The American Kill Line: I Can Predict the Future

Ron spent two days and finally managed to make a preliminary judgment about the intentions of these giants from past information and transaction records.

"That's fucking insane!"

Compared to these giant crocodiles, Ron felt he was too kind.

At most, he'll take advantage of the situation to cause trouble, just like he did last month.

This group of people, however, intends to hunt down a country, treating it as their prey.

Imagine a country where government bond yields are too high, making it impossible to alleviate domestic pressure by issuing new bonds.

So, what can be done?

Aside from declaring bankruptcy, the only thing they can do is apply for financial assistance.

But this aid came at a price.

Moreover, the cost is extremely high.

No country wants to apply for aid unless it is absolutely necessary.

For example, Greece previously received a bailout loan of 1100 billion euros from the EU and the IMF.

The condition is to improve the fiscal situation by cutting welfare and increasing taxes, in order to prove that they "can pay back the money."

The consequences were that government spending cuts and layoffs of civil servants led to soaring unemployment, a sharp drop in people's income, and a freeze in consumption.

Excessive value-added tax (VAT) has led to business failures, and government tax revenue has not only failed to increase but has actually decreased.

The key issue is that this loan did not end up in the pockets of the Greek people.

Instead, the money flowed to French and German banks that held large amounts of Greek government bonds.

Of course, Greece could declare bankruptcy and completely give up.

Then the first to die will inevitably be the German and French banks that hold government bonds, and the short sellers who short government bonds.

Then, like a domino effect, the market will see a massive sell-off of government bonds from Portugal, Spain, Italy, and other countries.

With a bang, the entire Euro system collapsed and disintegrated instantly.

Therefore, it is less a matter of Greece requesting aid.

It's more accurate to say that EU member states are sacrificing the fiscal sovereignty of smaller countries to "extend the life" of the entire Euro system.

This is the fundamental driving force behind these short sellers' rampant shorting of Irish government bonds with impunity.

They have no reason to worry about Greece, or even Ireland, defaulting on its obligations.

Having learned the whole story, Ron was completely relieved.

At most, I was just following the trend of short selling. If anyone is to be held responsible, they should be the short-selling institutions that shorted government bonds.

Night falls.

Ron took Megan Fox to the Hilton family villa.

Barron Hilton stood on the steps in front of the villa.

Behind him were his son Richard, daughter-in-law Kathy, and granddaughter Nikki.

The four people stood in an uneven line under the warm yellow light of the porch, like a faded family portrait that had been temporarily taken down from the wall and stood in the wind.

When Ron got out of the car, the wind blew up his coat collar.

Before he could even reach out to press it, Baron's voice had already drowned out the sound of the wind.

"Ron."

Barron's lips curled upwards, and the lines on his face converged towards his cheekbones: "Welcome to the Hilton."

Ron was somewhat surprised by the grand welcome.

Richard Hilton, standing behind his father, had one foot already out of the porch shadows.

He had already prepared a polite smile.

Just then, Barron stepped aside and, without any introduction, invited Ron into the villa.

Richard froze, a smile still lingering on his stiff face.

The whole process took less than two seconds, so fast it was as if nothing had happened.

Barron Hilton had eight children in his lifetime, and only in his old age did he understand why his father had disinherited them.

Following in his father's footsteps, he plans to donate his life's wealth to the charitable foundation established by his father in the future.

Wealth and status can corrupt people's hearts, and this becomes even more true as time goes on.

Baron's older brother was addicted to alcohol and women, as was his younger brother.

When it came to his own sons and grandsons, things were even worse.

Barron wouldn't even want to see them tonight if it weren't for the fact that he was hosting Ron.

So at the end of dinner, Barron sent his son and daughter-in-law away, leaving only his granddaughter Nikki.

The group arrived at the lounge on the third floor.

Nikki pulled Megan to the greenhouse terrace to enjoy the night view and chat about fashion.

She knew why her grandfather had invited Ron, so even though Nikki looked down on Megan, she didn't show it.

Barron picked out a bottle of his treasured bourbon from the wine cabinet. The bottle had no label, and the amber liquid rippled slightly in the firelight.

"I was born in Texas." Barron placed two glasses and a bottle on the coffee table, the bottom of the bottle hitting the wood with a solid thud. "And I grew up in Texas too."

He unscrewed the cap and poured the liquor into a glass: "Try it! Although it's from a small brewery in Austin, the quality is excellent."

Ron took the glass, sniffed it lightly, then took a sip and nodded slightly. "It's really good. What's the name of the brewery?"

"A small factory, you've probably never heard of it." Barron casually cut a cigar and handed it to Ron:

"However, I happen to own a small share in this winery. If you like it, I can give it to you."

Ron's hand, which was halfway outstretched, suddenly stopped. He then picked up another cigar and scissors from the table, smiled and said, "Never mind, I don't like taking what others love."

"What if I meant the Hilton Hotel?" Barron's hand, still holding the cigar, remained suspended in mid-air.

Ron paused, put down his cigar, and frowned, saying, "I don't mean to offend, but if I remember correctly, the Hilton family doesn't own any shares in Hilton Hotels anymore, does they?!"

Barron finally lowered his dangling hand and nodded gently:

"You're right. The Hilton family not only has no shares, but they've also lost the Hilton brand rights. But if you want it, the Hilton family, or rather, I, have ways to help you achieve your wish."

"I don't quite understand, Mr. Hilton." Ron leaned back in the sofa, looking at him with a puzzled expression. "Why are you doing this?"

"What if I said I simply didn't want Hilton Hotels to become a tool for Blackstone Group to make money?"

Anger appeared on Barron's face for the first time.

He spent half his life proving to his father that he was a qualified successor.

He then spent half his life bringing Hilton Hotels to its peak.

Finally, he fulfilled his father's wish and regained ownership of the Hilton International Hotel.

To combine the entire Hilton into one.

To become a truly world-class hotel.

At that moment, Barron was incredibly confident.

In his eyes, InterContinental and Marriott will eventually be left behind.

Just as he was full of ambition and preparing to lead Hilton Hotels to even greater heights.

A single acquisition order shattered all his dreams.

Barron spent $57 billion to quickly merge the Hilton global brands.

Of that, $40 billion was borrowed using high leverage.

In 2007, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates one after another, and the annual interest payment for this $40 billion debt surged to $1.2 million.

Hilton's integration costs have exceeded their budget by $3 million, and its operating cash flow is barely enough to cover interest payments, so it urgently needs refinancing to keep its operations afloat.

Unexpectedly, all institutions and banks refused to renew loans, issue bonds, or replace low-interest loans.

Barron only understood when Blackstone Group acquired Hilton's hotel debts.

This is not a simple debt crisis, but a long-planned takeover by Wall Street capital.

The Wall Street investment banks that helped him acquire the International Hilton Hotel are now the advisors for Blackstone Group to snatch his assets from him.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

Moreover, the issue of shareholding limits in the charitable foundation established by the first generation of Hilton has always been a Damocles' sword hanging over Barron's head.

In his attempt to gain control of Hilton Hotels, Barron used stock options in his will to try to buy back shares at a price far below market value.

However, it only achieved partial success in the end, and its fundamental contradictions were not resolved.

This means that although Barron runs the company, he has always been subject to checks and balances from the foundation in terms of equity and control.

The emergence of Blackstone provided all shareholders (including foundations) with an opportunity to cash out at a premium and exit perfectly.

He doesn't hate those investment banks like JPMorgan Chase that betrayed their promises and switched sides to Blackstone.

He wouldn't have harbored any hatred towards Blackstone if Ron hadn't shown up.

Actually, Ron wasn't the best choice either.

Although it has abundant capital, it rose too quickly and its foundation is very unstable.

But it doesn't matter, it's enough that he doesn't get along with Blackstone.

Ron listened with great interest, without interrupting, only occasionally twirling the cigar in his hand, letting it slowly roll between his fingers.

After Barron finished speaking, silence lingered between the two for about ten seconds.

Ron's lips twitched first, not in a smile, but in a slightly amused way, as if he found something genuinely funny.

"Mr. Hilton, you don't mean to ask me to help you take Hilton back from Blackstone Group, do you?"

"NO NO NO..." Barron shook his head and laughed, "Leaving aside how high the probability is, I have a certain understanding of the rules of the game on Wall Street. This level of confrontation will not happen easily, nor is it in your interest."

Ron didn't respond, but simply leaned back on the sofa and listened to him continue.

"What I mean is, if you think Hilton Hotels has a bright future, I can help you get a certain amount of equity, and even provide some bridge financing."

It sounds like the mindset of a vengeful old man.

Having one's life's work and family honor stolen, it's understandable to take some extreme actions.

However, Ron still didn't believe it would be that simple. He asked directly, "What are the conditions? I don't believe you're just doing this to retaliate against Blackstone. At least, Blackstone didn't go too far when they acquired it."

Compared to the methods of other Wall Street giants, such as breaking up companies into parts, emptying pension accounts, and driving founders to the brink of despair, Blackstone Group's acquisitions were relatively mild.

Hilton Hotels was acquired at a 40% premium, and Barron personally cashed out one billion dollars.

Barron smiled and looked at his granddaughter on the balcony, saying, "Ron, you're not married yet, are you? Although Nikki used to be a bit of a playboy, I believe she will definitely be a good wife in the future."

"????"

Ron first looked at Nikki's profile on the terrace, lingering for less than a second.

Then he stood up decisively and neatly: "It's late."

He reached for his coat draped over the armrest of the sofa: "Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Hilton. I'll take my leave now."

Barron looked completely taken aback, probably not expecting Ron to react so strongly to the marriage proposal.

Ron didn't give the old man a chance to speak at all, and directly shouted towards the balcony:

"Meghan, didn't you want to see a movie? Let's go."

"A movie?" Megan Fox reacted almost instantly, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "Okay, honey."

Then, apologetically to Nikki, he said, "Nikki, let's go shopping sometime, bye!"

Before the last syllable of "拜" had even finished, she had already crossed the threshold of the terrace.

The two left the Hilton home without any hesitation.

Barron stood at the door, watching the car disappear into the night sky, speechless for a long time.

Nikki, standing beside him, asked with concern, "Grandpa, he didn't agree?"

Barron remained silent.

This made Nikki even more puzzled: "Why? Doesn't he know the value of the Hilton Hotel? Or is he afraid to offend Blackstone Group?"

Barron shook his head slightly; he also couldn't quite understand why Ron had left so decisively.

Neither the grandfather nor the grandson realized that Ron simply didn't like Nikki.

Or rather, Nikki's private life is considered quite normal by these old-money families.

Almost all the sons of chaebols, without exception, had a rather wild youth.

Alcohol, gambling, drugs, women, late nights, and those mornings when you wake up in a strange room the next day.

In Lao Qian's dictionary, these aren't called stains, they're called adolescence.

Once on the bus, Ron finally couldn't hold back and cursed:

"Fuck! What do you mean 'a little bit of fun'? That's a gang! What's the difference between that and a streetwalker?!"

Although he himself wasn't exactly a saint, especially after becoming a tycoon.

But this does not mean that you should marry a woman with an extremely chaotic private life.

I'm already so rich, don't I have the right to ask my future wife to be simple?

However, he is still interested in the Hilton Hotel.

【2013年12月12日希尔顿在纽交所上市，开盘价21.30美元，市值195亿美元】

This is the message I received just now while listening to Old Barron's indignation.

That's why Ron left so decisively.

He cannot become a tool for Barron's revenge.

On the contrary, he was prepared to get a share of the profits.

So he dialed David Koch's number:

"David, please tell them that I can crash the market and accelerate the negative news. Alternatively, we can cooperate with them, or pretend nothing happened, provided they have the preferred shares converted from Hilton Hotel's subordinated debt."