Chapter 44 The Banker's Dilemma
After the company registration was completed, Hardy approached another real estate company.
"I'm planning to purchase a farm or factory, preferably near Hollywood. It needs to be spacious. Do you have any good recommendations?"
The security company needs a base for operations and personnel training, so the location can't be too small.
Hardy drove his luxury car, wearing a dazzling gold watch on his wrist. The salesperson recognized him as an important customer and treated him with exceptional respect.
"A larger place? There's a factory located in West Hollywood, though it's a bit off. The area is quite spacious, with factory buildings, warehouses, and a dormitory building that can accommodate over a hundred workers. There's also a large piece of unused land, totaling 18 acres."
"What kind of factory is it?" Hardy asked.
"It's a factory that produces plastic dolls, but their dolls are too ugly to sell, resulting in a backlog of products. The owner originally planned to produce new dolls but couldn't find raw materials due to wartime plastic restrictions. Unable to cope, the factory went bankrupt, and the bank took over. Now it's up for sale for a total of $98,500."
The price of $98,500 did seem quite high.
Given the current land prices on the outskirts of Los Angeles, 18 acres of land are only worth a little over $30,000.
The value lies in the factory building and equipment.
But paying an extra $60,000 just to take these off their hands was unlikely.
That's why this factory has been on sale for so long without any takers.
After giving it some thought, Hardy asked the salesperson, "Can you take me to see it in person?"
"No problem at all," the salesperson quickly agreed.
Riding in Hardy's luxury car with a driver named Laid in the front, the salesperson smiled and said, "This factory has been hanging around for quite some time, and the bank is getting impatient. Mr. Hardy, if you're serious about buying, I suggest negotiating with the bank. They might be willing to lower the price due to their financial pressures."
"Los Angeles City Bank, the Non Performing Assets Division management" the salesperson added.
This name rang a bell in Hardy's mind.
Looking at the salesperson, Hardy asked, "Aren't you worried that if the price comes down, your commission will decrease?"
The salesperson chuckled, "To be honest, listings from banks like these come with fixed commissions, unrelated to the price. So naturally, I hope Mr. Hardy can make the deal, that's how I earn my money."
Arriving at the toy factory, they were greeted by security guards employed by the bank to prevent anyone from secretly removing the machinery.
In a low voice, the salesperson continued, "The bank has four people taking shifts here, each earning $35 a week. Just for wages, the bank spends $7,200 a year, which totals $14,400 over two years."
The salesperson pointed out that the bank is losing money annually on this factory, providing a solid reason for negotiating a lower price.
The factory indeed had a large area. The dormitory could comfortably house hundreds of people, and the spacious factory, covered machines, Hardy checked one and found it well maintained.
Standing in the yard, Hardy contemplated.
Located in West Hollywood, it looks like a suburb now, but it will develop into a prosperous area in the future, potentially becoming an upscale community. Even without considering the factory equipment, holding onto this land for a few years could significantly increase its value.
This could be registered as the security company's headquarters, with the dormitory for new recruits to stay in, the yard for training, and the factory sealed for storage.
Buying this wouldn't be a loss.
However, Hardy wasn't going to spend over $90,000. He could certainly negotiate with the bank.
Taking the information from the salesperson, Hardy returned to the hotel residence to find Henry and Matthew.
"Do you guys remember that guy named Kevin Madeen?" Hardy asked.
Henry couldn't recall it at first.
Matthew chuckled, "Haha, Henry, how could you forget? He's your cousin, the one we knocked out and abducted at the Spanish casino, then took some goofy photos of."
Henry remembered now.
"What's up, boss? Do you want us to recover that money?" He remembered asking him to prepare some money for a ransom over a month ago.
"Not that. I recall you guys mentioned before that Kevin Madeen is the head of the Credit Department at Los Angeles City Bank."
Hardy's memory was sharp, he heard it once from Henry and remembered it clearly. The salesperson suggested negotiating with the bank staff, and he immediately thought of that guy.
Henry scratched his head, "Sounds familiar."
"I have a task for you. I plan to buy a factory for future recruits. The bank is currently selling it, and it happens to be managed by Kevin Madeen. I want you to talk to him."
"No problem, boss," Henry immediately agreed.
Hardy briefed the two on some details, and they set off in the car.
In the evening, as work hours ended, Kevin Madeen left the bank building, exchanging farewells with colleagues as he approached his parked car by the roadside.
Just as he opened the car door and got in, a figure appeared behind him, causing Kevin to startle.
"Don't move, don't make a sound," Henry said from behind.
Hearing that voice, Kevin's body trembled. He was too familiar with that voice; it belonged to one of the two kidnappers who had once abducted him.
After being released, he had nightmares for a long time, haunted by their voices.
Each time, it jolted him awake.
"Mr. Kidnapper, hello, I won't shout or call for help. Are you here to take money? I'm sorry, I only have $3,600 prepared. If it's not enough; can you give me more time? I will find a way to make up the difference."
"I'm here for something else," Henry said.
Kevin Madeen was taken aback.
"What do you want?"
He wondered if these robbers were asking him to assist in a bank robbery.
"Someone wants to buy a bankrupt factory that your bank is selling. It's a friend of my boss who wants to negotiate a lower price," Henry explained.
Relieved, Kevin realized it wasn't about robbing a bank.
"Which factory is it?" Kevin quickly asked.
"Shedigrove Toy Factory. Ring any bells?"
"Yeah, I remember."
Kevin indeed remembered the factory mentioned by Henry. A few months ago, during discussions, the non performing assets management mentioned it as a particularly hard sell. It was losing money and was categorized as an extremely non performing asset.
"At what price does your boss's friend want to buy?" Kevin cautiously inquired.
"Of course, the lower, the better."
"I understand."
"All right, someone will contact you tomorrow to handle this. Remember, the lower the price, the better. If this goes well, your debt will be forgiven."
Kevin felt relieved.
Before the robbery, they made him prepare $5,000, which was a considerable sum. Kevin was one of the higher ranking executives at the bank, earning only about $5,000 to $6,000 a year.
Succeeding in this task would essentially earn him a year's salary.
"Don't worry, I'll do my best to handle this," Kevin said.
Henry got out of the car and slipped into another nearby vehicle, which quickly drove away.
Throughout the encounter,
Kevin never dared to look back at Henry.
Only when the robbers finally left did he breathe a sigh of relief.
In reality, although the robbers hadn't come to his door, Kevin hadn't been doing well. He had been photographed, and those robbers were unpredictable, it wouldn't be difficult for them to come back for more.
That's why he didn't report it to the police, fearing retaliation.
During this period, with no contact from the robbers, Kevin had been on edge. Today's encounter actually relieved him quite a bit.
Kevin didn't start his car but instead went back to the bank building, finding a staff member from the Credit Department, asking them to carefully examine all the information on the toy factory.
He wanted to pinpoint every issue that could lower the bank's asking price.
As the head of the Credit Department, Kevin was well versed in finance and economics, and this case fell under his jurisdiction.
No one understood the ins and outs better than him.
Before, he had always tried his hardest to raise prices. This time, he was deliberately finding reasons to negotiate a lower price.
The world works in mysterious ways.