America: My Time

Chapter 1281 John's Request

Chapter 1271 John's Request
“Jimmy, sit down. Don’t feel pressured. We’re old friends. Relax. I’m not a man-eating tiger. I also received a call from Morgan before you came, so we don’t have many problems this time!” John smiled calmly and reassured Jimmy when he saw his serious expression.

Did Jimmy not know what John was saying? He knew perfectly well, because he had also received a notification from Morgan. But facing John, Jimmy still felt incredibly heavy-hearted. After all, this guy's methods were too formidable. He had come with a mission, and if he failed, things would not go well for him.

“John, I want to relax too, but I can’t. You should take a look at Rockefeller’s arrangements first. This is the list they gave us. If you’re willing, they’ll arrange the handover quickly!” With that, Jimmy handed John the materials he had prepared. It was more of a thick document than a list. After all, Morgan wouldn’t make such a mistake. If he gave John a piece of paper with only a few company names, Morgan would lose all face!
John took the materials, glanced at the company and team names at the top, nodded, and didn't look any further. Given Morgan's reputation, he wouldn't falsify these things, and if there were any problems, it would affect Morgan's own reputation, so such a thing was almost impossible.

“Jimmy, I’ve looked at the list, and I have no problems with it. But I still have one more question: are all of these available for sale? You don’t want me to be ready to make the acquisition, only to find that the deal falls through. That’s no joke. I may trust Morgan, but I don’t trust those old guys like Rockefeller!”

Hearing John's reply, Jimmy's face showed a bitter expression. He had expected this reaction, but it was still a little hard to accept. Although John had considerable grudges against the old guys like Rockefeller, there was no need to hold a grudge so much, no need to make it so obvious. They were friends before; this wasn't how friends should treat each other.

Although he felt a little pressured, Jimmy nodded and said, "Don't worry, Morgan has already confirmed everything. There are no problems. If there are any issues, you don't need to step in. Morgan will handle it and demand an explanation from them. They brought this up themselves, so they will take responsibility if anything goes wrong!"

"That's good. With Morgan's guarantee, I have no problem. But these old guys are really going all out. They can even bring out Congressional Records, and they even know about my plans with PolyGram and EMI. It seems these old guys have made a lot of preparations. Serie A's Fiorentina, La Liga's Atletico Madrid, Ligue 1's Paris Saint-Germain, these guys are really impressive. To be able to do this in such a short time, no wonder the Europeans are so annoyed. IMG Entertainment, and various sporting events, it seems these guys really want to drain all my funds."

“John, Morgan also took some actions behind the scenes in this matter. We need to inform you to avoid any repercussions!” Seeing that John was very satisfied, Jimmy brought up the fact that Morgan was also involved. Regardless of whether there were any favors to be gained, at least they couldn't leave any hidden dangers for the Morgan Group.

"I know, I understand that perfectly well, and you don't need to worry. I know what's going on! Since these old guys have come up with such a move, I have no reason not to accept it. To be honest, I don't want to get entangled with them anymore this time. The reason those old guys like Rockefeller are targeting me is all about the struggle for interests. I want to take back United International, which is now International Finance. Don't worry, I won't take it back for nothing. I will exchange it for Dreamworld and Nvidia. Aren't those old guys worried that I will monopolize high technology? I am prepared to give up control of Dreamworld and Nvidia. This is my sincerity. After this transaction, I hope that no one will take any further action against me, otherwise I will regard it as an attack on me and will no longer tolerate it."

Upon hearing John's words, Jimmy was taken aback and thought to himself, "The boss is indeed amazing. He actually guessed John's thoughts. This guy really wants to give up Dreamworld and Nvidia. This is insane."

“John, don’t worry, Morgan will definitely stand by your side in this matter. But how do you plan to trade? We need to do our research and negotiate with those Rockefeller guys. After all, this is no small matter; it involves a business deal worth hundreds of billions of dollars. We can’t afford to make any mistakes!”

"Let's wait until the Asian financial crisis is over. If I were to make a deal with them now, those old guys would definitely worry about my intentions and fear that I might be targeting them. So I'll take a step back and give them ample time to prepare. In the first phase, I can offer 10% of each of our two companies' shares. Morgan can each take 3%, and they can distribute the rest themselves. This will be completed by the end of next year. In the second phase, in the first half of 1999, I will offer another 15% of each company's shares. Morgan can still choose to take 3%, or they can trade with other consortia; I don't care. In the third phase, in the second half of 1999, I will offer 20% of the shares, which is all the shares I can sell. Morgan can take 5%, of course, you can decide for yourselves. The remaining shares will be partly injected into my funds and partly given to the Bayard family. I will personally keep only one share, waiting to see the annual report! In other words, by the end of 1998, they will sell their shares in United International to me!"

"Hiss!" Jimmy gasped. John had sold almost all of his shares in the three phases. Everyone knew John still held a little over 50% of the shares, though those were mostly held by various funds and offshore companies. But this time, he was practically clearing out his entire stake. "John, I can't make a decision on this. I need to report to the boss!"

“I understand. I’m just telling you my decision. I’m also looking forward to those old guys’ response. If they don’t accept it, then it’s not my problem. I’ve shown enough sincerity. They can offer enough assets or funds for this deal, but I believe they’re unwilling to offer funds!”

“That’s natural. If Morgan were to acquire it with cash, it would be under immense pressure, after all, it involves a transaction worth hundreds of billions of dollars. Even Morgan would feel the pressure!”

“I made this decision precisely because I understand the pressure you are under. You can give me some assets, as long as the price is right, it’s not a problem. But those old guys have to offer assets that will tempt me!”

Was John's demanding? Not at all. At least in Jimmy's view, it was a perfectly normal deal. If he couldn't offer assets that would entice John, why would he hand over these two highly profitable companies?

"John, can you tell me what you want? I need to have a general understanding so I can report to the boss and let everyone prepare. After all, you can't just leave me without giving any direction; that would annoy those old guys like Rockefeller!"

Faced with such a large sum of money, Jimmy's voice trembled slightly. After all, this involved a transaction worth tens of millions of dollars. If the transaction were completed, the entire United States would be shaken, and even the global semiconductor technology industry would be shaken.

"In terms of direction, media and entertainment, they've already reached their limits. Perhaps retail, brewing, or resources? I really don't dare accept manufacturing; those American workers are too formidable. Of course, they can trade overseas assets with me, even in the communications sector. But if I trade other assets with them, those old guys will suspect my motives. It's best not to mention too much and put them in a difficult position!"

"Alright, I'll report your requests to the boss, but the outcome is beyond my control."

“I understand, you don’t need to be so careful. We’re friends, and I would never scheme against my friends. I have that much credibility. We’ve been working together for so many years, when have you ever seen me scheme against my friends!” John smiled as he spoke, not pressing Jimmy, his attitude very relaxed and at ease.

“John, let me be clear, the assets you’ve proposed are unlikely to meet the requirements of the transaction. As for communications, I’m afraid no one will accept them either. It’ll be up to them. If Rockefeller offered an airline, I could barely accept it, but that old man won’t do that, which is why I’m leaving the choice to them. As for oil, that’s their lifeline, so that’s out of the question. What else can I ask for?”

Upon hearing John's words, Jimmy was taken aback. A deal worth hundreds of billions of dollars indeed required enormous assets. Even with the combined efforts of American financial groups, it would still require time, energy, and cooperation; otherwise, it simply wouldn't work. At this moment, Jimmy understood why John had given Morgan the right to choose—he was worried that Morgan would face similar pressure and be unable to raise enough assets for the deal. This allowed Morgan to make his own choice. This also made Jimmy realize how wise his boss's decision had been years ago. However, he didn't have time to discuss this further with John. He needed to return to his boss to report and await his decision, as well as the decision of Rockefeller and his team. After all, this was no small matter!
(End of this chapter)