Reborn in America: Starting as a California Resident

Gazing at the scenery rushing past the window, a sense of doubt arose in Henry's mind—this road was clearly not the way home.

Gloria, who was standing nearby, heard his question and replied directly, "That's right, this isn't the way home."

Paul and Gordon heard you're back and want to meet you.

The Paul mentioned here is not Henry's grandfather, but his third uncle, Paul II.

The Getty family, starting with Paul Getty, is divided into four bloodlines (excluding the youngest son, Tim, who died young). Each of them is a half-brother, and their relationship with each other is not close.

Among them, the eldest son George's branch once occupied the core position of the family, but with Gloria's divorce from George and his suicide, Henry and his family gradually drifted away from the core circle of the family.

However, even so, they are not the worst off in the Getty family.

In contrast, the second son, Gene, had a much more difficult fate.

His mother, Aldoff, caused a huge uproar during her divorce from Paul Getty. She deliberately gave birth to Gene before Paul married his fourth wife, Anne, in an attempt to gain more of the family fortune.

Paul Sr. was extremely dissatisfied with this behavior, so much so that he specifically removed Gene's right to inherit the family trust fund in his will.

The only saving grace was that Paul Getty's mother, Sarah, had compassion for Gene and gave him four times the returns of his other brothers through the Sarah Trust.

Although this income was quite substantial, it still seemed insignificant compared to the enormous wealth enjoyed by his other brothers.

Therefore, the second son's lineage has the weakest presence in the Getty family.

As for the third son, Paul II, his situation was slightly better than that of his two older brothers.

Paul Getty had high hopes for him, seeing him as the successor to the family business.

He had specially arranged a $100-a-month job as an oil worker for his son, hoping that he could start from the bottom and eventually take over the vast Getty Oil empire.

Unfortunately, John Paul II yearned for freedom and had no interest in the tedious oil industry, preferring instead to be with beautiful women and seek thrills.

She has been married twice and had numerous relationships.

His first wife was Abigail Harris, the daughter of a San Francisco federal judge and a water polo champion. The marriage lasted eight years, and they had two sons and two daughters.

Ultimately, however, John Paul II fell in love with his second wife, leading to the end of the marriage in 1964.

His second wife was Dutch actress and model Thalyss Pohl.

The two became addicted to drugs together while traveling abroad.

In order to overcome her addiction, Thalyssa separated from John Paul II in the third year of their marriage and lived alone with her son Tara.

For reasons unknown, Talisa formally filed for divorce two years later.

King Paul II refused to accept this and insisted that she come to Rome for further discussions.

Unfortunately, three days after Thalisa arrived in Rome, she was found dead in her apartment. An autopsy revealed that she had alcohol and barbiturates in her system.

Rumors circulated that Thalyssa may have died accidentally from a drug overdose after reuniting with John Paul II and relapsing into her old addiction.

Italian police asked John Paul II to cooperate with the investigation, but he was addicted to drugs and feared being accused of manslaughter, so he chose to flee to England and never set foot on Italian soil again.

In the days that followed, Paul II was consumed by deep guilt over Thalissa’s death, suffered from severe depression, and became increasingly dependent on medication.

Until 1973, his son, 16-year-old Eugene Paul Getty—the Getty III—was kidnapped in Italy, and the kidnappers demanded a ransom of $170 million—just one-tenth of the $1700 million ransom mentioned in the movie.

However, to everyone's dismay, King Paul II, having been idle for so long, was simply unable to pay the ransom.

He had no choice but to turn to his father, Paul Getty;

However, the latter rejected the request, claiming that if the ransom was paid, the other fifteen grandchildren in the family (the youngest granddaughter Christina, born in 1975, is Paul's seventeenth recognized grandchild and the daughter of his second son Gene) would also face the same danger.

When the Getty family did not respond for a long time, the kidnappers assumed they were waiting for an opportunity, so they cut off one of Getty III's ears as a threat and raised the ransom to $320 million.

Faced with this situation, Paul II was in great distress and repeatedly pleaded with his father for help.

Ultimately, Paul Getty relented and agreed to pay a ransom of $220 million (the maximum amount he could deduct from taxes), and lend the remainder to John Paul II as a loan at an interest rate of 4%.

After some negotiations, the kidnappers finally released Getty III, who only had one ear, for a "discounted price" of $290 million.

Following this incident, Paul III began a period of decline and inaction.

At the age of 17 (1974), he married a German woman named Gisela after she became pregnant, violating the provision in his parents' divorce trust that "he could not marry before the age of 22," and thus lost his inheritance rights.

Following the kidnapping, John Paul II developed a deep aversion to his family's money-first principle, chose to reside in England for an extended period, and did not return to attend Paul Getty's funeral.

Even so, Paul Sr.'s love for him remained unwavering, and he still allowed him to inherit most of the family's cash and European assets.

Today, John Paul II is a renowned English book collector and cricket supporter.

The reason for his return is that Henry's trip to the island was too high-profile, and the Getty family urgently needed him, the pillar of Europe, to return and stabilize the situation.

Henry's gaze fell on his mother, who had recently declared she was going on a trip to Antarctica: "Mom, why are you in such a hurry to come back this time? You wouldn't be thinking of...?"

"Yes, I'm back to settle scores with Gordon!"

Gloria noticed the doubt in her son's eyes and nodded in confirmation.

"He went too far this time, dragging you into the vortex of world politics at such a young age!"

Doesn't he know that your father only has one son?

I have to get an explanation from him!

Her voice was firm and angry, and her gaze, seen through the car window, seemed to penetrate the city's hustle and bustle and reach Gordon's heart.

Not long ago, she was furious when she learned that the entire American upper class wanted Henry to represent them on the island.

However, Gordon had already taken it upon himself to agree to the action on behalf of the Getty family.

Faced with a situation that was already set in stone, she was almost powerless to resist.

Although the matter is now in the past, she still needs to show her tough stance to prevent Gordon from taking matters into his own hands again and using her child to satisfy his own interests.

Henry felt a mix of emotions as he looked at his mother's slightly agitated expression.

In the past, my mother was always known in the Getty family for her gentle and virtuous image. What made her become the way she is now?

Perhaps, since George's death, as the sole patriarch of the family, she has had to navigate the complex power struggles within the family to protect its interests and show her strongest side.