Chapter 100: The Times
[Chapter 100: The Times]
On this day, the Los Angeles Herald and the Los Angeles Times jointly released an announcement.
The Herald won a bet, and the Chandler family would sell their shares as promised. At the same time, the news reported the death of George Chandler.
When these two stories hit the headlines together, the underlying truth stirred up intrigue. Many believed that George Chandler's death was directly linked to the Times losing their bet, but what could one do? If you lost a bet and worked yourself to death over it, you couldn't blame anyone else.
What was truly remarkable was how magnanimous the Times was; they even provided a graphic of George Chandler's death... how could they even do that? Just watch George Chandler take his last breath and allow you to report on it?
Was that acceptable?
Ridiculous!!!
This bet also catapulted Ian Carr back into the spotlight as a nationwide celebrity -- he had accomplished in just four months what many thought would take a whole year. Ian Carr's prowess astounded everyone.
This time, Ian had purchased 70% of the Los Angeles Times for just $448 million, with 20% of the price transferred back through other channels.
However, the deal was not yet complete -- Gaskill was still lying in the hospital.
Without his approval, Ian couldn't finalize the loan.
---
Bernard Private Hospital.
Ian entered the hospital room with flowers in hand.
Lena was feeding Gaskill some milk.
Upon seeing Ian enter, Lena happily walked over and gave him a warm kiss. "I've seen the reports; Gaskill already called the bank, so the process will go through quickly. Max ten days to fund it!"
Ian frowned as he approached Gaskill. "You don't need to rush; you need to focus on getting better first."
Gaskill laughed from his position on the pillow. "It doesn't take much effort. You won this bet; those 70% shares alone are worth over $500 million. Even without me, there'd be plenty of banks willing to loan you money."
In this case, Gaskill's face wasn't necessary; the deal was too advantageous, easily secured anywhere.
Ian smiled, "You look a lot better today."
Gaskill smiled back, "The miracle of life indeed exists, reflected in you and in me. Perhaps I have some sort of special ability, a body that refuses to die."
"We agreed not to mention that," Ian replied with a groan.
Gaskill chuckled softly, his face twitching slightly. "No outsiders here."
Ian looked at him curiously, "What's wrong with your face?"
Gaskill murmured, "It might be nerve damage; it twitches now and then."
"Will it recover?" Ian asked, concerned.
Gaskill sighed, "Not sure, but worse is my eyesight -- my right eye has severely diminished vision."
Uh...
Did you inherit the side effects for my eyes?
Lena cut up an apple into small pieces and brought it to Gaskill's mouth. "You survived; these issues are no big deal. Don't worry, I won't hold it against you."
As she spoke, love gleamed in her eyes.
She still loved Gaskill, and she also loved Ian Carr.
Strangely enough, both men were perfectly fine with the situation; they were even pleased.
Lena felt like the happiest woman in the world!
Gaskill said, "But I still hope to recover quickly. You know, Ian, a person with a twitchy face isn't suited for the spotlight; it's not right for a chairman. Especially since they might think the bullet affected my intelligence as well."
Ian gently replied, "You'll prove that you're fine."
Gaskill added, "But if more loans are involved, that's another matter. The board might think something is off with my brain or that my relationship with you influenced the decisions."
Ian was surprised, "How do you know I need more loans?"
Gaskill chuckled, "It's not only Lena who understands you! Before the shooting, when you called me, you sounded excited, which means you have what you consider a great plan, and it's a big one."
Ian, "..."
The old fox was indeed clever; a casual comment revealed his meaning. Of course, this familiarity came from Gaskill knowing him so well.
At that moment, Gaskill said, "Come on, tell me about it; what's your plan?"
Ian replied, "Besides CBS, I plan to short the Italian Lira..."
Gaskill gasped, "Why short the Italian Lira?"
Ian thought for a moment, "Just a hunch, I know you might think I'm gambling again..."
Gaskill quickly said, "No, the stock market, currency market, and futures aren't gambling... though many people think it is, the essence is entirely different. It's not about luck; it's our understanding of the market, of businesses, and even of countries. I'm a banker; I can't categorize financial markets with gambling. My concern is whether you're sure you can win?"
Ian replied, "I'm about 80% confident."
The old man asked, "Based on your special ability?"
Ian grimaced, "Can we not mention the special ability? I don't have one, Gaskill; it's skill! I'd rather explain it as alien technology, but if you want me to show you, I'd prefer to smash your head instead... it should be pretty easy to crack open now."
Gaskill laughed, "All right, it's skill... your skill is impressive!"
Lena quietly whispered, "It really is impressive!"
Gaskill mused, "An 80% reliability sounds worth trying. Since it's not a sure thing, there's no need to raise too much capital. Like I said, Ian, I don't mind you making money in the financial market, but that shouldn't be your primary method; it's not worth draining too much energy. Investments like this must be based on a foundation that will not affect you fundamentally even if you fail."
Lena chimed in, "You really shouldn't be overthinking right now."
Gaskill chuckled, "That bullet showed mercy. It's like a mischievous child shooting a stone with a slingshot; aside from hitting the door and windows, it didn't destroy much inside, so it doesn't affect internal operations."
As he spoke, his face twitched again.
Ian nodded, "You're right; in the future, even with a hundred percent certainty, I won't put everything on the line; that's not a good habit. Financial investments can be side income, but they should never be the main focus."
Gaskill hummed in agreement, then looked at Ian, "How confident are you about that big incident?"
Ian answered, "Now I'm at 95%."
Through Katherine, Ian had gotten the address of Mohammed Atta.
He was in the United States.
Since the individual had come from Germany, it was quite likely that the situation would unfold.
So after dealing with the Chandler family matter, he sent Leyso to make contact.
Of course, if the situation hadn't come to pass, Ian wouldn't mind giving it a nudge -- after all, they were newsmakers.
However, Ian liked to produce news for other issues; for this, he didn't want to.
First, the issue was too significant, with incredibly severe consequences; if leaked, no one could save you... the notion of being powerful and doing as one pleases does have its limits.
Second, as Gaskill had pointed out, if you place your hopes of making money in a casino, you'll become addicted. If you drop all major news reliance entirely on your own creation, you could also become fixated.
Occasional news fabrication might be fine, but for such a catastrophic event, it was best not to indulge in producing it actively; being a great recorder was sufficient.
Gaskill smiled, "If that's the case, dealing with CBS will be easy. Interested in continuing the bet?"
Hearing this, Ian smiled, "Of course. I just hope they don't decline."
Gaskill said, "A good bet doesn't mean one side suffers while the other profits; rather, both should benefit."
Ian nodded lightly, "You're right, Gaskill; I'll give them an offer they can't refuse, a win-win situation."
*****
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