Chapter 297: Retaliation

In the Office of the Comptroller of the City of Atlanta Government, Ms. Isolde, holding a telephone, stared blankly out the window in a daze.

"Madam, you look very surprised?"

Behind Ms. Isolde, a woman in business attire was brewing coffee at the tea table: "Is it about that Andre Lee Wiltonstein?"

"Yes! He really surprised me. I never expected that in just a month or two, he would have grown to this level."

Ms. Isolde smiled wryly: "You might find it hard to imagine that just a few months ago, he was living in an apartment in the slums, making me hesitate about whether to lend a helping hand. But now, he has carved out a place for himself in Atlanta."

"Of course, after I learned about this last night, I was also startled by him."

The woman in business attire handed the coffee to Ms. Isolde while speaking with a sigh: "Earlier, when the Dragon Witch Cult retreated from Atlanta, we thought it was the work of Mr. Dwight Payton. But now it seems the situation might be different from what we imagined. Dwight is powerful, but he couldn't have helped him without limits."

"That's exactly what shocks me."

Isolde sat back in her office chair: "The intelligence I received is that Cardewen's armed forces were nearly eighty percent wiped out overnight, making many high-level mercenaries in Atlanta tremble in fear. Do you know what this means?"

"The armed force Andre commands is already sufficient to safeguard the growth of the Rising Sun Company. I think soon, this city will see the rise of a conglomerate worth at least three billion gold shields. The competition for the Wiltonstein inheritance will also change again."

The woman in business attire pondered: "But Ms. Isolde, is it really appropriate for us to hand over the Georgia State Post to him? I'm not saying he's unreliable, but—"

"I understand what you mean. This will further strengthen Andre's power and provoke dissatisfaction from Margaret and her two brothers. But the question is, besides him, can we find another suitable person? Someone who can ensure that this media outlet will always stand on Isolde's side in the future? This person must not only be loyal to our friendship but also have sufficient financial resources to ensure their own safety. So, as I said, we have no choice, do we? Linda, he is my godchild's son, someone I watched grow up. At this moment, would I still care about the Wiltonsteins?"

Ms. Isolde spread her hands: "Linda, call Yves Cardewen later and convey Andre's demands to him. This is the plan I finalized with Andre; there is no room for negotiation. If he refuses, just hang up. After defeating Cardewen, he can still get the shares of the Atlanta Post. Also, for the fundraising event ten days from now, rearrange the seating and move Mr. Andre Lee Wiltonstein's seat to the VIP section—place him in the third row."

The woman in business attire had no objection. If he were merely a wealthy fighting star, he would never qualify for such a front-row seat. But if this person, besides being wealthy and powerful, also controlled the Atlanta Post, the situation was entirely different.

...

Yves Cardewen was very straightforward. In the afternoon, he conveyed his opinion through Ms. Isolde. The Cardewen Group agreed to transfer to Li Mochen personally, free of charge, the six purchased stores over six hundred square meters, seven stores with leases over ten years, along with part of the interior decoration, the sales staff currently in training, and all electrical appliance consignment contracts.

As for the equity in the Georgia State Post, he was also willing to transfer it, but Li Mochen would have to pay sixty percent of the market price, which was twenty-six million gold shields. This was roughly the price Cardewen paid for this stake fourteen years ago. They needed this money to repay loans and release the bank's pledge.

Li Mochen had expected this. The value of this stake exceeded forty million gold shields; there was no way Cardewen would transfer it for free.

What followed was inevitably bargaining, and in the end, he pushed it down to sixteen million gold shields. Isolde called again, saying that influential figures in the capital, Abraham, had expressed concern.

This was a clear hint for him to stop pushing. The Cardewen Group seemed to have a significant background behind it.

After signing this 'surrender agreement,' Li Mochen immediately contacted Ms. Nanette Drew. She had apparently been briefed by Ms. Isolde and was very interested in taking over Richard Publishing House. At the latest next week, she would visit Atlanta to see the situation.

As for salary and benefits, the two sides hadn't discussed them yet. Li Mochen wanted to first ensure that Ms. Drew was satisfied with the work environment.

Thus, acquiring the remaining thirty-nine percent of the Georgia State Post shares became imperative.

However, based on the current profitability of the Georgia State Post, its value exceeded two hundred fifty million gold shields. Considering its influence on public opinion, there would be a significant premium.

For thirty-nine percent of the shares, the other party asking for one hundred thirty million gold shields wouldn't be excessive.

Li Mochen had no choice but to call in his newly hired private accountant and Li Mei that evening to audit his assets. First was the Rising Sun Company, which currently had eleven stores open and fifty-five in preparation. Among these, thirty-five were self-purchased, and the rest were leased.

The thirteen stores Li Mochen had received from the Cardewen Group would also be injected into the Rising Sun Company as its outlets.

Mr. Cardewen had good taste in site selection. The locations of these thirteen stores were excellent, not only in bustling areas but also avoiding competition with the Rising Sun Company as much as possible.

Additionally, there were twelve stores under negotiation, so they were not included in the count.

"—Currently, total fixed assets are ninety-two million gold shields. After deducting upcoming decoration costs, the company has thirty-two million in cash on hand and two hundred thirty million in unpaid payments to manufacturers. Total loans are thirty-five million gold shields, but the repayment period is next year or the year after."

Li Mei, as the CFO of the Rising Sun Company, began reporting on the company's situation: "Since the first nine stores opened, daily revenue has been around thirty million gold shields, then steadily rising to the current forty-two million gold shields per day. Total sales have reached six hundred ninety million gold shields. If we include the fifty million gold shields in electrical appliances purchased from us by several African charities, that's seven hundred forty million. Due to new sales rebate supplementary agreements signed with Panasonic and other manufacturers, after various tax avoidance measures, the expected net profit margin can reach nine percent. That means in these twenty days, we have already made a profit of sixty-two million gold shields."

Li Mei's face flushed: "But this phenomenon cannot last. We estimate that within a month after all the stores open, the accumulated demand around Atlanta will be exhausted. Coupled with competitors' actions, our sales volume will inevitably plummet. The expected monthly profit will be between seventy million and ninety million gold shields."

She thought that even companies with a market value of five billion gold shields might not have such high profits.