America: My Time

Chapter 1273 Everyone’s Shock

Chapter 1263 The Shock of the Crowd
"Alright, don't worry about my situation. Just do what you want. No matter how many ideas or schemes those guys have, I can handle them. You should think about how to deal with their harassment after Christmas. I won't be going back to the US for now, so I won't give them the chance to bother me."

Upon hearing John's words, John's family members all sighed, their eyes revealing a hint of disdain. They were unwilling to face this situation, but they had no choice but to confront it, as it was something they could not escape.

“John, you can’t be hiding here for Eva and Allen’s wedding, can you? I already told you!” Anna brought up the weddings of Eva and Allen, the siblings. It was a coincidence that both weddings were to be held next year, and both during the summer. John couldn’t afford to ignore such an important event.

"Don't worry, there won't be any problems. Even if I dislike those old guys, I can't miss Allen and Eva's wedding. Don't worry, I've prepared everything and it won't cause any problems. It's just that my uncle's situation is dragging on and I'm under pressure."

"It's all your fault! If you hadn't let him join Phoenix Group, none of this would have happened. Now he's completely out of control, won't listen to any advice, and is avoiding us!" Anna was furious when John mentioned Justin. A disobedient son and a disobedient brother—how could she not be angry? If John's status hadn't changed, she would have felt even more pressure.

"This has nothing to do with me. I've reminded my uncle more than once, but to no avail. Besides, I have several children, while my uncle only has one. How can he compare to me? I won't take the blame for this! Also, he will definitely attend Alan and Eva's wedding. You can talk to him about it. I heard he's changed girlfriends again!"

John greatly admired his uncle, whose romanticism was perfectly embodied in him. John himself was a womanizer, and his uncle was no less so; sometimes John even felt that his own womanizing was a result of inheriting the French romanticism. Of course, he dared not say this aloud, especially not in front of his mother!
"Allen, Eva, which one do you find more appealing, Dreamworld or Nvidia? Since I'm relinquishing control of both Dreamworld and Nvidia, my shares aren't as important anymore. You can choose: one percent of the shares each! The sooner you choose, the better I can make arrangements and prepare offshore funds for you!"

One percent of the shares—that's a considerable asset. Neither Allen nor Eva had expected it. Although they both knew their older brother was very wealthy, they had never considered taking a piece of his assets.

"Brother, you're offering too much; we can't accept it!" Allen said with a wry smile. It would be a lie to say he wasn't tempted, but he knew even better that he shouldn't accept such shares!
“John, you’re giving them way too much. It’s not good for them,” Smith advised. Even just one percent of the shares is a huge asset. Both Nvidia and Dreamworld are industry giants, with Dreamworld holding a massive market share and a monopoly on its operating system. Fueled by the bubble of this crazy internet age, the market capitalization of these two companies is astonishingly high.

In 2000, Microsoft's market value was over $6000 billion, and now Dreamworld has assets worth hundreds of billions. One percent of its shares would be worth billions. Who could resist such a temptation?

“Dad, do you think I care about this little bit of assets? The reason I didn’t split the shares back then was because I was worried that those old guys would take control. Now that I’ve decided to give up control, there’s no need to keep it. Besides, Allen and Eva are my brother and sister. Giving them this asset is a token of my affection. At least they won’t have to worry about money in the future!”

At this point, John paused, then shook his head and said, "If you can't decide, then I'll decide for you. Dreamworld has a higher market value. Right now, that guy Lassoton is pushing forward with the Internet Superhighway project, causing the market value of companies throughout Silicon Valley to skyrocket, and Dreamworld is no exception. Whether you hold it long-term or sell it, you don't need to have any concerns. However, it's best not to sell it within the next two years. The internet bubble has only just begun!"

"Thank you, big brother!" Allen and Eva quickly thanked John. After all, acquiring billions of assets so easily felt like a dream to them, a bit unreal, leaving them feeling dizzy!

John waved his hand and said, "Alright, it's settled then. I'll have someone make the arrangements to avoid paying a lot of taxes. You all know what I mean!"

At this moment, both Smith and Anna suddenly realized that the old guys in the US weren't entirely without reason for targeting John. Although they didn't know how many shares John still held in Dreamworld and Nvidia, the staggering market value meant his assets were terrifying. Now they understood the old guys' feelings; how could they resist such an incredible temptation? It also made them understand why Morgan had consistently stood by John's side—it was the lure of profit. They had gained enormous benefits from their cooperation with John!

Heart-fluttering! At this moment, the beauties present were also incredibly moved by John's generosity. He could even give billions of dollars to his own younger brother and sister with a wave of his hand, so it goes without saying that John would be even more generous to his children. Moreover, John had previously made it clear that he would start nurturing his children, and little Martin had already begun to enter the scene.

They had initially thought John's personal fund for his children was already quite impressive and generous, considering it was fifty million US dollars. But seeing the shares being given away made the ladies present even more envious. Just splitting the assets of Dreamworld and Nvidia equally would be enough to make their children billionaires, not to mention other assets.

No one knew the true extent of John's wealth, not even Lee Boo-jin, who had been involved in business for a long time. It's no wonder some said John was the largest conglomerate in the US; it wasn't untrue. Everyone said John's assets outside the US were astonishing, but his assets in the US were even more so. With the bursting of the dot-com bubble, John's wealth skyrocketed. It's understandable that the old guard was getting restless. Rockefeller brought out the White House again, having Richard Leighton step in once more, all for profit; he didn't want to see John continue his rampant wealth accumulation.

Although Rockefeller also controlled Intel, it was a joint venture, and Rockefeller's shareholding was not significant. No wonder he was furious; compared to Morgan, Rockefeller's gains in this area were far less substantial.

After learning just how astonishing the market value of Dreamworld and Nvidia was in John's hands, Smith finally understood why John was so confident and didn't think those old guys like Rockefeller would refuse his deal. In comparison, the assets of Media & Entertainment were really no match for Nvidia and Dreamworld.

The frenzy surrounding high-tech wealth gave the beautiful women present a clear understanding, and it also made Christie Turlington a little doubtful. Had he made the wrong choice? Although Forever Group had a decent market value, it was still far behind Dream World and Nvidia.

Unfortunately, Christie Turlington couldn't back out now; she had already made her stance clear, and to go back on her word at this point would be going too far. At this moment, Christie Turlington suddenly understood why Naoko, Hitomi Kuroki, Akina Nakamori, Cherie Chung, and Michelle had chosen to remain passive. There was no need for him to fight for them; John had enough assets to provide for their children. He had been too naive!
Thinking of this, Christie Turlington couldn't help but sigh, regretting her impulsiveness. But now, no matter how much she regretted it, she had to grit her teeth and persevere. Things had come to this point, and there was no going back; the price would be too high.

Honesty is the most important virtue a person can have. If you go back on your word at this time, it will not be a good thing for you, and the benefits you can obtain in the future will also be affected.

At this moment, not only Christie Turlington was shocked, but the other beauties were also incredibly astonished. The most shocked of all was Naoko, John's first woman. When she was with John, he didn't have such astonishing wealth; in just over a decade, he had become like this. Now, these beauties from Japan finally understood why the Japanese conglomerates valued their cooperation with John so much—it was all about power!

“Christie, are you having second thoughts? If you don’t want to accept it, I can help you tell John. I believe he will accept it, after all, you don’t have this kind of experience!” Claudia Schiffer said with a calm smile to Christie Turlington, as if she was considering Christie Turlington’s best interests.

“No need. I don’t regret it, I’m just a little shocked. Do you think Jennifer Connelly already knew? After all, she’s the one most approved by ‘Mother.’ She knows more about John’s assets than we do, and she knows how amazing the market value of those tech groups is. No wonder she pushed such a ‘good deal’ on me, and I stupidly accepted it!”

At this point, Christie Turlington began to suspect Jennifer Connelly's motives; she thought Connelly was trying to sabotage him, otherwise why would she be so kind? Actually, Christie Turlington was overthinking it. Jennifer Connelly had no such intentions, nor would she, because they weren't competitors. At least in Jennifer Connelly's eyes, Christie Turlington's threat was insignificant; in fact, she didn't see it as a threat at all.

"Are you overthinking this? Jennifer Connelly isn't that kind of person. If she wanted to scheme against you, she wouldn't do it in front of everyone. This is your own fault. You have ambition, and it has nothing to do with Jennifer Connelly. If I asked you to lie down and do nothing, would you be willing? Can you do what those people in Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan do—leave everything to themselves? You can't. Otherwise, you wouldn't have chosen to place so much importance on your charitable foundation."

Claudia Schiffer felt that Christie Turlington had gone too far. It was clearly his fault, yet he insisted on blaming Jennifer Connelly. She had only meant to offer a gentle reminder, but she hadn't expected this situation. At this moment, Claudia Schiffer regretted saying those words to Christie Turlington, now finding herself in a dilemma, pleasing neither side!
If Jennifer Connelly found out about all this, she would also be seen as the villain, which was an outcome Claudia Schiffer did not want to see. She had only meant well by reminding Christy Turlington, but she hadn't expected it to turn out like this, which annoyed and gave her a headache.

Fortunately, John wasn't paying attention to their conversation at the moment. After all, with so many women around, he didn't have the mind to understand what they were saying. Besides, he needed to prepare to face Jimmy, since his arrival was a turning point, and he couldn't afford to be careless.

“Okay, I know. I was overthinking it. You know, I can’t accept this outcome right now either. To be honest, I can’t just give up. Their views are different from ours. It’s impossible for me to be like them. I can’t just stay at home and take care of the kids without doing anything.” As he said this, Christie Turlington sighed, a faint trace of sadness flashing in his eyes.

In truth, with Christy Turlington's intelligence, it's impossible she couldn't see through all this. It's just that she hadn't truly let go; she still harbored ambition and ideas. Even Claudia Schiffer saw it, so how could Jennifer Connelly not see it, and how could John not see it? Therefore, all of this was, in a way, in accordance with her own desires. However, whether she could successfully stabilize the Forever Group and turn the tide was uncertain. Thinking about it carefully, she realized she truly had no experience whatsoever. Facing this situation, she felt a slight headache and a bit of worry. Even if John didn't care whether she succeeded or not, failure was still an outcome she didn't want to accept.

(End of this chapter)