Reborn in America, I am a legendary short seller on Wall Street.

Chapter 296 Get back to New York immediately, it's an emergency!

Before calling Mr. Porter again, Larry went to the trading floor and checked General Electric's stock price for the day.

Surprisingly yet predictably, the stock has climbed to over $200 per share, reaching a high of $204 3/4 this morning, before falling back to around $202.

Larry had anticipated that the stock would continue its strong upward trend; however, the increase of over $200 surprised him, as it meant that the short sellers' minimum loss was already over $100 per share.

This also means that casually shorting a couple hundred shares could result in a loss of $1 to $2. This was simply unimaginable at the time; an ordinary trader would certainly go bankrupt because of it.

Those who shorted General Electric shares, exceeding 5 to 1 shares, have undoubtedly suffered losses exceeding one million US dollars at this moment…

At this point, even wealthy New Yorkers would be terrified at the prospect of losses exceeding a million dollars.

Larry could imagine that even Citibank President Stillman would not be indifferent to a loss exceeding one million dollars.

But what's worse than losing money is losing face. If a wealthy person is believed to have lost a large sum of money due to short selling, they will inevitably be ridiculed by those around them in their social circle.

Therefore, he will definitely do something, such as finding me and begging me to sell him those 3 shares, so that the transaction can be completed and at least I won't lose face.

After checking the stock prices, Larry had a good idea of ​​what was going on. He went back to Mr. Wallace's office, picked up the phone, and called Mr. Porter in New York.

After the call connected, Larry smiled and said into the receiver, "Mr. Porter, this is Larry. I heard you were looking for me."

“My God! Wallace has finally found you! GE’s stock price has been rising non-stop these past few days, and the guy who bought your stock last time has come four times in three days! He just wants to see you…” Mr. Potter’s words were mixed with noise as he spoke loudly.

"It must have been tough on him..." Larry smiled.

“I wasn’t in a hurry at first, but yesterday afternoon, the man came very anxious. He finally revealed that he was sent by Mr. Stillman, the president of the National City Bank of New York, to see you. He wanted you to make sure to call him because it was urgent…”

Mr. Porter spoke at length, his voice tinged with anxiety. Larry understood Mr. Porter's urgency, as Porter was the kind of high-level professional manager who cultivated extensive networks, and therefore valued connections highly.

Larry was silent for a moment, then asked sincerely,

“Mr. Porter, if they’re only after the stock… what should I do? If I give up these 3 shares to help him close out his position, will it incur Mr. Morgan’s wrath?”

After Larry finished speaking, Mr. Potter remained silent for a while before speaking.

"To be honest, I don't know either. But Larry, as someone who's been through this, I always have a principle in dealing with people: don't go too far. Mr. Morgan may not be afraid of others' resentful looks, but you're not!"

Larry immediately understood Mr. Porter's meaning. The other party had made it very clear: there should be limits to making money, and one shouldn't offend important figures for the sake of making small profits. Now that the other party had come to him for help, he should give him face.

If someone knowingly disrupts a General Electric event despite knowing it's owned by JPMorgan, it at least demonstrates one thing... that they are not afraid of JPMorgan.

When such a person asks for something, you should try your best to fulfill their wishes, even if it means earning less money.

Even if you earn less, don't offend anyone.

This man might be unable to deal with Morgan, but when it comes to dealing with himself, it's as easy as crushing an ant.

In other words, "Leave a way out for others, so you can meet again in the future."

As for Morgan, buying 3 shares is his own business, and he has the right to dispose of them as he sees fit; it has nothing to do with Morgan.

Larry sincerely thanked Mr. Potter for his guidance, and then called the number Mr. Potter had provided.

Beep, beep...

The phone rang.

After a full five seconds, someone answered the phone, "Hello, this is the headquarters of National City Bank of New York."

“Hello, I need to speak with Mr. Stillman. Please connect me to his office,” Larry replied.

"Okay, please wait a moment... Oh, excuse me, before that, I'd like to ask if you have an appointment? What is your name?" the operator on the other end of the phone asked again.

“My name is Larry Livingston. I’m calling at your request.”

"Okay, please wait a moment." After the operator finished speaking, there was no sound from Larry's receiver.

This is not surprising, because at this time, phone calls required back-and-forth communication and transfers, which was very troublesome.

After a gap of more than 40 seconds, the phone was connected again, and a deep, mature male voice came through the receiver.

"Hello, I am Stillman, the president of National City Bank of New York. Are you Mr. Livingston?" the man introduced himself.

“Yes, Mr. President, it’s an honor to speak with you. I heard you were looking for me, so I called. May I ask what brings you here?” Larry asked.

“Mr. Livingston, thank you very much for calling. I have something I'd like to discuss with you. We've encountered some problems and need to buy 3 of your shares to go long on General Electric stock. What do you think?” Mr. Stillman's tone was neither excited nor hesitant, as if he were discussing the weather.

Larry thought to himself, "Just as I expected, it's about the stocks." However, the other person didn't sound particularly anxious.

After a few seconds, Larry asked, "What price are you offering? You know, this stock is already over $200."

“I’m willing to pay $220! The stock price might not necessarily go that high afterward... so I think this is a fair trade,” the other party continued.

Larry hesitated for a moment, thinking that he couldn't agree to him right away. He had to keep him in suspense for a while, so he deliberately said, "Such a big matter, you have to let me think about it."

“Okay, no problem. But… please be sure to call back, since tomorrow is the stock settlement date.” Only then did Stillman’s voice sound slightly hurried.

"I assure you, you will receive my call back soon."

After hanging up, Larry didn't hesitate at all. Instead, he picked up the phone again and asked the operator to connect him to Goldman Sachs in New York.

Five minutes later, the call was connected.

"Hello, this is Goldman Sachs, this is Henry Goldman."

“Henry, this is Larry Livingston. Did you find out what I asked you to investigate last time? Who exactly is behind the short selling of General Electric?” Larry asked deliberately.

There was a sudden silence on the other end of the phone. Henry Goldman seemed to be going through a fierce internal struggle. After a while, he murmured,
“Larry, we’re friends… but let’s get this straight, business is business. I found their name, but it’s worth a whole number…” Henry Goldman slowly stated his offer, which was $1000.

Larry, already used to the other's racial advantages, smiled and said, "That's fair, my brother. Name your price. Of course, if you're only talking about James Stillman, then there's no need to say anything..." Henry Goldman was silent for a moment before saying, "I didn't expect you to know... Well then, I can save you $200. Now you only need to pay another $800, and I can tell you the name after Mr. Stillman."

This time it was Larry's turn to be surprised. Did Stillman have someone backing him?!
The problem is that Stillman's name is only worth $200, while the person behind him is worth $800. Who is this big shot?
Larry made the call with the intention of having Goldman Sachs handle the transaction for him, since he was still in Boston.

Larry's original plan was to sell himself to Goldman Sachs, and then Goldman Sachs would sell him to National City Bank of New York.

This way, there's a barrier between them, making it less likely to offend Morgan.

I never expected that my opening remarks would lead to an ending I never anticipated...

Was Henry Goldman lying to himself?

Larry thought about it and decided he wouldn't go that far. It was true that Henry Goldman was very greedy, but he was also very smart and could distinguish between what was important and what wasn't; he would never try to fool him with something like this.

“I’m willing to pay, Henry. You’ll get my $800 check when we meet next time,” Larry said solemnly into the phone.

“No problem! I trust you, my brother.” The other person’s voice clearly brightened. Then, Henry Goldman paused deliberately and said a name to Larry…

Larry's eyes widened in shock; he even wondered if he'd misheard. He then shouted into the phone, "...Who did you say? Repeat it again!"

Henry Goldman seemed to have anticipated this reaction, and after a two-second pause, he repeated the name clearly once more.

Holy crap?! Is it really that complicated?

Larry's mind went blank. He thanked Henry Goldman, put the phone back in its place, and stared at it blankly.

John...John...

This is an ordinary name.

But this name comes with an absolutely unusual surname—Rockefeller.

It wasn't John D. Rockefeller Sr., the owner of Standard Oil, but his only son, John D. Rockefeller Jr.!
The people who poisoned Morgan's reputation and shorted General Electric were actually the Rockefeller family!
No, when did I get into such a delicate situation? How did I suddenly get caught up in the conflict between Morgan and the Rockefeller family?

No, when did those two have a conflict...?

Come to think of it, I was the one who sabotaged the Rockefeller family's plan to short General Electric...

This whole thing is just bizarre...

Okay, now that we've already gotten involved in this mess, the most important thing is, what should we do now?
Pretend you don't know anything and sell the stocks to them?
Or are they seeking greater and better returns?
Larry was stunned for a long time, his mind blank at first. Then, he slowly sorted out a clue and carefully deduced the ins and outs of the whole thing in his mind, and gradually found the real clue.

At this point, the most crucial thing is not anything else, but to establish contact with the other party.

If he had simply sold 3 shares casually, they wouldn't have been surprised, nor would they have felt indebted to him. John D. Rockefeller Jr. would have simply considered it a fair transaction.

Although he could get the money, he missed an opportunity to establish a connection with the Rockefeller family.

Therefore, the key issue is not this, and these 3 shares are not necessarily unsellable... The most important thing in the whole matter is whether I can maximize my profits from this stock transaction!

Yes! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we must seize it.

Larry swallowed silently, his gaze returning to the phone.

The key now is... if I want to make a proper visit, I need to bring a gift that shows sufficient sincerity so that things can proceed smoothly...

But what gift do I have?

At that moment, a commotion broke out in the trading floor of the Boston branch of Paine Weber Securities. It was noon, and the stock market had already closed.

A short while later, Mr. Wallace walked into the office and saw Larry staring blankly at the phone, not saying a word. He asked curiously,

"Larry, what's wrong? You look so troubled."

Larry looked up at Mr. Wallace, forcing a smile. "It's alright, sir. I'm just thinking about something."

Did you call the other party?

"I've already made the call. He made a request, and I'm wondering whether I should grant it..."

Mr. Wallace frowned and nodded. He looked up at the clock on the wall and gave a few instructions.
"Then you'd better hurry if you have to get back to New York today. You should know that the last direct train today is at 12:45 p.m., otherwise you'll have to wait until tomorrow morning."

After speaking, Mr. Wallace took some personal belongings from the table and left the office.

Larry frowned, pondering what he had just been thinking about; however, Mr. Wallace's words kept echoing in his ears...

I have to catch the train by 12:45 PM, or I'll be too late...

If I miss my train, how am I supposed to get to New York?
Should I go to New York? Of course I should! It's such a great opportunity to meet Mr. Stillman, the president of Citibank, and John D. Rockefeller Jr., who is behind it all. How could I possibly pass up this opportunity?
So we need to make a decision quickly, or we'll miss the train...

Larry felt his mind was inexplicably jumbled. These thoughts kept swirling around, ostensibly reminding him to hurry, but Larry could sense it was a kind of inspiration, a subconscious drive, like a detective's deduction—his subconscious was quietly telling him something important…

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck Larry, and he finally understood why he had hesitated.

I understand! That's how we should do it!
Larry picked up the phone, and the operator called Citibank President Stillman again.

When the other party answered the phone again, Larry smiled and said to the person on the other end, "Mr. Stillman, I can certainly transfer all 3 shares to you. But I have a small request..."

"You say!"

"I'd like to meet the person behind you...you know who I'm referring to."

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone before he finally said, "Okay, but you must be in New York by 10 a.m. tomorrow, otherwise it will delay the stock settlement. That would be pointless."

“Okay!” Larry said with a smile.

(End of this chapter)