The Conglomerate Family Became A Villain [EN]: Chapter 131

131. To Nasdaq (4)

Queens, New York.

More peaceful than Manhattan, yet more complex than a typical American small city.

In a high-end bar in Queens, two men with completely gray hair sat down.

“It’s unexpected that you’d ask to see me.”

The neatly dressed old gentleman was Edmund Norman. As a senior executive at JP Morgan Bank, he was a CEO with strengths in stable asset management rather than investment.

“Is there any reason why we can’t meet when we’re both affiliated with the same company?”

The person who invited Edmund Norman was Henri Arnault, the acting head of JP Morgan Investment Bank.

The two men were respectively the second and third in command at JP Morgan.

The reason they met in Queens rather than Manhattan was to avoid being recognized by others.

“Hoo-hoo-hoo, you, you’ve always been like that… like a shadow.”

Henri Arnault took a sip, responding to his words.

“It’s because I’m a shadow that I’ve come this far.”

Not making enemies, obeying superiors’ orders, and maximizing performance.

These were the factors that made him the third in command at JP Morgan.

“If you weren’t a shadow?”

“Would I have lasted five years?”

Compared to Edmund Norman, Henri Arnault had slightly less backing.

If a newcomer with insufficient background confronted their superior and raised their voice, the result would be one of two things.

Either rising to the top or being targeted and kicked out of the company.

Henri Arnault thought the latter was much more likely.

“So, what do you want to say?”

The liquor in Edmund Norman’s glass was Blue Label. Produced by Johnnie Walker, Blue Label was an expensive liquor costing hundreds of dollars depending on the country or region, but their status made it seem ordinary.

“There’s something I’d like to get your opinion on.”

Edmund Norman tilted his head.

“You want to get my opinion?”

Henri Arnault replied.

“I’m not Neil. I think I can have a sufficient conversation with Edmund.”

Neil Hamilton was a man who had fiercely competed with Edmund Norman for the position of the next chairman.

“Hoo-hoo-hoo, not Neil. Are you saying you don’t want to fight? But you’re next in line after me.”

He emphasized his position as the third in command at JP Morgan.

“This is different from Neil or Edmund. I’m not very interested in fighting and taking things.”

Edmund Norman swirled his glass and asked.

“Then what are you interested in?”

Henri Arnault turned his gaze to his glass and replied.

“Survival.”

“Survival?”

His goal was to survive.

For someone like that, Henri Arnault had climbed too high.

“Hoo-hoo-hoo, are you asking me to believe that?”

“You don’t have to believe it. I’m just saying that’s how it is.”

Edmund Norman took a sip of his drink and said.

“Alright, let’s hear your story.”

Meaning to get to the point.

Henri Arnault focused his gaze on his glass and began to speak.

“There’s a company called Victoria Corporation.”

Edmund Norman smiled faintly.

“It’s a company I’m grateful to.”

His rival, Neil Hamilton, had stepped down from his position as head of JP Morgan Investment Bank, taking responsibility for failing to resolve the conflict with Victoria Corporation.

To Edmund Norman, Jung Hyun-woo and Victoria Corporation were people he was grateful to, as they had eliminated his rival.

“That Victoria Corporation is seeking an IPO [Initial Public Offering].”

Edmund Norman tilted his head to the side.

“A company of that size is more than capable of going public, isn’t it? What’s the problem?”

Henri Arnault sighed briefly.

“Hoo… If Victoria Corporation succeeds in its IPO, Neil might return.”

A deep line formed on Edmund Norman’s forehead.

“If Victoria Corporation is listed, Neil will return?”

“Before Neil stepped down, the last thing he did was purchase 10% of Victoria Corporation’s shares for $1 billion.”

Edmund Norman knew very well what Henri Arnault was talking about.

“You’re saying that if Victoria Corporation’s IPO is successful, that $1 billion could become $2 billion.”

Henri Arnault slowly nodded.

“It’s very likely that will happen.”

A deal that brought in $1 billion in profit.

If Neil Hamilton was the one who made that deal happen, Arthur Morgan might call him back.

Neil Hamilton’s return was not welcome news to Edmund Norman.

“If I help you, you’ll prevent Victoria Corporation’s IPO, is that what you’re saying?”

He thought the reason Henri Arnault had called him was to make a deal.

However, Henri Arnault shook his head.

“I probably won’t be able to stop the IPO.”

“What?”

Not a deal, but a declaration of war.

That’s how Edmund Norman interpreted his answer.

Of course, Henri Arnault had no intention of declaring war on him.

“If I try to stop it, Charlie Jung will go to Bank of America.”

Bank of America.

A behemoth that moves the American financial market—no, the global financial market—along with JP Morgan.

Moreover, they were overwhelming JP Morgan in the credit trading sector. If they joined hands with Victoria Corporation, the synergy would be difficult to measure.

“Ummm.”

Edmund Norman could only groan softly.

Henri Arnault took a sip of his drink.

“Victoria Corporation will enter its IPO in the first half of next year.”

Edmund Norman asked him.

“So, what you want to ask me is about the IPO schedule?”

“No.”

“If not the schedule…”

“It’s about how to report this matter to Mr. Morgan.”

Arthur Morgan.

He was the head of JP Morgan and its largest individual shareholder.

“Hmm, that’s a difficult matter.”

The report Edmund Norman wanted was one that minimized Neil Hamilton’s achievements and maximized Henri Arnault’s contributions.

But Arthur Morgan had the ability to see through people’s hearts.

‘Would a clumsy lie work on someone like that?’

If a clumsy lie was exposed, it would be the end for Henri Arnault.

‘And it would be the end for me too.’

Arthur Morgan would try to find anyone colluding with Henri Arnault.

He gave a bitter smile.

“Henri, you’re quite clever.”

At his words, Henri Arnault turned his head.

“Did you say I was clever?”

Edmund Norman chuckled softly.

“Hoo-hoo-hoo. If a false report to Mr. Morgan is exposed, you’re planning to blame me, aren’t you?”

Henri Arnault denied his accusation.

“I didn’t think that way.”

“Really?”

“Really. I’m just worried about how to talk in front of Mr. Morgan.”

Edmund Norman emptied his glass in one gulp and said.

“Tell the truth.”

“Pardon?”

“Tell the facts as they are, without embellishment. That’s the way for you to survive.”

Edmund Norman thought it didn’t matter if Neil Hamilton returned.

‘How can someone who can’t even beat Neil get the position of chairman of JP Morgan?’

If he was going to be pushed out by the returning Neil Hamilton, he shouldn’t even think about the position of JP Morgan’s head in the first place.

That was the conclusion he had come to.

“Tell the facts as they are, without embellishment. Will that really be enough?”

“Isn’t it better than having your head chopped off for making a false report?”

Henri Arnault bowed his head at Edmund Norman’s advice.

‘He’s definitely a generous man.’

He thought Edmund Norman had given him advice for his sake, not for his own interests.

“I understand. Then I’ll report it as it is.”

Edmund Norman put down his glass and stood up.

“Tell Neil. Let’s have a proper go at it when he returns.”

A moment later.

Henri Arnault, left alone, muttered to himself with a bitter expression.

“Is a shadow still just a shadow?”

He thought that if he were Edmund Norman, he would have tried to exploit this situation as much as possible.

But Edmund Norman didn’t do that. As if someone who is destined to be king doesn’t care about small gains.

“I envy him.”

Being born into an aristocratic family.

No, having the background to become king.

He envied that very much.

* * *

The Victoria Corporation share acquisition agreement was officially signed in San Francisco.

San Francisco is a symbol of freedom and human rights, and was also the center of the American anti-war movement in the 1970s.

“I can see San Francisco.”

As the plane turned for landing, San Francisco could be seen faintly through the window.

“It’s one of the most expensive cities in the United States, right?”

At his question, Sarah tilted her head.

“San Francisco?”

“Isn’t it?”

“I don’t think it’s *that* much.”

Currently, it was the time when the Silicon Valley IT revolution was just beginning.

San Francisco was not the San Francisco that Jung Hyun-woo knew.

“Hmm, so it’s still okay.”

“What do you mean by that? ‘Still okay?'”

“When successful entrepreneurs and high-income jobs meet, real estate prices are bound to rise.”

Sarah slowly nodded at Jung Hyun-woo’s answer.

“I guess you could see it that way. Charlie has a very broad perspective.”

‘Even when Charlie looks down at the city, it’s like he’s not seeing the city itself, but the flow of money and data moving within it.’

As the plane’s altitude decreased, San Francisco became clearer.

Jung Hyun-woo knew the future of San Francisco.

‘The city with the most expensive real estate in the United States… and the fastest decline.’

The heyday of San Francisco was in the 2010s.

In the 2010s, San Francisco soared continuously based on the great success of IT companies.

In San Francisco, even if you earned an annual salary of $100,000 (130 million won), you could be classified as low-income by the city hall and receive support.

It wasn’t that an annual salary of $100,000 was small. On the contrary, in places like Oklahoma or Utah, $100,000 would be classified as high-income.

‘A city with so much money that it couldn’t handle it.’

The combination of money and pure liberalism gave rise to disorder.

That disorder became chaos, and eventually destroyed the city.

San Francisco began to decline rapidly in the 2020s.

In just a few years, the population decreased by more than 15%, and real estate prices fell even faster.

‘Excessive liberalism destroyed the city.’

Of course, San Francisco had excuses to make.

The COVID-19 pandemic was the starting point for San Francisco’s downfall.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, IT company employees no longer had to go to work, which led to the hollowing out of downtown areas, which increased crime rates and led to economic recession.

‘The economic recession led to a deterioration in public safety again. But before that, San Francisco’s laws and policies were bound to lead to a deterioration in public safety.’

The police don’t intervene, and order is left to freedom.

This ideology only increased crime rates.

In addition, the number of police officers decreased due to the economic recession, and the remaining police officers maintained public safety mainly in wealthy neighborhoods, receiving kickbacks from them.

As a result, public safety in downtown San Francisco fell to an unbearable level.

But the measures put forward by San Francisco’s liberals were amazing.

‘Everything can be said to be a gap between ideals and reality.’

Jung Hyun-woo didn’t believe in Xunzi’s theory of the inherent evil of human nature either [Xunzi was a Chinese Confucian philosopher who believed that humans are inherently selfish and require moral education]. But he believed that some regulation was necessary.

‘There is a limit to relying on human goodwill.’

Squeak.

With the sound of air brakes, the plane landed at San Francisco Airport.

Thud.

With a dull sound, the plane slid down the runway.

Twenty minutes later.

Jung Hyun-woo was greeted by the warm welcome of the San Francisco branch employees.

“Welcome, Charlie Jung!”

Although there weren’t many of them, they welcomed him with as much sincerity as possible.

Jung Hyun-woo looked at them and gave an awkward smile.

“This… feels like I’ve become a celebrity.”

Sarah responded to their welcome with a bright smile.

“Thank you all for coming.”

To the Victoria Corporation employees working in the West, Jung Hyun-woo and Sarah were owners who were rarely seen. The only executive they met often was Robert.

But today was a little different.

Sarah and Jung Hyun-woo flew to San Francisco, and Robert, on the other hand, stayed at the Boston headquarters.

“This way, please.”

Sarah and Jung Hyun-woo were guided by the employees and left the airport.

They got into the limousine that was waiting.

“A limousine, how extravagant.”

Sarah shrugged and responded to Jung Hyun-woo’s words.

“It’s probably money that’s being processed as expenses, right?”

The San Francisco branch manager, who heard her story, said.

“It’s legally processed as expenses, but it’s all deducted from the San Francisco branch’s performance.”

It meant that if they hadn’t borrowed a limousine at a high price, the San Francisco branch’s performance would have increased that much.

Sarah agreed with his story.

“That’s true.”

The San Francisco branch was making considerable efforts to welcome the two.

“We’ll take you to the Hilton Hotel.”

When booking accommodations, Sarah tried to avoid the Hilton Hotel if possible.

This was because it could give the impression of relying on her family. But the San Francisco branch, on the contrary, booked accommodations at the Hilton Hotel, which was familiar to her.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been to the Hilton Hotel.”

Jung Hyun-woo pretended not to know anything, but he knew both Sarah’s thoughts and the San Francisco branch’s thoughts.

‘Even the choice of accommodations has so many different thoughts.’

He turned his gaze to downtown San Francisco.

Small houses placed everywhere.

And low walls and fences around those houses.

Sunny weather and flowers blooming in all colors.

In a word, San Francisco was a beautiful city.

‘But this paradise will turn into hell in 40 years.’

In the early 2020s, San Francisco resembled a zombie city in a Hollywood movie.

In the empty downtown area, only fentanyl-addicted homeless people staggered like zombies.

‘When someone with money passed by, they attacked him to buy drugs.’

You could tell how bad San Francisco’s public safety was just by looking at the work orders issued by the federal government to government employees.

‘The federal government promoted telecommuting to protect the safety of its employees.’

It wasn’t telecommuting for work efficiency or welfare.

The federal government allowed telecommuting because of the crime near the government building.

It was unbelievable, but all of this happened in San Francisco in the early 2020s.

‘Still, it’s beautiful now.’

Unlike him, Sarah didn’t know the future of San Francisco. She sincerely praised the beauty of San Francisco.

“Charlie, look over there.”

Yellow flowers were blooming under a stylish mural.

“It’s a beautiful scene.”

Sarah stuck out her tongue slightly at his reaction.

“The reaction isn’t very good.”

Was it because he knew the future of San Francisco?

Jung Hyun-woo was lukewarm even after seeing the beautiful scenery.

“I think it’s because of the contract today.”

“Still, you can say it’s beautiful when you see something beautiful.”

Jung Hyun-woo smiled faintly and said.

“Since Sarah, who is more beautiful than flowers, is always by my side, I may have unknowingly become lukewarm.”

At his words, Sarah turned her head.

“Hmph, that’s silly. It’s the kind of thing that would only come out in a dating guide.”

She was angry, saying it was flattery, but she didn’t feel too bad.

“Sarah.”

“Why?”

“Are people really evil after all?”

Sarah narrowed her brows at his words.

“What do you mean by that? People are evil?”

“After all, it’s people who destroy such a beautiful city.”

Sarah couldn’t understand his words and tilted her head.

“What do you mean by people destroying San Francisco?”

Jung Hyun-woo put his hands together and replied.

“If excessive capital gathers, the city will lose its original appearance.”

Sarah thought he was wary of the success of Silicon Valley.

‘Hmm, Charlie sometimes embarrasses people with this kind of attitude.’

She was just embarrassed, but Aria Walton had fallen for this side of him.