America: My Time

Chapter 1308 The human heart is not enough and the snake swallows the elephant.

Chapter 1298 Human greed knows no bounds.
"Do you know how serious the consequences of doing this are? Aren't you worried about attracting a full-scale attack from the oil giants? And you should also know what the White House is thinking. If they find out, things will get serious!" Smith's expression became serious, and a hint of worry appeared in his eyes.

"Dad, I think you're overthinking it. You think no one will know about all this? You think no one will care about my connections with Middle Eastern tycoons? And you're overestimating the White House's power. America is a country of corporations, not the White House. The rules are there. If I weren't powerful enough, not a top corporation, I would naturally have to be cautious. But I'm a bigwig in a corporation, and everyone has to follow the rules, otherwise the rules wouldn't exist! They dare to target ordinary people, but they would never dare to go too far with me. They can't afford the consequences. Most importantly, I haven't hidden anything from the beginning. Those old guys haven't found out, which only means they're not capable enough. And I'm not alone. I have a group behind me. You don't think I've wasted the last ten years or so, that I have no connections at all, do you?"

John was right. He wasn't representing one person now, but a group. He had many people behind him, but they were all hidden in the shadows. John didn't need their help much, so these hidden figures were his greatest trump card. As long as this power didn't erupt, it would cause everyone to worry. The most terrifying power is the one that is kept hidden. If everything were in the open, it wouldn't be a threat!

Upon hearing this, Smith's expression hardened, and he smiled wryly, "That's right, I was overthinking it. You've been developing for so many years, how could you not be prepared, not have your own power? Once you took over Oregon, you'd already reached the pinnacle. But those people won't give up. You should know how crazy they are!"

"I know, I understand, but I'm not afraid. Unless they want to confront me head-on and stand against the United States, they have to play by the rules. So what if my money comes from Middle Eastern tycoons? Anyone with the ability can do it, but they don't have that kind of power or integrity. Do you think that if I didn't have top-notch integrity, Middle Eastern tycoons would trust me so much that they would dare to entrust me with such a large sum of money?"

Upon hearing this, Smith shook his head and said, "Although I don't know how amazing your 'cooperation' with the Middle Eastern tycoons is, I do know that they won't easily entrust a large sum of money to someone they don't trust. Gaining their approval is something not everyone can do. This is the result of your interactions with them over the past ten years, and it's also the benefit of your integrity. Otherwise, they wouldn't have made such a decision!"

"That's right. Without integrity and a good relationship, how could anyone offer such help? So it's not my problem; the problem lies with those old guys. They always want to get something from the Middle Eastern tycoons, yet they don't respect them and try to control them. With so many schemes, how can anyone trust them? A good relationship is about give and take. They only want to take without giving, so naturally they won't gain any recognition!"

Of course, there was one more thing John didn't say: after planning for so long, how could he not have thought of the schemes of these old guys in the US, and how could he not have anticipated how they would target him? They thought they had exhausted all the funds in his hands, but in fact, those were just the funds on the surface. He had even more funds secretly being used for planning!

"Have you looked into the situation with Morgan?"

"No need. I understand your concerns. If Morgan lacked even this much wisdom and magnanimity, do you think he could still lead the entire Morgan Group and the Morgan family? Rest assured, I don't need to tell them anything. Morgan will definitely choose to support me, not stand against me. If he didn't even have this much magnanimity, we wouldn't have had so many years of cooperation. I believe Morgan won't let me down!"

Unlike Smith's concerns, John had no such thoughts. After all, integrity is very important. In John's eyes, those old guys like Rockefeller, who repeatedly broke their promises for profit, were not trustworthy!

"I hope you're right, otherwise things will get serious. After all, the situation in the US is not simple. If something goes wrong, the consequences will be severe. This matter won't end so easily. The oil-rich capital won't just give up, and even the White House will resort to tricks and schemes!"

"Actually, this is exactly the result I wanted to see. If they don't make a move, how can I retaliate? If they don't break the rules, how can I target them? Some things you either don't do, or you do them and completely defeat the other side. I'm just afraid these guys won't give me that opportunity. I'm waiting for them to make their move, and I'm afraid the elephant is also waiting for that opportunity!"

As soon as John finished speaking, Smith sighed and shook his head without saying anything more. He suddenly realized that he could no longer continue the conversation on this topic. His understanding of everything had been shaken. Things were far more complicated than he had thought. Behind all of this were various schemes, each more ruthless and insidious than the last. He was not suited to face such a situation.

After a moment, Smith nodded and said, "It's good that you understand. Since you've made all the preparations, I won't say anything more. If there are no other issues, we'll go back after the Spring Festival. There are many things to take care of, after all, this year's situation isn't very friendly. We also need to make preparations, and your mother goes without saying!"

John understood this perfectly well and nodded, saying, "Alright, you'll go back to the US after the Spring Festival. If you stay in China, those old guys will be terrified. They'll probably suspect I'm going to use violence against them again, and that another bloodbath might break out!" Although John said this, he didn't really mean it. He had already prepared for all of this and would act when the time was right. He just couldn't say it to his father, as that would worry him. John believed that with the situation escalating to this point, Morgan wouldn't remain completely inactive, nor would Rockefeller and the White House remain silent. As long as any of them made a move, things wouldn't escalate to the worst possible outcome.

"You need to be less violent and more tolerant, otherwise you'll only make more enemies, which isn't good for you or the family. Even if you stop paying attention to the family's situation, you can't let them face more danger. They're under pressure too; if things get too out of hand, they can't handle it. Do you think the old man would call unless it was absolutely necessary?"

“Dad, I know all that you’re saying, but this is something we have to face. You don’t think that standing at the top of high society is something you can do without paying any price, do you? If that were the case, everything would be too easy. How many years has it taken the Morgan family to achieve its current influence, and how many years have I had? So the family can’t just think about enjoying the spoils without bearing any consequences. If they can’t even bear this small price, then they have no future. Perhaps parting ways is the best option.”

As soon as John finished speaking, Smith sighed. Although he knew that John had always wanted to part ways with the family, he did not expect him to be so eager and to have such thoughts under the circumstances!

“John, it’s impossible to part ways. Even if we’re broken, we’re still connected by blood. Besides, you received help from the family back then. You can’t let the bad behavior of some family members make you think like this!”

"It's not that I have such thoughts, but some people are just too greedy. They take my benefits but are unwilling to take responsibility or stand in my shoes to face everything. Do you think I should move forward with such people? If there were only one or two, I wouldn't care, but there are quite a few such people in the family, which is something I cannot tolerate. Every time I fall into such a 'dilemma,' they jump out to cause trouble. Is there any unity left? What fighting ability does such a family have? Perhaps these guys have been involved in politics for too long, making them forget family ties and forget that the family did not grow and prosper because of them. Half of what the family has now is thanks to me. But do they remember my contributions? Have they ever respected me?"

Without waiting for Smith's reply, John continued, "No, these guys never did that. They only care about their own interests. And do they really think I don't know what they've been doing? I just didn't want to expose them, I didn't want to embarrass the old man, and I didn't want outsiders to laugh at us. But everything has its limits. If they keep causing trouble, I can't show any mercy anymore. Do you think I still need to give benefits to a family that can't protect me, or try to pull them into my development?"

John's anger wasn't entirely unfounded; some people had gone too far, only thinking of taking advantage without wanting to bear responsibility. There's no such thing as a free lunch, not even within a family, and certainly not among brothers. John could offer benefits, but a proper attitude was essential. Within the Bayard family, some had reverted to their old habits, meddling and interfering. They hadn't even received any benefits before causing trouble. Such people were simply not worthy of John's approval!
“I know your difficulties, but you also need to be understanding of the old man, the pressure on your uncle, and the problems on your younger uncle’s side. The pressure in Oregon is not small either. Even with the elephant in front of him, he still needs to step in on many things. His pressure is not as simple as you think!”

"Dad, you've really gone too far. You reap what you sow. I know everything about Uncle's situation, and he has never let me down. As for the family, let them be. If they still don't know when to stop and don't know how to be grateful, then it's all over. This time, I'm letting go of 'Dream World' and 'Nvidia.' The benefits they receive are my last bit of repayment to the family. We will have no more dealings with each other in the future!"

Human greed is insatiable. John couldn't accept that even after giving such great benefits, he was still met with greed and insatiable desires. Even family members should know when to advance and retreat, let alone just one family. Did those people really think that they could get him to compromise and gain more benefits from him just because they were family?

John wouldn't tolerate those who kept trying to scheme against him. Human desires are endless, and letting them continue would only bring him more trouble. A swift and decisive action was the best choice. Whatever their thoughts or schemes, ignoring them wouldn't cause him much trouble, nor would it affect his plans or his development!

Old Martin knew nothing about all this? He knew perfectly well, otherwise he wouldn't have called Smith instead of John. He was worried that John might be emotional and do something rash in a moment of impulse. But Old Martin was overthinking it. John wasn't the same person he used to be. More than a decade had passed, and he had matured considerably.

John is fully aware of how many people are watching him, and how many are watching the Bayard family. Old Martin is fully aware of this as well, but their differing stances lead to different decisions. John is no longer someone who can be persuaded by just anyone. His decisions are irreversible, even if Old Martin were to speak up. At John's level, he will not easily change his plans or his mind.

While Smith had some understanding of high society, it wasn't as extensive as Old Martin's or John's. After all, they interacted with different people and stood at different levels, leading to different perspectives and inevitably differing viewpoints, which resulted in their complicated relationship. Fortunately, Smith understood that he shouldn't interfere too much; offering some advice was enough, and anything beyond that was not his place.
(End of this chapter)