The American Kill Line: I Can Predict the Future

Ron had just boarded a plane bound for Texas.

I saw news about Jessica's divorce online.

Jessica's choice was faster than Ron had anticipated.

However, this is also reasonable.

He dialed Jessica's number:

"Why so suddenly?"

"Are you satisfied now? I'm homeless now, I only have my daughter."

"You didn't ask for anything?" Ron asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yes, besides my savings over the years, I didn't take the house or the car, I only took my daughter."

Jessica is now back at her parents' house, and looking at her daughter beside them in the living room, there is not a trace of regret in her eyes.

Even leaving with nothing is better than being deceived and kept in a cage.

Ron paused for a moment, then said, "What are your plans now? I mean, are you planning to settle in New York or Los Angeles?"

Adults don't need to be so blunt; Jessica knew Ron was letting her make her own choice.

Besides holding three big-budget movie lead roles, Ron was also the main reason why she was so confident in leaving with nothing.

She thought for a moment and said, "Los Angeles, I prefer it here."

"Hold on."

Ron turned to his assistant: "Thomas, go check where there are any properties for sale in Los Angeles. By the way, it's best not to be in Beverly Hills."

After a few phone calls, Thomas said, "There are currently three homes for sale in Bel Air, Los Angeles, ranging from 3000 to 5000 square feet. There's only one in Homeby Hills, about 3500 square feet, but I need to recommend it."

The most luxurious homes in Los Angeles are located in Beverly Hills, Bel Air, and Holmby Hill.

It is known as the Platinum Triangle of Los Angeles.

Similar to New York, if Beverly Hills and Bel Air are considered the domains of superstars and the wealthy.

Holmby Hill is the stronghold of "low-key old money" and "old money family".

I don't know who came up with this weird habit, but people still recommend houses when you're buying one.

In New York's old-money heartland, board approval is even required.

Ron looked at the floor plans and surroundings of several houses on the computer and made a comparison.

Then they chose the Holmby Hill suit, which offered better concealment.

A phone call was made to Philip:

"My friend, I've found a house I like in Homeby Hill, Los Angeles. I'll have Sophia contact you later, and I'd appreciate it if you could help me buy it."

Philip asked in surprise, "Does Mount Holmby really need my involvement?"

"I have no interest in dealing with the old money in Los Angeles for the time being."

"understand."

Ron then called Sophia, the finance manager: "Contact Philip later and, in the name of the family office, help me purchase a property in Los Angeles, as well as a minivan and a car for transportation."

Having taken care of everything, Ron sent the house information to Jessica's email address.

He has always been generous to women, and even though Jessica was divorced and raising a child, he didn't mind giving her the best living environment.

It's not like I'm marrying her; I'll just keep raising her as an investment.

Moreover, the role of a virtuous wife was something he had never experienced before.

A short while later, Jessica called, her voice filled with emotion and happiness:

"My dearest husband, why are you so good to me? I'm going to fall in love with you. No, I already have. Where are you? Your Miss Alba is almost back to normal."

To the average person living in Los Angeles, the Holmby Hill mansion is a symbol of power and status.

Mysterious, powerful, and unfathomable are its defining characteristics.

Jessica had considered that Ron would arrange for her to stay in Beverly Hills.

If he truly cared about himself, he might have distanced himself from Franklin Canyon in Beverly Hills, where he once lived.

Alternatively, choose a luxury mansion in Bel Air.

But she didn't expect that Ron would not only think of her, but also choose a location in the very heart of Holmby Hill.

"Is it that flexible...?" Ron chuckled and said, "Wait a few more days. You can go and see our future new home when I get back from Texas."

"Yes, my dear husband."

After ending the call, Ron checked the latest international news.

The euro and US stocks have been quite active over the past ten days or so.

First, Lucian signed financial reforms, causing a sharp drop in the three major US stock indexes.

Then the Eurozone's July PMI exceeded expectations, and the euro hit a new high since March.

Although Ron didn't manage the operation himself, he left it to Victor to handle.

With $31 billion in assets under management, there's no need for strategic planning. You can make money simply by following international news and information from Merrill Lynch.

Even small amounts of money are money; consider it as covering the fund's daily expenses.

The plane arrived at the airport of the Koch family’s private ranch in Matado, Texas, in the afternoon.

With a total area of ​​over 13 acres spanning five counties, it showcases the power of the Koch family.

This is just in Texas; Wichita, Kansas, is Koch Industries' headquarters, and the situation there is even more extreme.

Ron didn't arrive early; many of the Texas tycoon groups and NRA core members had arrived yesterday.

They are hunting right now.

Old Hunter arrived in the morning, bringing his eldest son Arthur and younger brother John Hunter with him to join the hunt.

Charles's brother, David Koch, came to greet him as his representative:

"The person Bloomberg sent will arrive at noon. Come on, Ron, I'll take you to see him first."

"Thank you for your help, David."

In addition to being the mayor of New York City, Bloomberg is also a prominent figure in the Democratic Party.

Even if this were Koch's private property with a very high level of secrecy, he wouldn't take the risk.

Imagine if the outside world knew that a Democratic heavyweight was at the private ranch of Koch, the Republican Party's top donor.

What kind of public opinion would that generate?

David escorted Ron to the door and left, just as he had deliberately avoided him that morning when Ron came.

Ron knocked and entered.

"Hello, Mr. Hunter, I am Mr. Bloomberg's personal assistant. You can call me George."

Assistant George stood up, shook hands, and explained, "Mr. Bloomberg asked me to express my apologies to you."

Ron shook hands and smiled, "George, no need to be so polite, just call me Ron."

George smiled and invited Ron to sit down.

First, he made him a cup of coffee, then moved the computer on the table in front of him: "Mr. Hunter, this is a small gift from Mr. Bloomberg for you."

On the computer was nothing other than a "media sentiment contingency plan" for the Hunter 2 hedge fund.

Bloomberg's Bloomberg will package the fund in advance to avoid the political labels that the fund might be labeled with.

At the same time, it released information to the outside world that the fund has no political affiliation and focuses on global investment.

"George, please thank Mr. Bloomberg for me, and tell him I really appreciate this generous gift."

This was indeed a great gift for Ron, essentially Bloomberg was guaranteeing the fund.

To avoid any negative associations with the Democratic Party, we should nip the risk in the bud.

Ron chatted with George for a few more minutes, then left the room.

As soon as he stepped outside, the butler, who was waiting at the door, led Ron to another, more private room.

Inside are advisors and financial backers of the Lucian government—Google CEO Eric Schmidt and eBay founder Pierre Omidyar.

"Eric, Pierre, thank you for coming."

"You're too kind, Ron. We should be thanking you for helping us make money."

Their personal visit was not only to express their emphasis on the matter, but also to confirm whether the fund was truly publicly aligned with the Republican Party.

During the conversation, Ron repeatedly emphasized that "Hunter Capital" and "all private equity funds under Hunter Capital" only make money and are not affiliated with any political party.

There was no other way; there was always a satellite phone on the table.

Even a fool knows who's on the other end of the phone.

Ron realized that he wasn't really setting up a foundation.

It's more like a bridge between certain people from the two parties.

The benefit is that, through the establishment of this fund, Ron finally has a certain ability to protect himself.

Just like he told old Hunter before.

He was a white-tailed deer targeted by hunters and hounds.

The establishment of this fund is tantamount to the appearance of a group of "animal protection association" officials around the white-tailed deer.

Of course, these officials were no pushovers either.

The white-tailed deer must demonstrate its value in the future, or it will also be ruthlessly abandoned.

That evening.

The group held a subscription meeting for the Hunter Capital No. 2 Hedge Fund in the conference room of Koch's private estate.

Fund 2 has a total size of US$30 billion.

The lock-up period is 3 years, the period is 1 year, dividends are distributed once a year, and the net asset value is announced on the 1st of each month.

Ron alone holds a 20% share.

Management fee: 2%, performance-based commission: 25%.

Ron further explained that he has 100% GP decision-making power, while external LPs only enjoy the profits and have no voting rights.

"Now, who agrees and who disagrees?"

Immediately, whispers filled the conference room.

Ron calmly sipped his coffee.

A moment later, a Texas oil tycoon raised a question:

"Decision-making power is fine, since I don't understand it anyway, but a 25% performance fee is too high, far exceeding other private equity funds."

This statement has been agreed upon by many people.

Ron put down his coffee cup, chuckled, and said, "That's why I set up an additional 5% performance bonus."

In layman's terms, if the annual return is less than 5%, then Ron will not receive any performance bonus.

John Thain of CIT Group nodded and said, "I think it's fair. There's a guaranteed minimum return, and you only get a 5% commission on top of that. I agree with this plan."

This means that regardless of the amount of profit, 5% will be distributed to LPs.

Ron only receives 25% of the remaining 95%.

With John leading the way, David, the representative of the Koch family, also smiled and raised his hand in agreement.

William of Carlyle immediately raised his hand in agreement.

Texas, of course, wouldn't care about such a small gain.

Thus, Hunter Capital No. 2 Hedge Fund was established.

Ron controls two funds totaling over $60 billion and has a powerful patron.

This is when he will truly show his abilities.