Chapter 382: Meeting

After Simon and Janet got married, Hank Pym began to show his true nature in front of Simon, just like he would with his own sons, often speaking without much politeness.

Listening to Hank Pym bluntly calling his ideas foolish, Simon did not retort but patiently explained, "Even if we encounter a continued downturn in the American economy, relying on the accumulated resources of Westeros Corporation over the past few years should be sufficient to cope."

Anthony Johnston said, "The current asset portfolio of Westeros Corporation is mostly very promising. If we need to sell these high-potential quality assets to cover the deficits caused by the acquisitions of MCA and Bell Atlantic, it would be quite unworthy."

Simon said, "This is just the worst-case scenario strategy and may not come to pass. Besides, when the time comes, it might not even be necessary to sell those assets, as Daenerys Entertainment and Bell Atlantic can also alleviate financial pressure by selling some of their shares."

Norman Johnston added, "In that case, it might be better to adopt a share exchange acquisition strategy now. Maybe not for Bell Atlantic, but for Daenerys Entertainment, given Hollywood's favorable outlook on it, a stock swap would likely be more successful than a cash purchase."

"I actually hope to use a stock swap method too," said Simon, shaking his head, "but Daenerys Entertainment is not listed, and stock swap acquisitions make valuation a very troublesome issue."

In early August, Forbes magazine valued Daenerys Entertainment at between 8 to 10 billion dollars when they calculated Simon's personal assets.

Simon believed that if listed, the market value of Daenerys Entertainment could easily break the 10 billion dollar mark, reaching possibly 15 or even 20 billion dollars.

However, in its current unlisted state, it's challenging for Daenerys Entertainment to achieve a valuation higher than 10 billion dollars for a stock swap to acquire MCA, especially with the high premium required for MCA shares, making this mode very disadvantageous for Daenerys Entertainment.

Raymond Johnston suddenly asked a somewhat off-topic question, "Simon, do you think there will still be suitable opportunities in the next few years at Cersei Capital?"

Simon knew that Hank Pym was referring to hedge fund matters.

If Cersei Capital could continue to secure large funds through operations similar to previous ones in the next few years, the massive debt risk brought by the two acquisitions would be greatly reduced.

Thinking this, Simon said, "The turbulent situation in Europe should bring some opportunities, but the future focus of Cersei Capital will shift towards private equity, asset management, and M&A consulting. The scale of the hedge funds will be reduced to about 3 billion dollars, and we will also try to avoid engaging in macro-hedging against national economies, so as not to provoke targeted government actions against other Westeros Corporation industries."

From the 1987 stock market crash to the ongoing operations in the crude oil futures market, although Simon rapidly amassed a significant fortune, he also attracted much controversy.

Now, as Westeros Corporation has laid its initial groundwork globally in industries such as entertainment, fashion, and technology, some sacrifices are necessary for these industries to develop smoothly.

Just like the 1992 British pound crisis, if Cersei Capital dared to short the pound as brazenly as Soros did, it could make a huge profit. However, the British government, while perhaps unable to do much about Cersei Capital, could make it very difficult for other Westeros Corporation industries to operate in Britain.

In the study room, filled with intelligent people, Raymond Johnston, hearing Simon speak this way, not only wasn't disappointed but nodded appreciatively, softening his tone back to the original topic, saying, "If that's the case, if you insist on initiating both acquisitions using an all-cash strategy, it would still be best to bring in partners. This would not only alleviate the financial pressure but also reduce other kinds of resistance."

"I've considered that approach, Ray. However, both companies, if MCA introduces cooperative capital, will still face valuation issues during the integration process with Daenerys Entertainment. Bell Atlantic might be suitable for this, but it's unnecessary. After all, introducing partners either solves funding issues or both parties can complement each other in technology or channels, but these aren't what I need. Westeros Corporation can fully raise the funds needed, and Bell Atlantic itself has a very strong technology and channel foundation. What I need to face are future loan repayment risks, but Westeros Corporation can fully withstand such risks."

Raymond Johnston felt Simon's firm tone, shook his head slightly, and sighed, "Simon, with a debt level in the billions, your current fortune is unmatched; you really don't need to take this kind of risk."

Simon smiled and said, "Actually, Ray, all of this, for me, is just the beginning."

Raymond Johnston paused, then patted Simon on the shoulder without further persuasion, saying,

 "Then, you and your brothers continue talking for a while."

After Hank Pym finished speaking, he was about to get up and leave first, then remembered something, and added, "Also, Simon, you and Janet should try to have a child soon. Even if you two are too busy or want to enjoy a world of two and don't have time to care for a child, you can leave it here in Melbourne; Janet's mom and I can help take care of it."

Simon nodded and explained, "Janet and I do want to have a child, but there's been no sign of it for the past half year."

Anthony Johnston asked without hesitation, "Have you guys checked, I mean, medically?"

Simon nodded, "Checked twice, no problems."

Despite Janet's resistance to hospitals, she had still undergone checks with Simon in private.

Norman Johnston also expressed concern, "Maybe you could try IVF?"

Simon shook his head, "Janet and I plan to wait and see; it's hard to say whether IVF technology is truly safe."

Between the men, such matters ultimately weren't convenient to discuss too much.

Raymond Johnston sighed, stood up from the sofa, stopped Simon and his sons from getting up, and said, "You guys keep talking, I'm going to rest." As he walked past Simon, Hank Pym patted his shoulder again, saying, "It's okay to play around, but don't get involved with other women; Janet would be heartbroken, and it would be a big trouble for you too."

Simon, hearing this, looked somewhat awkward, not knowing how to respond, but fortunately, Hank Pym didn't wait for his reply and left the study.

Anthony Johnston and Norman Johnston, looking at Simon's expression, both smiled, with Anthony saying, "Don't mind it, Simon, Dad gave the same warning to us brothers too. In a family like ours, if such things really happened, it would indeed be very troublesome."

Simon could only force a smile and nod.

The three of them continued to discuss topics related to the Seventh Television Network and telecommunications investments until nearly eleven o'clock when everyone dispersed to rest.

The next day, early in the morning, Simon set off to return to North America.

Time unknowingly reached late October.

The last week of October became one of the most talked-about topics, undoubtedly due to the release of the Forbes global billionaires list following the North American 400 richest list.

Without any doubt, Simon topped the global billionaires list with a net worth of 21 billion dollars. The second place, a Japanese real estate tycoon, had his net worth slide down to 16 billion dollars, a full 5 billion dollars less than Simon.

It's worth mentioning that the Johnston family also entered the list with a family asset valuation of 3 billion dollars, ranked 36th.

However, because the Johnston family has always been quite low-key, and the family members' shares are fairly dispersed, this number is actually underestimated by at least 500 million dollars. If it weren't for the Johnston family's sudden display of strength by directly buying Australia's Seventh Television Network with 800 million dollars in cash, this asset valuation might have been even lower.

On the North American side, despite the release of the Forbes global billionaires list and increasingly certain news of Daenerys Entertainment's involvement in the bidding for MCA, the new week began with several mainstream media on the East and West coasts almost simultaneously reporting on a bill submitted by Congressman David Melrose to limit foreign investors from acquiring American companies, specifically mentioning the need to curb the excessive involvement of overseas giants in the American cultural industry.

The controversy sparked by Sony's acquisition of Columbia Pictures last year was still fresh, so even though many knew the bill had little chance of passing, many media outlets still began to extensively report on it.

Panasonic, having publicly initiated a takeover of MCA, inevitably became the focus of this media storm.

Affected by these mixed news, MCA's stock price continued to fluctuate throughout the week of October 22 to October 26.

By the close of October 26, MCA's stock price finally settled at 65.75 dollars.

Meanwhile, on Friday, October 26, MCA's board officially passed Panasonic's adjusted total offer of 6.6 billion dollars and planned to hold an extraordinary shareholders' meeting for voting the following week.

This clearly meant that Daenerys Entertainment had to act before the MCA shareholder vote.

American East Coast.

Simon at his estate in Greenwich, Connecticut.

The date was October 29, Saturday.

A black Mercedes stopped in front of the villa, and Raymond Smith, Chairman and CEO of Bell Atlantic, still puzzled about why Westeros had suddenly invited him, got out of the car.

However, seeing the young couple coming out to greet him, Raymond Smith still showed a smile and greeted the two. Setting other matters aside, the young man who had built a huge business empire in just a few years was definitely worth meeting.

During

 the handshake and greetings, Simon was also sizing up the middle-aged man who had climbed from the very bottom to the top position of Bell Atlantic's Chairman and CEO.

Raymond Smith looked no more than fifty years old, dressed in a black suit, tall, and appeared much younger than his actual age with a square face that exuded a shrewd and capable aura. The only slightly incongruous detail was the old-fashioned, large-frame tortoiseshell glasses on his nose.

Although it was a Saturday, neither of them was the type to have much leisure time, so they had only scheduled an hour for the meeting, after which Raymond Smith had to immediately fly to Europe.

They entered the study, and Janet personally served Raymond Smith a cup of coffee and placed a glass of juice in front of Simon before turning to leave.

Raymond Smith took a sip of his coffee and, noticing the juice in front of Simon, asked with a smile, "Simon, don't you drink coffee?"

Simon shook his head, "I used to, just quit recently."

Raymond Smith didn't inquire further, set down his coffee cup, and skillfully switched to another topic, "Speaking of which, about that exclusive contract with AOL last time, I've studied the World Wide Web technology solution developed by Igneel Company, and it indeed has great potential. If it weren't for Bell Atlantic being unable to spare attention to other businesses in recent years, I actually wouldn't have wanted to sign that agreement."

Simon took the opportunity to ask, "Telephone services have already reached a bottleneck, and the federal government won't lift regulations on the telecom industry anytime soon, so what does Bell Atlantic plan to do next?"

Raymond Smith, hearing this question, studied Simon for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said, "Simon, perhaps you already know, right?"

Simon hesitated but nodded, "Mobile communications."

Westeros Corporation had already gathered enough information about Bell Atlantic, and Simon naturally knew this company's next step.

Affected by the 1984 AT&T breakup case, regional telecom companies were barred from engaging in long-distance phone services and cable TV services, and restrictions were also placed on telecommunications equipment manufacturing. Moreover, the internet industry had not yet reached a scale large enough to satisfy Bell Atlantic's appetite.

Therefore, the only major business left for Bell Atlantic to expand into was mobile communications.

In fact, Raymond Smith's upcoming trip to Europe was to examine the new generation of GSM digital communication technology gradually taking shape there. Moreover, in the original timeline, it was precisely because of Raymond Smith's early focus on the mobile communications industry that Verizon at one point became the largest mobile communications operator in America, surpassing AT&T in user size.

At this moment, Raymond Smith hearing Simon outright say 'mobile communications', felt he roughly understood the young man's purpose for inviting him today, and smiled, "Simon, I happen to know you've invested in a mobile communications equipment manufacturer in Europe, Nokia, right? And this company also has a good accumulation in the new generation GSM digital communication technology, and seems to be developing a new generation of digital phones. So, your invitation today, is it because you hope that Bell Atlantic and Nokia can cooperate in the mobile communications field?"

Simon hadn't expected Raymond Smith to directly guess the purpose of today's meeting, but smiled and nodded, saying, "If there's a chance, I certainly hope Bell Atlantic can cooperate with Nokia."

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