Chapter 139: The Fifth Man Meeting

In the heart of South Brighton, on the street near Old State Street, there is an ancient Greek-style financial building. Despite its magnificent architecture, few Brightonites have paid much attention to it. But in fact, this is where the Brighton Federal Reserve Bank is located.

Just from the name, it is not difficult to imagine its relationship with the Federal Reserve. In fact, when the Federal Reserve was first established, it established a system of twelve branches across the country according to the geographical division of the consortia at the time. The Brighton Federal Reserve Bank is undoubtedly a branch of the Federal Reserve controlled by the Brighton consortium, which is used to control the financial order of the entire New England region.

But even so, the Brighton Federal Reserve Bank, which has always been ignored by ordinary people except for interest rate hikes and cuts, has been ignored. However, this was all broken on November 21.

As the subprime mortgage crisis in Brighton intensified, the Brighton Federal Reserve Bank could not help but become the focus of attention. After all, as a branch of the central bank of the United States, the Brighton Federal Reserve Bank is responsible for formulating the region's monetary policy and supervising financial institutions in the region, and the subprime mortgage crisis is undoubtedly within their jurisdiction. In fact, a week after the subprime mortgage crisis broke out, the Brighton Federal Reserve Bank set up an investigation committee to try to intervene in the subprime mortgage crisis.

It cannot be denied that the Federal Reserve Bank of Brighton's efforts to help Brook Investment find equity buyers and help find a way to secure loans did improve Brook Investment's situation, but it was James's final blow of the deficit that directly brought Brook Investment to its knees.

From the morning of the 21st, a large number of reporters gathered in front of the Federal Reserve Bank of Brighton, as the meeting on the rescue of Brook Investment, initiated by the Federal Reserve Bank of Brighton, was to be held here today.

'Dear audience, it has been ten days since the fraud of Brook Investment was exposed. During these ten days, Brook Investment has been jointly sued by many investors, including Goldman Sachs, demanding that Brook Investment immediately return 600 million investment funds. At the same time, other creditors of Brook Investment have also demanded repayment of their debts. This pressure has undoubtedly pushed Brook Investment to the brink.'

'However, Brook Investment Company is after all a relatively well-known investment company in Massachusetts and the most important company owned by Senator Brook. Therefore, at the initiative of Senator Brook, the Massachusetts government and Brighton Bank jointly launched a rescue plan for Brook Investment Company. Therefore, today, all senior executives in the financial industry in Brighton will hold an emergency meeting here to discuss matters.'

As the reporter was enthusiastically explaining things in front of the Federal Reserve Bank of Brighton, someone suddenly exclaimed, 'That's the governor's car, and there's the CEO of Brighton Bank. It seems that the state government is serious this time.'

"Not only Brighton Bank, but also the CEOs of Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, and six other top banks in Switzerland. It seems that Brook Investment Company is really very important, otherwise it wouldn't have alarmed so many big companies. Is the subprime mortgage crisis just going to cost taxpayers money this time? But no matter what, today's Federal Reserve Bank of Brighton gathering will be an unprecedented event with so many people in attendance!"

Meanwhile, as the centre of all attention, Brook had already arrived at the Federal Reserve Bank of Brighton. He was in an office on the third floor.

He appeared to be very disdainful of the noise of the reporters downstairs, but the disdain on his face was fleeting, because the door to the room was pushed open and Kristal, the patriarch of the Adams family, walked in.

'Sir, you've finally arrived. I'm very sorry for the trouble I've caused you. I understand that this time it was all my negligence that allowed that Chinese person to come into my company and meddle. I have an inescapable guilt.

(This chapter is not yet finished, please turn the page) But I beg you to still save me. As long as Brook Investment Company can be saved, whether it is a bank's acquisition of shares or a loan guaranteed by the state treasury, Brook Investment Company can be brought back from the dead!'

Brook went on to say, 'Perhaps Brook Investment is not a company with a long history, but its role in Massachusetts is irreplaceable. More importantly, if Brook Investment goes under, it will have an unpredictable and disastrous impact on the market, and it will even affect the reputation of the Adams family. People will say, 'Look, the companies supported by the Adams family are going under, it seems that the Adams family is also going downhill.

'If that really happened, I would be heartbroken, and my sin would be even greater. So, Mr. Christo, I beg you to help Brook Investment Company, please...'

Before Brook could finish, Cristo waved his hand: 'Okay, Brook, don't say anymore. I have brought you six top bank executives today, including the CEO of Brighton Bank. They are in the meeting room next door. Go and talk to them. I think your predicament requires you to go and talk to them yourself, and I...need to go to another meeting.'

Brook certainly understood what Christo meant. All those meetings with the CEOs of the banks were just a pretence. Perhaps these bankers were already seen as being above the common people and the media, as the controllers of the financial order. But in fact, in the eyes of the real financial groups, they were just spokesmen, puppets put out there by the groups to do their work.

Therefore, going to a meeting with those bankers on your own was just a formality. What was really important was the meeting Christo was going to attend.

Brooke could guess that the meeting would probably only be attended by a few people, and he understood that he was not qualified to attend the meeting that would really determine the fate of Brooke Investments. But there was nothing he could do about it. After all, the real power in the world was always in the hands of a very few people, and the rest of the people were just ants waiting for someone to decide their fate.

It was precisely because of this insider knowledge that when Brooke heard Christo say this, he immediately politely said, 'Yes, sir, I won't take up any of your time. I hope you can have a better result.'

Compared to Brooke's attentiveness, Christo didn't say anything, just nodded, and then left the room.

Christo went upstairs to another room, a very luxurious meeting room, where Governor Edward, Harvard President Lawrence, and Louis were sitting. As Christo walked into the room, the four families that controlled the Brighton Consortium were all present.

Christo came to his seat and sat down. He glanced at the other three and said, 'Gentlemen, since the subprime mortgage crisis broke out, this is the first time we have sat down to talk face to face. This means that things have reached a point where they must be resolved. As the representative of the Candini, Lawrence and Lowell families, I know that you must all have your own ideas, so let's get them out today.'

Edward, Lawrence and Lowell looked at each other, and finally Edward said, 'Mr. Christo, I don't think this is the time to start.'

Christo was very surprised: 'Not the time to start? I don't understand what you really mean. The four of us are already sitting here. As I said, due to the worsening of the subprime mortgage crisis, we must come to a conclusion today, for better or for worse. Are you going to drag this on, thinking that the four of us are not enough, or is someone else coming?'

'You are right, Mr. Christo. Governor Edward said that because there is a fifth person coming,' said Louis.

Christo was stunned.

(The chapter is not yet finished, please turn the page.) He looked at the three of them in disbelief. He never imagined that a casual remark of his would become a reality. How was this possible?

For half a century, only these four families have controlled the Brighton Consortium. Now, whether it is the Brighton subprime mortgage crisis or the problems with Brook Investment Company, they are all internal issues of the consortium. So it should be discussed by the four of them. How could there be a fifth person? Is it the Balbo family, who have already been removed from the list, or are they colluding with other consortia to betray the Brighton Consortium?

As if he could read Christo's thoughts, Lawrence said to him, 'Don't worry, although we haven't liked you for a long time, we still belong to the Brighton Consortium. The consortium controls so many industries that we cannot give up, so you don't have to worry about us betraying the consortium.'

'I have no doubt about that, so why is there a fifth person? Don't you think it's strange that a stranger would come to a meeting that will determine the future financial direction of Massachusetts and even the entire New England region?' Christo said.

'It does seem strange,' Edward quickly changed the subject, "but this person is different, because what we are about to discuss concerns him greatly. We can even say that without him, there would be no meeting like this. And most importantly, this person is not a stranger, at least not to the four of us here."

As Christo listened to Edward's words, a very bad feeling suddenly arose in him.

Then the door to the meeting room opened again and a Chinese man strode in. He walked up to the table and, without sitting down, smiled and extended his hand to Christo: 'I presume you are Mr. Christo, the head of the Adams family? I am Ming Zhou. Perhaps you have heard of me somewhere.'

But Christo just looked at the hand that Ming Zhou had extended and said: 'So you are the Chinese Ming Zhou? I am surprised that you were able to infiltrate this meeting.'

'In addition,' Christo added, "I am a germaphobe and generally do not shake hands with servants."

Zhou Ming was not angry when Christo rejected his face, but just shrugged his shoulders uselessly and said, "I see. I used to have a dog, and when he was in a bad mood, he would not allow anyone to touch his tail either."

As soon as Zhou Ming's words fell, Christo slammed his hand on the table and said, 'What are you talking about, Chinese? Do you believe you won't be able to leave this door today!'

Zhou Ming laughed, and then sat down in his chair and said, 'Of course I believe what the head of the Adams family said, but what's the point?'

Faced with Zhou Ming's sarcasm, Cristo's anger flared up even more. At this time, Edward Lawrence and Louis immediately got up and became peacemakers. In the face of the three men's persuasion, Cristo said, 'It doesn't matter what happens to this meeting, but someone with no education like this must be taught a lesson!'

'A lesson? It seems that Mr. Christo has really been out in the world for a long time, and he has become foolish. I'm afraid he doesn't even know how the subprime mortgage crisis broke out, and who is in control now.' Zhou Ming said with meaning, "Of course, after all, Brooke is just an outsider, and Mr. Christo doesn't care about him at all, let alone his own credibility, right?"

I don't know if it was the persuasion of Edward Lawrence and Louis that worked, or if Zhou Ming's scolding woke him up, but in any case, after a while, Christo calmed down.

Christo said to Zhou Ming, 'Chinese, it doesn't matter if you stay, let me show you what true control is.'