Chapter 314: Not Everything Goes as Planned

After Sunday conducted a thorough investigation of all the data from the independent server regarding the short-selling operation, it was confirmed that Felix and the ten traders had done everything by the book. William felt relieved. As long as there were no issues with his own team, losing out on some profit was acceptable. If the opponents had handled it well and he couldn't find an opening, there was nothing to complain about.

Calculating the profits from this short-selling campaign, William found that he had torn away $800 million from Davis, while the other $830 million came from various institutions and investors. A total profit of $1.63 billion—quite a windfall. However, despite all his careful planning, Davis had managed to slip away, which left William both dissatisfied and contemplating how to create more trouble for Davis, to prevent them from bouncing back and causing him problems in the future.

According to his original plan, after short-selling, he intended to buy up Davis shares at a low price, becoming a hidden shareholder. In a few years, he could sell them off for a hefty profit. Although being a hidden shareholder might take a long time, William wasn't short on cash and, being young, he had plenty of time to wait.

But William wasn't the only smart person in the world. Several large corporations, which had long coveted Davis's influence, were now eyeing the weakened company. 

Although Davis had been nearly driven to the brink by William, without a diamond substitute in sight, their stock price was bound to recover in a few years, possibly doubling or tripling within a decade. The reason was simple: even though people knew that diamonds were a poor investment—the ones bought for $100,000 might only sell for $50,000 later—the advertising slogan "A Diamond is Forever" was deeply ingrained in people's minds. As long as women loved diamonds, the industry would continue to be profitable.

So, many individuals and groups were now targeting Davis. 

But Davis wasn't stupid. Having survived for over a century and controlling 90% of the diamond market, they were experts at fending off hostile takeovers. With a large sum of cash left as a last resort, they were prepared for any attempts at acquisition.

Anyone eyeing Davis had to consider one crucial issue: after William's surprise attack left them reeling, Davis had now stabilized and was ready for a prolonged battle. 

If anyone tried to acquire a significant portion of Davis shares, Davis could counter by buying back shares themselves. For every ten shares the acquirer bought, Davis only needed to compete for one or two, which would drive up the stock price. Capital seeks profit, and as the stock price rises, shareholders would be reluctant to sell, waiting for the price to go even higher.

This would not only rapidly increase the acquisition cost but also make it exceedingly difficult to obtain the 33% shareholding needed for a veto power. Without that 33%, the whole effort would be meaningless.

Realizing this, William abandoned the idea of buying Davis shares at a low price. Buying a small amount of shares, investing a few hundred million dollars, would be pointless for him.

He sighed, consoling himself that not everything could go exactly as planned. Earning $1.63 billion was already a great success.

Then, an idea struck him. Since Davis was of no value to him now, why not use this situation to his advantage by giving a favor to Gareth Mallory? He could encourage the nobles to buy small amounts of Davis shares at low prices, turning them into a disruptive force. 

If these desperate nobles had the chance to legally and openly make money, they wouldn't care if Davis was a pillar of the English economy. Such a legitimate money-making opportunity would be irresistible to them, and not even the English government could stop them from profiting, let alone God.

This way, William could do a favor for other nobles and simultaneously solidify the narrative that the Davis short-selling incident was caused by the English nobility. Even if they weren't the ones who profited the most, they would be seen as the main culprits.

"Connect me to Gareth Mallory."

"Yes, sir."

The phone rang a few times before it was answered. Before Gareth could start cursing, William said, "Davis still has about $1.4 billion in cash. It's time for you to pull back."

Woken up at 4 a.m., Gareth was about to let out a string of expletives, but William's words stopped him short. The news made him choke up, and after taking a few deep breaths, he asked, "How do you know such confidential information?" Then, as if something dawned on him, he exclaimed, "Oh my God, the Duke of Devonshire?"

"Haha, are you an idiot?" William mocked, not giving Gareth an answer.

"Believe it or not, that's up to you. If I were you, I'd cash out and buy Davis shares at a low price. In a few years, they're bound to double."

"Are you sure?" Gareth asked quietly, though he was already convinced. After all this time dealing with William, he had come to trust William's judgment when it came to making money.

"I've given you the information. Whether you listen to me is your choice. As for why I'm telling you this, let's just say Davis surrendered too easily, costing me a few billion dollars. So, I want to see them suffer. If you and your noble friends get a chance to join Davis's board, it'll be quite a show."

"F*** you! Do you think I'm some fool who can be easily manipulated? You're clearly trying to set up the nobility as a target," Gareth snapped.

"No, you're not a fool," William replied affirmatively, making Gareth feel slightly better. But before he could enjoy the compliment, William continued sarcastically, "Calling you a fool would be an insult to fools. You're more of an idiot, a moron, trash, and an imbecile. The only thing you people have over fools is your greed for money."

It took Gareth a moment to recover from William's verbal assault. "F*** you, William Devonshire! Don't forget that you're a noble too."

"Which is why you should be grateful. Because I'm also one of you, I'm not planning to hold you accountable for leaking the news about the Davis short-selling to other nobles, which cost me billions."

"Pfft," Gareth scoffed. "William, do you really think I'm one of those money-crazed idiots? Leaking the news to other nobles is exactly what you wanted, isn't it? 

And let me remind you, don't underestimate the nobility. Decades of conflict and lessons have taught us how to endure and fight. The ones making the most noise right now are those on the brink of collapse, but others are hiding in the shadows, biding their time. You're not the only one who knows how to stay in the background."

William yawned, mentally scoffing at the idea of these nobles hiding in the shadows. They were only doing so because they were being squeezed so hard they could barely breathe.

"Good. It seems you're not complete idiots after all. If some of you are on the brink of collapse, you should tell them that now is the best time to buy into Davis. In ten years, if the stock hasn't doubled, they can take your last name."

"F*** you, why would they take my last name?" Gareth retorted, annoyed. "Are you sure now is the right time to buy?"

"Of course. Although the stock price hasn't hit rock bottom yet, by the time it does, you small players won't have a chance to buy in. I think you understand this simple logic, don't you?"

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