The Conglomerate Family Became A Villain [EN]: Chapter 94

Billionaire (5)

On the way back to Boston.

Sarah placed the briefcase containing the memorandum of understanding between JP Morgan and Victoria Corporation in the back seat.

“You managed to reach an agreement.”

Jung Hyun-woo pointed to the sky with his finger.

“It was already decided from above.”

Sarah also knew that Justin Balmer had used his influence in this matter.

“Still, the atmosphere was fierce at first.”

She had worried that the conflict between Jung Hyun-woo and Neil Hamilton on the way to Miami would lead to an irreversible situation.

“But there weren’t many face-reddening incidents in Miami.”

Although Sean Luke had some objections, the negotiation was generally smooth.

“That’s true.”

Jung Hyun-woo thought of it as conquering an impregnable fortress.

‘Now Victoria Corporation can secure second and third customers.’

Brum.

Sarah started the engine and said,

“About the 10% going to JP Morgan.”

“Do you think we’re giving up too much equity?”

“It’s not that…….”

Currently, the two of them shared 100% of Victoria Corporation’s shares.

Jung Hyun-woo said calmly.

“I’m thinking of giving 10% from my shares.”

Sarah sighed briefly and said,

“Charlie, let’s split it fifty-fifty.”

She didn’t think Jung Hyun-woo should bear all 10% alone.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s not Charlie’s company alone.”

“I made this decision alone.”

Jung Hyun-woo had settled things one-on-one with Neil Hamilton in a place where she wasn’t present.

“That doesn’t mean Charlie should take all the responsibility. A 10% stake is beyond what you can handle alone. So listen to me this time.”

Jung Hyun-woo knew that Sarah was stubborn.

‘She’s a lady who ran away from the Hilton family mansion, after all.’

But he didn’t want to burden her with the shares.

‘In the first place, I have a much larger stake anyway.’

He said in a soft voice.

“Sarah, can’t you just follow my lead?”

Sarah raised her voice as she held the steering wheel, as if she couldn’t do that.

“Do we really have to do this?”

“Sarah.”

“Let’s split it fifty-fifty. It’s also my fault that things have gotten this big.”

Sarah thought it was her job to mediate between JP Morgan and Jung Hyun-woo.

‘If I had persuaded Jung Hyun-woo and offered JP Morgan better terms in the beginning, things wouldn’t have gotten this big.’

She wondered if it would have been better if she had restricted JP Morgan’s options by trusting the patent.

‘Then Mr. Balmer’s intervention wouldn’t have been necessary.’

Of course, Jung Hyun-woo had no intention of bearing only half. But it was also difficult to push his own way. In the end, he had no choice but to come up with a compromise.

“If we have to divide the responsibility like that, let’s do it according to the shareholding ratio.”

Currently, Victoria Corporation’s shares were divided into 7:3.

If it was according to the shareholding ratio, the shares to be sold to JP Morgan would also be 7% and 3%.

“According to the shareholding ratio?”

“Yes.”

Sarah sighed briefly as she left the parking lot.

“Since Charlie has taken a step back, I should also take a step back, right?”

“That’s what negotiation is all about.”

“Okay. Let’s sell according to the shareholding ratio.”

Since Miami’s upscale residential area was far from the highway, Sarah had no choice but to drive on the national road for a long time.

“Charlie.”

“Do you have another opinion?”

“It’s not an opinion, it’s about the selling price. How much did we agree to sell it for?”

Jung Hyun-woo had only told her the amount of shares to be sold, but he had never mentioned the price.

“The price of 10%?”

“100% is fine too.”

If she knew the price of 100%, she would also know the price of 10%.

Jung Hyun-woo said briefly.

“10 billion dollars.”

Sarah immediately stepped on the brakes.

Screech.

The car stopped in the middle of the road with the sound of tires rubbing.

“Neil Hamilton agreed to that price?”

Jung Hyun-woo shrugged and replied.

“I called a little higher thinking about the discount, but he immediately said okay.”

The note he presented to Neil Hamilton had the number 100 written on it.

This meant that he valued Victoria Corporation at $10 billion.

Neil Hamilton accepted the price he offered without saying a word, even after seeing the number 100.

“Wait a minute. If we value our company at $10 billion, that means our shares are worth the same.”

Jung Hyun-woo nodded and took the words.

“10% would be 1 billion dollars.”

“Oh my god. So we both get 1 billion dollars?”

“Sarah, we have to exclude taxes.”

The stock transfer tax was subject to a much lower tax rate than income tax if held for a long period.

Even after excluding taxes, they were now bona fide billionaires.

“Charlie!”

Jung Hyun-woo’s reaction was why are you so excited about something obvious.

“I told you. It’s a company worth that much.”

Sarah reached out and grabbed Jung Hyun-woo’s cheeks. Then she kissed his forehead and cheeks.

“Good job. Good job.”

Jung Hyun-woo had a blank expression on his face at her kiss shower.

“Sarah…….”

“Why?”

“We’re in the middle of the road.”

Sarah moved the car to the side as if she understood. Then she unbuckled her seatbelt and said.

“How can Charlie be so calm? It’s a whopping 1 billion dollars!”

Jung Hyun-woo rested his chin on his right hand.

“I can’t believe it.”

Once the deal with JP Morgan was over, his wealth would surpass that of his grandfather, Chairman Jung Woo-sun.

‘I’m going to have more wealth than the chairman of a conglomerate?’

He had become a billionaire in just a few years since returning to the 1980s.

‘Is this right?’

He felt like he had become a billionaire too easily.

‘Of course, it was a bit dangerous this time.’

What if Robert had betrayed him?

What if John River had gifted the entire New York branch to JP Morgan?

Forget about the $1 billion negotiation, Victoria Corporation itself could have collapsed.

“Surely JP Morgan won’t change their mind?”

“They won’t change their mind.”

Neil Hamilton was likely to buy Victoria Corporation’s shares for $1 billion as promised.

“Charlie, we’re really rich.”

“Sarah was already rich.”

Sarah sighed briefly.

“Hoo. That’s my father’s or grandfather’s money, not my money.”

“Laila and Aria became rich with the money they inherited, though?”

The two heiresses Jung Hyun-woo mentioned, unlike Sarah, had no hesitation in spending the money they inherited.

Sarah’s voice lowered at his point.

“Charlie.”

“Did I make a mistake?”

“No.”

“Then what is it.”

Sarah said with a faint smile.

“Do you have to beat your sister like that?”

That meant there was nothing else to say to his rebuttal.

“Are you saying I should lose sometimes?”

“That’s how you can capture a woman’s heart.”

Jung Hyun-woo shrugged at her answer.

“Yes. Yes.”

Sarah still couldn’t believe this deal.

‘Was 100 million dollars this easy money?’

The 100 million dollars she thought of was money that could only be obtained after decades of effort and good luck.

“Charlie, is there anything you want to do?”

Jung Hyun-woo closed his eyes and replied.

“Should I say I want to sleep?”

What a young man who became a multi-millionaire in just one day needed most was rest.

Sarah pulled on her seatbelt and said.

“I won’t wake you up until we get to the airport, so get some sleep.”

Jung Hyun-woo nodded and leaned back in his seat.

“I’m sorry.”

The reason he said he was sorry was because the person sitting in the passenger seat next to the driver had a duty to assist the driver so that they would not doze off or make mistakes.

“It’s okay to rest a bit today.”

Sarah said in a soft voice and stepped on the accelerator.

* * *

“Grandpa! Grandpa!”

The one running through the mansion in her pajamas was Laila Marine. She opened the door to the master room and raised her voice.

“Grandpa! Something terrible happened!”

Chairman Carlo Giannini was reading the morning newspaper with his coffee.

“Laila, your voice is too loud. And that outfit…….”

Laila Marine raised her voice as if her outfit didn’t matter.

“JP Morgan has acquired Victoria Corporation!”

She thought everything had gone down the drain.

‘I’ve been completely had.’

Bank of America was only used as a material to raise Victoria Corporation’s value.

She was furious.

Chairman Carlo Giannini took the newspaper and took her words.

“The content you mentioned is also written here.”

Laila Marine raised her eyebrows.

“Did you see it?”

“Arthur seems to have spent some money.”

“It’s a whopping 10 billion dollars.”

Chairman Carlo Giannini sighed briefly and took her words.

“Isn’t the actual acquired stake 10%?”

“10%?”

“Laila, don’t tell me you haven’t even checked the article?”

Laila Marine opened the newspaper in her hand and replied.

“There’s no such content here.”

Chairman Carlo Giannini handed her his newspaper and said.

“It seems the reporter omitted the content because he wanted to get the scoop.”

There were often cases where they would prioritize writing only the important parts without detailed information because they wanted to publish the article faster than other newspapers.

Laila Marine checked the details of the contract and said.

“That’s right. It says JP Morgan has acquired a 10% stake in Victoria Corporation.”

“Even if it’s 10%, it’s 1 billion dollars.”

“You managed to get that money.”

Chairman Carlo Giannini said to her.

“Didn’t you say you would spend that much money too?”

“This side was acquiring more than 50%.”

“Then Arthur spent 5 times more money than you.”

Laila Marine narrowed her brows and said.

“The price of 1 billion dollars may be to exclude us.”

Chairman Carlo Giannini looked at his granddaughter with loving eyes.

“If you’re so worried, you can buy a similar company, can’t you?”

“There’s no similar company.”

“Hmm?”

Chairman Carlo Giannini was a giant in the financial world, but he was not yet familiar with the IT industry.

“Right now, only Victoria Corporation can create the program we want.”

“I heard that excellent programmers can make anything.”

“That’s in the movies.”

Not in reality.

Because of this, she answered firmly.

“Laila, what are you going to do?”

“I have to make a call first.”

“To whom?”

“To Mr. Jung.”

Laila Marine turned around and left Chairman Carlo Giannini’s master room with big steps.

Chairman Carlo Giannini, left alone, clicked his tongue lightly.

“Tsk, I don’t know anything about the program side.”

He thought it might have been a little better if her field of interest was airplanes or cars, not computers.

* * *

Jung Hyun-woo rubbed his eyes and answered the phone.

“Hello.”

“Mr. Jung?”

A high-pitched voice unique to women.

Jung Hyun-woo scratched his head.

“Who is this?”

“It’s me. Laila Marine.”

“Ah, Miss Marine. What brings you here this morning…….”

“Is it morning?”

Jung Hyun-woo turned his head to check the time. The clock pointed to 10 a.m.

‘I overslept again.’

When he turned his gaze out the window, he saw employees working hard.

“It’s a bit late, but it’s still morning.”

“Can I just ask for the purpose?”

“Please do.”

Jung Hyun-woo still had a sleepy face.

“What’s going to happen to the collaboration between Bank of America and Victoria Corporation?”

Laila Marine’s question was sharp. But Jung Hyun-woo was too sleepy to catch it.

“It will go as planned.”

Laila’s voice rose at his answer.

“It’s going as planned?”

“Yes.”

A dry answer.

Laila raised her voice again.

“Did JP Morgan approve the collaboration?”

“Yes, they did.”

“Can I trust you?”

“You can trust me.”

Jung Hyun-woo sighed briefly inside.

‘Hoo……. Can’t you check this with Sarah?’

He thought it was something Sarah could handle sufficiently. But Laila Marine didn’t think so.

“You can’t change your mind later.”

“If you’re so worried, let’s write a proper contract.”

“Then I’ll take the contract to Boston tomorrow.”

Jung Hyun-woo nodded.

“Please do.”

He hung up the phone and reached for the sleeping bag again.

‘I’m short on sleep. Let’s sleep for another 30 minutes.’

Jung Hyun-woo had become a billionaire in an instant, but his life had not changed at all.

Overtime was scheduled not only yesterday but also today.

‘The life of a developer.’

He was about to go inside the sleeping bag.

Click.

Then Robert opened the door and came inside.

“Charlie, I heard you’re awake.”

Jung Hyun-woo turned his head in an awkward posture.

“Robert? Don’t tell me you were waiting for me?”

Robert nodded his head greatly and replied.

“We signed a formal contract with Commodore yesterday.”

“Ah, I see.”

Robert narrowed his brows at Jung Hyun-woo’s listless answer.

“Charlie?”

“I’m in a hurry to sleep.”

“That’s…… don’t you check the contract?”

“I’ll ask Sarah.”

Robert raised his voice as he watched Jung Hyun-woo go inside the sleeping bag.

“Charlie?”

Jung Hyun-woo waved his right hand and disappeared inside the sleeping bag.

Robert looked at Anne standing outside the door and turned his head.

“Did Charlie work overtime again?”

“The CEO always works overtime.”

Anne had never seen Jung Hyun-woo leave work without working overtime.

“Still, I need to check this.”

It was when he was scratching his head.

Jung Hyun-woo poked his head out of the sleeping bag and said.

“Miss Marine called a little while ago.”

“Miss Marine, you mean?”

“Please tell Sarah. She said she would bring the contract tomorrow.”

Jung Hyun-woo went back inside the sleeping bag, and Robert shook his head and closed the president’s office door.

“Miss Marine, huh.”

He went straight to Sarah’s office, afraid he would forget Jung Hyun-woo’s message.

Knock. Knock.

After two knocks, he raised his voice.

“Miss Hilton?”

Sarah took his words without taking her eyes off the documents.

“Come in.”

Squeak.

As he entered the office, he saw documents piled up to a height of 1m [approximately 3.3 feet].

“Why is there so much work piled up?”

“I was organizing it because they asked me to send data to the IRS [Internal Revenue Service, the US government agency responsible for tax collection and enforcement].”

“From the IRS?”

Sarah put down her pen and replied.

“Did you see the newspaper?”

Robert scratched his head and took her words.

“That’s…… I didn’t check it because I was in a hurry to come back.”

“It’s because of the equity transaction I mentioned last time.”

Robert had heard that JP Morgan had agreed to take over 10% of Victoria Corporation’s shares as a price for reconciliation.

“Did the IRS ask for data because of that?”

Sarah nodded her head at his question.

“The amount is so large that they suspect money laundering.”

Robert took his hand off his head and said.

“Come to think of it, I didn’t hear the exact amount. How big is the acquisition?”

Sarah sighed briefly and replied.

“1 billion dollars.”

Robert whistled at her answer.

“Victoria Corporation’s value has finally been recognized. Since you’ve decided to hand over 10%, is the total contract amount 100 million dollars?”

“No. It’s 1 billion dollars for 10%.”

1 billion dollars for 10%.

Robert blinked and asked again.

“Are you saying it’s 1 billion dollars for 10%?”

“Yes.”

If it was 1 billion dollars for 10%, the company value of Victoria Corporation recognized by JP Morgan was 10 billion dollars.