America: My Time

Chapter 106 Family Feud
Chapter 106 Family Feud
The gathering ended on a sour note, a result the family hadn't anticipated. They had underestimated John's reaction and seen through the family's ridiculous power struggle. By then, it was too late to salvage the situation; everything was set in stone, and they needed to reflect on their actions.

Profit can cloud judgment, and these family members were blinded by the gains they saw in John. They only saw the benefits of a successful plan, not the consequences of failure. It was their greed that drove John out of the family's inner circle. Perhaps in their hearts, family members should give everything for the family, but that's impossible; humans are inherently selfish.

After John got up and left, his father Smith also got up and left. He had long been dissatisfied with the family's decision, and now he didn't care so much. He understood the consequences of leaving like this, but as a father, Smith did not hesitate at all.

"This is the result you wanted. Are you satisfied now? I told you long ago not to go too far and not to be greedy, but you just wouldn't listen. Now how do you plan to end this?"

“Patriarch, we can’t blame ourselves. John is too selfish. He has no family in his heart and has never thought about serving the family. If he were willing to accept the identity of the family heir, everything would be perfect. But he is too selfish and rejected our good intentions. We did not expect him to do this!”

Shifting blame—that's how those people react. When they see things spiraling out of their control, their first instinct is to shift the blame, placing all the responsibility on John. They claim it's all John's selfishness that caused this, and that it has nothing to do with them. Their good intentions only earn them John's selfishness and a complete break!

"Enough! At this point, you're still playing dumb. I've told you long ago not to be so greedy, but you just wouldn't listen. You always want to get all the benefits without paying any price. There's no such thing as a free lunch. Now you should reflect on your mistakes. This matter must not be spread, or the family will lose all face!"

Does face matter? Ordinary people might not care, but it's extremely important to a large family. If what happened tonight gets out, it will be a huge disaster for the family. They will become a laughing stock in high society and a prominent family. What a joke it would be if internal strife caused such serious consequences, driving away a genius.

Many people can see John's immense value, especially since he controls NBC, a media power that is crucial to the family. After all, the family has political aspirations, but these have been shattered by the greed of these people. At least for now, they cannot gain John's trust and can only receive limited assistance.

After John and his son left, the family's internal strife was laid bare. Even the patriarch couldn't suppress their fighting, and their conflicts surfaced. It was a huge joke for the family! This is human nature, this is the human heart. Selfishness is human nature, and many people cannot remain calm in the face of interests.

Compared to the full-blown family feud, John and his son were overjoyed. They felt no burden at all about leaving early. John didn't care about the family's assets, and neither did Smith. They had no intention of inheriting any assets from the family, so they were almost indifferent to everything.

When Smith left the East Coast for California on the West Coast, he had already relinquished his inheritance rights to the family. Furthermore, Smith wasn't a true core member of the family; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to marry freely. Because he himself was unwilling to accept the family's constraints, he didn't want to see his son restricted by them either. Especially after the family developed greedy intentions towards John, Smith's resentment towards the family intensified.

“Well done. Don’t hold back. Although the family helped you at the beginning of your career, that’s no excuse for them to scheme against their own people. This is the struggle within large families. Even the head of the family can’t suppress these struggles. Unity is only for external forces. Internal struggles have never stopped. And not everyone is friendly. For many, there is more greed. As long as you don’t violate the family’s rules, you don’t need to hold back!”

"Father, aren't you afraid that if I agree, I'll be tempted by the identity of the heir?"

"Hahaha, do you think I don't know what kind of person you are? How could you be outsmarted by those greedy guys in the family? If you can't even see through such a small scheme, how could you have built such a big business? Only those people are blinded by greed, otherwise how could they make such a stupid decision?"

However, this is for the best. There's no such thing as a thief who can be caught stealing for a thousand days, but there's no one who can guard against thieves for a thousand days. Cutting ties with these people from the beginning is the right thing to do; there's no need to be constantly on guard against their schemes! They can play tricks within the rules, and you can break with them within the rules as well. Large families are never peaceful; there are always various struggles. Getting out of this mess sooner is more beneficial for you! Right now, the family's help isn't much. You're already capable of protecting yourself, and you haven't received any help from the family later on. In the future, you only need to provide some assistance when the family needs it; there's no need to get involved in the family's internal struggles anymore!

"Alright, let's not talk about these things that are in the past anymore. It's the best thing that John has extricated himself from the family. It's right to repay the family funds as soon as possible. Now let's get some rest, and we'll go home for the holiday tomorrow!" Seeing that John and Smith were talking endlessly, Anna couldn't help but step in and persuade them to get some rest. She didn't want John to continue discussing the family issues. Now that he had made his choice, he should let it go completely!
Smith and Anna never imagined spending Christmas here. They had known this would happen and were prepared, but they were quite surprised that John and his brother and sister would leave after only two days back at their family home to return to California. This was too unexpected.

John was fine. This time, the family would finally see the intensity of the internal struggles and understand that the family was not entirely reliable. They might stand by him when dealing with outsiders, but without external pressure, they would scheme against their own people, just like they had schemed against him this time.

At this moment, John understood why his father had repeatedly emphasized the importance of maintaining control over Jaguar Security Company. This was his own company, and he couldn't allow family interference; otherwise, it would only jeopardize his control over the security company. His own power couldn't be influenced by any external forces, and he couldn't be affected by any external influence!
Sitting on the plane, John sighed softly. Chartering a plane was convenient, but it was still not as good as a private jet. At this moment, John couldn't help but think of Morgan and muttered to himself, "I wonder when Morgan will be able to complete the acquisition. If it can be done quickly, I need a private jet. Maybe I should contact Boeing now."

Personal safety is very important. Although chartering a plane is convenient, there is a big difference in safety and comfort. John really needs a large plane that can cross the ocean. The distance from the East Coast to the West Coast is very long, not to mention that he has to travel between Europe and Asia constantly over the past few years.

"John, what are you thinking now? Since you're already acquiring an airline, there's no need to buy a private jet!" Anna felt it was inappropriate for John to want to buy a private jet; it was a waste of money!

"Executive Jet is just a business charter company, so there are no problems domestically. However, I need to travel between Europe and Asia a lot, so I need a large aircraft, like a Boeing 747 that can cross oceans. Compared to the time saved, the amount of money spent is nothing. I just don't know if Boeing has any aircraft that can be modified right now, because safety is very important!"

Anna tried to persuade John, but Smith stopped her. In Anna's eyes, John was still a child, and a child doesn't need a big plane. But in Smith's eyes, John was no longer a child, but an entrepreneur. Moreover, with the wealth John possessed, buying a big plane for his private jet was nothing; he had the means!
Private jets offer both safety and comfort, which is essential for entrepreneurs like John who need to travel between Europe and Asia, at least providing them with a comfortable resting environment!

"The aircraft shouldn't be a problem. Given the current economic climate, many of Boeing's previous orders have been cancelled, so they should have aircraft readily available. It's just that if you want to make major modifications, you'll have to wait a few months."

John shook his head slightly and said, "No major modifications are needed, just sufficient safety is enough. Ideally, it should have the same level of safety as Air Force One. These days, airplanes aren't safe either, and I don't know how long such modifications would take!"

Fear of death, utterly terrified of death—that was Smith's first impression of John. The idea that a private jet should have the security of Air Force One was something Smith hadn't considered. Air Force One is the president's official aircraft, so security is naturally paramount; it's completely unnecessary for John. Smith, however, didn't know how to persuade him and could only sigh.

John didn't see anything wrong with being afraid of death. He knew that countless weapons were being leaked amidst the world's turmoil, and he couldn't ignore this major issue.

(End of this chapter)