A pile of ruins!
The seemingly light words fell on Mr. White's ears, sending a shiver down his spine. He knew exactly what the other party meant – war destroys everything.
And everything in North Borneo had been destroyed, including the extremely expensive port. According to military orders, the company destroyed many facilities, including the port. Rebuilding everything after the war would require money.
"Leaving aside whether Britain or the United States will allow Britain to retain colonies, let's talk about North Borneo. The war has almost destroyed everything there. Even if the company regains control of North Borneo after the war, it will face nothing but a wasteland. The destroyed ports and cities need to be rebuilt. The question is, do you have the money for that?"
Exhaling smoke, Lee Yi looked directly at White and said bluntly.
"You don't, the company doesn't. So, what will your choice be then? All you can do is hand everything over to the government, hmm... after paying off years of debt interest! Mr. White, that's the only thing you can get – paying huge amounts of debt interest and then handing the company over to the government, because that's your only choice."
Lee Yi didn't even give him a chance to catch his breath, but continued while he was still uncertain.
"Otherwise, you'll not only have to bear the burden of massive bond interest payments, but also figure out how to rebuild. But sir, would you invest in a piece of land that's destined to be lost?"
That was the most fatal blow!
As the largest shareholder of the only company in the British Empire that owned colonies, White had maintained close ties with the Colonial Office. Just a few months ago, at a banquet, he had personally heard the Colonial Secretary say – it was difficult for the British Empire to retain colonies.
This was a well-known fact, even India, the jewel of the British Empire, was promised autonomy after the war.
Autonomy!
For the North Borneo Company, this would be disastrous. Without official assistance, the company would be difficult to continue operating. But was there any official assistance available to them? Compared to North Borneo, the authorities would definitely be more willing to rebuild Singapore.
"But in these four or five years, can you afford to pay hundreds of thousands of pounds in interest? The only question is, can you afford it?"
Lee Yi said lightly, then took a drag of his cigarette and exhaled a smoke ring contentedly.
"When you can't afford the interest anymore, the creditors will sue, and the court will auction off your property to repay the debt. Mr. White, by then, you will be left with nothing, losing everything, including this house!"
The man's words stabbed White's heart like a knife. This sixty-year-old British gentleman knew that what the other party said was true. In fact, this was what he was worried about, and it was what the other major shareholders were worried about – the enormous debt interest would ultimately lead them to lose everything.
"All right, sir, I admit what you're saying is true. If you're willing, one penny per share..."
Before she could finish her sentence, she saw a mocking expression on the other party's face, as if mocking her naivety.
"Mr. White,"
Taking a drag of his cigarette, Lee Yi stood up.
"If that's the case, we don't need to continue talking. We all know that North Borneo Company's stock is worthless!"
With that, he left, leaving behind a disheveled White...