America: My Time

Chapter 1305 Morgan's Fury

Chapter 1295 Morgan's Fury

"Let's get started. Get East West Bank moving. Let them begin acquiring those banks and investment companies in Southeast Asia!" With John's order, East West Bank, which had been spun off, began to move and started negotiating with the banks that had now been exposed. Many banks in Taiwan and Southeast Asia began negotiations.

Indeed, as Morgan said, John had been involved in banking for a long time, mostly in small banks that had changed hands several times. Almost none of his assets were local; they were overseas. This made it impossible for those old guys to monitor everything. As long as the funds didn't return, it was difficult to know their true situation.

East West Bank's target is Chinese capital, so this move has left many people confused, wondering what John is trying to do. Normally, having Standard Chartered Bank merge with East West Bank would be the best option, at least it would allow Standard Chartered Bank to grow rapidly and be beneficial for international transactions. However, John did not do that, but instead chose to target East West Bank.

John was happy and relieved, but Soros and his team were under immense pressure. They could imagine how terrifying the profits would be from John's move. If these banks and investment companies were merged into East West Bank, another behemoth would emerge. Although its strength in Asia was not as great as Standard Chartered Bank, it would still propel East West Bank to new heights, making it no longer just a minor player.

But before everyone could recover from the shock, Quantum Mining also made a move, carrying out a new round of restructuring. If they had previously spun off all energy-related businesses, now they were splitting off iron ore and steel mills and merging them with shipyards to form a new group.

"What is he trying to do? What does he want to do?" Rockefeller looked at Morgan with a serious expression. Yes, he had approached Morgan again. In Rockefeller's mind, Morgan must know something, after all, this was the restructuring and consolidation of Quantum Mining, and the new steel company's headquarters were located directly in Ireland after the consolidation. Although the steel company did indeed have a steel company in Ireland, it was pitifully small, yet this Irish Steel Group had been established! This outcome stunned everyone. John was clearly preparing for tax avoidance! Unfortunately, they hadn't yet discovered John's operation!
“I have no idea what John is trying to do, and don’t you think it’s a bit impolite to ask? You think John would tell an outsider like me something so important? You’re overthinking it. I’m completely baffled by all this. Maybe you old guys have pushed John too far. Who told you to keep trying to take advantage of him!” Morgan looked at Rockefeller calmly, without the slightest surprise.

“Morgan, I’m not the only one who wants to know the secret behind this. Everyone wants to know what John is up to.”

"So what? Do you think I would know such a secret? You're not planning to make me go to John to ask again, wasting my favor. I won't do that. What you think is your own business and has nothing to do with me. I don't want to mess with John, I don't want to turn against him and let 'certain people' benefit for nothing!"

Rockefeller knew perfectly well who Morgan was referring to as "certain people," but even so, he wouldn't back down. He took a deep breath and said, "Morgan, John's actions are too drastic, and the impact is too great. The White House is already having objections; they don't want this to happen, as it puts them in a difficult position!"

"Heh, what's the use of being anxious now? So much time has passed, has he fulfilled his promise? No, they've been stalling all along, so John can't be blamed for this situation; he only has himself to blame for scheming too much. Luckily, East West Bank didn't move its headquarters out of the US, otherwise they would be even more anxious. Don't forget, you promised John what you promised him. If anyone targets John now, under these circumstances, and breaks the original agreement, they will bear the consequences. I won't interfere, nor will I waste my favors and energy!"

“But John went too far this time, shorting Asian finances across the board, causing quite a stir. Only you among us are capable of negotiating with him. Let's keep things peaceful and avoid making things so tense!” “That’s a bit much. How did John do anything wrong? You have evidence that those assets belong to John. You can’t just assume that ‘East West Bank’ wants to acquire them. Besides, this is normal business. If you want to stop it, do it yourself, don’t drag me into it. Don’t think that people don’t know about your methods in Korea. You yourselves lack integrity, so what face do you have to ask for favors? Everything has its limits. You can’t always think you’re so great. Rules aren’t just for show. If things escalate again, I won’t step in!”

Morgan was aware of what was happening in South Korea. It could be said that John had eliminated all of Rockefeller and his ilk's backup plans. Now, John's move caught them completely off guard.

Morgan's words made Rockefeller's face turn extremely grim. He naturally understood what Morgan meant. How long had it been? These guys were already trying to renege on their promises and drag him along again. How could Morgan accept such a thing? If John got angry and abandoned the previous agreement, his losses would be enormous!

"Morgan, what you're worried about won't happen. This was just a small conversation!"

"Heh, such a big matter is reduced to a small communication in your mouth. Are you treating me like a fool? You don't really think John has no temper at all. If the deal between Dreamworld and Nvidia goes wrong, you will be responsible for the consequences. I will not try to persuade you anymore. At worst, we will abandon this deal."

Morgan would abandon the deal, and Rockefeller would never believe it. If things escalated, Rockefeller would only choose to keep it all to himself and make a deal with John. Whether it was 'Dream World' or 'Nvidia', it would be enough to bring Morgan huge profits. If they focused their efforts, they might even be able to acquire a controlling stake in a company!
It wasn't that Rockefeller was deliberately trying to think the worst of Morgan, but rather that Morgan wasn't a good person when it came to interests, at least not in Rockefeller's eyes. Given the chance, Morgan would definitely kick them out without hesitation. Most importantly, now that problems have arisen, they themselves will have to bear all the consequences.

“Morgan, you don’t have to go this far. We just don’t want to see problems in Southeast Asia, and we don’t want this plan to go wrong. You don’t need to bring up ‘Dream World’ and ‘Nvidia’!”

Morgan shook his head and said, "It's not that I'm using this to threaten you, but that you yourselves are sabotaging the deal. I don't want Morgan's interests to suffer because of you, and I certainly don't want to ruin my relationship with John. I can tell you clearly, this is just the beginning. If you push him too far, all previous promises will be null and void. And do you think Wall Street will be like if John gets angry? He can set up such a huge operation in Southeast Asia; he has the ability to stir up turmoil on Wall Street and destabilize the US stock market!"

At this point, Morgan paused, sighed softly, and continued, "I don't know what you're thinking, but I'm very disappointed in you. You made a promise, which is why I accepted your statement, but how long has it been? You've already broken your word. How can I look at you now? Rockefeller, your credibility with me is completely gone. Don't treat me and John with the same attitude you use on the weak. If you continue like this, the Rockefeller family's reputation will completely collapse. Perhaps then I'll understand why you can't control everything in the family—you have no integrity!"

Morgan's words were harsh, almost a direct insult to Rockefeller, but Rockefeller couldn't refute them. Rockefeller had indeed lacked integrity, repeatedly betraying Morgan's trust. By this point, Morgan's friendship with Rockefeller had ended; all past favors had been exhausted, so he no longer showed Rockefeller any leniency. In essence, Morgan was severing his ties with Rockefeller!
As soon as these words were spoken, Rockefeller's expression changed repeatedly. He had thought he could still persuade Morgan to accept his proposal, but he hadn't expected a complete break. This was something he hadn't anticipated. When had he become like this? Had he repeatedly broken his promises, sinking deeper and deeper into this predicament?
Suddenly, Rockefeller realized that it was John's indulgence, his repeated compromises and concessions, that had unknowingly led him into a kind of delusional self-confidence. He believed that everything could be resolved as long as he spoke up. Morgan could compromise, and John could compromise too. But now, his credibility had been completely eroded without him even realizing it.

As Morgan said, he wasn't facing a weakling, but rather Morgan and John. When integrity was gone, when all goodwill vanished, all that remained was rejection and contempt, only indifference. Decades of friendship turned to dust in that instant. This brought Rockefeller to his senses, making him regret his actions. But it was all too late. He had unknowingly exhausted all his goodwill, and it was impossible to regret it now.
(End of this chapter)