Capítulo 499: Chapter 499: Jacob Rothschild
[Chapter 562: Jacob Rothschild]
Hong Kong, HSBC Building in Central.
Henry Kessick, the chairman of Jardine Matheson, arranged a meeting with Arthur in his office. "Arthur, collaborating with Hongkong Land on the Kowloon Bay site would be so much simpler with the Ritz-Carlton involved."
Arthur chuckled, "So it seems Mr. Kessick has taken a liking to that plot of land?"
Jardine Matheson, which owns Hongkong Land, Dairy Farm, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Jardine Pacific, and Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminal, is a British firm in Hong Kong and ranks among the Global 500.
As for HSBC, its headquarters moved from Hong Kong to London in 1993.
"Sure, partnering with Hongkong Land doesn't sound bad," Arthur certainly had no objections. "Right now, the Ritz-Carlton's main focus is on opening new hotels in the U.S.!"
More importantly, there's the impending financial crisis in Hong Kong set to explode next year. By then, Arthur could easily acquire Hong Kong real estate for a fraction of the cost; be it Hongkong Land, Jardine, Swire Properties, or any of the other real estate giants like New World, CK Asset, or Henderson Land.
Henry Kessick nodded, handing Arthur a glass of wine. "This little venture, Arthur, you must think it's beneath you now. Galaxy's IPO has truly opened everyone's eyes. The market cap is $31 billion, Arthur, you're practically unparalleled now!"
Arthur took a sip. "Hong Kong is now Asia's financial center and will become one of the international finance hubs in the future. Galaxy might also heavily invest in Hong Kong's finance and real estate."
"Oh, Arthur, you don't seem too concerned about Hong Kong's future. Many people worry about next year's handover," Henry Kessick inquired.
"Worry?" Arthur shook his head. "Most of my core business is in America. Even if I lost all my foreign investments, it wouldn't matter. Besides, with Hong Kong's unique political situation, combined with such a large market, who wouldn't be envious?"
Arthur looked at Henry Kessick, "Mr. Kessick, perhaps we'll have more opportunities to collaborate in the future!"
...
At noon, Arthur left the HSBC Building and returned to his villa in Repulse Bay.
In the pool, Rosamund Kwan lay on Arthur, passionately kissing him for a moment. "You finally made it to Hong Kong!"
"Yeah, I came specially to see you," Arthur smiled, "So, are you happy?"
Rosamund excitedly kissed his chest, "100,000 shares of Galaxy stocks, just listed, and the value shot up from $1 million to over $7 million. The stock market is truly astounding!"
Arthur reached out and teased her chest, leaning closer, "Vivian has 200,000 shares, and you only have 100,000?"
"Cash is tight," Rosamund wrapped her arms around his neck.
Arthur kissed her chest gently, "I'll give you 50,000 shares for now. If you behave well next time, I'll throw in another 50,000. How about that?"
"Deal," Rosamund said, loosening her bra, "Last month, I went to Korea and Japan to promote the film Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words", starring Jet Li, and the box office did pretty well. Right now in East Asia, aside from Jackie Chan, his action films are the hottest. If Galaxy has other ideas, they can consider making films with him."
"Wait for the right time, maybe let him make an appearance in a Hollywood movie first. At least the American audience should know who he is; Hollywood wouldn't allow a foreigner to star as the main lead directly."
Arthur looked up, smiling at the stunning Rosamund, "How's your company doing?"
"Oh, it's nothing special. However, recently Gigi Lai participated in two low-budget films, both of which performed well at the box office. The first one was released in January, the second in March, and now the third one should be wrapped up soon, set to release next month!"
Rosamund was referring to the comic book adaptation Young and Dangerous, which had two films released within three months, shot in just over ten days each.
"Now she's gaining a bit of fame. I'm planning to invest in films for her. The cost isn't high; I'll have a cameo in one too," Rosamund explained. "But it won't be soon, because I'm about to shoot a romance film. Once that wraps, I'll have some free time."
Simply put, Rosamund felt financially stable enough that she didn't want to overextend herself.
"You guys really shoot three films in six months, then release them back-to-back?" Arthur couldn't help but chuckle, "Is Hong Kong cinema really that powerful?"
"The results are quite good. Both films grossed over HK$20 million at the box office, and the production costs were just a few million," Rosamund clarified.
...
Meanwhile, in a small conference room at the HSBC Building, Henry Kessick was speaking with an important figure.
Jacob Rothschild, the 4th Baron Rothschild of the British Rothschild family, aged 60, is the founder of Rothschild Investment Trust and Rothschild Insurance Group. The Rothschild Bank has strong ties with British enterprises like Jardine, HSBC, and Swire, and is also a shareholder in HSBC.
These conglomerates are closely connected and often hold stakes in one another; they're interwoven like an intricate network.
"Arthur Smith, huh? He's got big ambitions," Jacob Rothschild remarked. He had specifically come to Hong Kong from Britain for this year's chief executive election, discussing Arthur Smith with Henry Keswick.
"He's not just here for a vacation; he represents the Western Oil Company, aiming to make a play in the Indonesian oil industry," Jacob added. "The deal with Mobil, Exxon, and BP is set; soon, Java will become a territory for Western Oil, while other oil fields will be left for other firms to compete over."
"Is it just about oil?" Henry Keswick chuckled, shaking his head.
Jacob Rothschild shrugged with a calm demeanor. "That's only one goal. Wall Street wants to harvest Asia. How could a big shark like Arthur Smith not get involved?"
Henry Keswick's eyes lit up. "Is Arthur starting with Indonesia?"
"Not sure. Although Arthur Smith is young, he's very seasoned. We don't know if he will make a move this year," Jacob replied.
"But he has laid plans with Washington before. Arthur is like a whistleblower, and many institutions are constantly monitoring the movements of the big four hedge funds on Wall Street," Jacob said, glancing at Henry with a smile.
"Don't worry, Quantum Fund has a complete harvesting plan; Arthur's actions will only speed things up," he continued.
"For us, Arthur is an asset, and wherever he needs support, we'll fully cooperate!"
*****
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