Chapter 18: No More Headaches About Money
On the morning of February 15th, William got up early. He put on the bespoke suit he'd had made by a private tailor on Oxford Street a few days prior. After his mother, Lina, helped him with his tie, the car sent by the Hilton Hotel arrived to pick him up.
All of England was paying attention to the game's auction today.
To make amends for the security leak during their last meeting, the Hilton had offered William a generous package to host the auction at their hotel. They provided the conference space, a complimentary post-auction reception, and a Global Hilton Platinum Card offering a 60% discount.
William, already envisioning a future with a row of foreign properties, graciously accepted their offer. He made a mental note of their goodwill, planning to repay the favor one day.
Fortunately, he had bodyguards. Otherwise, it would have been nearly impossible for him to leave his house and get to the Hilton through the throng of reporters.
The reporters gathered today were particularly aggressive, each one desperate to get an exclusive scoop directly from William.
Upon arriving at the Hilton, he learned that Anthony's law firm had already arranged for the auctioneer. The hotel staff was making the final preparations.
He wouldn't need to go on stage to say anything. Thanks to the media's relentless bombardment over the past few days, the auction was already a well-publicized event.
Any company interested in the game would certainly send a representative. Now, everything came down to financial strength to determine the copyright's final owner. William couldn't back out even if he wanted to; he had signed a binding contract with the law firm and the insurance company. Unless no one bid the reserve price of £100 million and the auction failed, the copyright was as good as sold. He knew that was an impossibility.
There were far more companies present today than at the initial meeting. Anthony had informed William that many medium-sized companies had formed consortiums, planning to bid jointly and then divide the regional agency rights by continent if they won.
William greeted many people at the venue, all of whom seemed to hold him in high regard. After all, this was the young man who had single-handedly held his own against dozens of corporate elites.
At nine o'clock, the auctioneer took the stage. "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I am a premier auctioneer from Christie's, and it is my pleasure to serve as your host today for this exciting event. With that, let the auction officially begin."
He then picked up a file bag and joked with the audience, "In my hands, I hold a bag of paper worth over one hundred million pounds. Each sheet inside is worth at least three million. I assure you, whoever gets it will not feel short-changed."
A hearty laugh went through the room. They knew the bag contained the copyright documents, but he was right—it was, technically, just a bag of paper.
"Now, on a more serious note," the auctioneer continued, "the documents in my hand include a guarantee, jointly issued by three of London's top law firms, certifying that the full and unencumbered copyright for the game *Plants vs. Zombies* is held by Mr. William Devinshire."
"There are no outstanding copyright disputes. The rights will transfer completely to the winning bidder. Furthermore, this transaction will be fully underwritten by England's largest insurance company, guaranteeing that the buyer remits payment within seven days of the auction's conclusion."
"Should the buyer default on the contract, the insurance company will pay a penalty of twice the final auction amount to Mr. Devinshire. Are there any questions?"
The auctioneer waited a minute. Seeing no objections, he picked up his hammer. "Ladies and gentlemen, the moment has arrived. The bidding will start at one hundred million pounds. The floor is now open."
"One hundred million," a voice called out immediately.
"One hundred and ten million!"
"One hundred and fifteen!"
Within a few rounds, the price had already climbed significantly. William, sitting in the front row, smiled inwardly. This was all thanks to the comments he'd made to the reporters a few days ago.
"One hundred and twenty-two million!" William recognized the bidder from Best Buy.
The representative from Dixons countered, "One hundred and twenty-five million!"
At that price, the room grew quiet and some bidders hesitated. William glanced at the man from Carrefour, who sat impassively, not bidding. He couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Just moments ago at the reception, that same man had vowed to William that Carrefour's board had authorized him to do whatever it took to win the game's ownership. Was this his "full effort"? A little money and he was already scared off?
"One hundred and thirty million!" The representative from Best Buy shot a glare at his rival from Dixons.
This time, the Dixons representative hesitated. His assistant was whispering urgently into a phone, clearly reporting back to headquarters.
"Going once at one hundred thirty million... going twice..."
"One hundred and thirty-three million!" Just before the final call, the man from Dixons raised his paddle.
The onlookers watched the man from Best Buy, whose face was now a mask of fury. It was clear the unexpected bid from Dixons was going to cost him a lot more money.
He grit his teeth. "One hundred and thirty-five million!"
This time, despite the auctioneer's repeated glances in his direction, the Dixons representative did not raise his paddle again.
"Going once... going twice... sold!" The auctioneer brought the hammer down with a sharp crack, sealing the deal.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all. This auction is officially over. Thank you." The auctioneer thanked everyone and left the stage.
William happily shook hands with the victorious representative from Best Buy and posed for photos. Despite the high price, the man from Best Buy looked extremely pleased.
Lawyers guided both parties to a signing table. Following their instructions, William signed the necessary contracts.
Next, William and the Best Buy representative signed the formal insurance and fund-transfer contracts with the respective insurance and bank agents.
The £135 million from Best Buy would be split into two parts. Forty percent would be remitted to William's account in England, while the other sixty percent would be wired directly to his offshore company's account in the British Virgin Islands.
The fees for the insurance, bank guarantee, and law firm totaled five percent of the transaction amount. In all, he would spend £6.75 million.
However, William felt the money was well spent. A few million pounds bought him the guarantee that the funds would be in his account within seven days. If the deal were delayed until after March, there would be far too many variables.
If Best Buy failed to deliver the money within the specified time, the insurance company and the bank would have to pay William directly. They would then be responsible for pursuing Best Buy for the debt.
After all the contracts were signed, everyone posed for a group photo before heading to the cocktail party hosted by the Hilton.
William spent some time speaking with representatives from various charities and fending off a few beautiful women who had somehow managed to get in.
He finally slipped away to the buffet table, suddenly realizing he hadn't eaten since morning and was ravenous. Just as he was happily piling food onto his plate, he heard a voice behind him.
"Hello, William."
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