America's No. 1 financial conglomerate

Chapter 585 Getting Scammed

Despite the lack of significant positive news and the overall negative sentiment in the market, the stock of YueDong Games remained stable.

Not only Wall Street felt something was amiss, but even Ernst was taken aback.

In the mansion in Central Park, Ernst, dressed in loungewear, lies casually on a wool carpet.

A beautifully sculpted little girl was lying on his chest, waving her chubby little fists, curiously tugging at his collar, and occasionally making clear, cooing sounds.

Her eyes were just like Ernst's, deep and bright.

The difference is that their eyes are filled with a pure innocence, devoid of any worldly ambition or utilitarianism.

Ernst carefully supported his daughter's waist with one hand to prevent her from falling, and picked up the phone with the other hand to listen to Perrin Houston's report.

"According to our latest market tracking data, there is clear evidence that major funds are continuously accumulating shares of YueDong Games." Bai Wen's voice came through the receiver, carrying a calm demeanor, but also revealing a hint of confusion.

Ernst's fingers paused, and he unconsciously tightened his grip on little Casey.

He glanced at Katie's innocent face, but a wave of emotion stirred within him.

At this juncture, a massive influx of off-exchange buying suddenly appeared. Who dared to be so bold? "Major funds?" Ernst asked, somewhat surprised. "Are you sure?"

"I'm absolutely certain." Bai Wen's tone was very confident. "Through cross-verification using multi-dimensional data, we can see that the flow of these funds is highly concentrated and the trading behavior is clearly coordinated, indicating that it is an organized and planned accumulation of funds."

Little Casey seemed to sense her father's attention shift, and grumbled in dissatisfaction, clutching the fabric of Ernst's chest tightly with her little hands, as if trying to pull him up.

Ernst immediately adjusted his posture, sitting cross-legged on the edge of the sofa, and steadily supporting Katie, who was standing in his arms, with his arms.

Watching her tremblingly maintain her balance on her thighs, her rosy cheeks flushed red from the effort, yet her eyes sparkled with excitement, revealing a tender affection.

"Have you found out where the funds came from?" Ernst asked in a low voice, carefully protecting his daughter.

"Preliminary investigation results show that some of the funds likely originated from several European institutions, who also employed some conventional methods to conceal the funds and attempt to obscure their origins," Bai Wen's voice continued, accompanied by the soft sound of keyboard typing.

"But the largest source of funds is very clear: the Middle East."

"Moreover, they made almost no attempt to conceal their activities. By tracing the transaction chain, we quickly identified the ultimate masterminds behind it all: the Saudi Public Investment Fund and several core sovereign wealth funds of the United Arab Emirates."

"Saudi and UAE sovereign wealth funds?" Ernst raised an eyebrow slightly.

What is this?

Are they enjoying the flash sale so much that they're just returning the favor? Or are they convinced that this company is their true passion and that it will continue to win?

He thought of the second round of financing for the flash sale platform that was underway. As the undisputed giant in the e-commerce field, although Amazon and Walmart have also entered the food delivery field, and many e-commerce startups have emerged in the United States, flash sales still occupy more than 80% of the market share.

The news of Flashbuy's second round of financing attracted the attention of global capital as soon as it was leaked.

However, Flashbuy didn't even meet with the investors who came to their door. It was still the previously agreed-upon Coast Investments that led the investment, with the California Public Employees Retirement System, the California Teachers Retirement System, and the Saudi Public Investment Fund as co-investors.

In this round of financing, Flashbuy plans to give up about 15% of its equity, with Coast Investment taking 6% and the remaining three institutions each receiving 3%.

As a token of gratitude for the initial investment, Ernst rejected numerous offers from institutions wanting to invest in Flashbuy, instead securing the participation of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund in the second round.

Now, they're showing kindness and loyalty by becoming your white knight for other companies, repaying you in this way by accumulating shares in YueDong Games' stock market.

The problem is, I don't need you, my white knight.

You came in here not to help me, but to cause trouble.

"How large is their accumulation scale? How many shares do they currently hold?" Ernst asked, his tone becoming more serious.

"As of now, according to our internal estimates, they have acquired approximately 4% of the circulating shares, and the pace of acquisition is accelerating."

Bai Wen's tone became serious. "We need to think of a solution. The Saudi sovereign wealth fund's buying will further reduce the liquidity of YueDong Games' stock, which will completely disrupt our rhythm." Ernst certainly understood the implications, but now that a powerful investor had interfered, YueDong Games was in a dilemma.

If they announce a stock buyback, liquidity will be further compressed, and Wall Street will likely react.

If they don't announce a stock buyback, YueDong Games' stock price will be shorted, and the company, despite having a large amount of cash flow, will not take any action.

This is too strange. It's okay for a day or two, but if it goes on for too long, even a fool would know there's something wrong.

Even if the regulatory authorities do not intervene, they could launch an investigation on the grounds that YueDong Games manipulated the stock price.

Once the investigation begins, his entire capital strategy will be completely disrupted, and he may end up failing.

"What do you think?" Ernst gently picked up little Katie, who was already standing, and let her sit on his lap.

"Our team has held an emergency meeting and come up with a solution," Bai Wen's voice came at the right time. "We believe that the safest approach at present is to sell some of the shares of YueDong Games that you hold to replenish market liquidity."

"Sell my shares?"

"Yes," Bai Wen explained. "Anyway, YueDong Games' subsequent stock buyback plan has been finalized, and these repurchased shares will be cancelled and destroyed. Since the total share capital has decreased, your shareholding ratio will not decrease."

"Therefore, selling a portion of the shares will not affect your control over YueDong Games."

Ernst couldn't help but roll his eyes, saying with a hint of annoyance, "So you mean, those oil tycoons bought my stocks at rock-bottom prices, and I have to politely replenish their positions so they can buy even more chips?" He always treated others like suckers, when did he become someone else's sucker?

Perkin Houston didn't say anything, but that was the gist of it.

Ernst knew this was the only option available. Should he call Mohammed now and tell his fellow camels to stop?

It goes without saying that they will buy up all the shares circulating in the market.

If Ernst had actually made that call, even a fool would have known he was setting something up.

Their asset management team experts analyzed this information and knew immediately that this was a scheme to rip off Wall Street.

Forget about morality, righteousness, and deep friendship; step aside.

They'll take over Wall Street's assets and then step in when the time comes to cut them off.

Not only did he make a lot of money, but he also gained a lot of favors from Wall Street.

"You handle it. I'll have the family office contact you." Ernst hung up the phone curtly, tossed aside his phone, and immediately changed his tune.

Seeing that little Katie was staring intently at her phone, Jessica took it from her and then threw it away.

Looking at this heartwarming scene, Nicole Kidman, sitting on the sofa, suddenly felt a little superfluous. We're a family of three, okay?

"By the way, what made you decide to go back to America?"

Ernst's voice interrupted her gloom.

In an instant, her aura changed, giving the impression of a rooster with its feathers standing on end, as if she were defending her territory.

"I heard you're planning to keep Kathy around?" Nicole stared intently into Ernst's eyes, trying to glean a clue from his expression, her tone clearly accusatory.

Ernst did not avoid her gaze and nodded frankly, "She needs to receive a better education and resources."

“She can receive the best education with me too,” Nicole immediately retorted. “I can provide her with any resources she wants to get into the best private schools.”

"That's the best you can get your hands on, not what I see." Ernst's tone instantly turned cold, revealing his toughness.

But when his gaze swept over little Katie in his arms, his expression quickly softened. "Nicole, we all hope Katie can have a better future, but a better future is not just about material things and education."

He gestured to the nanny beside him, who immediately understood, came forward, gently picked up little Katie, and took her out of the living room to play in the children's room that Ernst had specially made for her.

Almost simultaneously, Jessica stood up, teased little Katie, and left the living room together.

In an instant, only Ernst and Nicole Kidman remained in the large living room. "So, you're planning to steal Katie away from me, is that it?" Her voice was trembling with helplessness, and Ernst could even see pain and resentment in her eyes.

Ernst shook his head slightly, his tone much gentler. "Nicole, you know, I never meant that."

"Kathy is our daughter, and I would never do anything to hurt her or you. I just feel that with me, she can grow up more holistically and access better connections, which is crucial for her future."

He paused, then continued, "By being with you, she can receive the best artistic education and become a Hollywood star. But so what? Do you want her to end up in Hollywood, repeating your path?"

"What's wrong with Hollywood?" Nicole's emotions instantly flared up, as if a sore spot had been touched. "Hollywood is my career, the place I love! Don't forget, you're a Hollywood kid too."

"I'm sorry." Ernst hadn't expected the other person to be so agitated. "You know that's not what I meant."

"I respect your profession and I don't mean to belittle you. But Casey's situation is different; she's one of the heirs to the Garfield family, and I think you understand what that means."

"In the future, she can become an entrepreneur and lead a super giant with a market value of tens of billions or even hundreds of billions of dollars. She can make those celebrities bow down and submit with just a stomp of her foot."

Nicole Kidman fell silent. She knew perfectly well that if Katie followed her, or followed Ernst, their lives would be two completely different things.

She will not give up Hollywood; acting is her hobby and her profession.

Even if she doesn't become an actress, she hopes to move behind the scenes and stay in the industry.

But she knew Hollywood better than anyone, and growing up in such an environment, it was hard for Katie not to be exposed to all sorts of messy things. Even though she was Ernst's daughter.

Or rather, just because she is Ernst's daughter, she will face more temptations and all sorts of people with ulterior motives.

Thinking of this, a hint of pain flashed in Nicole Kidman's eyes, and she asked in a tearful voice, "When?"

"When you return to Hollywood and resume your work, that's when Katie will come back to me."

Ernst didn't want to take Katie away from Nicole; he just wanted to keep Katie by his side to mentor her when Nicole returned to Hollywood and rebuilt her career.

He felt that the other person had misunderstood and was overthinking things.

Ernst approached Nicole Kidman, pulled her into his arms, and reassured her, "I told you, I'm not taking Cass away from you. She'll just be spending more time with me."

He used an analogy: "We are still a family, it's just that Mom is very busy and needs to travel frequently for work."

"Besides, neither Malibu nor Silicon Valley is far from Los Angeles. If you want, you can even come back to be with her every day."