"Mr. Devonshire, the day before you signed the contract to sell the game, you transferred 60% of Devonshire Industries to the British Virgin Islands. The Treasury Department suspects tax evasion," Linda Wisper said with a sly smile.
"Hah, what use is what the Treasury thinks? If there was a problem, the police would have already come after me," William retorted.
"That's why I'm here, Mr. Devonshire. I don't know why the Treasury's director believes you'll come out ahead, but since they sent me, I'll be watching you and your winnings," Linda replied.
"A bunch of idiots. I know who they are. When I get back to England, I'll make sure to give them a hard time. And I reject your oversight. This money is mine, and it's not going through the English banking system. The Treasury has no right to tax it."
"No, Mr. Devonshire, the Treasury has the right to tax any income we can trace from English citizens. We're already aware of your poker game. We'll be watching this money closely; you won't dodge our scrutiny like last time," Linda said, still smiling.
"Damn it," William muttered, glaring at Linda. He knew she was behind this; otherwise, why would the English Treasury care about taxing his money when it was withdrawn from a Swiss bank?
In 2000, unless you knew the account details, even the US couldn't tax money in a Swiss bank, let alone the English government.
"Fine, how much tax are we talking about?"
"26%."
"So, the English government did nothing but wants to take $4,860 from my pocket?"
"That's right, Mr. Devonshire. Your math is spot on," Linda said with a fake smile, pretending to praise William.
"No way, you're not taking my money," William said, picking up the phone to call his dedicated manager, Phillips, at the Swiss National Bank.
Once the call connected: "This is William Devonshire. I need you to come up with a tax avoidance plan. I'm in Montenegro right now for a ten-player poker game tonight. If I win $180 million, I want to make sure none of it gets taxed by the English government."
Phillips responded, "Understood, Mr. Devonshire. We'll send a specialist to Montenegro to meet with you. We guarantee that we can meet all your requirements. Our specialist will be there within three hours. You just need to sign some paperwork, and our bank will handle the rest."
"Excellent, I'll be waiting. Goodbye," William said, hanging up and waving his phone in front of Linda.
"See? That's the advantage of having money. A single phone call and everything is taken care of. This tax avoidance plan will make sure the English government can't find a single reason to tax me.
"You're out, Miss Linda Wisper. Sometimes, even intelligence is useless against sheer force. You should get off the train now, Miss Wisper. I'll book you a ticket back to London."
"No, William, you can't just send Linda Wisper back. This has authorization from Downing Street, and we and the Security Committee can't do anything about it. Plus, Linda brought funds to Montenegro. If you don't agree, then I'll have to take over. Many people in Downing Street and the Security Committee still doubt if you can actually win," Bond interjected.
Linda continued to watch William with a playful smile, as if she was just there to enjoy the show.
William laughed angrily and called the same number again: "I need a wild card for tonight's poker game in Montenegro. Can you arrange that?"
"Of course, Mr. Devonshire. I've just checked, and Basel Bank, which is managing the funds for this game, has significant dealings with our bank. I guarantee that within an hour, you'll have your wild card. You'll receive the full attention and care of our national bank. Enjoy your game. I'll take care of it right away. Goodbye, sir."
"Good, very good. Thank you, Phillips," William said, hanging up and grinning smugly at Linda. "See, you still can't oversee my funds."
By this point, Linda's expression had changed. She glared at William and said through gritted teeth, "Mr. Devonshire, you should know what kind of consequences you'll face if the public learns about your tax avoidance. Your reputation is already bad. If English citizens find out you're trying to dodge taxes, you'll be a public enemy."
"Pfft," William burst out laughing. "Who cares? Worst case, I get cursed at. After a few months, people will forget. As long as the English government can't do anything to me, I'll still be a billionaire. I never intended to enter politics anyway."
"I'm just a rich, idle noble. If they leave me alone, I'll go back to my Oxford castle to hunt and raise horses. There's no law against reasonable tax avoidance. As long as I remain a billionaire, I'll live as I please. If England doesn't want me, so be it."
"What about your MP3 company?" Bond asked.
"Bond, are you stuck in the Middle Ages? As long as my MP3 sells well, many countries will invite me to set up factories. Worst case, I'll move the company to the USA; that's where the main market is anyway."
"Alright, you're a billionaire. You do whatever you want. But if the Madam hears you say that, she'll be very pleased. She's always been wary of your presence," Bond said cautiously, avoiding using the code name 'M.'
"Bond, you can tell the Madam that I don't want to be the Security Committee's enforcer anymore. I just want to live my life. It's not like before the '90s. If Henry understood today's international situation, he'd agree with me. If they expect me to follow orders without any benefit, they can forget it," William declared.
Hearing this, Bond was pleased. William was exactly as he had analyzed, not interested in power struggles.
"Alright, no problem, William. The Madam will be happy to hear that. Maybe you can even have a meal together."
"No thanks," William declined, shaking his head. "I don't want the Security Committee to think I'm siding with the Madam. I'd rather avoid the trouble."
At the hotel, William parted ways with Bond and Linda Wisper, booking a luxury suite for himself. Once inside, he called Barney from the Expendables in the USA.
He needed to prepare for some contingencies. He didn't believe Le Chiffre, the black banker, would have no tricks up his sleeve. If he couldn't win the game and pay up, his employers would surely kill him.
With his life on the line, Le Chiffre would do anything. William knew his greatest weakness was his mother, so he arranged for the Expendables to protect her.
The phone rang only a few times before it was answered.
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