America: My Time

Chapter 1279 The Temptation of Profit

Chapter 1269 The Temptation of Profit
Morgan knew John quite well. Rockefeller's calculations seemed clever, preserving his relationship with the Bayard family. However, after Martin's death, it was hard to say how much influence this relationship would have on John. After all, the Bayard family had clearly split up, and John had become his own independent lineage. In just over a decade, no one could have imagined that John's development would be so rapid!

Did Rockefeller not realize his calculations were flawed? He did, but as he said, many things are beyond his control. Morgan's strength stemmed from his initial collaboration with John and the friendly relationship they built. Rockefeller misjudged this step, thus falling short of Morgan's prestige. This is the difference between the successful and the unsuccessful; although both were heads of their families, their influence was entirely different.

“Morgan, it’s not that I’m treacherous, but I had no choice. If I hadn’t lost the initiative, do you think I would have made such a calculation? There was no other way. If there had been even the slightest chance, I wouldn’t have done this. And you know that John has now threatened Rockefeller’s core assets.”

"Heh, excuses. These are all just excuses. Oil is indeed one of your core assets, but Morgan has it too. And do you really think Rockefeller has the ability to control the oil industry, to manipulate it? Don't dream too much. As time goes on, your control is getting weaker and weaker. Morgan's decision is to stand by and watch, not to actively attack. This applies not only to John, but to other oil groups as well. Times have changed, and we must learn to adapt. Actually, I think John has done a very good job. Your constant pressure will only become an opportunity for him to expand!"

"Do you think this is what I wanted to see, what we all wanted to see? We didn't want this to happen either, and we tried to stop it, but we failed, which is why we are in this situation now."

"In the end, it's still your own fault. For ordinary people, making the decision to suppress them is the right thing to do, but for a prodigy like John, your actions are completely ineffective and will only motivate him. He is the darling of the times. If it weren't for your relentless suppression, he wouldn't have achieved what he has today. If John only had one skill, even if he was incredibly strong in finance, there would still be a ceiling. But his talents are very well-rounded, so abandon your suppression plan. Even if this is a good opportunity, don't have too much confidence. In front of the darling of the times, no matter how much you scheme, it's useless. You will make mistakes because of the changing times."

“Morgan, you’re just talking without understanding the situation. You Morgans may not have any problems, but we can’t. We face several times more pressure than you. And even if you’re affected in some ways because of your good relationship with John, you can make up for it or even go further through cooperation with John. But we can’t do that.”

"This is a matter of mindset. If you had been calmer back then, things wouldn't be like this now. In particular, you shouldn't have gotten involved with the donkeys or the oil capital. It's too late to say anything now. However, it's not like there's no chance. This time, perhaps an opportunity will arise. John doesn't want to continue fighting with you and will definitely show sincerity. Now it's up to you to choose whether you are truly willing to reconcile."

"Morgan, do you know something? If you do, tell me. We're friends, and keeping such a big matter a secret won't do you any good. Telling me will earn you a favor from the Rockefeller family!"

"Heh, it's about favors again. Tell me how many favors you owe me, and when are you going to repay them? But since you've brought it up, I won't hide anything. However, I must clarify one thing: I'm only stating my own analysis. Whether it's accurate or not is another matter. After all, John's methods are too shrewd, and his scheming is too clever. The fact that he's been able to fight against you old guys for over a decade and always have the upper hand is enough to prove his strength."

"Don't worry, I'm not stupid. I understand what you're saying. If you tell me it's all John's plan, I won't believe it. Now, it's just the two of us, so you don't need to keep any secrets. If there's a real opportunity, don't worry, I'll definitely cooperate. And if there's profit in it, I'll work with you!"

"Heh, do you even believe that yourself? I don't. You wouldn't share your profits with me. But out of consideration for our years of friendship, I'll just say it. Take it with a grain of salt. The decision is yours to make; it has nothing to do with me. If I make a mistake, don't blame my analysis!"

"Of course, this is what I begged you to say. If I'm wrong, it's my own fault and has nothing to do with you."

"I don't know if you've noticed, but from what I understand, John has intentionally given up on some high-tech battles. Whether it's DreamWorld or Nvidia, he rarely interferes anymore. Even with your petty tricks, he pretends not to see them. If he really wanted to target you, your methods wouldn't cut it. Now he's focused on Asia, on energy and media entertainment. So I think he might relinquish control of Nvidia and DreamWorld to reach a settlement with you, provided you show sincerity! A give-and-take is essential for development. If you only want to gain benefits from John, that's impossible!" Upon hearing Morgan's words, Rockefeller's expression turned serious. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "You're right. Our progress with DreamWorld and Nvidia has indeed been very smooth lately, without any setbacks. If John truly intends to use these two companies to reconcile with us, I have no problem with it, and I believe others won't either. However, relinquishing such vast assets won't be something he can do in a short time."

"That's why there's an opportunity. And even if you're willing to do business with John now, do you have that much capital? You'll only have a chance after the Asian financial crisis, when you have enough funds. But you need to be prepared. The assets of these two companies are enormous, worth hundreds of billions of dollars, and they're growing very fast. The sooner the deal is done, the better for you." Morgan smiled calmly as he looked at Rockefeller.

“Morgan, you’re wrong to say that. It should be said that it’s in our best interest. You Morgans are in it too. I don’t believe you would give up such an opportunity. If John really wanted to give it up, such a huge amount of assets would definitely give you Morgans a large share of the benefits. After all, your friendship is there!”

“I don’t deny what you said, but that has nothing to do with you. This is a benefit that comes from the friendship between John and me. I just have a concern. I’m afraid that you guys will interfere in these two companies again and affect their development. After all, this isn’t the first time you’ve done this, but it hasn’t ended well!”

“I understand what you mean. You’re afraid that if John relinquishes control, something unexpected might happen to the two major companies, affecting your interests. I can assure you that if such a situation does occur, we will absolutely not interfere. Everything will proceed according to the original plan, and no one will interfere or make any further changes!”

"I hope what you're saying is true, otherwise it won't just be me who regrets it, you'll all be affected too. Do you know how astonishing the valuation of Nvidia and Dreamworld is by John's think tank?"

"I don't know, but I heard those guys went crazy and gave a number that no one could believe!"

"Within two years, its market value will grow to $500 billion, making Dream World worth $500 billion; Nvidia is also worth $400 billion. The reason why Nvidia's market value is less than Dream World's is mainly because there are other chip companies in the market, while Dream World is almost a monopoly and has huge profits!"

"Crazy, really crazy. But it's not impossible. After all, personal computers and the internet are developing very quickly. So I think it's possible. Even if it doesn't happen in two years, it should be possible within five years. After all, Dreamworld's market value is already three hundred billion US dollars."

"It seems you agree with this valuation. If so, you need to carefully consider what assets you can offer in exchange for this benefit. John still retains at least 51% of the shares. If he really wants to settle this time, you'd better be prepared. Don't think about getting something for nothing; that's impossible. If you hold such a view, you will only end up failing, and you'll regret it then!"

"Don't worry, I'm not that stupid. Now that I know this news, I naturally need to think it over carefully and figure out what assets I can offer in exchange. This is an opportunity that can't be missed. If I miss it, I'm afraid I'll be ousted by those guys, and that would be a huge embarrassment for me."

“Good that you understand. Actually, I’ve been preparing for this as well. But if John’s assets are really as I analyzed, they’re too enormous for Morgan to handle. We need to join forces to take them down. At least this time, we can’t give those guys from Japan another chance. We can’t let them get involved again.”

(End of this chapter)