[Chapter 424: Matsushita's Regret]
On September 25th, after bidding a reluctant farewell to Madonna and the babbling little Lina, Linton left. Accompanied by Goodman, Henry, two acquisition negotiation experts, his assistant Meena, and two bodyguards, he boarded an international flight to Tokyo, Japan.
Initially, he had planned for Winnie to join him, but she had to stay behind due to recent notification from Flystate, the company handling the construction of the farm's airport. The airport was nearing completion, and Winnie was responsible for overseeing its inspection, certification, test flights, and hiring a general aviation company to manage its operations. As the airport would become the essential transport hub for his base, he couldn't entrust it to anyone else.
Due to the time difference, by the time they landed at Narita Airport, it was already 2 p.m. the next day. The purpose of his trip was the acquisition negotiation, kept confidential from the media and fans.
Izumi Sakai, Noriko Sakai, and Akina Nakamori had intended to greet him at the airport, but he had stopped them, only asking them to reserve rooms at the Hilton Hotel and wait for him there. To avoid attracting any media or fan attention and causing unnecessary trouble for the acquisition, he even took various precautions to disguise his arrival.
...
After a smooth journey, once they exited the airport, they saw a welcoming car sent by the Hilton Hotel. Upon arriving, Izumi Sakai, Noriko Sakai, and Akina Nakamori were already waiting in the presidential suite. Knowing he surely would not like the airplane food, they had prepared a sumptuous lunch with red wine waiting for him.
Linton was pleasantly surprised as he entered the room. "Wow, you guys really thought this through."
The three women excitedly rushed into his arms, taking turns to plant kisses on him. "Darling, you must be hungry. Hurry and eat something."
"I was planning to eat you first, but the airplane food was just too bad. Better fill my stomach first; I'll have you later."
"There is no rush, we have plenty of time. Besides, you can't go out today anyway."
"Alright, let's all eat together."
"We'll have some wine with you."
"Darling, are you really going to buy Universal?"
At Izumi's question, Noriko and Akina's eyes brightened with excitement, eagerly looking at Linton.
"That's right. I came this time to purchase Universal from Matsushita Electronics."
"Wow, darling, you're amazing!" The three cheered in unison. Universal was a true Hollywood giant with worldwide reach - an entity they all admired. Now, the thought of possibly becoming one of its boss's women meant their future in the entertainment industry could be phenomenal.
"Do you think you'll succeed?"
"I must succeed. There is no room for failure."
At this, the three became even more ecstatic, unable to contain their excitement, flooding Linton with kisses and toasting wine cups. Of course, their hands were anything but innocent, much to Linton's growing irritation.
But since he was already at Celestial Presence, one meal or whether he ate didn't make much difference anymore. He thought, 'Might as well enjoy you all first...'
For a while, dresses were flying everywhere...
A sweet little chorus filled the presidential suite uninterrupted...
---
The next morning, Linton arrived at Matsushita Electronics Co., Ltd., as scheduled, to meet Masaharu Matsushita.
After a brief greeting, Masaharu Matsushita's sexy secretary served coffee. Masaharu Matsushita looked at the young man sitting confidently across from him with a complicated mix of feelings.
A few years ago, this guy was just one influential star under his company. Back then, he was indeed incredibly popular worldwide, but no matter how famous a star was, they were still just a cash cow for the company.
So, then, Masaharu Matsushita only respected his ability to make money and his status as a singer; otherwise, he didn't think much of him.
Later, something happened that infuriated Masaharu Matsushita to no end -- the guy shamelessly courted his own daughter.
Even worse, his daughter actually fell for him.
More outrageously, not only was he involved with his daughter, but he was also entangled with a bunch of Hollywood stars on the side.
It was absolutely ridiculous and a huge insult to Masaharu Matsushita, the big boss of the family and the conglomerate.
How could he tolerate it? Otherwise, the family's honor would be completely tarnished.
So Masaharu Matsushita had no hesitation in grounding his daughter, confiscating all communication devices, and cutting off their contact.
He had expected the guy to come crawling back with promises to settle down and sever other relationships, focusing solely on his daughter. If he could do that, Masaharu Matsushita would have given him another chance.
However, that only happened at the start. The guy did come back, but he never intended to marry his daughter or cut ties with others.
Furious, Masaharu Matsushita kicked him out and intensified his control over his daughter, severing all contact. Later, he arranged a considerable marriage for her, contributing to the family's alliance.
But just over two years later, everything turned upside down.
Matsushita Group suffered heavy blows. Its core business wobbled, financial indicators plummeted, liquidity almost dried up. Reluctantly, the family decided to sell Universal Group, which they could never fully control.
Meanwhile, the other party, not only a singer, director, and Hollywood star but his movie company was thriving. Last year, he even acquired UPN TV Network, and it was doing well.
What shocked Masaharu Matsushita the most was that the very guy he had kicked out now wanted to buy Universal from him.
The guy was young, born around '71 - only 24 years old, and within a few years in the industry, already this impressive?
Where did his confidence, funds, and strength come from to buy Universal alone?
Had Masaharu Matsushita seriously underestimated him? Was he truly a prodigy or backed by some mysterious powerful force?
If that were the case, marrying off his daughter to him might have been a good alliance, connecting the family to America's rising elite. Then he wouldn't have to worry every day.
But the daughter was already married, and there were no suitable unmarried daughters left in the family. Could they pick one from a collateral branch? And those branches didn't have outstanding eligible girls; even if they did, their status was too low, and he wouldn't accept them. What a pity!
...
As Masaharu Matsushita pondered this with growing regrets, Linton set down his coffee.
"Matsushita-san, I hereby formally submit my application to purchase Universal Group," he said, handing over an acquisition letter.
"Linton, may I ask directly, which powers or groups do you represent for this acquisition?" Masaharu Matsushita took the letter but did not open it, his curiosity piqued.
"Matsushita-san, I think you misunderstand. I represent only myself. No other powers. I alone want to buy Universal Group."
"You're saying you alone want to acquire Universal?"
"That's right. What's wrong with that?"
"Do you know how much Universal is worth?" Masaharu Matsushita was already losing control of his regret.
"Of course. Don't forget what I do. Before coming to Japan, I had a professional valuation firm perform a thorough appraisal of Universal."
Masaharu Matsushita opened the letter. The offer was $6 billion, exactly at his bottom line price. This guy was serious. Seeing that the offer came solely from Linton Films crushed him inside.
"Looks like you came prepared. You brought a negotiation team, right?"
"Yes, they're staying at the Tokyo Hilton."
"Good. Then we start negotiations tomorrow. My team will be ready. The venue will be at my company."
"Matsushita-san, no problem starting tomorrow, but I suggest holding negotiations at the Hilton Hotel instead. It's more appropriate."
"Fine, no problem. Tonight, come to my place. I'll introduce you to some outstanding young talents in my family," Masaharu Matsushita said, drowning in regret but hoping to arrange for ambitious unmarried daughters to attend -- just maybe there was still a chance.
"Great, coming to Tokyo means I should visit you. Matsushita-san, what are your bottom and ideal prices for Universal?" Linton subtly used his Soul Induction ability.
"Bottom price is $6 billion, ideal price $6.5 billion."
*****
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