"You want to rent Wembley Stadium?"
"That's right. Only by renting Wembley or another stadium can I begin the reconstruction plans. Otherwise, I'll either expand Stamford Bridge or find a new location to build a stadium," William said, waving his hand to cut off the speaker. "I know you have plans to tear down Wembley Stadium, but I don't have much faith in that plan. Just the bureaucratic wrangling will take two or three years. In the meantime, rent it to me. This way, you increase your revenue, and it gives you plenty of time to make a decision.
But there's something I need to make clear so there won't be any misunderstandings later. With the rising costs of materials over the next few years, Wembley won't be built for less than £700 million, unless you hire construction teams from China. Only then could you complete it within two to three years."
"That's impossible! You think China has the capability to build a stadium like that? I doubt they could even understand the blueprints," scoffed one middle-aged man.
With a snap of his fingers, William called for his butler. David appeared a mere two meters away. "You called, Mr. Devonshire?"
"Get him out of here," William said, pointing at the man who had just spoken. "And anyone else who thinks like him, leave as well."
The middle-aged man opened his mouth to protest, but before he could say anything, the leader of the group quickly covered his mouth and dragged him out. He knew they were here on a mission, and without confirmation from William, the capitalist backers would tear him apart.
"Second," William continued, "I need 200 acres of land to build a training base. You have three days to give me an answer. After that, I'll start negotiating with towns surrounding London. Third, to speed up construction, I plan to hire three to five different construction companies to work simultaneously. Material procurement will favor London companies, but to get a contract, Parliament must first agree. So, tell the people behind you who want these contracts that if they want to make money from me, they need to do some work for me first."
At that moment, William's phone rang again. Glancing at the number, he said, "Sorry, gentlemen, I have an important call to take." He turned to David, "Help see these gentlemen out."
David nodded. "Yes, Mr. Devonshire." Turning to the government officials, he gestured, "This way, please."
Having accomplished their mission, the officials didn't linger and left after saying their goodbyes to William.
Once they were gone, William answered his phone. "Hi, Prince Charles. What brings you to call me?"
"Good afternoon, William. Do you have time tonight? My father, Prince Philip, wants to meet you."
"I don't have time for anyone else, but for His Majesty, of course, I do. Where should we meet?" William asked, surprised that his plans had drawn the attention of the English monarchy.
"At the Big Bowl Pub. You remember the place, don't you?"
"Of course, a pub that unique is hard to forget."
"Great, see you at 8. And don't bring a date."
"Got it, see you tonight."
At 8 p.m., William arrived at the Big Bowl Pub in the Mayfair district of central London. After parking his car, he was greeted by the pub's staff, who led him through a long corridor into the Gothic-style interior.
"Welcome, welcome, our new richest man in England!" Prince Wilson embraced William as soon as he entered. "Buddy, you've been neglecting me! You never call me when there's fun stuff happening, and you didn't even stop by Kensington Palace when you returned to London. Even worse, you've been buying antiques without telling me. I've got quite a few Chinese relics myself, you know," he said, giving William a playful but firm hug.
"Damn," William grumbled, irritated by Wilson's enthusiasm. With a bit of force, he freed himself from the hug. "Next time you try that, I'll knock you out."
"But," William added, smoothing his clothes and putting an arm around Wilson's shoulder, "if you really have Chinese antiques, what kind are they?"
"Wilson, if I were you, I wouldn't sell them to William. I'd keep them for myself," a middle-aged voice chimed in from behind them.
William had already sensed someone approaching, but he was still surprised when he turned around. "Good evening, Duke Westermine. It's a pleasure to meet you. I didn't expect our first encounter to be here."
"Good evening, William. I'm pleased to finally meet you as well. It's not that I didn't want to meet you sooner, but I never found the opportunity. If I didn't have business with Prince Philip today, we might still be waiting."
The two men shook hands with a smile, and the Duke gestured for them to continue. "Come on, Philip and Charles are waiting for you."
As they walked, Duke Westermine turned to Wilson. "Didn't your father tell you?"
"Tell me what?" Wilson asked, puzzled.
The Duke shook his head. "Looks like your father is pretty tight-lipped. We agreed to keep this under wraps, but I don't see why you, the second in line for the throne, shouldn't know."
William rolled his eyes at the Duke's words. Was he trying to stir up trouble or just teasing? William wasn't sure.
"Wilson, just think about how quickly William makes money, and you'll understand his eye for opportunity. Sometimes making money is simple—just follow those who know how. William was willing to spend $700 million in cash, plus other resources, to acquire $1 billion worth of antiques from Duke Devon and his associates. That should give you a clue about the future value of Chinese antiques. Trust me, if you have spare cash, buy more Chinese antiques from those struggling aristocrats."
"Are they really that valuable?" Wilson turned to William, deep in thought. After a moment, he whispered, "Wait a minute… It's not just that they're valuable, is it? Their value will increase significantly, right, William?"
Wilson draped an arm over William's shoulder. "Buddy, we're friends, aren't we? You can't leave me out of this and make all the money yourself."
William rolled his eyes again. The Duke was a sly fox. He had already guessed some of William's plans, but now he wanted to confirm his suspicions by watching William's reaction. If the Duke was certain, he wouldn't just hold onto his own Chinese antiques—he'd also use his aristocratic connections to buy more from those in need of cash.
"Your Grace," William replied, changing the subject, "I hear you own large amounts of land in several parts of London. Would you be willing to sell me a sizable piece?"
"May I ask what you plan to use it for?" the Duke inquired.
With a grin, William answered, "I'm planning to build a private museum—one large enough to display 20,000 items and house a collection of over 100,000 pieces. It'll be the largest private museum in the world."
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