The Tyrant Billionaire

"The other two spots are taken by Rockefeller and Citigroup."

The attendees, who were all leaders of other businesses within the California Consortium, immediately grasped the significance of Giannini's words.

The Marshall Plan involved over $22 billion in funding a massive business opportunity. They could sell a large volume of goods and invest in Europe, often in projects at the national level. Getting involved would mean substantial profits.

Hardy, as one of the leaders of the three teams, had the authority to decide whether the California Consortium could participate.

"I called you here to discuss Hardy's situation. Let me share my thoughts. Although Hardy previously joined the consortium, he was merely an external partner. I think it's time to take a step further and bring him into the consortium's core."

No one objected.

Everyone present understood the benefits Hardy could bring to them, given his current position. Discover hidden content at empire

If they joined the European inspection team, their companies could secure massive orders, provide loans, and invest in Europe. This would lead to a significant increase in their companies' assets—a dream for any capitalist.

Previously, they had supported Dewey to gain such opportunities. Now, Hardy was offering them even more than they had hoped for. They couldn't afford to pass this up.

"Is this information confirmed?" someone asked.

Giannini replied calmly, "I spoke with the Rockefeller side by phone this morning. The Rockefeller president told me they are forming a team and selecting consortium companies that are suitable for investment in European countries."

"How much can we secure?" another person asked.

"Hardy said there's no cap, the amount of investment depends on each team's capability," Giannini explained.

Everyone was pleased to hear this. Even though they couldn't compete with Rockefeller or Citigroup in terms of capability, having no strict limit was far better.

At this point, someone asked, "Should we shift our political support for the presidential election?"

Giannini looked at the speaker and shook his head slightly. "There's no need to publicly declare support, and it's not necessary right now. Hardy is already out in front, securing benefits for us, isn't he?"

Everyone agreed this made sense.

"I support bringing Hardy into the core," said the chairman of Northwest Bank, the first to speak up.

"I agree," the chairman of Security Pacific Financial Corporation nodded.

"I agree too."

"Agreed."

After everyone expressed their agreement, Giannini said, "Now let's discuss the percentage of shares we should offer Hardy."

The core of the California Consortium was Bank of America. The core level consisted of several families and companies holding shares in the bank: the Giannini family, Western Bank Corporation, Security Pacific Corporation, the San Francisco Consortium, Crocker National Corporation, and others.

The Giannini family held the most shares, with 23%, while the other families and companies each held around ten percent.

Bringing Hardy into the core meant giving him shares in Bank of America, allowing him to truly participate in the decision making process of the consortium and help determine its direction, rather than being merely an external partner responsible for generating revenue.

"How about 5%?" someone suggested.

"I think that's too low. If we can't offer Hardy something attractive, he could easily hand over the European investment opportunity to someone else, which would be a severe blow to us. We need to make a more enticing offer," another person argued.

"At least more than 10%, otherwise, Hardy won't be interested. I've always seen Hardy as a forward thinking investor, and I believe he can play a bigger role in the consortium's future," another added.

If Johnson were re-elected successfully and remained in office for four more years, Hardy would undoubtedly secure more benefits than he currently had. They needed Hardy's political connections.

Just as the mafia families were willing to spend money to buy the old godfather's political influence, they were willing to pay for Hardy's political resources.

After their discussion, they decided to offer Hardy a 12% stake in Bank of America. This percentage was neither too much nor too little; it was a mid level share they believed would be enough to satisfy Hardy.

Previously, no one had taken Hardy seriously. To them, having Hardy join was just about strengthening the consortium. But now, they had to consider Hardy's opinions because he possessed something they needed.

You only have value in others eyes when you have something they want.

Hardy was staying at Bill's apartment in San Francisco while Bill was in Los Angeles, comfortably making himself at home.

Ring, ring, ring!

The phone rang. Hardy's assistant picked it up, exchanged a few words, then approached Hardy and said softly, "Mr. Hardy, Mr. Giannini has requested your presence. Several directors of the consortium are there, and they would like to discuss something with you."

Hardy sensed that things were moving in his favor.

When Johnson mentioned the European investment team plan, Hardy had been strategizing how to maximize this opportunity.

After weighing his options, Hardy concluded that partnering with the California Consortium was most advantageous. Of course, he also needed to ensure the consortium paid a price that would satisfy him.

Hardy returned to Giannini's estate and met with several key figures of the California Consortium. After greeting everyone, Hardy took a seat.

He was now on equal footing with these people, no longer just an external partner.

This was significant.

Take the California Consortium, for instance. With Bank of America at its core, the true inner circle comprised a few key figures holding shares in the bank. The hundreds of other companies were merely partner enterprises.

The Rockefeller Consortium, for example, had dozens of small families within it and hundreds more companies on the outside. Still, the core undoubtedly remained the Rockefeller family, as was the case with other large consortia.

"Hardy, could you give us more details about the inspection team's plans?" asked the chairman of Crocker National Corporation.

"Certainly," Hardy began.

"President Johnson believes that the government shouldn't be the only source of this help to Europe. The private sector may be quite important. Right now, everything in Europe is missing, which creates a fantastic chance for everyone to make money. The government aid funds those countries will inevitably convert into goods.

Globally, the only country that can provide such a volume of goods right now is the U.S. So, we can earn back that money, and it would also stimulate the domestic economy a triple win."