The Tyrant Billionaire

"Can we go now?" the vice president asked nervously.

"Leave!" the lead robber said.

Relieved, they started to help the vice president up, but another robber said, "Boss, these guys look wealthy. Let's kidnap them and demand ransom from their families. That will be much more than this small robbery."

The vice president prayed that the leader wouldn't listen to this.

The leader looked them over, then said, "Good idea. Kidnap them, hide them somewhere, and demand ransom."

Their hearts sank.

They were taken to an abandoned factory, bound, and thrown into a dilapidated room. They were asked for their company's and family's contact information and then left alone.

Bound and gagged, they lay on the floor, feeling every second drag by in agony.

...

The next day.

Edward Noble, with his lawyer and assistant, arrived at the Springfield Hotel conference room. He found it surprising that no one else had arrived yet.

Did these people not care about acquiring the ABC Broadcasting Company?

If they were eager, they would have arrived early. Noble had expected to see some intense competition, which would help drive up the price. But things were not going as he expected.

Just a minute before the scheduled time, the door finally opened, and Andy walked in with his team.

"Good morning, Mr. Noble," Andy said with a smile.

"Good morning, Mr. Andy."

They sat down, and Andy said, "Mr. Noble, both parties are here now. Shall we start the negotiations?"

Noble looked a bit conflicted.

He had invited the tire factory and Paramount people without informing Andy, hoping to surprise him and show that there were many interested parties. But now, with the other two parties absent, he couldn't say much.

"Let's begin," Noble said with a forced smile.

Both sides presented their conditions.

HD was willing to offer $11 million to acquire ABC, while Noble's side still wanted $14 million.

They discussed other aspects, such as personnel arrangements, payment methods, and deadlines.

After hours of negotiation, Andy raised their offer to $11.5 million but refused to go any higher, leading to a stalemate.

"I think we should call it a day and continue tomorrow," Noble suggested.

Andy nodded. "Alright. But let me tell you Mr. Noble, our boss is interested in ABC, but we both know its real value. Our boss has said that if the price is too high, it's better to build a new broadcasting company. So, if we can't reach an agreement tomorrow, we might withdraw from the negotiations and not waste any more time here."

Noble felt a little unhappy after hearing Andy's words, but this was someone else's opinion, so he could only listen.

...

Back at the company, Noble hurried to contact the tire factory owner, but he received some shocking news.

Yesterday, Alderman arrived in Springfield with the intention of staying at a hotel, but unfortunately, a robbery occurred on the street. Poor Mr. Alderman was hit in the abdomen by a stray bullet and had just regained consciousness.

"Are you still participating in the bid for ABC Radio?" Noble asked.

"Our boss said that he has been in contact with you since last year to acquire the radio station but has never succeeded. This time, while negotiating, he was hit by a stray bullet. He thinks it might be a sign from God not to pursue this deal. Mr. Alderman has decided not to participate."

Noble was stunned. He never expected things to turn out this way.

After pondering for a while, he called the Paramount boss. The call took a long time to connect, and the Paramount boss was perplexed when he heard that the acquisition team never arrived.

"I sent people, including our vice president and several assistants. They left yesterday and should have arrived by now. How could they not show up?" the Paramount boss said.

With communication not as advanced and the distance between Los Angeles and Springfield spanning half the United States, there was nothing they could do if the Paramount people were missing.

Noble hung up the phone, frowning. He started to doubt if Paramount really sent anyone. If they did, how could they not show up? Could it be that they were just pretending to agree to fool him because he had rejected them twice? Noble felt frustrated.

The next day's negotiations continued. Only the HD Group was present. Andy and Noble sat opposite each other, engaging in a fierce battle of words. In the end, the price reached 12 million dollars, and Andy refused to go higher.

"If Mr. Noble doesn't accept this price, then the acquisition will end here. We will use this 12 million to establish a new broadcasting company, which I believe will be stronger than ABC," Andy said.

Edward Noble saw that the other party was about to give up and felt a bit anxious. With one party withdrawing and another disappearing, only the HD Group was left. If they gave up, this acquisition attempt would fail again. Moreover, Andy's last words worried him. 12 million was a huge amount of money in this era, enough to establish a new broadcasting company. They would only need a few more years.

But what about himself? If he missed this opportunity, who knows when the next buyer would come? He had been holding on for four years. What if the broadcasting company depreciated further if he continued to wait?

Thinking of this, Noble made a quick decision, "Alright, I accept this price, 12 million."

Andy was delighted. Finally, he had completed the boss's task. Hardy had instructed him to get ABC at any cost, and this price was within a reasonable range.

"Now let's discuss the payment method. Mr. Noble, you know that 12 million is a huge sum. We can't pay it all at once. Our payment method is to pay one third initially, then another third every six months, completing the payment in a year. How does that sound?"

"That won't work. I'll lose a lot of money. I want a lump sum payment," Noble said.

They argued over the payment method. At the end of the discussion, Andy reported the results to Hardy, "Boss, Noble has agreed to sell for 12 million. We're now negotiating the payment method and some other details. We have some disagreements, but I think we can sign the contract tomorrow."