America: My Time

Chapter 729 The Temptation of Banks

Chapter 719 The Temptation of Banks
“I want to be at ease, but I can’t be at ease without your promise. I need your promise and the White House!” Rockefeller did not accept Morgan’s statement, and his concerns were not unfounded. Capital is ruthless, and he would not believe without a promise. Although Morgan kept saying that he had no dealings with this matter, Rockefeller did not think so. Being a middleman meant there must be a connection, so he also needed Morgan’s promise.

Morgan showed no surprise and calmly said, "Alright, I can make a promise. As for the White House's promise, you can talk to them about it yourself. It has nothing to do with me. I won't do it for them. I can only represent myself and Morgan. I can't represent anyone else. I believe you understand!"

"Good, that's enough. Morgan's reputation is the best guarantee. I believe you wouldn't joke about Morgan's century-old reputation!" After receiving Morgan's promise, the glint in Rockefeller's eyes faded, and he became calm and indifferent once again.

With Morgan's promise, Rockefeller also sprang into action. Time was of the essence. Although John hadn't taken drastic measures against Rockefeller, his personnel hadn't retreated, and nothing was certain. Rockefeller's first move wasn't to contact John, but rather the White House. Only with the White House's promise could the matter continue. Without their assurance, Rockefeller had to be careful; this wasn't just a scheme involving Japan, but also a scheme in the Middle East.

The White House had no intention of making things difficult for Rockefeller in this matter, since it wouldn't benefit them either. Old Man Rockefeller wouldn't risk antagonizing the Rockefeller family over a moment of anger, and the White House didn't want to be the bad guy, so they readily agreed to everything. For them, the most important thing now was to maintain balance, not to escalate the conflict.

After dealing with the White House, all that remained for Rockefeller was John. Although making a phone call was somewhat impolite, time was of the essence, and Rockefeller didn't know how much longer John could endure, so he did it anyway. Moreover, he didn't want to entrust his safety to John. Most importantly, Rockefeller was worried that someone might use him as a pawn, since there were all sorts of cunning and treacherous people when it came to profit.

The call connected quickly, and Rockefeller got straight to the point: "John, we should talk. I apologize for the actions of some people. Feel free to make any requests you may have. It would be a lie to say I didn't know what those guys were doing, but I never imagined they would be so crazy!"

“I accept your apology, but I want to know why they are hostile to me and why they are colluding with the British to harm me. Furthermore, I need a detailed list of the British. I believe they must know this. Without this, this matter cannot end. Someone has to pay the price. It’s either Rockefeller or them! You know how much I’ve lost this time. They’ve ruined my entire plan. This is not just a financial loss. It’s impossible for them not to give an explanation. I don’t want to be enemies with Rockefeller, but only if I can see their sincerity!”

As soon as John finished speaking, Rockefeller couldn't help but sigh. This was exactly what he had expected. Knowing that John had leverage over those guys, especially regarding Bell Labs, was something that couldn't be resolved with just an apology. Although John didn't launch an attack on Rockefeller, but instead chose to stop, this wasn't just out of respect; it was forcing Rockefeller to betray his 'friends'.

If Rockefeller refused at this point, it wouldn't be John's fault, but theirs. John had given Rockefeller face. If they didn't accept, no one would blame John for any retaliation, since Rockefeller was the one who was in the wrong first. At that time, someone would have to pay the price, and all the guys involved would be eliminated because they broke the rules.

“Sure, no problem. It was my fault for not keeping a close eye on these guys. The list will be in your hands soon. Now, can we continue our discussion?” Rockefeller agreed without hesitation. He didn’t care about these so-called 'friends'. These guys were malicious and deliberately framed his family’s descendants. Even if John didn’t settle accounts with them, Rockefeller would have retaliated in the same way.

The fact that things turned out that way wasn't Rockefeller's idea, but rather someone's own doing, having been deceived by the British. After all, not every family is entirely composed of elites; there are also some self-important individuals. Originally, these guys were only meant to be used for minor skirmishes and to harass John's plans, not to truly offend John to the death. However, these guys were foolish enough to be manipulated by the British, which led to this situation.

“Fine, I never intended to do anything excessive. It was just a forced counterattack. Otherwise, everyone would think I'm easy to bully, and everyone could act arrogantly over my head. I don't have any excessive demands. One hundred million in compensation for each matter, not counting minor issues, I only need three hundred million dollars. I believe that's enough to express my sincerity. As for your intentional targeting of me in the gas and electricity sector, that's not included in this; that's just a business tactic!” John's request shocked Rockefeller. The price was too low, completely exceeding Rockefeller's expectations. John's own losses alone would be more than that. This made him suspect that John might have a conspiracy, or perhaps he was trying to mislead him and didn't really want to let go and end it all.

“John, are you sure this is the only price? This is no joke. In this conflict, I promise that we were wrong and I am willing to pay the price, but I will not accept deception, and I sincerely want to settle this conflict with you.”

“I’m certain that I haven’t seen any of your core members in this conflict, so I’m willing to believe you and believe that it wasn’t your opinion. I’m also willing to give the Rockefeller family face. But this is a one-time thing, and there will be no next time. If this happens again, I will not show any mercy, nor will I give you time to react. It will be a fight to the death.”

Upon hearing John's words, Rockefeller fell silent for a moment. John's conditions seemed simple, but behind them lay immense pressure, because everything would inevitably be known by others. John had already shown such concession; if anyone in the Rockefeller family were to provoke him again, it would be a true fight to the death, and no one would plead for Rockefeller anymore. It seemed like John was giving the Rockefeller family face, but it was actually a strategic retreat, effectively locking the Rockefeller family in.

Refuse? That's impossible. Rockefeller can't refuse. Refusing would mean things aren't as he says, that the Rockefeller family is plotting something, which would incite public outrage. Before John, that little fox, can even make a move, someone will take advantage of the chaos, and the Rockefeller family will pay an even greater price.

"Alright, it's a deal. Our business is settled then, and I trust your promise. However, this time I'm not just here for this matter; I'm also speaking on behalf of those guys. They don't want you to escalate things or side with those guys from Japan, so they've offered a win-win partnership, inviting you to join the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank as one of its nine directors. This is their way of showing their sincerity!"

Upon hearing this, John was taken aback at first, but then immediately understood the old guys' intentions. The San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank was one of the twelve Federal Reserve Banks. These old guys had malicious intentions in asking him to join at this time. They wanted to deplete his funds. After all, becoming one of the nine directors required paying money and obtaining corresponding shares. Moreover, these guys were also eyeing the gold reserves of the Integrity Bank.

Refuse? That's impossible. If I refuse this time, I'll never have another chance to join, because those old guys will have a legitimate reason to refuse me. They've already invited me, but I refused; now it's impossible for me to join again. If I accept, I'll need to allocate a large sum of money, which will inevitably affect my plans regarding Japan.

John knew without asking that those old guys had already seen through his scheme in Japan. Although he had been very careful in helping them, it still wasn't enough for those old foxes. Moreover, there was the White House behind it all. Under these circumstances, John was indeed in a dilemma. On one hand, there was the plundering of Japan and the astonishing profits. On the other hand, there was the matter of becoming a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, joining the board of directors, and making Integrity Bank a member of it.

"Okay, I admit that these guys' cooperation is tempting and I can't refuse. However, how much equity they can give up needs to be discussed. Without a suitable price, it's hard for me to accept. After all, everyone knows how huge the profits in Japan are. Accepting this cooperation would result in a significant loss for me!"

“John, it’s no use talking to me about this. I’m just a middleman. You have to talk to Morgan. To be honest, I got this assignment from Morgan too. But you should understand that you reap what you sow. Only by joining the Federal Reserve Bank can you gain everyone’s recognition. Whether you accept it or not is your right. I’m just expressing my thoughts, since I’m just a middleman. You can only discuss your thoughts and requests with Morgan.”

(End of this chapter)