Barely ten seconds after hanging up, Wilson called again. As soon as William answered, Wilson complained, "For God's sake, can't you let me finish before hanging up?"
"Then hurry up. I'm about to take a nap."
"Man, you've got some nerve, thinking about napping while the entire country of France is cursing your name," Wilson remarked before continuing, "My grandfather asked me to check with you—when are we finalizing the transfer of shares for England Power and the bulletproof products company?"
"I'll let you know when I'm ready," William replied nonchalantly.
"Hey, mate, you're not backing out, are you?" Wilson asked anxiously. England Power's stock had been steadily declining, especially after the unexpected death of James, which caused foreign companies to halt or slow their investments in England. Naturally, the Wilson family was worried William might change his mind.
"Backing out? Not at all. Don't worry, once I've acquired a shell company we can take public, we'll exchange the shares," William said with a smirk.
"Damn it! Don't screw us over, man. My family's fund is almost out of cash after acquiring England Power," Wilson pleaded, his tone almost desperate. "You can't just think of yourself and leave your allies hanging. We're in this mess because of you."
"Alright, alright, after I've finished handling the orders for those desert tycoons, we'll swap the shares."
"Oh my God, I'm such an idiot," Wilson groaned in frustration. "I knew it! I never should've reminded you about the desert tycoons. Even if you only sold 100 units, that's still a £500 million revenue."
Wilson ranted about how unfair William was, but there was no way William would let go of such a lucrative deal. Finally, Wilson sighed in defeat, "Fine, let's do the swap. We can agree that I'll officially join the board and receive dividends a month later."
"OK. You and the Duke of Grosvenor can go to the Moet-Hennessy office tomorrow. By the way, I should remind you that the patents and manufacturing technology for the bulletproof vests and the explosive detection watches are not included in the new company. They remain exclusively mine. No problem with that, right?"
"I know, but I also need to remind you, William, that future sales of those items must go through the new company. No other individual or business can sell these products," Wilson emphasized, having learned his lesson from previous dealings.
"Sure, no problem. See you tomorrow."
After hanging up, William sat quietly for a moment, contemplating. He then decided to inform Katherine and Garris, as he had promised them the opportunity to acquire 1% of the company's shares for every 100 suits sold.
"Sunday, how many bulletproof suits have Katherine and Garris sold so far?"
"Sir, Ms. Katherine sold nearly 100 suits last month, and as of today, she's sold a total of 186 suits. Garris has sold 94."
"Alright, so Garris has sold only half of what Katherine has. Call them and let them know to meet at the Moet-Hennessy office tomorrow to discuss the shares," William instructed, feeling a bit disappointed in Garris's performance.
The next morning, at 8:50 a.m., Anthony, who had returned to London after being notified, personally greeted William in the parking lot and escorted him to the prepared meeting room.
Once inside, William pulled a small device, about the size of a cigarette case, out of his pocket and placed it on the table. Turning it on, he smiled at King Philip, the Duke of Grosvenor, Katherine, and Garris, saying, "Better safe than sorry. This is something I designed myself. Once activated, it blocks any eavesdropping devices within a 10-meter radius. If you like it, I can send a few to you later."
Philip and the others gave William an annoyed look. Such devices were available on the market, so they didn't feel the need to owe William any favors for something they could easily buy. "Alright, let's get started," Philip said, waving his hand to dismiss the other staff members.
Once the lawyers and assistants had left, Philip grumbled, "Why didn't you come to me if you wanted land? Do you think my assets are inferior to Grosvenor's?"
"Hmm?" William glanced at the Duke of Grosvenor, who hadn't said a word. "You didn't tell His Majesty the reason?"
The Duke shrugged and pulled a document from the briefcase in front of him, tossing it to William. "Here's the title to 30,000 acres of land. Once you sign, it's all yours."
Then, he handed over another document. "And here's the title to an additional 4,000 acres, consider it a gift from me to thank you for agreeing to the stock swap at a time like this. From now on, the area around your castle—about 13 kilometers long and 10 kilometers wide—will all belong to you. Congratulations, once you sign, you'll be the largest landowner in England."
"Huh? So soon?" William quickly put on his glasses and instructed Sunday to scan the documents. After a minute, Sunday confirmed there were no issues.
"Good heavens, I thought I'd have to wait until the end of the year at least to complete the purchase. How did you manage this so fast?"
"Thank Mr. James's unexpected death," Grosvenor said with a mocking glance at Katherine. Everyone present knew that James's death wasn't an accident but a result of Valentine's schemes, which Katherine had some involvement in.
Katherine remained expressionless, prompting Grosvenor to lose interest and continue, "Land prices have dropped another 6% since last month. Many people in traditional farming and livestock regions have lost faith in the land, or they simply can't afford to hold onto it any longer. Exchanging land or buying it outright is quite easy now. I've also followed your lead and bought some land in England and a few neighboring areas. I just hope I won't regret it later."
Philip, Katherine, and Garris exchanged glances, their eyes flashing with realization. It seemed they would need to invest in land as well when they returned.
"Haha, I'm confident land values will increase two or three times over the next ten years," William said with a smile as he signed the documents. "Alright, let's talk about the stock swap."
Hearing that William was ready to move to the main topic, Philip and the others all became serious.
"Don't be so tense. I'm here, so there's no chance of me backing out," William said cheerfully as he looked at Philip and Grosvenor. "Our previous agreement was 13% of the new company's shares in exchange for 20% of England Power. Is that right?"
Philip and Grosvenor nodded. This had been agreed upon beforehand, so there were no doubts.
"Good. Wilson already informed me of your terms, and I, along with Grosvenor, agree that you'll officially gain shareholder rights and dividends one month after the swap. Let's sign."
Philip shot William a disapproving look. "I don't know where you learned to be so meticulous. If it weren't for the fact that you've been reliable and didn't back out when England Power's stock price plummeted, I wouldn't want to deal with you anymore."
"Ha," William replied, unfazed by the criticism. "You're acting like I'm taking advantage of you. You just said it yourself—England Power's stock price has dropped. If I don't make up for my losses elsewhere, I'd really be the fool."
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! Only $5 per novel or $15 for all!!] [www.p@treon.com/Mutter]
[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]