Everyone was thinking.
This was a game, a gamble, but it was not a card game!
There was only one round here, and the win or loss was not just the metal or other material chips on the table.
You had to bet your everything. This was indeed not an easy choice, and it required not only money, but also courage, so Lance did not rush them.
He smoked his cigarette and waited quietly.
Taking over the dock management company, taking over the shares of the port and docks, seemed to be simply supporting the war between Mayor Williams and the original interest group.
But in fact, there were deeper reasons behind this.
This world was always changing, the change of day and night, the change of the four seasons, the old neighbors leaving, new neighbors coming…
At every moment, everything was undergoing changes that we could understand, or that we could not understand.
Human relationships are also like this.
For so many years, the Williams family and the Wade family had been opposed to each other and cooperated with each other. With the Bay Area and the Five Families, they had formed a stable triangular system of the ruling class of Golden Port City.
But as Mayor Sidney wanted to make a last-ditch effort, he broke this stable system, and the relationship within Golden Port City changed.
The Williams family and the Bay Area maintained their independence while relying on each other. The Five Families split because of the mayor’s decision. In the end, the entire city once again became “three parts.”
With the fall of the mayor in the struggle, the Five Families fell into internal strife, the Lance Family began to rapidly expand and rise, and an irreconcilable conflict appeared between the Williams family and the Bay Area, continuing to maintain a state of “tripolar confrontation.”
Now, Lance and Mayor Williams had formed an “alliance.” They were going to deal with the interest group of the Bay Area and completely pave the way for the Williams family to seize interests in Golden Port City.
The relationship here had once again changed.
The Williams family and these people from the Bay Area were friends before, but because of the changes, the demands for interests and the conflicts, they eventually became enemies.
After these interest groups in the Bay Area were dealt with, there would only be two “forces” left in this city, the Lance Family and the Williams family.
Then in the future, would there also be conflicts, or even clashes, between the Lance Family and the Williams family because of some interest demands?
In fact, there was another possibility for development here. Lance had been thinking about this matter, which was the “Lawrence family” that he had ignored, but which was real and rising rapidly.
It was very likely to become a new “third party,” the other side of the triangle, continuing to support the stable interest and power structure.
It was just that Lance was not sure whether it could become that side now. He couldn’t guarantee it, and the three old uncles probably couldn’t guarantee it either.
If the rise of the Lawrence family was not fast enough, not strong enough, then this triangle would be fragile and unstable. The consequence would be that there would inevitably be friction, collision, and even conflict between the Lance Family and the Williams family.
So Lance taking over the dock management company and the shares of the docks was actually also a backup plan, a kind of prevention.
After all, for those people in the Bay Area, the fact that the police chief was Lance’s man was a result that they could not manipulate and could only accept.
But for Mayor Williams, he only needed an executive order, and then sign his own name, and he could immediately change the choice of the police chief.
Change to his own people, to become the sharpest weapon in his hands!
And also including other candidates, he could even protest or even accuse the prosecutor and the court, the judge, of their stance on certain issues, which would attract the attention of higher-level political forces.
Politics!
It is a series of exchanges of interests. As long as he is willing to give up some interests, there will always be people who will join the game.
In that case, Lance would only be very passive, so swallowing these things was equivalent to adding a reliable trump card to himself.
Mayor Williams was also very clear about this. His current “generosity” was to put Lance at ease, to release a signal of “look, I’m not stopping you, and I won’t deal with you in the future.”
But would he really maintain a long-term friendship with Lance in the future?
This depended on whether the core interest demands of the two people would conflict in the future. If there were no overlapping and unsolvable interest demands, then they could continue to live in peace.
If there were, then it was not necessarily that they would not be at loggerheads.
Just like the relationship between him and the Bay Area, these relationships were always changing. No one knew what tomorrow, the next step, would become.
Establishing a new interest group was also a way to protect the friendship between the two sides. At least it could make Mayor Williams cool down faster when his head got hot!
He felt his fingers getting a little hot. He glanced at the cigarette that had almost burned out and pressed it out in the ashtray.
At this time, a gentleman at the table asked, “Mr. Lance, if we… stand on your side, what can we get?”
They were businessmen after all. If they were to bet everything, they had to be given the motivation to do so—tempting interests.
Lance shook his head slightly. “The shares in these people’s hands, I will keep a part of them, and the rest will be given to you.”
“In addition, I can guarantee that you will have a certain investment quota in the New Port Terminal.”
“You have been investing in the docks for so long, you should be very clear about its value. I also believe that this is enough to show my greatest sincerity!”
The gentlemen in the room began to talk in low voices again. They were discussing how many shares they could get.
Then the gentleman who had asked the question asked again, “How many shares do you need to keep?”
Lance thought for a moment. “That depends on how many shares we can squeeze out of them.”
“If, I’m saying if, the entire dock is only held by us, then my requirement is not less than a minority (≥33.4%).”
“If we can’t get that many shares, I can appropriately lower my requirement for shareholding, but we need to sign an agreement.”
“As long as I maintain my equity, I must have a veto power.”
They began to discuss again. It was about interests, so they had to be a little more cautious.
Perhaps it was Lance’s sincerity that moved them, or perhaps the interests were really moving. In the end, they chose to accept Lance’s conditions.
“I think it’s acceptable…”
“I think so too!”
Soon everyone reached a consensus on their opinions. If a person wants to achieve a leapfrog development, they always have to take a gamble.
If they lose the gamble, it’s nothing more than taking the money, losing the shares, and then getting out. They won’t be left with nothing.
But if they win, they can embrace tomorrow!
The content of the conversation of the people in the room quickly returned to food, news, and some rumors.
Anderson and his apprentices’ skills were still not bad. Everyone enjoyed this meal very much. They had filled their stomachs for several days, and had also booked the next big meal. What else could they be dissatisfied with?
Someone was fighting to pay the bill, but they did not succeed, because the manager had waived the fee for their dinner this time, a total of more than five thousand.
Mainly some of the precious ingredients in winter, and several bottles of good wine.
But Lance still paid the money. The more status you have, the more you are unwilling to easily owe favors.
The whole plan, from discussion and confirmation to execution, would still take a few days. They needed to raise funds and to win over more people. These all required time.
After several days of gloomy weather, it suddenly cleared up. After the last snow, on a certain morning, the golden sunlight once again shone on the earth, bringing light back to Golden Port City!
From the convoy that was rapidly entering the city from outside, David looked at the dazzling sunlight with a smile on his face. “The newspapers have always said that the weather in Golden Port City is terrible, but now it seems pretty good.”
“It’s as if it’s welcoming us!”
The convoy had not changed at all when it came back as when it left, so no one would notice that they were actually different.
When they left, the cars were empty, but when they came back, they were full of people.
The old men on the side of the street saw the license plate numbers of several of the cars in the convoy, and also knew that these cars belonged to Mr. Hoff, and then reported it as usual, and that was all.
Mr. Hoff’s face showed no expression, maintaining that kind of calm and collected look. He knew that this time, no matter what, he would have to face some troublesome things at the Socialist Party congress.
Now the only thing he hoped for was that they could really deal with Lance, at least to let him keep his wealth.
Listening to David’s words about the weather, Mr. Hoff also looked out the window. He nodded in some agreement. “It was cloudy yesterday, but today it’s sunny. It’s as if it’s welcoming us.”
“This is a good omen!”
He had not believed in this before, but for some reason, at this moment, he believed it.
The convoy quickly passed through the city roads and arrived at his villa.
He arranged for these people, and then went to the study and made a phone call to Mr. Charles.
During this period, the goods of more industrial district factories had been detained at customs. No matter who asked, the reason was the same: they were suspected of violating the embargo list and had to be inspected before they could be cleared.
“Some people have gone to find Williams again. We don’t have much time left.”
A rare anxious emotion appeared in Mr. Charles’s tone. He had hidden it well, but it still allowed Mr. Hoff to detect it.
The “authority” of the Bay Area was being challenged, was being questioned by people.
The “mansion” that they and their fathers had built over several decades was collapsing bit by bit!
Before it completely collapsed, they had to get rid of the vermin that had caused all this as soon as possible.
Mr. Charles, after a brief silence, asked, “Have they arrived?”
“Yes, they have arrived. They are at my home now.”
“That is to say, besides me, you, and the people on your side, no one knows about the existence of these people?”
Vaguely sensing that the development of the situation seemed to be a little beyond his expectations, Mr. Hoff immediately asked alertly, “What are you going to do?”
(End of a Chapter)