The Tyrant Billionaire

((((((Important: the second half of Chapter 270 has been reworked))))))).

Hardy had successfully transformed HD Film Company into a major player in Hollywood, and "Ghost" was just the beginning. He had many more projects lined up, each with the potential to become a blockbuster.

The Hardy Group was now a formidable conglomerate, with diverse interests ranging from security and aviation to media and entertainment. Hardy's vision and strategic planning had paid off, making him one of the most influential figures in the business world.

...

The next day.

Hardy received a call from Mayer "Hardy, regarding the casino, I talked to my partners again and found two more investors. Including you, there are seven people in total. The other partners want to meet you."

Hardy thought, are we finally going to meet?

"Of course no problem, may I know who they are?" Hardy asked.
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"Bank of America."

Wow, a big guy came up right away. Bank of America is now the largest bank on the West Coast. It seems that big capital has smelled the scent of money in Las Vegas.

"Merck Pharmaceuticals."

Hardy knew this pharmaceutical company, which is one of the top pharmaceutical companies in the United States today. It seems that this company was also the one that produced penicillin during World War II.

"Kroc Produce Company."

Hardy had also heard of this company, which was said to be the largest agricultural product supplier in the West, monopolizing the supply of many agricultural products, including milk, vegetables, flour, sugar, beef, fish, etc.

"PepsiCo."

Hardy was slightly stunned when he heard the name. This needs no introduction at all, but the current Pepsi is not the Pepsi of later generations. Right now, It cannot be compared with Coca Cola at all. Currently, it is estimated that it has only one tenth the market value of Coca Cola.

"Lockheed Aircraft Corporation."

Hardy thought that even this company had come, but he also understood that the current Lockheed was not the Lockheed Martin of later generations, and had not yet produced aircraft such as the F-22 and F-35. It was just an ordinary arms supplier.

After hearing these names, Hardy suddenly thought of something.

California Consortium.

Aren't these companies all members of the California Consortium? Now that they have come together to make money, do they have other purposes?

"Hardy, now that we have more partners, everyone has new ideas and is ready to increase investment. If we want to build a casino, it can't be worse than the one you are going to build with the Mafia. We are also ready to invest $100 million to build a super luxurious casino." Meyer said.

"Why did you suddenly decide to add so much investment?" Hardy asked.

In truth, he already had some suspicions.

Meyer explained: "My initial partners were PepsiCo, Crock Agricultural Products Company, and Merck Pharmaceuticals. Including you and me, the investment totaled twenty million."

"Later, when you said to increase it to fifty million, I discussed it with my partners. They suggested bringing in new investors, which brought in Bank of America and Lockheed Corporation."

"When they learned you were planning to build a new casino with an investment of one hundred million, we discussed for a long time and decided that if the new casino's investment was too little, it would have no development advantage. So, we agreed to increase the investment to one hundred million."

"Bank of America stated that excluding the shares of other investors, they would guarantee the remaining funds."

Hardy thought to himself, That Meyer may have lost control already.

Initially, he had promised Meyer that MGM could invest in a casino in Las Vegas. Meyer intended for MGM to hold a majority stake and have actual control over the casino. However, with the entry of big capital, MGM had been marginalized.

In front of the behemoth that is Bank of America, MGM is insignificant.

Bank of America has set its sights on this lucrative opportunity, seeing it as a perfect chance to enter Las Vegas.

"Have you planned the share distribution?" Hardy asked.

"Mr. Amadeo Giannini, the head of Bank of America, wants to meet you first and then discuss how to distribute the shares," Meyer said.

Now Hardy was sure that they were not only interested in the Las Vegas gambling industry but also in him.

"No problem, Mr. Meyer. Please arrange a meeting. I would be honored to visit Mr. Giannini," Hardy said.

What's meant to come will come.

Hardy's rapid development has surely attracted attention. This was expected, given that his enterprises are in California, naturally making him a target for California's financial consortium. Sooner or later, he would interact with them.

He just hadn't expected this day to come so soon.

It's also because his growth has been so fast, and he has things they value, which led to this quick approach.

After hanging up the phone, Hardy called Henry, "Henry, collect information on the California consortium for me, as detailed as possible."

"Yes, boss," Henry responded and left.

Meyer's actions were swift. The next day, he called Hardy, saying that Mr. Giannini wanted to meet him as soon as possible. The meeting would be at Giannini's estate in San Francisco. Hardy could arrange his schedule to visit San Francisco at any time.

It seemed they were in a hurry.

"Alright, I'll go over tomorrow and formally visit Mr. Giannini at three in the afternoon," Hardy said.

"I'll inform Mr. Giannini," Meyer replied.

The next day, Hardy boarded his private plane, a B29 bomber. This plane had finally been remodeled. The bomb equipment had been removed, the cabin had been sealed and renovated, with 12 business seats, and there was even a separate room with a large bed.

The modified plane was quieter and more comfortable.

Although the bomb equipment was removed, Hardy had retained the machine guns: twelve .50 caliber M2 machine guns distributed on the top, bottom, and sides of the plane, and a 20 mm caliber M2 cannon installed in the tail turret.

This time, only Henry and Andy accompanied Hardy. As for security, it would be handled by the HD Security Company in San Francisco after landing.