Chương 201: Chapter 201: Money in the Pocket is What Counts
After confirming he would receive the money from Old Smith, William handed over the follow-up matters to his personal lawyer, Anthony. He stayed in Las Vegas for a day, waiting for Anthony's team to arrive from New York after handling the Stark Group shares. Once he had given clear instructions on what to watch out for, William boarded his private jet to New York, where he needed to handle the matter of Belena Island. Since the church had already invested, William felt obligated to help them settle the issue with the island.
Additionally, William had a grudge against Jet Freweb in Albania, and getting rid of that imposter general had almost become an obsession. The thought of Jet Freweb having thousands of mercenaries under his command made William uneasy, fearing he might seek revenge for the loss of his men at William's hands. William was particularly worried about the possibility of Jet Freweb targeting his mother in Oxford. Therefore, he was determined to eliminate Jet Freweb.
However, taking out a well-protected leader with hundreds of guards wasn't easy. But before dealing with Jet Freweb, William didn't forget to collect his money from Stark. As he stepped off the plane, he saw Stark's hefty bodyguard, Happy, waiting for him with a few Mercedes-Benz cars.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Devonshire. Mr. Stark sent me to bring you to the Stark Industrial Complex. He's waiting for you there," Happy said.
Shaking hands with Happy, William joked, "Thanks, has Stark prepared my money?"
Happy shook his head, resigned to William's humor. "I believe it's ready. You can transfer it anytime."
"Great, let's go then."
"Sure thing," Happy said, opening the car door for William. He then got into the front passenger seat and radioed the convoy to start moving.
After a half-hour drive, the convoy arrived at the Stark Industrial Complex in the northern suburbs of New York. After passing through three security checks, they reached a high-tech-looking laboratory building.
As William got out of the car, he saw Stark and the bald, bearded Obadiah Stane waiting for him.
Obadiah Stane, all smiles, walked up to William, offering his hand. "Welcome to Stark Industries, Mr. Devonshire. I'm Obadiah Stane, a board member of Stark Group."
Recognizing the future Iron Monger, William smiled meaningfully as he shook Stane's hand. "Thank you, Mr. Stane. I'm William Devonshire, pleased to meet you."
After the formalities, William looked at Stark, who hadn't moved. "Hey, Tony, no greeting for an old friend? How have the past few days been?"
"What do you mean?" Stane asked, puzzled, looking between William and Stark. "Are you two up to something? God, are you planning to keep me in the dark?"
Stark, understanding the situation, quickly signaled to William, as he hadn't informed Stane about their stock market dealings. He stepped forward, smiling, and shook William's hand. "Nothing much, Stane. William and I just had some disagreements about the new player we're developing. He's here to settle the issue. You go ahead; I'll take care of William."
Stane, realizing he was being sent away, rubbed his bald head. "Fine, I'll leave the technical stuff to you two geniuses and handle the logistics and company matters. Just know, Mr. Devonshire, that joining Stark Group is a privilege for you and a blessing for us. I trust you won't regret this decision."
"Thank you, Mr. Stane."
With a casual dismissal, Stark saw off the slightly disgruntled Stane and led William into the building. Inside, William immediately noticed the famous Arc Reactor.
Recalling the information he'd read about the Arc Reactor in his system, William stopped to look at it. "Stark, can this reactor power the entire industrial park?"
Stark, proud of his creation, replied, "Of course, it supplies energy to the whole park. Are you interested in it?"
William nodded. His interest in acquiring England Power was partly sparked by seeing Stark and recalling the Arc Reactor. If he could deploy such reactors in England, England Power's stock would skyrocket. However, he needed to know the current cost of generating electricity with the Arc Reactor, which was one reason he was here.
"Can this reactor be used for civilian purposes? If so, how much would the electricity cost?" William asked an engineer nearby.
The engineer glanced at Stark, who nodded, indicating he could answer. "Mr. Devonshire, this reactor is ready for civilian use and would cost about 15% less than conventional electricity."
"15%? Then why not use it for public energy?"
Stark, smiling, quickly interrupted, "Okay, even if I explain, you wouldn't understand."
"Stark, you're not the only genius in the world. You might be surprised someday," William said with a mysterious smile. The technology behind the Arc Reactor wasn't beyond his understanding, but obtaining a license for commercial use from Stark Industries was the real challenge. Without the patent license, he couldn't legally use the Arc Reactor for business, and a lawsuit could bankrupt him unless the English government backed him.
"Wow, I'm looking forward to that. Now, come on, let's see our earnings," Stark said, slightly dismissive of William's potential, believing that only he and his father could build an Arc Reactor. He led William to his office, where he finally poured William a glass of whiskey, acknowledging his new position as a company board member.
Handing William a report, Stark said, "This is our earnings from the past few days. The Stark Industries stock fell 34% over three trading days. After deducting transaction fees, we each made 720 million dollars. Are you sure you want cash instead of converting the debt into equity? You know these shares will probably double in value soon."
William shook his head. He knew the shares would rise but didn't want to get entangled with the Las Vegas gambling industry, which had a bad reputation. He preferred to keep his good name intact.
Old Smith and Tony Stark, one a casino tycoon and the other an arms dealer, didn't care about the public's opinion. Additionally, with special agents and soldiers involved, William couldn't be sure if other powerful groups were also part of the mix. William sensed that the acquisition of Beautiful People's casino by Caesar's Palace wouldn't go smoothly. Given all these uncertainties, he felt it was safer to have the money in his pocket.
___________________
Read Ahead
P@treon.com/Mutter
Tình trạng nguồn điện hàng tuần
-- Xếp hạng
Quyền lực 
-- Đá
Quyền lực