Genius Grandson Of The Loan Shark King

I summoned Eva to England.

I wasn't expecting much from the meeting with the FSA.

From the beginning, my real target had been Barclays' major shareholders.

“Chief Ma. Please confirm the shareholder list and appointment times.”

“Yes, Boss. First, we are scheduled to meet the representative of the Qatar Investment Authority at eleven.”

This was precisely why I had brought Eva to England.

Eva had maintained active social connections throughout the Middle East and had built deep relationships with royal families there.

“Eva. Do you know who it is?”

“Uncle Jaber? We've known each other for a long time. I studied at Oxford with his son.”

“Good. Your role is important.”

Eva nodded.

Fortunately, the representative of the Qatar Investment Authority happened to be visiting England, so there was no need to travel all the way to the Middle East to meet him.

“Eva!”

We met Jaber, the representative of the Qatar Investment Authority, in the top-floor suite of the hotel where he was staying.

As soon as he saw us, he rose from his seat and approached with his arms wide open.

“Eva! What a pleasant surprise. It's wonderful to see you.”

Eva smiled elegantly and embraced Jaber.

“It's been a long time, Uncle Jaber. Have you been well?”

“Yes, I've been doing well.”

His expression softened considerably. After a warm exchange of greetings, Eva introduced me.

“Uncle, this is the boss I serve.”

Only then did Jaber turn his attention toward me.

“Pleasure to meet you. I'm Jaber.”

“Pleasure to meet you. I'm Kim Muhyuk.”

“Muhyuk? Muhluk?”

“You may simply call me Charlie.”

“Thank you, Charlie. I've heard a lot about you.”

“I've also heard much about Prime Minister Jaber. They say you're the man leading Qatar.”

“Hahaha. You're too kind. Please, sit.”

Jaber took the seat of honor, while Eva and I sat opposite each other.

“Eva, I was surprised when you suddenly asked to meet. And in London, not Qatar.”

“You happened to be in England, Uncle.”

“Hmmm... so what's the matter? Do you need a favor?”

“Well...”

Eva trailed off and glanced at me. I naturally picked up where she left off.

“I'll explain.”

The smile that had been directed warmly at Eva disappeared from Jaber's face as if it had never existed.

Returning to a businesslike demeanor, he nodded for me to continue.

“Mr. Jaber. What are your thoughts on Barclays' acquisition of Lehman Brothers?”

“Aha! So that's your purpose?”

The corners of his mouth curled upward.

“What exactly is so special about Lehman Brothers that everyone keeps coming to me over it?”

“Who has approached you?”

“Barclays' executives have come several times, saying this acquisition is a golden opportunity. The FSA is positive about it as well.”

I nodded and took several documents out of my briefcase.

“This is an analysis of Lehman Brothers' actual financial condition. The situation is far worse than what's been publicly disclosed.”

Jaber began examining the documents with a serious expression.

Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani.

He was a member of the Qatari royal family.

Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, and head of the Qatar Investment Authority—he stood at the very core of the Qatari government.

He would understand the implications of those documents immediately.

As expected, his face gradually darkened.

“If this is true... Barclays will have difficulty shouldering the burden.”

Eva spoke gently.

“Uncle, we're sharing this information because we're worried about the Qatar Investment Authority's interests. If this deal goes through, Barclays' value could fall sharply.”

Jaber let out a deep sigh and looked at Eva.

“You're right. But you're not revealing this information to me for that reason alone, are you?”

I answered in her place.

“No. I intend to let Lehman Brothers collapse. Then I'll clean up all the bad assets and acquire only the valuable pieces.”

“Hmmm...”

My frank confession made Jaber stroke his chin thoughtfully.

Eva and I waited without pressing him further.

After a long silence, he finally spoke.

“As far as I know, Dreamhigh doesn't accept investments.”

“That's correct.”

“Then if I help you, what do we gain?”

“Uncle...”

At Eva's pleading voice, Jaber shook his head.

“Eva, this is business. No matter how close we are, I can't decide the Investment Authority's course based on friendship alone.”

“......”

“The only reason I'm sitting here with you is because you came personally, so don't take offense.”

“Not at all.”

Eva smiled faintly, showing she understood.

“Now, let me ask again. We need something in return if we're to help.”

“What is it that you want?”

“Help us acquire Lehman Brothers' Middle Eastern investment banking and stock trading divisions.”

“...Even after cleaning out the bad assets, you may still suffer losses.”

“That will be our concern.”

I considered it briefly before nodding.

The Middle East hadn't been one of my priorities.

If I could gain an ally through this, all the better.

“Very well. I'll help.”

“Excellent. What should I do?”

Jaber asked with a satisfied smile.

“I'd like you to oppose the acquisition at the board meeting. And if possible, I'd appreciate it if you shared this information with other shareholders.”

Jaber pondered for a moment before nodding.

“I'll do my best. So keep your promise.”

“Yes, Prime Minister. I'm a man who always keeps his promises.”

After finishing the persuasion, I rose to leave for my next appointment.

“Eva, why don't we have a meal together?”

Eva looked at me as though asking permission.

I nodded slightly.

“You haven't seen each other in a long time. Have a meal together. I'll handle the rest.”

“Yes, Boss.”

After bidding Jaber farewell, I left the hotel.

Without Eva, the negotiations might not have gone so smoothly.

Fortunately, things had gone well, and I felt some of the tension ease.

“Where to next, Chief Ma?”

“We have a meeting scheduled with the chairman of the China Development Bank.”

“China Development Bank... Wasn't the chairman Chen Yuan?”

“Yes. Chairman Chen Yuan himself is in London.”

“I see. Let's head over.”

On the way to the meeting, I contacted Premier Wen Jiabao and explained the situation beforehand.

After hearing me out, Wen Jiabao simply laughed and told me not to worry.

“President Kim Muhyuk. It's been a long time. Have you been well?”

Chen Yuan greeted me enthusiastically from the very beginning.

“Of course. Have you been well too, Chairman? Has it been three years?”

“That's right. We haven't met since Beijing.”

“Next time I visit China, let's have a meal together.”

“It would be my honor.”

Chen Yuan knew that I had deep ties with China's highest-ranking officials.

Perhaps because of that, he treated me with unusual humility.

“I received a call from Beijing. They told me to fulfill all of President Kim's requests.”

“Still, shouldn't you at least know what those requests are?”

“If following President Kim guarantees success, why take the long road?”

“Haha. Even so, please take a look.”

I handed him the documents I had brought.

Chen Yuan accepted them curiously.

But before long, his expression twisted violently.

“Ha... those bastards deceived us?”

After finishing the documents, he ground his teeth.

“We can't just let this slide.”

“Calm down, Chairman. This isn't something to handle emotionally. Oppose it at the board meeting. And share the information with friendly shareholders.”

“Understood. I'll do so.”

“You absolutely must kill this acquisition at the board meeting. Absolutely.”

“Yes. I'll do my utmost.”

The last person I met was the head of Singapore's sovereign wealth fund, Temasek.

After hearing my explanation, he fell into deep thought.

“President Kim Muhyuk. If what you're saying is true, this goes far beyond Barclays alone.”

“That's right. If this deal succeeds, America's financial crisis will spread throughout the world.”

“I understand. We, too, will express our opposition to this deal.”

After that meeting, I returned to the hotel.

Exhausted from a full day of meetings, I collapsed onto the sofa.

Chief Ma brought me a bottle of cold water and handed it over.

“Boss, how did today's meetings go?”

After emptying the bottle in one go, I smiled.

“They went better than expected. Eva handled the Qatar Investment Authority, China Development Bank was never a concern, and finally, the Singapore sovereign fund has decided to follow my recommendation.”

“So does that mean Barclays' acquisition of Lehman will fail?”

I shook my head.

It was still too early to be certain.

“The odds have improved. But we can't just sit and wait. It's time to deliver the finishing blow.”

I called Murdoch.

He answered before the ringtone had sounded more than a few times.

— Charlie, how did the meeting go?

Without even exchanging greetings, Murdoch asked immediately.

“Well, they pretended to listen, just as expected.”

— Hmmm... I didn't expect Sir Turner to be like that.

“Please release the articles as planned. Use every media outlet under Murdoch's control.”

— Understood. I'll start immediately.

A few days later.

The front pages of Murdoch-owned media were filled with stories about Barclays' acquisition of Lehman Brothers.

Wall Street Journal.

[Barclays-Lehman Deal: A Time Bomb for Global Finance?]

The Times.

[Barclays' Lehman Acquisition: A Dangerous Gamble That Could Shake Britain.]

The Australian.

[Barclays' Lehman Gamble? A Deal Too Big to Succeed.]

New York Post.

[Lehman's Hidden Debt and What Barclays Isn't Telling Us.]

The Sun.

[Banking Crisis Warning: Barclays' Lehman Deal Could Become a Heavy Burden on British Taxpayers.]

Fox News.

[Experts Warn Barclays-Lehman Merger Could Trigger Financial Collapse.]

Sky News.

[Is Barclays' Acquisition of Lehman a Trojan Horse for Britain's Economy?]

Herald Sun.

[Global Shockwave: How Barclays' Purchase of Lehman Could Affect Australian Markets.]

MarketWatch.

[Barclays' Purchase of Lehman: Financial Savior or Sinking Ship?]

Daily Telegraph.

[Barclays' Lehman Deal: A Risky Gamble With Britain's Financial Future.]

The effects of this carpet bombing of articles were immediate.

“Boss. Barclays' stock has fallen seven percent.”

Only ten minutes after the stories were released, Barclays' stock price had dropped by seven percent.

“Tell them to keep monitoring.”

“Yes, understood.”

The next day, articles favorable to Barclays' acquisition of Lehman began appearing.

But they couldn't reverse the trend.

Even ordinary Britons with no interest in investing had now become aware of the issue.

“Boss. The British financial authorities are preparing an emergency press conference.”

“Faster than I expected.”

At that moment, Eva entered.

“Boss! I heard from Uncle Jaber. The Qatar Investment Authority is likely to officially express concerns about the deal.”

“They're being more proactive than I expected.”

“That's just the kind of person he is.”

“Keep monitoring the situation and report everything.”

After instructing Eva, I turned to Chief Ma.

“Keep an eye on the reactions of China Development Bank and Temasek as well.”

“Yes, Boss.”

Just then, my phone rang.

The caller displayed on the screen was Ben Bernanke.

“Hello, Chairman.”

— Charlie! What in the world is happening? This is your doing, isn't it?

Unlike the flustered and troubled Ben Bernanke, I answered calmly.

“Chairman, I'm merely informing people of the facts. The true state of Lehman has simply become known.”

A deep sigh came from the other end.

— I understand. But you know this is causing even greater turmoil in the market, don't you?

How could I not?

That's exactly what I wanted.

“Yes, I know. But isn't it better than hiding the truth?”

After ending the call, I walked to the window with my phone in hand.

“Now then, Turner. When will you finally call?”

I looked at the FSA building visible outside and slowly raised the corners of my mouth.