April 1, 1979
This was a memorable day. Well, at least for William White it was.
Honestly, it's hard to understand. Did Mr. God also celebrate April Fool's Day? Otherwise, why choose this day?
William White was a rich kid who inherited a substantial fortune after his parents perished in a plane crash.
Unfortunately, he was so reckless in his previous life that he squandered the family fortune and wore himself out.
Fortunately, he only ruined the money.
Unfortunately, his life ended as well. More fortunately, he was reborn.
Suddenly, his brain started working uncontrollably. A deluge of information flooded in.
What's happening to him?
Why are there so many memory fragments?
Wait a minute, who is this David Lister? Isn't he just the guy seated next to me, writing flops?
Right, the plane.
Oh, God, was it not just turbulence?
This is so supernatural. Did he encounter a wormhole or a space storm?
Based on the contents in his head, those poor guys were probably finished.
Sigh! Another plane crash? The planes in this world are really unreliable.
Thinking about the air crash, William remembered his parents.
Even though he was a bit of a rebel, he was very close to his parents, especially his mother, who spoiled him deeply.
"Mom, don't worry. I'll live well. I will make you proud," William silently vowed, tears streaming down his face unknowingly.
*Knock*, *knock*, *knock*
"Sir, you haven't eaten all day."
"I know, Fulton. I'll take a bath and come out."
"Alright, sir."
Fulton was his old butler. The old man had come to the U.S. with his grandfather. On the surface, he was just a butler, but he was like family, being a life-and-death brother to his grandfather.
Fulton sighed. It had been almost half a year since the young lady passed, and the young sir still hadn't recovered. This can't go on. Without someone in charge at home, what are they to do?
William felt something strange. He seemed to have more strength, and his mind felt clearer. Was this a benefit of rebirth?
Changing into casual wear, William left his bedroom. He was truly hungry now but unsure what tonight's dinner would be.
"Fulton, what's for dinner? I'm kind of hungry."
"Sir, the steak is quite good today. Very fresh. The truffle soup is also excellent."
"Great, Fulton, get me a glass of red wine. I'm almost 19; you can't keep babying me."
"Very well, sir, but just one glass."
"Alright, alright."
Seeing his young master in a decent mood, Fulton refrained from lecturing him. He hoped the young master would recover soon; the household couldn't go on like this.
William White was still quite depressed. If he had come back a year earlier, his parents wouldn't have had the accident. They could have changed their vacation plans. Honestly, what was so interesting about the pyramids?
Sigh...
The family's fortune was still substantial. Though they weren't top-tier billionaires, they were definitely centi-millionaires.
In this era, centi-millionaires were equivalent to ten-billion-level tycoons when he died.
At that time, millionaires were already considered a big deal. Centi-millionaires belonged to the top of the pyramid.
Although his father had long-term plans, the accident had been too sudden. It was impossible to avoid being robbed by the tax authorities.
American estate tax was really harsh, taking half of the estate. Despite many efforts to avoid taxes, his father's legacy still took a heavy hit.
The family's main assets were farms and oil fields. Paying the taxes would devastate them. They'd either lose the farm or the oil fields.
"Fulton, how are our family's assets doing?"
"Sir..."
Seeing Fulton hesitant to speak, William White forced a bitter smile.
"Go ahead, Fulton. It's my responsibility. Just tell me."
"Alright, sir. Lately, White Oil has been under pressure. The stock price is consistently low, as if someone has targeted us."
"Hmm, how much cash are we short?"
"About thirty million dollars."
"I understand, Fulton. Apply for an extension to pay the estate tax. Let's see if anything changes soon."
"Alright, sir. I'll notify the accountant right away."
Estate tax is indeed a bad tax. It's useless against super-rich folks who have various ways to avoid it.
But for someone like William White, it's a big problem. If not handled well, the family's assets could be lost.
During the oil crisis, his father managed to make a successful turnaround but offended many oil magnates. The stock price turmoil was because of this.
William White wasn't interested in the oil industry. But that didn't mean others could take advantage of his family.
It seemed like quickly raising a lot of money was the main priority. He couldn't be taken down by those bastards.
William White remembered clearly that in his previous life, the family oil company was sold cheaply. Two hundred million dollars' worth of stock was sold for just over fifty million.
Right, it was the Hunter family. The oil fields ended up with the Hunter family.
Hunter? Didn't they collapse from silver speculation?
Wait, silver?
Haha! I've got an idea. Let's see how you'll handle this!
Although this was a capitalist country where profit ruled, families like the Hunters were rare. After all, both families were on good terms, and such ruthless action was excessive.
As a centi-millionaire heir, he could only access a few million dollars now. It was still impressive but felt limiting.
American law required the estate tax to be paid within nine months. One extension could be granted for six months. Until the tax was paid, the assets weren't officially his.
The farm was very quiet at night. Looking at the pitch-black sky, William White felt lost. This day had been too long for him, feeling like half a century had passed.
He couldn't continue staying on the farm. Texas wasn't suitable for his development. He didn't like the farm and oil industries. It was better to sell them while oil prices were good.
Dealing in oil in the U.S. was nearly impossible. It was monopolized by a few oligarchs, leaving no space for others. Eventually, they'd devour everything.
The White family was an old capitalist family, but with few members left, the situation was worse. If something happened to William, the White family would be done for.
It seemed the family legacy now depended on him. To maintain the family's prosperity, he needed to have more kids. He couldn't understand why his parents didn't have more children. If he had siblings, managing the family assets would've been much easier.
*****
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