Chapter 424: Korean Strategy
At night, on the yacht Star docked at the Avalon port, Charles and Gal Gadot lay on the deck, admiring the starry sky.
The cool sea breeze made it necessary for them to have a blanket to fend off the cold Los Angeles night. Though Gal Gadot wasn't as towering as other stars, her naturally large frame was incomparable to the petite actresses.
Their fingers interlaced, and after a brief moment of passion, Charles let out a deep breath, relaxed his hands, and leaned on Gal Gadot, saying, "Honey, shouldn't we head back to the room?"
Still recovering, Gal Gadot wrapped her arms around Charles' neck and leisurely responded, "Isn't it more natural out here?"
Charles chuckled, rolled over to lie on his back, and stared at the distant night sky dotted with stars. "Have you thought about moving to Los Angeles yet?"
Earlier, Charles had suggested Gal Gadot move from Tel Aviv, Israel to the United States and settle in Los Angeles. However, she still considered Tel Aviv her primary residence.
"My family is in Tel Aviv, but I do fly to the U.S. whenever I have something important," Gal Gadot replied, resting her head on Charles' chest, her flushed cheeks showing a peculiar charm.
"By the way, I remember an Israeli businessman was bothering you earlier this year. How did that turn out?"
Fortunately, Charles had made a move on Gal Gadot first. Otherwise, based on past experiences, she would already be married by now.
Gal Gadot reached out to hold Charles intimately, then kissed his chest and laughed, "I'm focusing on my career right now. That Israeli real estate businessman hasn't contacted me in a long time. I'm not considering other things at the moment."
Gal Gadot wasn't foolish. Getting close to Charles Capet was like climbing a ladder to Hollywood success, far surpassing Steven Spielberg.
Charles stroked her long hair and felt her modest chest, pondering how Zack Snyder would eventually choose Gal Gadot to play Wonder Woman.
In Zack Snyder's future Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman received rave reviews. Later, her portrayal of Wonder Woman would redeem Warner Bros' DC Universe's reputation.
Typically, Wonder Woman in the comics and old TV series was depicted as a voluptuous, sexy woman. Gal Gadot's modest frame was indeed surprising.
Later that night, Charles got up from the bed in the yacht's bedroom and, seeing Gal Gadot still asleep, went to the adjacent room used as a study.
He started a video call with Lily Ying, who was in Hong Kong, where it was daytime.
"Currently, the Pound-to-Dollar exchange rate has dropped, the Euro is at this level, and the U.S. bonds we bought are appreciating every day!"
Charles nodded. "No rush. Right now, international capital is flooding into the U.S. In a few months, the U.S. will print enough money to reach a saturation point. Then, to boost exports, the U.S. will devalue the Dollar to compete with the Pound, Euro, and Yen for international markets. Either way, the U.S. bonds we hold are in high demand!"
"The Dollar's up-and-down movement is really aggressive, easily shifting the crisis," Lily remarked, marveling at the world currency's dominance.
Charles smiled and asked, "How much capital does Dawn Investments have left?"
"About a billion dollars. I'm planning to invest in large properties for you. What's up?"
"Convert it to South Korean Won. The Dollar-to-Won rate is above 1,400 right now, which is high. Let us increase our stake in NHN, South Korea's largest portal site, search engine, and gaming company. Its stock price has dropped a lot this year, perfect for buying in low!" Charles already held nearly 10% of NHN shares but wanted more.
"NHN," Lily nodded. Capet Foundation's holdings in U.S. bonds allowed for significant bank loans at any time. "No problem. NHN's market value has fallen below 10 trillion Won; it might even drop more," Lily noted, checking the current value. NHN's market value had fallen from last year's peak to now.
Last year, the Dollar-to-Won rate dipped below 1,000. So, NHN's market value had dropped from about 11 billion dollars to around 6.5 billion dollars, primarily due to exchange rate changes.
Lily had to admit, using dollars to buy into the South Korean stock market while the Dollar-to-Won rate was high was a golden opportunity.
"Don't focus solely on NHN. Consider other promising companies in the South Korean market too. Opportunities like this are rare!"
After the call with Lily, Charles closed his laptop. Despite being the fourth largest economy in Asia, South Korea still had things of value.
By next year, he estimated he could sell off those U.S. bonds. Then, he planned to accumulate foreign exchange reserves while Pound and Euro rates were low.
He had bank obligations in Pounds and Euros to repay and wanted to increase his investments in Europe. In recent years, he hadn't invested enough in Europe.
He also wanted to increase his stake in the LVMH Group. A mere 1% was too little. With the luxury craze on the rise, missing out on this opportunity wouldn't be right.
His most significant asset in Europe was the Premier League's Arsenal Club!
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