Chapter 1512: Accept the blood loss

These words from Phil Simon made the anger in Saren Francisco's chest rise.

Even before he came, he was mentally prepared to be acquired at a low price.

But!

He also didn't expect that Wells Fargo would offer such a low price!

and Phil Simon was clearly trying to get at the weak spot of the Bilbao Bank.

He was sure they were desperate for money right now!

However, Saren Saren Francisco had to admit that he really needed the money.

Therefore,

even though his emotions made him want to slap the table and leave, his reason kept him in check, making his butt feel like it was nailed to the chair.

Seeing this, Phil Simon couldn't help but let a slight curve form at the corner of his mouth.

This intimidation worked well!

The advantage in negotiations is in our hands!

'Mr. Simon, if you are sincere about acquiring the Schroder Group's shares, then please make a sincere offer.'

'The Schroder Group is a high-quality company, and as long as I announce it for sale, there will be plenty of buyers.'

Saren Francisco was of course unwilling to be taken advantage of like this, and continued to speak with a stiff neck.

'But the Schroeder family has no money, and the Bright Fund will only offer a lower price. As for other buyers?'

'Do you have the time to wait?'

'I heard that your bank's liquidity totals only a few hundred million dollars, and even many bank branches in Spain have suspended operations...'

Phil Simon asked mockingly after a brief statement.

'Pang!'

'This is definitely malicious gossip spread by the enemy!' Saren Francisco's face twitched as he slammed his palm down on the table and argued loudly.

But the anger in his heart was burning, and his mind was already rapidly analysing who the traitor was that had leaked such private information.

There were so many people reporting data and several people summarising data, and he felt that everyone was suspicious.

'Mr. Francisco, I'm not the only one who heard the news. We at Wells Fargo don't want to see Banco Bilbao Vizcaya completely collapse, but others may not necessarily feel the same way, especially European and even Spanish banks, right?' Phil Simon shrugged his shoulders and said something to confuse the issue with a faint smile.

'2.5 pounds per share!'

Saren Francisco's face changed colour, and after a few seconds, he took a deep breath to force himself to calm down, then looked at Phil Simon with a determined expression and offered a selling price for the first time.

'Haha, since you no longer participate in the bidding, the share price of the Schroder Group has now fallen below 2.5 pounds, and the share price will continue to fall. Your price is too ridiculous.'

'I still insist that 0.9 pounds per share is the most reasonable price.'

Phil Simon snorts derisively and continues to insist on the price.

Sallon Francisco: '...minimum 2.4 pounds per share!'

Phil Simon: "...0.9 pounds per share!'

Sallon Francisco's face is livid with anger: "...I'll give you some face, the minimum is 2.3 pounds per share!'

Phil Simon: '...0.9 pounds per share!'

Sallon Francisco was furious, his forehead bulging with veins.

...

Phil Simon's tough attitude made Sallon Francisco feel extremely uncomfortable.

But once there is a compromise, there will be countless more.

Even though the negotiation process was full of spittle, with the occasional slapping of the table, and the subordinates of both sides involved, causing the entire place to look very chaotic.

But no one mentioned leaving.

However, Wells Fargo always had the upper hand in the negotiations.

After a period of intense negotiations, Phil Simon finally refused to budge from his maximum offer of £1.32 per share, no matter what Saren Francisco and the others said.

As a result,

the negotiations reached an immediate deadlock.

There was a minute-long silence.

Both sides looked determined and showed no sign of backing down.

Seeing this, Phil Simon knew he had to use his trump card.

He looked at Saren Francisco, shook his head, then got up and said, 'Mr Francisco, it seems we shouldn't have come today. Maybe you haven't thought it through yet. Why don't we just take a few days to calm down, and when you've thought it through, if you really want to sell, you can contact us.'

'Of course, by then, the price may not be £1.32 per share!'

'The most important thing is, I hope that by then our company will still be willing to buy!'

'And you will still be able to decide whether to sell or not!'

'It's getting late, so we'll leave now!'

With that, he pushed back his chair, nodded slightly to the other subordinates who had also stood up, and led the way out the door.

Their firm and quick pace spoke volumes about their attitude.

The faces of the Bilbao Vizcaya Bank delegation were all different, and they kept looking at Francisco Salán in the middle. He, too, had a constantly changing expression, panting heavily, his hand on the table pressing down hard, veins bulging on the back of his hand.

Just as Phil Simon and the others had reached the door and were about to disappear in a second or two,

Francisco Salán finally bowed his head.

He slumped like a deflated balloon, and without putting on a brave face, he leaned back in his chair and said in a tired voice, 'Mr. Simon, please wait. I have one more question.'

Phil Simon and the others paused, then slowly turned around, but instead of walking back, they asked directly at the door, 'What is it?'

'Are you commissioned by the Bright Foundation to make the acquisition?'

Saron Francisco said slowly, his eyes fixed on Phil Simon's face.

This question had been on his mind since the beginning of the journey and was still on his mind now.

Because in the takeover battle surrounding the Schroder Group, the situation had actually been very clear from the beginning: it was a three-way battle.

The Schroder family, the owners of the Schroder Group, were struggling for funds and could barely protect themselves, let alone increase their shareholding.

The bidders were Bright Capital and themselves, and both parties had a high stake.

Considering the nature of the Schroder Group as a public company, there is no room for a fourth party to intervene, nor is there any room for the fourth party to play a role.

Therefore, even if, as is the case now, Wells Fargo steps in to acquire their shares, they will still be caught in the maelstrom, and must either join forces with one of the parties or take down one of the parties in order to achieve a partial victory.

The Schroder family is not going to sell their shares.

Either Wells Fargo is confident that it can acquire the shares held by Bright Funds, or it is helping Bright Funds to acquire the shares.

If it was the former, he would be more accepting.

But if it was the latter, then his heart would ache.

After all, in order to acquire these shares, they had invested a total of 282 million pounds in capital costs.

Now if they sold at a cost of 1.32 pounds per share, the loss would be as high as 137 million pounds!

It was a shame to lose and lose money!

A proper big wronged person, the Francesco family's face was trampled on and covered in dust.

Of course, he still harboured a glimmer of hope.

If Wells Fargo really wanted to fight against Guangming Fund, then he would absolutely applaud.

As everyone knows, Wells Fargo is extremely powerful. The latest ranking by The Banker magazine shows that it is the second largest bank in the United States and one of the top five banks in the world. The American Polaris Consortium behind it is an up-and-coming top Western consortium that is very powerful in the United States. In the past few years, it has defeated several top American consortia that were much stronger than their Francisco family.

It definitely has the strength to compete with the Bright Fund, and the odds of winning may not even be small!

As for the Schroder family, an originally selected ally?

At this time, whether they live or die is completely out of his consideration.

An alliance is doomed to fail. The Francisco family is already too busy to worry about the Schroder family in the UK.

Phil Simon smiled and said, 'My task is to acquire the company on behalf of our Wells Fargo headquarters. As for whether it is related to the Bright Fund, I have not received any news yet.'

He was telling the truth, so he looked completely at ease.

Whether the Bright Fund contacted Wells Fargo headquarters was none of his business. After all, President Ermann Simmons did not tell him anything about it.

If the leader doesn't say anything, there is no need to ask, just do your job honestly.

Saren Francisco looked at him for ten seconds, as if trying to see if he was lying.

He just moved his lips a few times, but ultimately did not pursue the matter further.

The other person had denied it, and even if he really did act on behalf of the Bright Fund, there was nothing he could do if he did not admit it.

After all, it was his side that was extremely passive.

'I hope so!'

He said this with difficulty, slowly got up, and extended his right hand to Phil Simon.

Phil Simon's face immediately lit up with a smile, and he took a step back inside.

Soon, the two hands shook together.

'Happy cooperation!'

Saren Francisco forced an ugly smile on his face: 'Happy cooperation!'