Chapitre 301: Chapter 301: Retreat
William White was not planning to play anymore, but he also wouldn't show weakness. It clearly didn't fit someone's character to leave without some kind of memento.
A battle of such scale was a big deal anywhere, yet in Africa, everything felt eerily silent.
In a place where violence was the only accepted language, especially in those mining areas, it was a chaos-filled land. Conflicts arose nonsensically and ended just as absurdly. People couldn't even figure out who was going crazy.
Of course, the victims were clear; these guys were somewhat related to Gaddafi.
As for who did it?
It seemed that no one else but the CIA had that capability.
...
"What? It wasn't us; we don't know anything. Everything's gone haywire," someone reported.
"Darn it, what are you doing? Go look into it," William snapped.
When it came to shifting blame, William White was quite skilled. He was very sure that this mess wouldn't land on him. After all, he was just a victim.
Looking at the pile of diamonds before him, William White couldn't help but feel dazed. He never expected such a huge windfall.
"Our guys are okay, right?" he asked.
"No problem. We were just coordinating. Those security companies handled everything," was the response.
"Companies? Ha, forget it. The mission was executed well, and I'm doubling the rewards for this one."
"Thank you, sir."
"You earned it. I'll set up a fund with these diamonds for helping former or injured personnel."
Max was thrilled; these guys were willing to take risks just to make their lives a bit easier.
To be frank, they weren't scared of death as long as it could be measured in equivalent money. Now, they evidently had another assurance in hand.
As for him, William White had never been stingy.
What? You say there's right and wrong?
Sorry, that concept didn't exist, at least not on the African continent. Those miners down in the pits danced with death every minute.
Looking at the sparkling diamonds, William White felt a twinge of revulsion. That bloody smell could never be polished away.
Though he had pulled out of the two biggest markets, he hadn't completely given up on diamond trading. Soon, the global auction markets welcomed a cash-rich purchaser.
Was De Beers really that strong?
The guy wasn't short on cash; as for his own mine's output, in the international market, everyone had to consider who had the most money.
...
"Three million dollars, once. Three million dollars, twice. Three million dollars, three times. Sold." An 80-carat pink diamond wasn't worth that price; cut it down, and getting 40 carats would be lucky.
However, this was just a signal. From this diamond forward, De Beers frequently lost bids for diamonds over 20 carats. Whenever they placed a bid, some guy always raised his paddle.
In nearly a hundred years since the company had been founded, they had never faced such provocation.
Yet now, that guy clearly had the guts.
...
"American company? Since when did Americans start dealing in diamonds?" someone asked incredulously.
"I don't know; they're quite capable. They've already spent over ten million and don't seem to want to stop."
"Gee, did we offend someone somewhere?"
They certainly knew about the chaos on the African continent; they just couldn't understand who was taking action.
"What? The world's richest? You sure you're not mistaken?"
"Absolutely not."
"Conditions?"
"The chaos in Africa is all Gaddafi's doing." Listening to his subordinate's report, Bill had a smirk on his face.
"So, this isn't the Americans? What do they say?"
"No deal means no harm; they reckon we should give up this trade."
"Ha, does that represent America or just their boss?"
"Anything else?"
"Our diamond? The price is whatever; their boss wants to buy it." His subordinate spoke in a somewhat dry tone, with a hint of arrogant defiance.
"That's nonsense. That's our Century Star. How could we sell it to him?"
His subordinate wanted to say the guy was talking about buying it; was William planning to not do business?
In truth, Bill, though tough in tone, didn't dare make unilateral decisions. This matter was better off reported to headquarters. As for this auction? Better to bow out -- no need to humiliate themselves.
...
William White was certain that De Beers, which monopolized 90% of the raw mineral trade, was not nearly as clean as it appeared. It was plain as day; diamond trading was no simple matter. If you didn't have some savvy, how could you monopolize it?
Dealing with someone like Gaddafi was beyond William White's capabilities.
And De Beers?
Ha.
They could monopolize simply because they controlled the processing links, in addition to having some real power.
For others, this might seem like an unresolvable deadlock. Otherwise, how could they have managed to control this market for a century?
Well, William White might not win, but he was definitely someone who could make others miserable.
...
"You think there might be a misunderstanding that we did something sneaky?"
"Sir, I'm afraid that's a certainty."
"Hey, their side left, didn't they?"
"They left, sure. But this chaos can't be separated from them, and it's likely they're working with the CIA."
While the old guy was in a tizzy, William White wasn't concerned. He was confident the other side would make the right choices.
No deal means no harm, huh?
The old man began to feel uneasy, remembering the other identity of that media tycoon. If he truly offended that guy, trouble would surely come rolling in.
"Alright, I agree. Let's have them refine and process that diamond, hmm, one hundred million dollars will do."
These days, William White wasn't worried about paying a hundred million for a treasure that could last for generations. After getting their reply, he immediately arranged for a lawyer to draft the contract.
At this point, the surface-level dispute was over. As for what happened behind the scenes, that was a whole different story.
...
"Dad, you think this was his doing?"
"What's there to ask? It's definitely him, but don't go probing around."
"Yeah, that guy's got some real guts."
"Guts? He's just overly confident, thinking someone else will take the fall for his mess. And besides, he won't be the one getting his hands dirty."
"If that's true, then why give up?"
"Ha, if he didn't, how could the other forces ever let it go? After all, does he need to take the risk?"
The last comment from Bush Sr. was key. If he knew about De Beers, he probably would've expressed something quite different.
*****
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