NOVPUB"I can almost hear someone making a joke out of my business!"
At that moment, Walker came in with a huge black eye, looking pale and staggering a bit.
"I reckon you must have been working hard last night to prove your innocence!" Donnie joked, upon seeing Walker’s condition.
With an awkward smile, Walker said, "Ah, women, you know, if you don’t straighten them out, they won’t know who’s boss at home!"
"Ha ha!" Donnie and Robert immediately burst into laughter at the same frequency.
Walker abruptly changed the subject, "All right, now that the Miss America business is somewhat settled, shouldn’t we discuss our future plans?"
Although Donnie noticed Walker was changing the subject, he still said, "Indeed, it’s time we discussed future matters." Explore new worlds at empire
Afterward, Robert repeated the details of their earnings to Walker once again. n𝚘vp𝚞𝚋.com
"$3 million in available cash might not be enough for what we want to do!" Walker said after listening and shared the same thought as Donnie.
Donnie said, "There are four things we’re facing right now. First off, you should be heading to the South. Old Carl has called me several times, saying it’s getting harder to transport raw materials, and now he has no choice but to distill some low-quality whiskey."
Walker nodded, "I’ve already discussed this with Maholi. She wants to go back to New York to sort out her company’s business, then she’ll head South with me!"
Donnie asked with a smile, "I’m curious, is Maholi unable to part with you, or does she not trust you?"
"Of course, she can’t bear to part with me!" Walker explained right away.
"Ha, now that you say so, I believe you!" Donnie joked before saying, "This time, I’ll give you $300,000. With this money, we should be able to buy one or two decent farms to cultivate our raw materials!"
Walker nodded, "Indeed, $300,000 should be plenty."
At the moment, Donnie had neither the desire nor the capability to become a super farmer, so buying enough farmland to supply their needs for raw materials was all that was necessary.
"The second thing is investing in Breton Bank," Donnie said, tapping his fingers on the tabletop.
For Donnie, if he wanted to expand his business in the United States, he must delve into the banking industry, whether by operating a bank or holding control of one.
As long as Prohibition wasn’t repealed, the cash flow from bootlegging, along with the peripheral revenue from Miss America each year, was dirty money. Though it could be laundered through the casino once the hotel was established, having a bank of his own to assist would save a lot more trouble.
Most importantly, having a bank would provide a robust cash flow, which would enable Donnie to do some things more smoothly when the time came.
"I think there isn’t much to worry about this matter. Dick needs the Atlantic City market, and you’ve already promised Dick to reduce the shareholding a little. They shouldn’t refuse our partnership now, the real trouble is, after you invest in Breton Bank, how exactly do we get control over it from Dick’s hands!" Walker analyzed for Donnie.
Donnie pondered for a moment and said, "We need to delay this issue, at least until after you have secured the Astor Family’s wealth, then we can proceed with the plan!"
Walker nodded, "Then this can be put off for now. Right now, we just need to complete the investment in Breton Bank."
Robert asked, "How much cash will this require?"
At this time, Robert was Donnie’s financial steward!
Donnie and Walker exchanged smiles, and Walker explained, "This deal doesn’t need cash. Our condition is to open up the banking business in Atlantic City to Breton Bank. In return, Breton Bank will transfer a certain number of their shares to us."
Robert suddenly understood, then said with some admiration, "So, we get to be bank shareholders without spending a penny?"
Donnie laughed, "The purpose of partnership is for both sides to acquire benefits that satisfy them. Cooperating with us, whether or not we pay, Dick and the other directors of Breton Bank can gain satisfactory benefits. That’s all that matters. If we were to pay, we wouldn’t be just talking about holding a 15% stake anymore!"
Robert nodded, no longer having doubts.
Donnie continued, "The third issue is investing in United Artists."
Walker said, "Although Charlie Chaplin and Griffith have agreed to our investment, I think they will definitely have disagreements with us over shares and management rights!"
Charlie Chaplin and Griffith wanted a comfortable creative environment and the opportunity not to be exploited by major studios, which was why they founded United Artists.
That means they surely value the control of United Artists highly, which inherently leads to a disagreement over shares.
They might let Donnie invest, but they would never allow Donnie’s stake to exceed any of theirs, let alone holding a controlling interest!
Donnie nodded, "That’s no problem. Our current investment in United Artists isn’t about making a move on Hollywood now. It’s just about securing a front position."
