章節 1420: Chapter 1420: Looking for Rockefeller? No way!
Duane Andres had to call another meeting in the afternoon after just having called a meeting of senior executives in the morning to discuss a response.
However, it was useless.
The Polaris Consortium was launching this offensive, and ADM alone could not possibly withstand it.
Unless!
Unless another major consortium intervenes!
But Xia Yu and Peter Lynch had long anticipated this, and it all depended on whether Duane Andres would be sensible!
This one-sided struggle attracted a lot of attention in the American business community.
But almost everyone was bearish on the Andres family.
The previous track record of the Polaris Consortium was still fresh in everyone's mind, and this time, really, not many people dared to intervene, and they were all just watching with interest.
Over the next two days, Duane Andres searched all his old contacts, but was unable to get his son released on bail, nor was he able to intervene in the inspection of the 200,000 tons of soybeans.
However, he did have some influence.
Thanks to his activities, he was allowed to see his son, who was under investigation.
Of course, he was the only one allowed to go!
Guided by the staff, Duane Andres went to the place where Darnell Andres was being held.
Darnell Andres was not being mistreated, but he was under a great deal of mental stress and was not in good shape.
'Darnell, are you okay?'
Duane Andres asked his son with concern after seeing him, while also carefully observing his son's body.
'I'm fine, Dad. I'm sorry to have worried you,'
Darnell Andres said with a forced smile, shaking his head to cheer himself up.
'That's good.'
'What have they been asking you these past few days?'
After confirming that his son was physically fine, Duane Andres let out a long sigh of relief before asking about the content of the company's lifeblood.
Hearing this question, Darnell Andres' face revealed a wry smile, and he couldn't help but sigh.
This expression made Duane Andres' heart sink.
Sure enough, the situation Darnell Andres described confirmed his fears.
'Father, we underestimated our enemy and the FBI.
'The FBI has very detailed information, much of it confidential data from our company, and they have even found out how we used the illegal funds.
'I strongly suspect there is a traitor in our company.
'Even if I refuse to admit it, they have directly named key links and figures and funds, and they just want me to answer yes or no.
'I resisted the pressure, but unfortunately, some of the other 31 employees who were arrested couldn't resist the pressure and have already cooperated with the investigation. They told me during my interrogation.'
'Father, this time, I'm afraid I can't avoid going to prison.'
'Hey...'
Darnell Andres's pessimism filled Duane Andres's heart with grief and indignation, and his eyes couldn't help but turn red.
He apologized to his son full of self-blame.
'Darnell, I'm sorry, Dad, that I couldn't bail you out.'
'Father, we are much weaker than our enemies. In fact, when I was arrested, I felt that I couldn't escape this time.' Darnell Andres instead smiled and comforted his old father.
'By the way, Father, how is the company doing now?'
Facing his son's inquisitive gaze, Du'an Andres remained silent for a long time, but still chose to tell the truth.
He had also hoped to seek his son's advice when he came in this time, and letting him know the real situation would make the following conversation more convenient.
'Darnell, the day you were taken away, the 200,000 tons of soybeans we shipped from Brazil were detained at customs. The General Administration of Customs and the Ministry of Agriculture jointly conducted a comprehensive inspection of our soybeans.'
'I have already thought of many ways, but the situation is very bad.'
'At present, I have not approached Polaris Capital, and they have not contacted me again.'
'Bang!'
'Damn robbers!'
'The longer we delay, the worse it is for us. They want to force us to surrender.'
Darnell Andres heard this and angrily shouted, punching the wall with such force that a muffled sound could be heard, which showed the anger in his heart.
'Yes,' Duane Andres nodded, his face looking very unpleasant.
'Father, I'm afraid we can't fight back on our own. What are you going to do?' Darnell Andres asked after calming himself down.
'Darnell, I want to know your thoughts. After all, I am already 68 years old, and it is hard to say how many years I can live. The family business will ultimately have to be passed on to you. You are the only one in the entire family who is capable of shouldering this responsibility.' After Duane Andres had finished speaking, he looked directly at Darnell Andres.
The latter fell silent, and his mind began to race.
He could hear that his father seemed to be preparing to surrender.
And the reason was because of him.
His father did not want to put him in danger.
This touched him, but at the same time, his inner feelings of unwillingness and indignation grew stronger.
He went to the corner by himself and thought quietly.
Duane Andres did not disturb him, and just sat there, lit a cigarette and smoked it. It was just the cigarettes he used to like, but today they tasted full of bitterness.
After a long time,
Darnell Andres returned to sit opposite his father, looked at him, and said in a low voice, 'Father, I don't think we can surrender.'
'If we surrender this time, we will still suffer heavy losses. A few days ago, they offered 1.36 billion US dollars, and the price will definitely be lower after we surrender.'
'They will definitely use these two crises as bargaining chips to lower the price, and we will have no room for negotiation because they can completely manipulate the amount of the fine.'
'Even if we really sell the company, we have a grudge against them. Even if we can become friends, it will be a superficial friendship. The Polaris Consortium will never accept us wholeheartedly, and they will never feel at ease.'
'In that case, we might as well choose to side with a more powerful consortium. Although the Polaris Consortium is very powerful now, the Rockefeller and Morgan consortia are even stronger. They can also help us solve the problems we are encountering now.'
'Last year, the Rockefeller Consortium even tried to acquire Cargill, but it failed.'
'Now that both the Rockefeller and Morgan consortia have companies competing with us, I think they would be willing to take them over if we were willing to sell them the company or a portion of our equity.'
'But what if you really are sentenced?' Duane Andres was still not at ease after pondering for a long time.
Darnell Andres smiled and said, 'Father, even if I really am sentenced, with the strength of our family, I believe you will be able to get me out as soon as possible.'
'After all, the Polaris Consortium was able to keep an eye on me for a year, but can they do it for five or ten years?'
In the future, more than half of the prisons in the United States are privately run, and they are doing very well. The operators are making a lot of money. For example, the largest private prison giant in the United States, the American Correctional Corporation, was named one of the 400 best large companies in the United States in 2007, with revenue of 1.8 billion US dollars in 2011 and a net profit of more than 160 million US dollars.
Private prisons in the United States began to appear just a few years ago, and once they were launched, they were sought after and favoured by criminals with surprising backgrounds or deep pockets.
With the power of the Andrés family, even if Darnell Andrés was really sentenced, he would be able to go to a private prison, where he could live a comfortable life and still participate in the company's operations remotely.
Once the heat dies down, he can find a way to get out on parole.
Since he has already been sentenced, he will not be charged for any crimes committed before, and it will be much more difficult for the Polaris Consortium to make a move after his sentencing.
Duane Andres looked at his son with a serious expression and asked in a low voice, 'Darnell, are you sure?'
'Father, if I do this, I can preserve several hundred million dollars for the family, which I think is well worth it.'
'Even if I do go to prison, as long as I can communicate with the outside world, then I can continue to be useful and contribute to the family.'
'And I've also figured out that it's too difficult to reach higher positions in the United States without falling to the big conglomerates.'
'This time the North Star conglomerate didn't attack us, and the next time there will be other conglomerates that want to eat us up.'
'Instead of passively accepting it, it's better to find the most powerful backing from the beginning.'
Darnell Andres said with emotion.
Duane Andres was speechless, but his eyes were full of relief.
He patted his son on the shoulder and said, 'Darnell, you can be so ruthless to yourself, and I firmly believe that the family is in the best hands with you.'
'Don't worry, Dad won't give up until the last minute.'
'If you can convince Morgan or Rockefeller, I don't think your situation will be so bad.'
'Wait for my news.'
'Okay, Father!' Darnell Andres smiled.
The conversation relieved a lot of the pressure on the two father and son.
Next, the father and son carefully analysed the situation and decided to go to the Rockefeller consortium, which was the strongest.
After all, compared to the Morgan consortium, the Rockefeller consortium was not only stronger, but more importantly, they had a greater need for large trading companies, and for the Andres family, there was more room for negotiation.
What Duane Andres did not expect was that even though he and his son had been talking with their backs to the cameras and had kept their voices down, there were more than just two obvious cameras in the room.
Before Darnell Andres was locked up, the FBI had installed multiple very discreet surveillance and recording devices in this room.
Everything the father and son talked about was recorded.
This content eventually ended up in Peter Lynch's hands and was also obtained by Xia Yu, who was far away in Xiangjiang.
Regarding Duane Andres's attempt to rebel against the Rockefeller Consortium,
Xia Yu just sneered and said that they were too naive!
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