Chapter 222: Let's Go to Hell Together

A monthly labor expenditure of three hundred thousand.

Carter, lighting up another cigarette, was still taking stock of his current financial situation. Without considering expenses, both banks generated around six thousand dollars on average each month through interest on past loans and fees from acting as intermediaries in settlements. If not for their ability to meet reserve requirements, Carter might as well have labeled these two banks as non-performing assets, as they were currently the poorest-performing enterprises under his name.

However, Carter was prepared for this and wasn't particularly surprised.

HT's No.1 store on Highway 23 and No.2 store in Pearson were currently profitable. The No.1 store, operated solely by himself, was also balanced with 20% equity transferred to HT Company by Carter, netting him $40,000. The store's revenue, with daily sales averaging over four thousand, even after a decrease in customers due to rising oil prices, had been steadily increasing its reputation along the Georgia section of Highway 23. With a daily gross profit of $2,000, it earned over $60,000 per month. After deducting utility bills and the share given to HT Company, Carter pocketed over $46,000. Sales at the No.2 store were even higher, but due to the money temporarily held by HT Company, Carter couldn't access the revenue.

The gas station generated about twenty thousand a month, while the repair shop barely scraped by, barely making five hundred after paying wages. And according to Trew Foley, that was because they primarily repaired large vehicles.

Calculating it all together, excluding labor costs, Carter was currently generating around $60,000 in revenue per month. But with a minimum labor expenditure of three hundred thousand, at least until HT stores were operational, Carter had to personally bear the burden of these expenses to avoid using HT's development funds.

With $28 million in cash, $10 million had been consumed by HT Company, the logistics company, and the food company, with $7 million going to loans and wages. Carter was also about to subscribe to $2 million worth of shares in the Tiger Fund to support Julian's entrepreneurship. Subtracting all this, Carter had less than $9 million in disposable cash.

Of course, if the cash deposits in the bank were added, the disposable funds still exceeded $10 million. But these expenses weren't over yet. HT's special loan still had room to increase, requiring a reserve of nearly $3 million. Plus, he needed around $800,000 in reserve funds to maintain the normal operation of a $1 million credit line for credit card transactions. Add in the imminent investment of three hundred thousand in the construction company, and another four million were gone. There was also nearly $1 million in wages to reserve for the next three months, and when the new citizens arrived, they would need to apply for mortgages.

"I was thinking about making some business investments, but how am I supposed to invest with this?" Carter, feeling a little tight on funds, shook his head as he left the bank. His mood wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible either. After all, this financial calculation didn't include the cash deposits in the bank. If that amount was factored in, then Carter's financial situation was actually pretty good!

Meanwhile, in the Barclays Bank, there erupted a heated argument.

"Why aren't we allowed to settle early? Barclays Bank is too overbearing; I've never heard of such terms in a loan agreement!"

"Yeah, not allowed to settle within five years. This is a tyrannical clause!"

In the bank lobby, a group of people, red-faced and angry, were banging on the bank counter, pointing at the loan contracts on the desk, and berating Barclays Bank for its tyranny.

"What do you mean 'tyrannical clause'? Not allowing early settlement is because we need to make a living too! Who doesn't know what you're up to? Taking this loan and going to Pearson next door, then borrowing another loan from there to repay us. How can such a good thing exist? For no reason, why should we lend you our money for free?"

The logic that Goodman speculated on wasn't lost on the others. With the difference in interest rates, they knew what would happen. When Barclays Bank raised rates but the neighboring Forest Bank remained silent, the people could guess the scene unfolding before them.

When modifying the loan agreement, the bank tellers had also been informed in advance: if all these people ran away, Barclays Bank's earnings would decrease, and your wages...

Under this conflict of interest, the bank tellers naturally lacked patience with these "troublemakers" who might reduce their salaries.

"It's not for free! Where did we ask you to lend it to us for free, interest-free! Until the outstanding debt is settled, we'll pay the interest as usual. Is there a problem with that? Settling early can also prevent bad debts!"

"Pavel, why are you saying these things to her! I can see it now, they just want to make money, all they see is Franklin, they don't care about our lives!"

"The loan from the car factory before made us unemployed. Now they're holding back our housing loans, not letting us make a living. Is this still our Aggell Savings Bank? It's blacker than a commercial bank!"

Thinking of the difficulties during the loan application process and the deliberate harassment they faced, the dissatisfaction among the crowd grew louder. Startled by the crowd, the panicked bank tellers immediately called for security.

But this only exacerbated the conflict, or ignited it like a spark.

"Sir, please remain calm! Leave one by one."

Three sturdy security guards, with rubber batons hanging from their waists, entered the crowd. The head security guard began to disperse the crowd according to procedure, attempting to calm them down and resolve the conflict one by one.

But at this moment, the crowd, forced into unemployment due to Barclays Bank's discontinuation of loans, and now further provoked by the tyrannical clause in the loan agreement, harbored new and old grievances. To them, Barclays Bank, in this moment, was no different from the villainous organizations in movies.

When security tried to persuade them to leave and handle their business one by one, the words fell on ears filled with paranoia.

"Handle us one by one? Just to oppress us freely?"

"We can't separate! We must unite; we haven't done anything wrong! Why should we leave?!"

Some tried to remain calm and reason, while others, driven by emotion, threw empty cans at the security guards.

"I've waited a whole day without eating. I've had enough of your bullshit! If you won't let us make a living, then let's all die together! You bastards deserve to go to hell!"

As a can was hurled at a security guard, followed by a somewhat manic voice, the eyes of the three security guards suddenly narrowed.