The Tyrant Billionaire

The negotiations resumed the next day.

When David walked into the meeting room, he was holding a newspaper. As he sat down, he placed the newspaper beside him. The people from HSBC, seeing this display, immediately realized that he had already read the news.

HSBC's morale sank even lower.

A bank run and public unrest.

This is a major crisis event for any bank. Throughout history, there have been countless cases where banks collapsed due to runs.

Moreover, HSBC was already facing shrinking business and bad debts.

HSBC could now be considered an unsuitable company for investment.

Before HSBC could speak, David took the initiative and said, "My patience is running thin. You know that in the UK, the Rockefeller family has numerous projects to invest in—oil, mining, banking, tobacco—too many to count."

"HSBC is just one of many companies, and now with so many problems, to be honest, I am losing interest in this investment."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"I will give you an offer now. If you agree, we'll proceed with the transaction. If not, the investment is over."

"Evaluating HSBC's total market value at 113 million, we want to acquire more than 51% of the shares." Read exclusive content at empire

After finishing, David looked at the people from HSBC.

David Sassoon frowned, "Mr. David, we never intended to sell that many shares, and the price is also—"

Before David Sassoon could finish, David Rockefeller raised his hand to stop him, "I've laid out my conditions. It's up to you whether you agree or not. That's all. I have other matters to attend to. If you agree, let us know. If not, there's no need to contact us again."

With that, David stood up, nodded slightly, and walked out.

The Rockefeller team followed him out of the meeting room.

The HSBC representatives were left sitting there.

David Sassoon sighed helplessly. Given HSBC's current situation, it could collapse at any moment. No rational investor would want to touch it.

"Mr. Sassoon, what should we do?" someone asked.

"Go back, gather the shareholders, and discuss it. Those willing to sell can sell; those unwilling can keep their shares," David replied bitterly.

During these days of negotiation with HSBC, Hardy was also making moves.

He had reached an agreement with a British shipping company called the 'Liverpool United Shipping Company,' formerly the famous 'White Star Line.'

Not familiar with 'White Star Line'?

It was the owner of the infamous 'Titanic.' On April 15, 1912, during its maiden voyage, the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank.

White Star Line went bankrupt and was sold to another Liverpool-based shipping company, Cunard Line. During World War II, Cunard Line also suffered heavy losses. To survive, it merged with several smaller Liverpool shipping companies in recent years to form the 'Liverpool United Shipping Company.'

This company now owns over 50 cargo ships, ranging from small ones of over 2,000 tons to large ones of over 10,000 tons, ranking among the top three British shipping companies.

This company was on the list of potential investments.

Hardy had the president of Wells Fargo Bank contact them. Upon hearing that it was the Hardy Group, the company showed great interest, and the president led a team to negotiate with Hardy.

After two rounds of negotiations, Hardy acquired 25% of Liverpool United Shipping by contributing 20 Liberty ships and 5 Victory ships.

At the same time, Hardy Shipping leased 50 Liberty ships to Liverpool United Shipping. This lease would earn Hardy 10 million annually.

There was no need to provide crews, as Britain had plenty of its own sailors.

As an island nation, Britain heavily relies on shipping. In the past, British colonies spanned five continents, and shipping companies continually brought goods from around the world to the British mainland. Now, Britain needed to rebuild and continue living, and shipping companies were still needed to transport goods from other countries.

For the foreseeable future, the British shipping industry would inevitably rise.

Hardy had become a controlling shareholder or major investor in six shipping companies.

Hardy Shipping, Hong Kong Global Shipping, France's Bolloré Shipping, Italy's Maldi Shipping, the Netherlands' Nile River Shipping, and Britain's Liverpool United Shipping.

These companies would collaborate in the future.

Looking at it now, Hardy Shipping Group could already be considered one of the largest shipping companies in the world, with trade routes spanning the globe.

In addition to this, Hardy also acquired shares in some luxury goods companies.

Burberry.

Dunhill.

Actually, what Hardy wanted most was a stake in Rolls-Royce, which owns both the Rolls-Royce and Bentley brands.

Unfortunately, they wouldn't sell.

They were quite proud. But that's fine—Hardy didn't expect to make money from owning Rolls-Royce shares. He simply liked the brand.

It didn't matter.

In the future, Rolls-Royce would go bankrupt and be acquired more than once. By then, Hardy could buy them.

However, Hardy still ordered a few cars from Rolls-Royce.

Six Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Generation IV convertibles, all in custom colors selected by Hardy himself. These cars were gifts for the women in his life.

As for himself, he also ordered a car that hadn't been released yet—the latest Rolls-Royce Phantom IV.

This car was being custom-built for Princess Elizabeth. Her new car was still in production, and when Hardy saw the design, he fell in love with its majestic style and requested to order one for himself. Rolls-Royce, in their usual arrogant fashion, refused.

They wouldn't sell it no matter the price, the car was exclusively for the princess and not for sale.

At this point Hardy was seriousely pissed and made up his mind to accelerate the bankrupcy of Rolls-Royce.

But the car had to be bought regardless of their decision, so he used his connections to reach the British Prime Minister. Hardy was a distinguished guest from the American delegation, helping Britain resume production.

The Prime Minister, feeling a bit awkward, called the palace to consult King George VI and Princess Elizabeth.

The future Queen Elizabeth was gracious and said that the members of the delegation were esteemed guests investing in and supporting Britain. She had also heard of Jon Hardy, said to have assets worth billions of dollars. Since they were supporting British reconstruction, it was only right to accommodate their request for a car.

Besides, it would help stimulate the British economy.

After all, a single car cost over £100,000, equivalent to more than $200,000. Even today, Rolls Royce remains the most expensive car.