Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet

After reaching an agreement with Pierre, the General Manager of the Bank of France, Anthony and his team of over twenty people, who had been prepared for this day, headed to Paris to discuss the contract with the bank representatives.

Two days later, after confirming that the contract had no issues, William boarded a helicopter and flew to Paris, landing on the rooftop of the Bank of France building.

As soon as he got off the helicopter, in addition to seeing Anthony and his colleagues waiting for him, along with Pierre and the representatives of the Bank of France, he also noticed helicopters bearing TV station logos circling the building.

"Boss, you might be the most unpopular Englishman in all of France right now," Anthony joked as he stood beside William.

"Is the contract confirmed to be fine?" William smiled, ignoring the joke and asking seriously.

Hearing the change of topic, Anthony straightened up and replied seriously, "Of course, no problem at all. Not only did we review it ourselves, but we also had French counterparts check it over again. We can guarantee that this contract won't cause any issues in France."

"What if the French government tries to overturn the contract?"

"Don't worry, Boss. We live in a capitalist world. If the French government wants to void this contract, the Bank of France will owe us at least 50% in penalties—about $1.75 billion. If they can't pay, they'll have to give us 5% of their shares as compensation," Anthony squinted as he smiled.

"Besides, with your guarantee that none of the artifacts from Château de Chantilly will be sold outside France, the current president reluctantly agreed. Otherwise, he wouldn't have the funds to bail out the Bank of France."

"Haha, looks like I'll have to find a chance to properly thank the president."

Although William was somewhat annoyed that he had to spend $300 million more than his mental price floor, the annoyance quickly disappeared when he thought about the future rise in land prices.

Smiling, he waved at the news helicopter hovering overhead, then finally shook hands with Pierre, who had been waiting by the side, deliberately ignored until now. Squinting, William's gaze became sharp as he said:

"It seems that not only the general public doesn't welcome me, but even your bank's shareholders don't. Not a single one of them came to greet me. Do they think that after getting $3.5 billion, they no longer need to care about the man who helped them in their time of need? Or do they believe that selling Château de Chantilly to me for $3.5 billion is a huge bargain?"

"I'm very sorry, Mr. Devonshire. It may seem impolite, but from my perspective—and indeed from that of most French people—you did get a bargain. The truth is, if our bank wasn't in such deep trouble, $3.5 billion wouldn't even get you a meeting with us.

As for the shareholders not greeting you, it's not out of disrespect. It's because the President himself will be attending the signing ceremony to personally witness it."

After saying this, Pierre smiled at William.

"Alright then, I suppose I'm not as important as the President," William laughed and led the way off the rooftop.

Since it wasn't an intentional snub, William didn't mind. As for not being popular, that was expected. Once people no longer need you, there's no reason for them to flatter you.

"Unfortunately, after this deal, the other things we discussed may fall through," Pierre sighed. "I didn't expect the shareholders, who were 80% in favor of you becoming a stakeholder, to change their minds so quickly. Still, our collaboration has borne fruit. After today, Château de Chantilly will officially be your private property."

"Haha, thanks." William was genuinely pleased about acquiring the château. Even setting aside the antiques and the castle itself, the 7,800 hectares of land alone would be worth billions in a decade.

It was entirely normal for the value of the antiques and other artifacts to increase by four or five times, which would be an additional $6 or $7 billion.

But more than the money, William truly liked the climate and environment surrounding Château de Chantilly.

They took the elevator down to the large conference room on the 22nd floor of the bank building.

As soon as they walked in, they were greeted by Abigail, dressed in her business suit, standing at the front of the group.

William hugged Abigail and jokingly complained, "Why didn't you meet me on the rooftop?"

Abigail rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, for God's sake, Boss, this is work. I don't want people gossiping behind my back that I got my position by trading favors."

"But the truth is, you did seduce me."

"Damn it, let go of me," Abigail protested, feeling self-conscious as the hug lingered too long. Not wanting to be the subject of rumors, she quickly struggled free.

"Alright, I'll teach you a lesson later tonight," William teased as he let go of her. He then walked over to the head of the British Embassy in France to thank him and the other high-ranking officials for attending the signing ceremony.

As England's newly crowned richest man, William was more than welcome at the embassy, as they were eager to build good relations with someone of his stature. You never know when paths might cross in the future.

After mutual introductions, everyone held glasses of wine and began chatting casually. A few minutes later, the room started to buzz with activity. Soon, one of the embassy staff quietly informed William and their superior, Ronnie, "The President has arrived."

"Let's go, Mr. Devonshire. We should greet this President, who hasn't had a peaceful day since taking office—the unlucky Mr. Kellner-Bacon," Ronnie joked.

"OK," William nodded, following Ronnie to wait outside the elevator. As they waited, William quietly joked back, "What's this unlucky President's personality like?"

"His temper is alright, but he's got that unmistakable French arrogance. He looks down on anything outside France. Oh, and he's chronically late. Unless it's official business, if you schedule something for 9:00, he won't arrive before 9:10. Half-hour delays are common, and sometimes, even if he's early, he'll wait outside just to make you wait for ten or fifteen minutes."

"He sounds... unique," William said with a chuckle.

"He's definitely unique," Ronnie laughed along. "But it's not the worst habit to have. Better than some of the other eccentric types. You might even become friends with him after getting to know him."

"Thanks, but I'll pass on becoming friends. I can't believe a true Frenchman would happily chat with me after I bought one of their national treasures. It's already surprising enough that he's attending the signing ceremony."

"No, no," Ronnie's expression became a bit strange. "I doubt he's here just for the signing ceremony. With so many people opposing this deal, if he doesn't have some other motive, it would be foolish for him to show up."

"Maybe he's here to ask you for an investment," Ronnie grinned mischievously. "Everyone knows you've got at least a hundred billion dollars in cash sitting in the bank, so in the eyes of Kellner-Bacon, you're like a walking vault. Of course, he'll want to lock you up in the French vault if he can."

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