After leaving five gold coins and a check for a secret account, William bid farewell to Winston. He indeed couldn't stay too long to avoid suspicion about his relationship with Winston.
As he took the elevator down to the hotel lobby with his suitcase and wearing a mask, he encountered a scantily dressed long-haired woman who blew him a kiss as she passed by.
William observed the woman. She was quite attractive, tall, with a well-proportioned figure. However, her eyes were fixated on William's suitcase, indicating she recognized it as a container for gold coins. She continued to follow him after he left the Continental Hotel and got into his Bentley.
William thought, "Let's see what you intend to do." He headed to the Four Seasons Hotel, checked into a presidential suite, and casually placed the suitcase on the table after storing 195 gold coins in his storage space.
After taking a shower and ordering lunch, he heard the doorbell ring as he exited the bathroom. Assuming it was room service, he opened the door only to find the woman who had been following him standing there confidently.
"Do you need hotel services, Mr. Devonshire?" she asked.
"You know me?" William asked curiously, turning to let the woman in.
With a cheerful smile, the woman walked into the suite, placed her handbag down, and said, "Of course. There aren't many people who don't know you now. Haven't you seen the news from two hours ago?"
"Two hours ago?" William thought, realizing he had just entered the Continental Hotel around that time and met Winston. What had the reporters discovered this time?
"BBC aired a report on you two hours ago. Your tax filings in the USA and England were made public. The news said you made at least $400 million in the U.S. stock market crash and over $300 million in England."
William quickly turned on the hotel's TV and flipped through several channels until he found NBC broadcasting the BBC report. The host was saying that the traceable funds William had made in the stock market crash amounted to $700 million, with $400 million in the USA and $300 million in England.
This exposure was due to his lawyers filing his tax returns in both countries a few days ago. The reason this information was leaked was that Japan was investigating William's financial transactions there.
They suspected that William had transferred nearly $2 billion into Swiss National Bank accounts, all earned in Japan. The Japanese authorities were trying to prove that this $2 billion belonged to William.
If the Japanese found evidence, William would have to pay a capital gains tax of at least 20%, amounting to over $400 million. Additionally, he would have to pay a 6% tax in England, resulting in a total loss of nearly $500 million.
The news also reported William's arrival in New York, surprising him with how quickly reporters had discovered his flight details. Luckily, he hadn't met with Brian as planned.
William cursed the Japanese for their shamelessness, knowing they couldn't find evidence but still leaking the information to the BBC to trouble him.
At this moment, William's private phone rang. Seeing it was his dedicated manager from Swiss National Bank, Phillips, he stepped into the bedroom to take the call, temporarily ignoring the beautiful assassin from the Continental Hotel.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Devonshire."
"Hello, Phillips. Is this call about the news report?"
"Yes, Mr. Devonshire. Our bank took immediate remedial measures after the report. Rest assured, the $2 billion you have with us from Japan will remain secure.
The only traceable transaction involves your betting agreement with the National Bank, and the funds move between the British Virgin Islands account and the National Bank. You can ignore Japan; they won't find any evidence because there isn't any. Your money has never entered Japan."
Relieved, William thanked Phillips, "Understood. Thank you, Phillips. I'm very satisfied with your bank. Please convey my regards to President Grangress."
"Certainly, Mr. Devonshire. I will pass on your greetings. I won't keep you any longer. Goodbye, sir."
"Goodbye, Phillips."
William walked out of the room with a smile, only to see the female assassin opening the suitcase on the table. Seeing William, she smiled and asked, "Is everything settled?"
In a good mood, William didn't argue with her. He went to the bar and poured himself a glass of whiskey, then asked, "What would you like to drink?"
"I'll have the same as you."
This woman was truly shameless. Caught red-handed, she showed no embarrassment. She was indeed a professional assassin.
Handing her a glass, William said, "Didn't find any gold coins? Time to leave."
"My name is Perkins. Maybe I can work for you. My fees are reasonable—$200,000 and one gold coin per kill. You met with Winston at the Continental Hotel to handle things you couldn't do yourself, right? I'm a top assassin at the hotel. $200,000 is very little for you, and I can even solve some of your manly troubles." She winked at him suggestively.
William would be crazy to get involved with such a woman. Who knows how many such tasks she had performed? Besides, beautiful female assassins either loved money too much or had psychological issues.
He casually took a gold coin from his storage space and tossed it to Perkins. "This is a token of appreciation for the news tip. If I need you, I'll call. Do well, and there will be bonuses. Now, leave."
Perkins happily took the coin, unfazed by William's tone. "Are you sure you don't need my company, sir? I'm very clean."
William shook his head.
Disappointed, Perkins handed him a business card. "I'll wait for your call, Mr. Devonshire," she said, blowing him a kiss as she left.
Fortunately, she wasn't a fool and hadn't considered kidnapping or extorting William. Otherwise, he would have had to deal with her harshly, despite her beauty.
After Perkins left, William continued watching NBC. The host speculated that William's presence in the USA was linked to the White House incident, suggesting he saw some opportunity in the market. Otherwise, why would William, who had never been to the USA before, come at this time?
The host even invited William to their studio for an interview or show, hoping he would clarify his intentions and ease investors' concerns.
"Clarify, my foot," William thought. "I'm just here to meet people and deliver things. What other purpose could I have?" He didn't dare enter the stock market again. The post-White House attack volatility made the current market unrecognizable compared to his past life.
Sitting on the sofa, William contemplated whether he should indeed go on a show. Letting people speculate about his intentions wasn't beneficial for his future plans.
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