[Chapter 698: The Warehouse Full of Gold]
California's so-called talent protection law was really just a scheme to screw over the bosses. By the end of Mission: Impossible, it was all Tom Cruise's show, and in Fast and Furious, it became all about Vin Diesel. As for who the boss was, nobody really cared.
This was somewhat absurd; it was as if they bullied the poor bosses for being clueless. Just look at how Hollywood evolved. Now, there weren't any long-running franchises left. If you flaunted your success, the screenwriters could easily kill off characters.
This whole situation was really a double-edged sword. Hollywood was largely run into the ground by those big-name stars.
I had to say that balance was crucial. Too many theaters meant high profit shares for the film companies. Only when both reached a kind of equilibrium could there truly be a healthy market.
...
On Lanai Island, in William White's underground vault. After a few days of rest in Texas and seeing all that gold, his mood lightened a bit.
Of course, how to handle all that gold was still a significant issue.
Inflation had already reached its peak. Residents in Japan had drastically reduced their spending, which barely supported the current market.
Oil, gold, and other minerals were at risk of seeing price declines. The world's economy had always been driven by consumption, and before the U.S. picked up the baton of spending, prices for commodities would indeed drop.
"Fulton, it's over for the Soviets. For quite a while, I doubt gold prices will rise. How much gold do we still have here?"
"Young master, we've managed to sell off some, and we still have over three hundred tons."
"Ugh, that's still quite a lot. Just over a hundred tons would suffice. If gold doesn't circulate in the banking system, it doesn't hold any value."
William White felt a headache coming on because he had too much gold -- too much, honestly.
"Young master, it's easy to sell now. Our Swiss banks can deal with over ten tons a year. In about ten years, that's not a problem. However, this amount of gold, you would never be able to buy back."
William White paused, realizing how easy it was to sell but how impossible it was to buy back.
A few tons was manageable; a few hundred tons? That was a joke. The head of the Federal Reserve wouldn't come over to have a chat about that.
William White came to understand that his thinking might have been immature. Yes, for many years to come, gold prices kept falling. But when it skyrocketed again in '08, where could he buy it back?
The Russians nearly fell out with America just to reclaim their gold, and that amount hardly exceeded two hundred tons. The Germans had it worse; America simply played hardball with them, giving back nothing but brass.
"Hmm, Fulton, I got it. I won't touch that three hundred tons of gold; I'll just consider it our family's legacy. As for its value retention, I've hedged it in the futures market. Goodness, I've still got plenty of paper gold."
"Hehe, you might need to discuss this with Filson. That gold is mortgaged to the bank; if it truly drops in price, there will be plenty of trouble."
William White forced a smile, recalling that gold prices had, in fact, once halved. If that happened again, his cash flow would face serious issues.
The bigger the business grew, the more bank loans came with it. As long as the company's cash flow was large enough, banks wouldn't hesitate to approve loans.
If he claimed high profits, then he surely wouldn't have any issues, right?
Haha, quite the opposite; making profits excessively high was sheer folly. Unless your business hit a ceiling, you were just using it as a cash cow.
Once you hit that ceiling, why would they grant you a loan? If things fell apart, you'd be looking at instant bankruptcy.
...
[Chapter 699: Someone Made a Comeback]
"Master, we just received word that Bush Sr. might lose. That Arkansas kid seems to have gotten a major bargain this time."
William White was not surprised by this news. He had done everything he could. At the end of the day, it wasn't his dad running for election; if he couldn't be reelected, so be it. To be honest, making money was still more reliable than a donkey.
"Tanner, it might not be a bargain. Bush is just out of luck. His own base is in disarray, which is already a headache. Look, the chaos in Los Angeles just settled down, and now a hurricane's coming to stir things up, plus the earthquake in San Francisco. Cough, it's pretty dangerous for him to be sitting in that position."
Tanner thought to himself: your company is already public, and all those cross-shareholdings have been handed off to trust companies. Oh, it seems like our master was well-prepared.
"Hey, help me get through to George. The prince must be feeling pretty fragile right now; let's invite him to Lanai for a breather."
"Master, they probably won't give up easily. The final result isn't out yet, there's still a chance."
"If the hurricane hadn't hit, there might've been a chance. But right now, it's really tough, and if there were any chance, do you think George wouldn't come to me for help?"
"Yeah, right. There's something fishy about this."
"Fishy? Tanner, they might not be clinging to that position. Political families should know when to cut their losses; the example of the Kennedys is there for all to see. Do you think their family would dare to run for president again?"
"True enough, that position isn't worth it; the risks are too high."
"In this world, politics is the dirtiest game of all. It's interesting that these political families just can't seem to get enough of it -- what kind of mentality is that?"
In America, playing politics was never a game for the poor. It simply wasn't a game regular folks could join in on. As for Clinton, he was somewhat of an exception.
Well, just like the future governor who would become the Terminator, they relied on their wives' family connections to rise to power. If it was just their own abilities, they wouldn't have lasted a single term.
"All right, Tanner, let's head back to Los Angeles. Let's wrap up what's left; this year has pretty much turned out the way it has."
"Got it, master, that needs to be prepped ahead of time. Oh, and the guys who fled to Las Vegas are starting to come back to Los Angeles."
"Ugh, losing a couple of thugs doesn't change much; someone will always fill the gap."
"Yes, master, they've been making quite a ruckus. Should we teach them a lesson?"
"No need to worry about it; that's FBI's own business, they'll sort it out. It's their own war, just as long as they don't come looking for me. If someone bothers me, you can show them how to behave."
"All right, master."
...
Bush Jr.'s mood was indeed quite poor, yet a call from William White still lifted his spirits. Even though results weren't yet out, they certainly knew what was going on in their own house.
Of course, he never doubted William White's intelligence-gathering abilities.
When you're in power, those friends may not be true friends. The ones who can keep a level head when you're down are the ones worth getting close to.
At William White's level, don't mention just the president's son. Even his old man wouldn't be given the courtesy. There's no way anyone could get mad at him.
...
"Isn't that something? This Arkansas guy really has a shot at the position? Ha, ultimately, is it him or his wife calling the shots?"
"Sir, from the current vote returns, Bush Sr. has slim hopes, about thirty percent at best."
"Let's hope they're right; I just feel that this country bumpkin is saying it easily, but he might not keep his promises."
"No way, does he not want to be reelected?"
"Andy, think for a second, if only four years for two consecutive terms, how chaotic would that be for us?"
The big boss at Morgan Stanley sighed, feeling that his team was lacking while he was having a real headache, especially when you looked at how capable William White's team was.
"By the way, where did William White go? Still in Texas?"
"Just came back; paparazzi caught some pictures earlier. He was in casual wear, seemed to be in a good mood."
"Hmm, that shouldn't be; he's close with Bush Jr., and that's no secret."
"No sir, the recent stance from NBC has been pretty balanced; they aren't showing any bias."
"Hmm, got it. You can go now."
After Andy left, the old guy began to think wildly. William White's recent behavior had been strange -- not at all like a mature businessman. His handling of the Los Angeles incidents lacked consideration.
Ha, once you took action, people would certainly worry about you. But didn't he just lose a trump card?
At this point, perhaps there was an answer. William White must have seen something; he was preparing for the future.
All the equity structures of the affiliated businesses had been smoothed out so the Justice Department couldn't find any trouble. And those plotting little tricks were probably scared stiff.
A guy brave enough to open fire in the bustling city center? You couldn't tell where his limits were. Or perhaps, William White had no limits whatsoever.
Impressive, he grasped the situation so early on.
*****
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