[Chapter 692: Word Battle]
"Sir, Mr. Filson has arrived. You have a lunch meeting with him."
"Great, let's head straight to the restaurant. Nastassja, you should join us, too."
Seeing a beautiful woman on the boss's arm, Filson was not surprised. William White always had women around him, and as for Nastassja, she could hold her own at White Films.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they all took their seats. Including Lisa, they were all familiar faces.
"Filson, they've brought in the best ice wine. Give it a try."
"Alright, it looks pretty good."
Staying in his seat, William White wasn't just sticking to White red wine. No matter how good a drink was, it became tedious when overindulged.
"This wine is good, sir, but it seems the situation in the desert region has escalated."
"Can't handle a few Kurds? How did the big guy get such a reputation?"
"Sir, this situation is complicated. The conflict between the Shiites and Sunnis seems to have intensified."
William White was at a loss for words -- religious issues were always troublesome. Historically, disagreements over interpretations led to significant strife.
"Let me guess, it must be the CIA at it again."
"Ahem, sir, there's no need to guess. It seems like they're always involved whenever trouble arises."
"These bastards will inevitably make a monumental mistake. If there's no urgent matter, it's best to keep our distance from them. Speaking of which, the situation is tightening up again, what did the Saddam say?"
"They will take decisive and thorough action."
"Alright, I get it, Saddam will continue to observe. I wonder if he's adopting some ninja-like restraint."
"Pfft, don't be silly, aren't they supposed to be taking action?" Nastassja asked, puzzled. Since William White casually mentioned all this without hesitation, she felt she shouldn't just sit by.
"Nastassja, starting from the day of the big bombing, you could cut and edit the things they've said. Let me tell you, if you don't know which way things are headed, you'd think the war is at a boiling point. However, there hasn't been any counterattack; they don't even have some self respect. Honestly, this guy should have won an Oscar. Sigh, the presidency seems clearly unsuitable for him."
As the main course arrived, the four began their meal. As for the amusing Saddam, no one felt like discussing him anymore.
...
The tense atmosphere simply meant military stocks were rising. However, the overall market didn't show much promise. Just as the situation in Los Angeles seemed to settle, a new hurricane emerged. The American economy looked like it was in dire straits.
Someone might have argued, "That doesn't make sense. With all the reconstruction projects, it should at least raise the figures by one percentage point."
Well, that made sense logically, but the numbers didn't add up like that. While these reconstruction projects might boost the economy, they would also increase the government's deficit.
Bush Sr. was almost out of options at that point. Where was the funding for reconstruction going to come from? As for the Federal Reserve, those ancient folks had grown a bit cold towards him.
In reality, Bush Sr. hadn't completely given up yet. At least, it wasn't apparent on the surface.
It was somewhat frustrating -- they had outlasted the Soviets and taken down Saddam. Forgetting everything else, just these two accomplishments were surely worth writing about.
Many people possibly failed to realize what the end of the bipolar structure truly meant for this world. Without the threat of world wars, without an arms race, more technology and funds would flow into civilian sectors. All of this happened because the Soviets fell victim to their own traps.
Well, others might be very satisfied, but the military-industrial giants were definitely not so. Without a super-boss, obtaining government funding had become a far-off dream.
Unfortunately, the eager Bill, the fellow they anticipated, hadn't been very supportive. After getting schooled by some Somali locals, Bill eagerly turned to economic development.
As for those promises? Whoever believed them was as foolish as they come.
...
After lunch, Nastassja went off to take care of her business. Filson needed to discuss the London situation with the boss.
"So, it seems Soros and our returns are quite close now."
"Yes, sir. The Brits didn't persist. They don't dare take the blame for this; losing two billion dollars has them on the ropes. Also, there's a lot of controversy within Europe about the euro. Just earlier, the French only barely passed the proposal."
"Haha, interesting. It seems England will cling to the pound."
"Yes, sir, but if that's the case, the process of European integration is in jeopardy."
"Truth be told, this euro venture is destined to fail. The U.S. is the largest consumer market in the world; as long as no country can replace it, trying to establish the euro is a joke. If it were up to me, I'd prefer to keep my powder dry. If you guys don't meddle, I won't either. But once you start the printing presses, don't be surprised if I turn unfriendly. The threat is greatest when arrows remain unshot."
"So, sir, when the euro finally arrives, we might have another chance to strike."
"Hahaha, that's a certainty. By then, Soros will surely play along. This guy just sticks around like a stubborn rash."
...
Poor Soros, if he knew what William White was saying, he would surely rush over for a bite.
"Don't tell me you're not into futures! Why is it that every time I make a big move, you always sidetrack my plans? When returns don't meet expectations, how am I supposed to justify this with the shareholders?"
Soros didn't realize that while William White appeared indifferent, he was actually quite wary. With Buffett on one side and Soros on the other, knowing their sentiments towards him told you all you needed to know about the Federal Reserve's stance.
Alright, William White had indeed gotten greedy. He was trying to dig a little here and a little there. If these assets were all based in the U.S. -- heaven forbid -- if it were you in charge, it would be a different story.
The old geezers couldn't quite grasp it; they had their share in piecing together in Japan. Yet now, their contributions to supporting William White were unlimited.
It was absurd -- being robbers shouldn't lead to such disparity in treatment. Was there no sense of justice?
The display of greed was quite off-putting and certainly had its repercussions. They bullied those others so terribly and still expected not to hear a peep of protest.
...
"Filson, fortunately, the British is here to support us, but this hurricane has indeed caused heavy losses."
"Sir, we need to build it sturdier this time."
"Ahem, Filson, I haven't seen it on-site yet. According to reports, there seemed to be dozens of tornadoes. Hope there's nothing on the island."
Filson had his reservations about the site chosen for this Jurassic Park. However, the boss evidently had other plans.
Hurricanes hit the Bahamas every year; William White surely knew that. But try purchasing an island elsewhere. Even if the price was slightly lower elsewhere, there were many restrictions.
In the Bahamas, the sky was the limit, with no considerable constraints. Forget about Apache helicopters and M1s; as long as you could get your hands on them, missile defense systems weren't off the table either.
There was no need for anything more powerful; the military presence in the Bahamas was quite low. After all, Miami was just nearby -- if it got too intense, the U.S. would swoop in and make arrests. There were plenty of ready-made excuses: illegal sale of Cuban cigars.
The Americans couldn't share a pot with Cuba but still adored their cigars. After all these years, signs of mending relations hadn't been evident at all.
*****
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