America 1919

But unexpectedly, Donnie didn't mention that matter. Instead, he wanted to discuss something else with them.

Thereafter, Charles Merrill made a gesture inviting Seymour Sacks to speak first.

Seymour Sacks didn't decline and asked in a resonant voice, "I wonder what kind of partnership Mr. Block is looking to discuss with us?"

Donnie explained, "I hope to take a stake in both of your companies and join your boards of directors!"

A shareholder of a company is not necessarily a member of the board, but a member of the board is definitely a shareholder. Additionally, joining the board means gaining entry to the company's decision-making level.

Although Donnie, even as a member of the boards of these two companies, might not have much say, at least he now had some!

To Donnie's proposal, both Seymour Sacks and Charles Merrill showed puzzled expressions, but they didn't have much resistance to the suggestion.

They were both involved in financial investment and stock underwriting. Donnie's short-selling of the Sinclair Oil Corporation had already demonstrated to them the power of ABC.

This was also the reason why they wanted to join ABC. If Donnie could join their companies and become a director, then they would be all in the same family.

At that point, they could better discuss with Donnie how to use ABC to profit their own companies.

"To have Mr. Block join us, Merrill is very welcoming, but I wonder how much of Merrill's shares Mr. Block is planning to purchase?"

This was the issue that concerned Seymour Sacks and Charles Merrill the most: they couldn't sell too many shares to Donnie, even though they welcomed his joining. Donnie's current capacity was enough to put them on their guard!

So with this in mind, Charles Merrill didn't show the polite deference he had previously displayed.

Seymour Sacks showed no displeasure at Charles Merrill's demeanor and simply said, "We at Goldman Sachs have the same question!"

Donnie said, "For Goldman Sachs, I'm planning to purchase a 2% stake, and for Merrill, a 5% stake!"

Goldman Sachs' ownership structure was already very solid. It would be impossible to buy more, and it wasn't just because of the future prestige of these companies that Donnie wanted to buy in and just sit back and wait for them to appreciate in value.

Such a move had two benefits for Donnie. The first was diversifying his investments, giving himself more options. The likes of Harding, later Coolidge, and Hoover were all ambiguously disposed towards business trusts and didn't pass any policy judgments on their emergence.

But what about after them?

Especially when Franklin Roosevelt took office, he frequently targeted business trusts.

Donnie had to prepare for such eventualities. Goldman Sachs and Merrill were the choices Donnie made after seeing their names.

Although both companies were heavily hit in the future, even acquired, that was decades later.

Moreover, if Donnie could complete the acquisition of these two companies in the future, all these things could be entirely avoidable.

The second benefit was that taking stakes in these companies was similar to having Warner Ditch appointed as deputy CEO of the Hearst Corporation.

Never mind these two companies, in the future Donnie had to complete the acquisition of Breton Bank and after that, he would certainly need to rid a large part of Breton Bank's upper and middle management. Then Donnie could entirely use his experience as a director of Merrill and Goldman Sachs to gather more information about top financial talent.

Upon hearing about Donnie's intention to take stakes in their companies, both Seymour Sacks and Charles Merrill visibly relaxed, as they also worried that if Donnie wanted too many shares, negotiations would hit a deadlock.

This negotiation was a very smooth one. After a brief consideration, both of them agreed to Donnie's request.

The next step was the negotiation of the details of these two partnerships.

And the matter of the negotiations between the two parties was soon reported by the "Atlantic City Post," which also served to help the "Atlantic City Post" better penetrate New York's newspaper market.

"Who would've thought that Donnie Block is actually preparing to take stakes in both Goldman Sachs and Merrill!"

"What surprises me more is that these two companies would actually agree to Donnie Block's investment."

"What's so surprising about that? ABC has already started preparing for its pre-IPO roadshow. Once the company goes public, it's bound to be a hot stock. If one could internally subscribe for some shares, then it's just sitting back and waiting for the appreciation in value. Naturally, Goldman Sachs and Merrill wouldn't pass up this opportunity!"

"True, I really hadn't expected ABC to actually go public. My impression of Donnie Block is still stuck on the time when he short-sold Sinclair Oil Company and founded the Hearst Corporation!" Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire

"The rise of Donnie Block is now unstoppable; who would've thought that a veteran could amass such great wealth for himself in just two short years!"

"I believe many are just as surprised as you!"

Such discussions began in the streets and alleys of New York, and now everyone's topic of conversation was just one: Donnie Block!