Looking at Colonel Ulanga, then at Vikra, the instigator of all this, William asked, "You really believe this coward's words?"
"The Kance family is already history. Whether I believe it or not is no longer important," the colonel replied calmly. "Is Charles Cavendish still alive?"
William smiled and nodded. "It seems that living longer doesn't necessarily mean growing senile. Since you've already guessed, does that mean you're ready to hand over your share of the inheritance?"
"I didn't expect that after all the scheming among us, only three out of seven heirs would survive. And now, Vikra and I have both fallen into your hands with critical evidence. In the end, it's you and the Cavendish family who get the benefit," the colonel sighed. "My share of the inheritance is a 4.5% stake in the gold mine. Even if I give it to you, you won't hold it securely. Perhaps we can make a deal: how about I exchange one cubic meter of gold for these shares?"
"Are you joking?" William asked in surprise. "One cubic meter of gold weighs 19.2 tons. Do you even have that much?"
Ulanga smiled. "Mr. Devonshire, you should think of it this way: 19.2 tons of gold, at today's market price, is less than $2 billion—just $10.4 per gram. Many countries are dumping gold in large quantities on the international market these days. It's not hard to buy gold if you have money."
"Gold prices have dropped?"
"NO, quite the opposite. Compared to last September when prices hit a historic low, gold prices have risen 11% over the past year. So, if you can keep my secret, one cubic meter may not be enough—we can negotiate further."
After thinking for a moment, William quickly realized why this old man was so fixated on the shares. "A 4.5% stake, plus the 0.5% you already own, would give you exactly 5%, the threshold required to join the board of directors. You want a legitimate entry into your country's upper class, don't you?"
Seeing that his goal had been guessed, Ulanga didn't bother hiding it anymore. "Over the past twenty years, our tribe has collected a total of 22 tons of gold from the gold mine, small mining veins, and river streams. I'll give it all to you."
"Not enough," William said coldly. The evidence he held not only could strip Ulanga of his inheritance rights but could also block his tribe's rise in national status. William wasn't about to show mercy now.
But then again, no matter how ruthless he was, he still had to consider whether the other party had anything more to give. Ulanga shook his head helplessly. "Mr. Devonshire, not everyone is like you, dismissing $230 million as insignificant. You must understand, we are an African tribe. If it weren't for our tribe safeguarding the mining area over the past two decades, similar tribes wouldn't even be able to come up with $2 million.
"Besides, apart from gold, all the cash we've earned has been spent on buying weapons and other essential supplies. We only have 22 tons of gold."
Seeing the colonel's helpless expression, William couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated. If someone hands over their entire fortune, it's hard to justify turning hostile just to squeeze out a bit more.
"Where is the gold?"
"In an underground vault at a Swiss bank," Ulanga replied without hesitation. With his life, reputation, and the future of his tribe in William's hands, combined with the fact that William had earlier shown indifference to $230 million, Ulanga immediately provided the account and password.
Within a minute, Sunday reported, "Sir, the transfer has been completed, and the password has been updated."
Hearing this, William smiled broadly and said politely, "Colonel, we're even now. You can leave."
"Thank you." Without hesitation, Ulanga stood up and left immediately. As for the revolver, he didn't even mention it.
Watching Ulanga leave, William turned to Vikra, who was still lying on the ground. Smiling, he asked, "Well, now it's just the two of us. What do you think would happen if I handed over the things you just said to the media?"
What would happen? Of course, he'd be thrown into a French prison, his chieftainship and wealth stripped by his family. As for his plans to take advantage of the Kance family's downfall to buy out and monopolize Marco's auto parts manufacturing business in India at a low price, that would be out of the question.
"$200 million in cash to let me go," Vikra offered.
William didn't even consider it and shook his head. "Too little. You're a billionaire tycoon with nearly $10 billion in assets. Do you think $200 million is enough to avoid prison and save your family's reputation? And don't think I don't know you're eyeing Marco's auto parts factory in India.
"With that factory, your family could immediately become the largest parts supplier in the entire country and might even get involved in defense contracts."
Hearing William's demand for better terms, Vikra let out a sigh of relief. Supporting himself with his hands, he stood up and sat back in his chair. Shaking his head, he explained, "That near $10 billion is the total wealth of my family, not my personal assets. And that's just the valuation of our assets. Unless you're willing to take over businesses in India, no one can casually pull out hundreds of millions or billions in cash like you."
William nodded slightly. There was some truth to that; net worth and liquidity were not the same thing. "Fine. $200 million is acceptable, but you also need to give me $500 million worth of sandalwood and rosewood."
Vikra immediately shook his head. "That's impossible."
"I know your family owns large tracts of forests in the key producing provinces," William said, frowning. "Don't tell me you can't gather the quantity."
Vikra rolled his eyes and explained, "Those two types of wood were banned from export more than 20 years ago. At current market prices, $500 million worth would be over 20,000 tons. Cutting down such a large quantity would raise immediate red flags. And even if I could get the wood for you, could you even transport it out?"
William started to argue that he could, but then he stopped. For just a few hundred million dollars, he didn't want to exhaust himself or risk exposing the teleportation portal. Annoyed, he frowned.
He had intentionally kept the two main culprits alive to extort them thoroughly, but now it seemed both of them were just shiny on the outside, with little real wealth to offer.
Seeing William's shifting expression, Vikra grew nervous again. After some thought, he suggested, "How about I give you $100 million worth of gemstones, antiques, or similar items?"
William didn't respond immediately but instead asked, "Why did Marco include you as one of his heirs?"
"Why? Because he owed my family," Vikra gritted his teeth and said bitterly. "Over 30 years ago, Marco was just a worthless diplomat. If we hadn't funded him, he wouldn't even have been able to transfer back to England, let alone have the capital to start a business.
"But that treacherous old man got rich and then used citizenship changes, relocating his company's registration, and other tricks to push us out of his business. He even forced us to sell back our shares. If it weren't for my father knowing too many of his secrets, he wouldn't have even bothered pretending to give us an inheritance. My father waited decades, but he died before Marco, that bastard, who's still living comfortably."
Hearing this, William burst into laughter. This was essentially a case of Marco breaking trust first, followed by Vikra's resentment and plotting.
After inheriting control of his family, Vikra began targeting the Kance family. Once Grace Ballard inherited the estate, Vikra, armed with leverage, likely intended to take a big chunk from her.
"$200 million in cash, plus $200 million in gemstones, gold, and antiques, and you can leave," William finally said.
------------------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get early access to chapters by joining my Patre@n!
Find me at: patre@n*com/Mutter
You can read each novel for $5 or get them all for just $15.
Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]