Chapter 461: Earning Money by Changing Perspective

William used a corkscrew to open the bottle of wine, poured half of it into a decanter, and then walked over to the sofa next to Pierre with two glasses and the decanter in hand. Smiling, he said, "You're an expert. Why don't you give this wine a taste?"

"No problem," Pierre said as he held the decanter up to the light. "The color looks great, but unfortunately, it hasn't been open long enough. To really enjoy the flavor, it needs more time."

"That's fine, we have time," William replied, knowing that wine needed to breathe. While they waited, they chatted casually about the interesting history of Chantilly Castle.

After about ten minutes, with the wine still not fully decanted, Pierre, unable to resist the temptation, swallowed and poured himself a small glass. He took a few slow sips, a look of delight spreading across his face as he said, "This is truly an exceptional vintage. Every time I drink it, I experience something different. Thank you."

"Don't mention it. If you like it, I'll send you a case when you leave," William laughed.

"Thank you," Pierre replied, shaking his head with regret. "But not this time. I don't dare accept any expensive gifts during the negotiations. If it gets discovered, it could cause trouble for both of us."

Hearing this, William realized that during the ongoing negotiations, it wouldn't be appropriate to give Pierre anything valuable. "Alright then, next time at Chantilly Castle, I'll treat you to a bottle of '82 Latour."

"Haha, it's a deal!" Pierre said, feeling both pleased and relieved. "Mr. Devonshire, given your connections, you probably already know what's happening at our bank. So I'll cut to the chase," Pierre said, setting down his glass and adopting a serious tone. "We need your financial assistance to get through the most severe crisis of confidence the French bank has faced in its century-long history."

"I'm willing to help, but what's in it for me?" William replied calmly.

He wasn't about to help for free, and even if he was, the French bank might become suspicious of his intentions.

Pierre clenched his fists tightly, thinking for a moment before carefully saying, "We can sell Chantilly Castle to you for 3.5 billion USD."

"No, no, Pierre. I can help you, but that doesn't mean I'll lose my own interests in the process. We both know exactly how much Chantilly Castle is worth. I need real, tangible benefits," William said, rubbing two fingers together.

"I understand," Pierre said, nodding reluctantly. He knew full well that they were the ones seeking William's help, not the other way around. While there were other potential buyers for Chantilly Castle, none were as interested as William. Plus, they wanted to leverage William's reputation to mitigate the negative press. "So, if you agree to our price for the castle, we will issue a targeted offering of 5% of the French bank's shares to you, and you'll only need to pay 1.5 billion USD."

William smirked. "So, you've already counted the 5 billion USD I have in your bank as yours?"

Pierre spread his hands and shrugged. "You know how it is. Any potential funds are invaluable to us right now. No one would dare pass up such an opportunity—they'd be fired by the board the next day."

William quickly did the math. With 1.5 billion USD for 5% of the shares, the French bank was valuing itself at just 30 billion USD—a far cry from its current market capitalization of 70 billion. It was clear that their situation was even more dire than he had imagined. In this kind of financial crisis, banks were struggling, and if they mishandled this, the French bank could even face bankruptcy.

Otherwise, no one would be offering such a massive discount in exchange for a bailout, even if they had lost 7 billion USD.

However, this was good news for William. "Can I join the board?"

"Of course," Pierre nodded eagerly. "With a 5% stake, you'd be our fourth-largest shareholder, and naturally, you'd have a seat on the board. We'd also be very pleased to have you join us. Your success in the stock market is exactly what we need right now."

"Very good. I'll consider it seriously," William replied.

Gaining a seat on the board would secure William's influence within the bank, giving him the chance to extend his reach into its inner workings. At this stage of his life, money wasn't his primary concern. It was status and reputation that mattered most.

The French bank was well aware of this, which was why they had strategically made this offer. They knew William didn't lack money—what he lacked was legacy.

The only downside was that it could take a long time for him to recoup his investment. Still, William wasn't particularly concerned about 1.5 billion USD, and there were ways to help the bank's stock price recover.

"Alright, deal," William said after a brief moment of thought.

"Thank you!" Pierre exclaimed, standing up and shaking William's hand enthusiastically. "Thank you very much, Mr. Devonshire."

"Don't celebrate too soon, Pierre," William said coolly. "There's still the question of whether the French government will approve the sale of Chantilly Castle. That's no small matter."

"But," he added, "since we've come to an agreement, I'll authorize the use of the 5 billion USD I have in your bank. However, if the government ultimately vetoes the sale of the castle, those 5 billion USD will convert into an 18% stake in your bank to compensate for my loss."

"This… this…" Pierre hesitated, clearly troubled. "Good heavens, that's a huge ask."

After a moment of reflection, Pierre shook his head regretfully. "The board would never agree to give you 18% of the bank, and I believe the government would rather sell the entire castle to you than approve such a deal."

"What if I help you recoup part of your losses?" William suggested, thinking about the schemes he had devised against Amir Bakavi. He felt confident that he could help the French bank recover some of their losses in the stock market.

He hadn't acted personally because Amir Bakavi had targeted London for his attacks. William wanted to live peacefully in England, and profiting from national crises was a surefire way to attract trouble later.

But there were always solutions. The French bank's stock price was plummeting because they had lost money in the market. If they could regain a substantial amount, their market capitalization might not return to its 70 billion peak, but it could certainly stabilize at 50 or 60 billion.

As long as he bought into the bank at its current valuation of 30 billion USD, helping the bank recover its market value would, in turn, make William a lot of money—legally and fairly.

So, with a sly smile, William said, "I can't make any promises, but I'm confident I can help you recover at least half of your losses in the stock market."

"What?" Pierre was stunned. But after thinking about it, he realized that the reason they had wanted William on the board in the first place was because of his stellar track record in the market. They had hoped he could lead them out of this mess.

Now, with William proactively offering his help, Pierre couldn't help but feel both surprised and overjoyed. Gripping William's arm excitedly, he asked, "Are you serious, Mr. Devonshire?"

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