Chapter 365: Everything in Hand (Bonus Chapter 6)

"There's no need to rush. Even if I release the consumer technology, the cheapest price would be 600 pounds. Adding taxes and tariffs in China, that would be over 10,000 yuan. While there are plenty of people in China who could afford that, not many would be willing to buy it at that price."

"But our production costs are low, Mr. Devonshire. Something that costs 100 pounds to produce in England wouldn't cost more than 50 pounds in China. Even if you don't release the best technology, matching the current smartphone market isn't difficult for you, right?"

"That's true." William glanced up at the sky and said, "Forget it for now. We'll discuss this again in a while."7

"Alright," the professor also understood that now wasn't the right time for negotiations.

William opened the car door and stepped out, nodding at the four Chinese experts who had been waiting outside. He turned to the hotel manager, David, and said, "Take me to the meeting room where Anthony and the lawyers are."

"Yes, sir," David bowed slightly and gestured for William to follow him.

The elevator stopped on the fifth floor, and they followed David to a large conference room. As soon as they entered, Anthony and his team stood up to greet William. William smiled and asked, "Who's handling my mother's side of things? How's their level of expertise?"

"Boss, you can rest assured about Lady Lena. The person in charge is one of our firm's senior partners, who's been practicing for 20 years longer than me. When we got your request, the partners almost fought over the opportunity," Anthony said with a smirk.

"Because of the Devonshire family trust?"

"Of course, boss. While a 1.2 million-pound annual salary is rare and attractive, it's not enough to draw in the senior members of the Bar Association. If they can't break through with you, the partners won't pass up the chance to work for another member of the Devonshire family. Besides, becoming a member of the trust's executive committee brings plenty of benefits. Just thinking about the 100 million dollars the trust will distribute annually in charity funds makes even me tempted."

William chuckled but didn't comment on Anthony's suggestion. It was often better to work with someone unfamiliar, for both convenience and safety. Trusting a single lawyer with everything was risky, and while the total percentage of employers betrayed by private lawyers was small, the actual number of cases was not insignificant. "Do the members of the trust's executive committee include the lead attorney?"

"Typically, yes. But whether the attorney or accountants are included depends on the trust owner's wishes," Anthony hesitated for a moment and added, "Boss, I recommend you let Thomas Barrister join. He's one of the top lawyers in England, with 40 years of experience. If he's in charge, there will be no legal issues in the future."

"We'll see," William didn't agree immediately but looked at Anthony with some suspicion.

After working for William for so long, Anthony had come to understand him quite well. Seeing William's look, he smiled and said, "I'm Thomas Barrister's student, so I know him well. Over 7% of all lawyers in England were his students. Together with his personal influence and his network of former students, he can influence over 40% of all legal disputes in England."

"Ha, sounds like a legal monopoly," William pondered for a moment. "How much is your firm worth?"

"Seriously, boss?" Anthony was a smart man and understood William's habit of wanting everything under his control. "Is that really necessary?"

"Of course. Until now, I haven't been focused on my businesses. Devonshire Industries barely has an office larger than 100 square meters, with only two receptionists. But now I not only own Chelsea, Aston Martin, and a company with over 9,000 employees like England Electric, it's time to set up a professional advisory team."

"Okay, when you put it that way, you're right. If word got out that your main tax-paying company was just a tiny office with two receptionists and a dozen lawyers, people would laugh," Anthony thought for a moment. "Last time our firm merged with an accounting firm, we were valued at 3.8 billion pounds. It's probably around 4 billion now."

"1.5 billion pounds for a 34% stake," William said directly.

"As long as it's just for veto rights, there shouldn't be much of an issue. But does that mean all the financial matters of the trust and your companies will also be handled by our firm?" Anthony asked cautiously.

William burst out laughing. "If you want all the business, you'll have to give me 51%."

Anthony rolled his eyes. "Boss, the firm doesn't make much profit. We operate under a limited partnership structure, and only 30% of what's earned goes to the firm. That 30% has to cover the salaries of interns, non-partner lawyers, and other staff. Our annual profits barely reach 12 million pounds. Would it really make sense to spend over 200 million pounds for a company that only gives out 6 million pounds in dividends a year?"

William smiled knowingly. "I don't need the money. I can even guarantee that my share of the dividends will go to the top three lawyers and accounting teams in the firm. What I care about is that there are no legal or financial problems."

"Fine. You're the boss, and you're paying. Personally, I'm all for it, but convincing the other partners…" Anthony thought for a moment. "If you authorize me to show some of your patents and inventions to the partners, it shouldn't be too hard. After all, the whole point of a company is to make money."

"No," William refused without hesitation. He wasn't about to showcase his patents and technologies just to acquire a law firm. "If they don't agree, so be it. You can keep handling my legal issues, and we'll leave the rest for later."

"Forget about it," Anthony muttered, knowing full well that if William didn't get what he wanted, he would stop using their firm for financial matters. "Alright, boss, I'll talk to the other partners. Let's hope they aren't too short-sighted and focused only on immediate gains."

"To make real money, you need to have foresight," William said dismissively. "Anyway, enough about that. Did you finish setting up the new company I asked for?"

"It's done. Devonshire Defense Products is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Devonshire Industries, with a registered capital of 100 million pounds," Anthony handed William a file.

"Good," William pulled out his phone and began scanning the documents. Soon, Sunday reported, "Sir, the documents are in order."

With everything checked, William smiled, signed the papers, and handed them back to Anthony.

"Boss, in about three days, the new company will be officially established. Congratulations on adding another promising business to your portfolio."

"Thanks. I've sent the patent application documents for the virtual imaging tech to your secure email. Make it a priority."

"Understood."

After sending Anthony off, William asked Sunday, "Any news from the White Ghost?"

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