head.”
“This is all thanks to the Laws’ great influence. Your family was able to find out about this in just a few hours.
“Since they’ve spent so much effort preparing a good show, it would be such a pity if we don’t go along with their performance, don’t you think?” Jasper said meaningfully.
…
The next day, Conrad took the initiative to make a call. This time, Jasper agreed to meet him at a location.
“I think the partnership can go on,” Jasper said with a smile while looking at Conrad who was sitting across the table.
“Before that, though, I have a question.
“Aren’t you afraid that working with me will irk you when you have enmity against me?”
After hearing what Jasper said, Conrad said indifferently, “Enmity and business are two completely different things. If I can’t even draw a clear distinction between them, then why bother doing business at all?”
“Okay.” Jasper nodded, seemingly impressed by this answer.
“How will this partnership work?”
Conrad’s eyes twinkled as he said with a faint smile, “Like what we mentioned earlier, we will establish a company. I’ll hold 60% shares and you 40%. We’ll invest according to the ratio. You will contribute 2.3 billion while I will fork out the remaining three billion.”
“The interests that belong to the company after that will also be divided according to equity.”
Jasper nodded and said, “Not bad. This is a standard and reasonable way to distribute it. However, I don’t know anything about the mineral industry. What about the sales channels?”
“Don’t worry about the sales channels. I’ve already contacted several state-owned mining companies. As soon as the company is established, we can then sign a business contract with them as our suppliers and operate according to the market price.”
“In other words, you’ve done everything from exploration to mining to sales and I only need to fork out money before waiting for my share of profits?” Jasper asked.
Conrad looked at Jasper and asked indifferently, “You’re afraid that I’ll set you up?”
Jasper laughed. “Would you believe me if I say I’m not afraid?”
“I don’t believe you.” Conrad shook his head and raised his brows, saying, “I explained the reason to you earlier. Had it not been for insufficient funds, I wouldn’t have shared this with anyone—let alone you.
“At present, if I want 60% of these benefits, I will have to let someone have the 40%. In addition to that, I don’t have many candidates to choose from. After deliberating for a very long time, I think you’re the most suitable candidate of all.
“If you’re worried, then I can let you handle the aspects of legal representation, management, and even the signing of the sales contracts.”
“In that case, I can kick you out anytime. You’re not afraid of that?” Jasper asked.
“Would you believe me if I say that I’m not afraid?” Conrad replied to Jasper with his own words.
“I don’t believe you.” Jasper laughed.
“I’ll be in charge of setting up collateral,” Conrad said.
“Collateral? We have enough money. Why would you still need to set up collateral?” Jasper asked, raising his eyebrows slightly.
Smiling, Conrad said, “Do you think we can just cash out three billion so casually? I don’t have a listed company to be my backer like you. I need to put up the entire company’s equity as collateral. The loan will be at least 2.5 billion.”
The company was short of funds, and it seemed perfectly normal to apply for bank loans.
Jasper looked unruffled when he listened to Conrad’s words and said, “I thought you’d fork out three billion yourself and inject it into the company, but from what you’re saying right now, I will be the one
forking out a large sum of money whereas you won’t have to pay anything?”
Conrad replied calmly, “You can’t say that. Is it not enough that I have put up the entire aluminum mine as collateral? You must know that the only reason why our partnership can work and the bank loans can be approved is that fundamentally, this aluminum mine exists, no?”
Jasper pondered for a moment and said, “I need to do a field trip.”
“Of course.” Conrad agreed readily.
“We can go anytime as long as you’re free.”
“I won’t be there. I won’t understand anything anyway so I’ll be going there for nothing. I’ll send relevant experts, though. I just need a bit of help from you when the time comes, that’s all,” Jasper said.
Conrad replied flatly, “Inform me when you’re done with the arrangements. I’ll be ready at any time to serve your men.”
Life at the Top Chapter 845
Jasper sat unmoving in his seat even after Conrad had left.
Wendy arrived soon after. After he stood and exchanged seats with her, Jasper beckoned to a waiter to order a table’s worth of food.
“Conrad has pretty good taste. The food at this restaurant is quite good.”
As Jasper spoke to Wendy, he ladled a helping of her favorite chicken onto her plate.
Wendy blinked as she gazed at Jasper, asking, “How did the discussion go?”
Jasper smiled and said, “It went just as I expected it to, but there were also some surprises.”
He did not keep anything hidden from Wendy as he relayed the details about the conversation he had with Conrad, making sure to emphasize the request Conrad brought up.
Wendy had a solemn expression on her face as she nodded and said, “The request for a loan must not be agreed to!
“After all, no matter who is responsible for applying for the loan, the bank will have to assess the company’s assets regardless. Once the loan is approved and becomes an overdue loan, the bank will seek out the lender and legal representative, which would be you and the new company.
“Both parties need to repay the loan, but Conrad Monty would not have to shoulder even an ounce of responsibility.”
“That’s right,” Jasper said calmly as he spat out a bone. “This is where Conrad’s schemes came into play.
“It might seem as if he’s given me all the power, but with great power comes great responsibility. By becoming the legal representative, I’ll be able to manage the company.
“However, I’ll also be the first to be blamed if anything were to happen to the company. If he takes out a loan of 2.5 billion dollars and fails to make the repayments, the bank will come looking for me instead of him.”
Wendy said angrily, “What a despicable person he is! We must not make any promises to him.”
“I didn’t reject him. I told him I needed to send some professionals over to conduct some field research and he said he would take good care of them,” Jasper said with a smile.
Wendy said angrily, “How could you have made a blunder at such a critical stage? If he’s already made that many preparations, there’s no way your experts can find anything when they arrive at the scene. They’ll tell you that everything is perfectly fine.”
Jasper shrugged and said, “I know, but I’m only doing this to placate him.”
Wendy stared confusedly at Jasper as she frowned and asked, “What are you planning to do?”
Jasper chuckled and said, “Conrad’s plans are about to be revealed at this point.
“He first obtained fake aluminum ore, which he’s using to swindle my funds from me. Everything will seem fine at first when I’ve invested enough money to set up the new company. We’ll even be making huge profits.
“However, as time goes on, I’ll suddenly discover that the mine has run out of ore to be mined. Thus, that would cause a breach of contract, and the state-owned enterprises who have already signed contracts with us will file a lawsuit against us. Then, the bank will also file a lawsuit when the loan repayments are overdue.
“When that happens, I either have to swallow the bitter truth of having to pay the state-owned enterprises for breach of contract and the bank interest on the loan principal, or I can deny everything and fight a lengthy legal battle with both parties. However, I will be on the losing side no matter which option I choose.
“As for Conrad, he’ll end up becoming the winner with the 2.5 billion dollars he loaned.”
Wendy gritted her teeth as she listened to Jasper. “How can such despicable people exist in the world?! Jasp, we should ignore him and make his plans fail!”
“I won’t cough up a single cent, but this scheme…”
Jasper had a meaningful look on his face as he placed a drumstick on Wendy’s plate. Smiling, he said, “We’ll take things one step at a time.”
At that very moment, Conrad had already arrived home.
He was sitting in the study and having a video call with Kennedy who was in Harbor City.
“Things are about 80% complete at this point.”
A look of delight appeared on Kennedy’s face when he heard what Conrad said.
“Not bad. I knew things would go well with you in charge.”
However, Conrad shook his head when he heard the praises and said, “Mr. Kennedy, we can’t get too excited just yet. We must wait for Jasper’s funds to be processed.”
Kennedy nodded and said, “Alright. One must not be impatient if one wants to achieve big things. I’ll be accompanying my father to America in two days. Thus, you’ll be reporting any updates regarding this matter to Mitch.”
Conrad frowned slightly as he said, “Maybe I should report directly to you instead, Mr. Kennedy?”
Kennedy said softly, “Conrad, Mitch has made progress since the last time. We’ve already planned everything out, so all he needs to do is follow the instructions I’ve given him. Nothing will happen. Get in touch with me if you need any difficult decisions made.”
When Conrad heard that, he sighed softly and said, “Alright, I understand.”
After hanging up, the corners of Conrad’s lips curled upward into a cold smile as he muttered to himself, “Stupid. The dad is just as stupid as his son.”
Then, Conrad took his phone and dialed another number.
“Start buying out Sena’s shares now, and remember to take each step carefully. This time, I’m going to turn on Jasper and cause him to suffer his most major loss yet!
“Who cares about the W. Langdon family? They’re just bait for me to tempt Jasper Laine with. Everyone will only realize they’ve been fooled by me when I reveal everything!”
Life at the Top Chapter 846
Conrad had never expected to fool Jasper with a scheme that seemed so costly and elaborate.
Thus, Conrad had from the very start abandoned the Langdon family and begun planning his scheme.
In his opinion, it would be best if Jasper was fooled by this scheme, but he knew the chances of that happening was tiny.
After dealing with him multiple times, Conrad understood exactly why Jasper was so terrifying.
Thus, he did not have a lot of hope.
He placed even more hope on the fact that he had secretly abandoned the W. Langdons and had another plan directed at Sena.
Conrad, who had done thorough research on Jasper, knew that Jasper would immediately be alerted if he took action against any of the companies the man owned.
Jasper had complete control over these companies because they had never been listed publicly. Nothing could escape his eyes.
Sena was the only one that was different.
After all, Sena had been listed publicly on the Nasdaq Composite. The company’s shareholding structure would be a multi-class structure for sure.
Conrad knew Jasper would maintain a firm grip of control over Sena, but he did not care. He did not want to fight with Jasper for Sena but rather cause Sena to completely collapse once he was done making his move.
No one knew that Conrad had already begun laying out the share prices for Sena, and that was the last trick he had up his sleeve.
“Oh, Jasper. This time, it’ll be a battle of wits between the two of us. On the surface, I’m using the W. Langdons as a cover-up for what I’m about to do in the dark. I’m going to pull the rug out from under you through the Nasdaq Composite… Tell me, how are you going to win this time?”
…
Without surprise, the team of experts in the minerals industry that Jasper had gotten in contact with through Elbert Mcgee did not find anything out of the ordinary in Hill County.
After two days of field research, the report the team submitted to Jasper stated that there was indeed a large reserve of aluminum ore within the depths of Hill County. Moreover, these ores were worth billions because of their high quality.
The only downside was that Hill County was an undeveloped place with harsh conditions. A large amount of money would need to be invested before the ores could be mined…
Jasper put down the report the experts had submitted and dialed John’s number.
“John, it’s me.
“Haha, let me apologize in advance. I was in America before this and had a lot of things to take care of. That’s why I wasn’t able to keep in touch with you guys. NôvelDrama.Org (C) content.
“You’re not wrong, I do have a favor to ask from you today.
“I was wondering if you could ask around your company and the other major banks in Southeast Province if Conrad Monty has taken any large loans that are worth millions?
“Yes, it’s quite urgent. I wouldn’t have called you if it wasn’t.
“Alright, I’ll wait for you to get back to me.”
Within an hour of ending his call with John, Jasper received a message from him.
Conrad had requested a special financing loan of 2.9 billion dollars from Agricultural Bank.
It was a three-year loan that would be used for business development, with the collateral being the aluminum mine that had been newly discovered at Hill County.
The loan had not yet been approved because the lender had not been determined yet. Thus, it was still pending while Jasper and Conrad finalized the contract for the newly-established company and an expert from the bank did field research on the mine.
“Jasper, not only does Agricultural Bank view this loan as one of utmost importance but other banks, including mine, would like to claim it as ours too. Conrad has a lot of money under his name, and the banks are not worried that anything may happen. The amount of money he wants to loan is huge in Southeast Province. It’ll be a win for anyone who manages to secure the deal.
“Since you’re the one asking, let me add on something else. Make sure nothing happens. 2.9 billion dollars is a lot of money, and a huge fuss will be made if anything happens. No one will be able to handle it.”
John’s words swam around in Jasper’s mind as he sat in his office and thought deeply about things.
What could be confirmed now was Conrad was seemingly giving Jasper a huge opportunity to take hold of.
The minute he took it, it would clamp down on him and render him immobile. When that happened, the one gaining profits would be Conrad, while Jasper had to shoulder all the responsibility.
After a long while, Jasper called John again.
“John, help me get in touch with whoever is in charge of the Agricultural Bank’s Southeast Province branch. I want to treat them to a meal.”
After another few minutes of pondering, Jasper dialed another number.
“Old Master Hurlbutt, how has your health been lately?” Jasper asked as he smiled.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I was just wondering if you could help refer me to a few people?”
“I want to meet the head of the state mining enterprise, someone reliable.”
…
JW Company and Monty Group were about to collaborate and form a brand new company. This particular company had only one task, which was to focus on the development of the mining industry.
This piece of news was a shocker that traveled like lightning through the entire upper class of Southeast Province.
Not a single soul trying to make a living in Southeast Province did not know that Jasper and Conrad were sworn enemies. They had been in so many feuds that you could practically write a book about them. In short, the two simply hated each other.
However, they were working together now?
The industry they were collaborating in was none other than the minerals industry, which Jasper had zero experience in while it was where the Monty family thrived.
The upper class of Southeast Province was more willing to believe Jasper had killed Conrad or vice versa than they were to believe the two were working together.
It was as if a cat was working together with a mouse.
However, the news was already out now and no one had dared to spread rumors that involved both families.
It was true, then.
While the upper class society of Southeast Province was still in shock, the new company was established with fanfare.
It was located near the Southface River Project, which would be officially ready in just a few days!
The company was registered to operate on the sixth to the eighth floors of the Southface River Tower.
Both Jasper and Conrad attended the unveiling ceremony. Photos of the two of them cutting the ribbon and shaking hands as they smiled at the cameras were published by all major printing companies in Southeast Province.
It was also deemed the creepiest photo of 2001 by the upper class society of Southeast Province.
Life at the Top Chapter 847
Jasper immediately sought out John after the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
John had rushed over from work and began complaining the minute he walked into the bar where they had planned to meet. “Mr. Jasper Laine, couldn’t you have told me what you wanted to say over the phone? Must we meet here?”
“It’s not a good idea to talk about it over the phone. I’m alright, but you’re a high profile man. I don’t have the means to compensate you if anything happens to a man holding an important job like you,” Jasper said as he smiled.
As the two grew closer, John and Jasper slowly became less formal when they spoke to each other, paying no attention to titles or tone. John did not treat Jasper as a multi-billionaire, and Jasper did not treat John as the vice president of one of the largest banks in the country.
John had a startled expression on his face as he glanced suspiciously at Jasper, saying, “Just listen to what you’re saying. Why have you come looking for me? You aren’t trying to team up with me and rob the bank, right? I won’t take part in these crazy schemes, but you can go ahead.”
Jasper did not know if he should laugh or cry as he said, “Do you think I need to rob your bank? With time, I can easily earn as much money as a bank in the province has.”
John suppressed a smile as he said, “That’s the most depressing thing I’ve ever heard in my life.”
After the two sat down, Jasper beckoned for a waiter to serve them some appetizers as he said, “Frankly, this isn’t anything major. But it is quite urgent, and after a lot of thought, the only person I could think of who would execute this efficiently without compromising quality was you.”
John said boldly, “Stop beating around the bush. Tell me, what do you need me to do?”
“Help me register a shell corporation in the Cayman Islands,” Jasper replied.
Startled, John said hesitantly, “You could just pay a corrupt intermediary to take care of matters like this for a couple of million dollars.”
“That’s why I said it wasn’t a major problem, but do you think there are intermediaries who could get it done by tomorrow morning?” Jasper asked exasperatedly as he tossed John a cigarette and lit himself one.
John’s eyes widened as he asked in disbelief, “Tomorrow morning?! Do you think I’m a god?!”
Jasper laughed and said, “No one else would be able to do it, but you won’t have a problem.”
John ran his fingers through his hair, which had grown considerably thinner ever since he got to know Jasper. He said, “Give me a minute to think about it.”
“Registering a company in the Cayman Islands isn’t hard… but a shell corporation? Do you want it to have the minimum registered capital?”
“Yes, one US dollar will be enough,” Jasper said as he smiled.
Several places in the world were tax-evading heaven for multinational companies, and the Cayman Islands was one of them. In fact, even in the year 2020, after 19 years had passed, several large corporations would still register either their branch offices or mother company in the Cayman Islands.
First of all, that place was tax-free. Second of all, foreign companies entering and investing within the domestic market was beneficial to countries like Somerland, which relied on foreign funding to develop in the year 2001.
Every place was trying to attract investors now, and being able to attract a foreign investor was considered a big plus. Thus, those who could think outside the box would seek the opportunity to register their company in other countries.
Without considering anything else, just the preferential policies and lifetime exemption from taxes were enough to cause the masses to rush like ducks.
“I’m not planning on having all the companies registered overseas. The first reason being that the procedure is much too complicated and time-consuming. The second reason, which is also the main reason, is that as a person of Somer descent profiting off my countrymen’s money, I must pay taxes to my country.
“That’s why I’m getting you to do this for me. I just need a shell corporation that I can get rid of once I’m done with it.”
John nodded knowingly as he listened to Jasper speak. Then, he let Jasper watch as he took his phone and made four or five phone calls in a row.
Half an hour later, John said, “Thank the Lord I still have a couple of friends who are in this business. One of them has immigrated to the Cayman Islands and often helps others with procedures like these. At least you would be doing it in a somewhat legal manner.
“Having it done by tomorrow does prove to be a challenge, but my friend has promised he’ll make it happen. It’s almost daytime where he is thanks to the six-hour time zone difference, so we should send him the information now. He’ll go get in line first thing in the morning and get a headstart on the procedures. Everything should be done, at the very latest, in the afternoon,” John said.
“Alright, give me your friend’s contact information, then. I’ll arrange for someone to get in touch with him regarding the information and relevant payments,” Jasper said.
When he heard that, John wrote down a number for Jasper.
Jasper immediately passed the number to Malcolm after receiving it.
Perhaps it was due to cultural influences, but this American was exceptionally good at unorthodox shenanigans like these.
He was also the one who had come up with this plan that would help prevent Jasper from getting into trouble with the law.
“How did your meeting with Agricultural Bank go?” John asked curiously.
“No major problems. I didn’t ask for him to do much except to keep an eye on the loan Conrad wants to take out and ensure it’s channeled into the new company’s account in its entirety. Not a single cent can find its way into his account. Isn’t this what’s usually explicitly requested when taking out loans with a bank?”
Jasper laughed as he asked.
John nodded and said, “Then that shouldn’t be too big of a problem. However, if you hadn’t popped in beforehand regarding such matters, who knows if anything had been wired to another personal account.”
“You know what things are like. No one’s going to look into it if there isn’t anyone acting as supervisor. These are all minuscule things to the president of a district branch, and his words act as rules so long as no major incidents happen.”
After a while of eating and chatting, Jasper stood to leave.
“Well, that’s all for today. I’ve still got to rush to meet a few other people,” Jasper said as he stood.
“It’s late. You still have appointments?” John asked confusedly.
Jasper smiled mysteriously as he said, “We’re signing the contract tomorrow. Of course, I’ll have to prepare all my plans beforehand. I must ensure the people in charge of those state-owned enterprises are in place before I sleep.”
John shook his head and said, “Whoever is trying to go against you will have seven years of bad luck lined up for them!”
Life at the Top Chapter 848
After saying goodbye to John, Jasper immediately traveled to Sheraton Hotel in Nauritus City.
The supervisors of two separate state-owned enterprises had long since been waiting for him.
After a mandatory round of introductions, Jasper smiled at the two blushing and grinning supervisors as he said, “Guys, we’ll be going through with the normal process of signing the contracts tomorrow, but don’t forget our promise to each other.
“I’ll first represent the new company in signing the contract with you tomorrow, but we’ll also sign a memorandum in private. It’s both to help me and prevent you guys from getting tricked, which is why we must ensure nothing happens!”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Laine. We would have walked right into the trap if you hadn’t reminded us. Who would have thought that Monty Group, a company that’s somewhat well known in the country, would do something like this?
“We won’t let him get what he wants now that we’re working together!”
One of the supervisors thumped his chest as he spoke.
They would not be idiots seeing as they were able to climb up to their current positions. They were actually much smarter than they seemed.
The first time Jasper met with them, he had skipped all niceties and told them straight to their faces that Conrad’s mine was a fraud. Except for the surface layer, the ground underneath was completely devoid of any minerals.
The two men immediately believed what Jasper said when he procured the relevant customs declaration forms from Harbor City.
While in shock, the two were also gritting their teeth with hatred for Conrad.
They would have been held responsible if they fell for his tricks and caused their enterprises to suffer major losses. If that were the case, they would have reached the end of their careers.
To senior executives at state-owned enterprises like them, ending their careers was basically ending their lives.
Jasper did not even need to say much about a grudge like this before they immediately agreed to assist him.
Thus, Jasper’s plans were born.
He would agree to Conrad’s request to collaborate and would use the shell corporation he had registered to join shares with Conrad and act as the legal representative for the new company.
Then, he would secure the money Conrad got from the loan using the company’s bank account and forbid Conrad from taking a single cent of it.
This time, he had formed a deal with the two supervisors from the state-owned enterprises. On the surface, they were signing an acquisition agreement, but they would also secretly sign a memorandum that denied the fact that the three of them had any responsibility to withhold in this situation. When things finally went wrong, Conrad would be the one to shoulder all the responsibility.
Jasper had managed to poke holes in Conrad’s elaborate scheme using these three steps, and he was confident he could let Conrad have a taste of his own medicine.
It was already past midnight when Jasper was done doing a second run-through of what would happen tomorrow with the supervisors. He then returned home.
The night passed in the blink of an eye.
The next morning, Jasper and Wendy set out to the venue where the contract would be signed.
Jasper had just gotten into the car when he received a call from Malcolm.
The procedures to set up the shell corporation had been completed.
Upon receiving that piece of news, Jasper heaved a sigh of relief and finally relaxed.
“Has it been done?” Wendy asked when she saw Jasper hang up the phone with a relaxed expression on his face.
Smiling, Jasper nodded and said, “Now all we have to do is head over there and sign the contract.”
The multipurpose hall in Sheraton Hotel had been furnished to function as a small-scale launch event today.
[Cloud Rider Mining Company has been officially established!]
[Conrad Monty has made a private investment of 3 billion dollars, while Jasper Laine has invested 2.3 billion dollars under his newly registered foreign company, Tenra Corporations!]
[The company boasts a joint registered capital of 5.3 billion Somer Dollars and will operate mainly in the mining industry.]
[Cloud Rider Mining Company has already signed a sales contract with two of the five largest mining companies in the country on the day it was established. They have promised to provide no less than 700,000 tonnes of quality raw aluminum ore every year to both companies!]
[The Monty family has discovered a brand new mine, but instead of excavating it themselves, they have chosen to collaborate with their biggest enemy, Jasper Laine!]
[Could it be that, as Monty Group had put it, they lack the necessary funds to excavate the mine or because the Monty family is also attempting to extend an olive branch to the newly emerging power in Southeast Province, Jasper Laine?]
[No matter what, this company has been destined to shine since the day it was established. It’s full of secrets and seems to be determining the fate of Southeast Province.]
Piece after piece of news was spread out from the venue of the launch event, and they quickly became the topic of discussion for every single family in Southeast Province.
After Jasper stamped his seals as the legal representative of the new company, he stood and exchanged the contracts with the two supervisors from the state-owned enterprises. Lights flashed as the contract officially took on legal validity. NôvelDrama.Org © content.
“Mr. Laine, we hope this will be a good collaboration.”
The two supervisors of the state-owned enterprises roared with laughter as they spoke meaningfully to Jasper.
Jasper laughed lightly and said, “That’s a must. We’ll definitely enjoy working together.”
The three exchanged looks and smiled. Then, they went along with the reporters’ wishes and turned to look at the cameras, giving them more time to take pictures.
Life at the Top Chapter 849
Conrad, who was sitting on the other end of the podium, had a slight smile on his face. No one could tell what was running through his mind now.
“Be happy now, Jasper Laine. Be as happy as you want to be now. The happier you are now, the more miserable you’ll be when you realize you’re trapped!”
After taking a deep breath, Conrad was just about to walk toward Jasper and the two supervisors so that they could exchange pleasantries and answer any questions the reporters might have when Valentine hurried over.
“Mr. Monty, the money for the loan has been approved,” Valentine said solemnly to Conrad.
When Conrad heard a reporter calling out to him, he immediately turned and smiled as he waved. His great mood made him exceptionally cooperative, and the reporter was delighted as they pressed wildly on the shutter.
Conrad, who was heir to one of the richest families in Southeast Province, would rarely treat such insignificant reporters so well.
“That’s a good thing. Why do you seem so panicked?” Conrad’s smile widened as he parted his lips to whisper to Valentine.
It was only then Valentine said, “But the bank didn’t do what we previously agreed on. They transferred it right into Cloud Rider’s account.”
Conrad frowned slightly as he said, “Didn’t we agree to have the money transferred into the personal account I provided? How could they have made such a mistake? Have you clarified things with them?”
“Yes, I have.”
Valentine lowered his voice and said, “The bank explained that headquarters has been tightening security measures lately, so it’s difficult for them to go around the rules.
“Moreover, they needed to report back to the headquarters because of how large the loan is, which means the higher-ups were paying even more attention to where the money was going. Thus, the only thing they could do was transfer the money into the company’s account. After all, we applied for the loan using the company’s name.”
Conrad narrowed his eyes. With his keen senses, he had managed to detect something deeper going on through this seemingly insignificant detail.
His gaze turned instinctively to Jasper who was being surrounded by a crowd.
He watched Jasper, who was surrounded by a crowd of clamoring people and flashing lights, who had a familiar smile on his face as he calmly spoke to everyone who came forth to speak to him.
He was not overly humble, nor was he domineering. The adjectives ‘gentle’ and ‘elegant’ could be used to best describe Jasper Laine.
However, Conrad only thought that Jasper was most dangerous and horrifying when he seemed unable to harm anybody.
It was as though there was a bloody gaping mouth behind his smiling face that was ready to pounce and swallow Conrad whole.
“Find a way to have the money transferred out immediately,” Conrad said determinedly.
“That money must not be left in the company’s account. It doesn’t matter if it’s a scheme to do with Jasper or not. The minute he knows we’ve transferred the money into the company’s account, he won’t let us have it transferred out easily.“NôvelDrama.Org © content.
Conrad had fast reflexes and came to a decision within a minute of receiving the news.
However, no matter how fast he was, he would never be faster than Jasper who had begun making plans and arrangements a few days ago.
“I’m worried we won’t make it.”
Valentine smiled bitterly and said, “The people from Agricultural Bank just told me that when Cloud Rider was established half a minute ago, someone had already made a copy of the account’s documentation in the bank’s system.
“The company’s legal representative must sign off any transactions above one million dollars!’
Crash!
The sound of a chair being flipped caused many people who were present to look toward where the sound had come from. They were surprised to see that it was Conrad who caused that loud crash.
At that very moment, Conrad had an ugly expression on his face!
Conrad, who had caused the chair to flip over when he abruptly stood in shock and anger, did not seem to notice that people were staring at him. He glared intently at Jasper.
Jasper just happened to turn around.
Their gazes met and collided in mid-air.
Taking a deep breath, Conrad forced himself to suppress the chaotic and complicated emotions rushing through him. He knew that both the timing and venue did not allow him to lose control of himself no matter the situation.
“Let’s go!” Conrad said before he turned and walked off.
“Hey… Mr. Monty? We haven’t finished taking pictures!” the reporter yelled in panic at Conrad’s retreating figure.
However, Conrad had no time or patience for them. He did not even bother turning around as he walked off.
The reporter sighed, mumbling to themselves about how temperamental and hard to please these public figures were.
As he mumbled and lowered his head to look at the photos he took, he realized he had managed to take clear shots of how Conrad’s expression changed from one of happiness to confusion, and finally, to suppressed rage.
“Hello. Do you mind selling those photos to me?” A voice rang out by the reporter’s ears.
Startled, the reporter jumped and whirled around to find Jasper standing beside him.
“Mister… Mr. Laine!” The reporter’s voice trembled with excitement. He never dreamed that Jasper Laine would talk to him one day!
“Can you?” Jasper asked with a smile. “Those photos are very meaningful and will become sentimental items to me, which is why I’m interested in buying them. Name any price you want.”
“Of… Of course! I can give them to you right now if you need them, Mr. Laine. I don’t need money, but will you agree to do an interview with me?”
The young reporter had graduated barely two years ago and knew to hold on to opportunities that came his way.
Jasper chuckled and said, “No problem, but I might be busy lately. Why don’t you give me your card and I’ll have someone get in touch with you in a bit?”
“Thank you so much, Mr. Laine!”
The reporter did not seem to worry that a public figure like Jasper would lie to him as he excitedly took his name card and passed it to Jasper with both hands.
Jasper took the card and glanced at it. His name was Kennard Fraley and he was a reporter for the Southern Financial Times.
Jasper put the card in his pocket after reading it.
It was a seemingly insignificant gesture, but Kennard felt as if he was being respected by the other party. His heart bloomed with gratitude as he hurriedly fiddled with his camera and gave the roll of film to Jasper.
He swore that Jasper Laine was the only tycoon who could make others feel this charmed throughout his career as a journalist.
Kennard was feeling charmed, but Conrad felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave!
Life at the Top Chapter 850
“No can do, Mr. Monty. I’ve already spoken to the finance team over at the company and they’ve all given me the same answers. After reporting to the bank, no outsider is allowed to withdraw a single cent without the legal representative’s signature.”
Valentine had a vexed expression on his face as he hung up the phone and spoke to Conrad who was pacing around the room.
Conrad took a sharp breath and said, “Which means the 2.5 billion dollars we went to such great lengths to obtain has now genuinely become equity capital in Jasper’s hands.”
Valentine hurriedly said comfortingly, “Don’t be so pessimistic. At least the money is in the company’s account and not Jasper’s bank account.”
Ignoring Valentine’s comforting words, Conrad muttered to himself, “Now the most troublesome part is that we don’t know if Jasper did it on purpose or if it was a coincidence… What did our people in the bank say?”
“I’ve checked with them. It’s not just Agricultural Bank, but the remaining four major banks have also been doubling down on security lately.
“This is related to the recent spike in non-performing loans due to banks’ reckless lending to companies. The notice to enhance overall risk control was distributed by Central Bank to the headquarters of the four major banks at the end of last month.”
When Conrad heard that, he sat on the couch and closed his eyes without speaking.
After a moment’s thought, Valentine said softly to Conrad, “Mr. Monty, if that’s the case, this might have perhaps been a coincidence.”
“Coincidence?”
Conrad opened his eyes and said quietly, “I’ve never believed in coincidences, nor am I willing to attribute everything to mere coincidences. I would rather believe this was one of Jasper’s schemes.”
Valentine said awkwardly, “So what should we do next?”
“We can’t do anything…”
“It’ll be a mistake to do or even say anything more since we’ll be at risk of exposing ourselves completely. Let’s see what Jasper does first.”
Conrad’s eyes glinted as he spoke.
“After all, this money was obtained through a loan using Cloud Rider. I didn’t fund the money myself.
“At the very most, we’ll have it remain in the company’s account and have it go to whoever it belongs to when the scheme is exposed in the future. The bank can file a lawsuit against the two state-owned enterprises for that. My ultimate goal is still to trap Jasper’s funds…”
…
The ICBS branch in Nauritus City.
In the president’s office.
Raymond Lovell knew he had only become president of the best-performing branch in the province, the city center branch, because of John, who was one of the most influential people in the Southeast Province branch. He had always been looking for a way to repay John and the chance finally arrived for him to do so.
Raymond had just hung up the phone when someone knocked on his door.
“Come in.”
Raymond spoke calmly. Ever since becoming president of the city center branch, he felt as though he could finally become the dignified man he had been waiting a long time to become.
The person who entered was the manager of the bank’s Risk Management Department.
“President Lovell, we’ve discovered a major problem in the account that Cloud Rider Mining Company opened at our bank during our inspections today,” the manager said in a panic.
Raymond calmly took a sip of his coffee and smiled as he said, “Don’t panic, Wesley. Tell me calmly what’s going on. The sky isn’t falling on us is it?”
Mr. Wesley smiled bitterly as he said, “It’s a major problem, and the sky might as well fall on us if this is made public!
“The company registered its equity at 5.3 billion dollars, but when we checked the account today, we saw that the account has only transferred the 2.5 billion dollars it obtained from a loan with the Agricultural Bank’s branch in Southeast Province. Not another cent has been transferred into the account. How can I be calm when 2.8 billion dollars is missing?”