William shook his head and sighed. "I knew it wouldn't be easy to have my cake and eat it too—both making money and suppressing the vampires' ability to survive. I had initially thought that these feuding old vampire lords would take at least a year or two to agree on any collaboration.
"But for them to strike back in less than a month? That's honestly unexpected. Let's just hope King Philip and Duke Grosvenor don't get so angry they have heart attacks."
That day, William was at a private Chelsea VIP suite with Jesse, who had just returned from the French winery, and Lena to watch a football match.
For Lena, this was one of the rarest and most nerve-wracking moments of her life.
This Chelsea vs. Manchester United game would determine which of the two teams would take the top spot in the league.
Since the winter transfer window opened, Chelsea had brought in Buffon, Ronaldo, Carvalho, Ferdinand, and Lampard. While Lampard hadn't made a significant impact yet, the other four players, combined with Mourinho's own picks, had turned the team around.
Chelsea hadn't lost a match in three months, climbing the standings from mid-table to second place.
If they won today, they'd overtake Manchester United by one point, taking the Premier League lead for the first time in decades.
Knowing how important this match was, all the women in William's life—except for Selene and Nissa, who couldn't appear publicly—hinted at wanting to watch the game.
Without even waiting for William to respond, Lena had already called Jesse back from France.
Abigail didn't mind, as she'd spent most of the past three months with William, except for the few days he stayed with Selene and Nissa at Viktor's former manor outside London.
As for why Lena chose Jesse, it was obvious—the street-smart woman had always been adept at charming Lena.
Before the match even began, Swagger, who was stationed outside the suite, pressed his earpiece and then walked up to William. Speaking softly, he said, "Boss, Prince Wilson is here. He's just outside."
"Why is he here?" William asked, standing up and excusing himself to his mother.
When he opened the door, he saw Wilson grinning from ear to ear.
Blocking Wilson's attempt to hug him, William frowned. "Didn't I meet with your grandfather just two days ago? What, has he changed his mind? He's too embarrassed to see me himself, so he sent you instead?"
Wilson was unfazed by William's blunt tone. Laughing, he replied, "Don't you know? I'm a Chelsea fan now and even the president of the aristocratic supporters' club. On such an important day, of course, I had to come to the stadium."
"Yeah, right," William muttered internally. Despite his skepticism, he led Wilson inside, introducing him to Lena and giving Jesse a meaningful look.
Before Jesse could say anything, Wilson greeted her with a big hug and said with a laugh, "Dear Jesse, may I borrow your man for a few minutes?"
Jesse, having only met Wilson a few times, was wary of his status and looked to William for guidance.
"It's fine, dear. Stay here and keep my mother company," William reassured her.
Relieved, Jesse returned to her seat beside Lena, carefully engaging her in conversation.
Seated on a nearby sofa, Wilson smirked and said, "Mate, aren't you worried about public gossip? Bringing your lover so openly to watch a football match?"
"Cut the crap," William retorted. "If your grandfather wants to sell his shares, I'll agree right now. We can sign the paperwork tomorrow, and I'll have £100 million transferred to his account immediately."
"No, no, you've got it all wrong," Wilson said hastily, his tone turning serious. "I'm genuinely here to watch the match."
Seeing William's skeptical expression, Wilson hesitated before stammering, "My mother asked me to ask you something... She wants to know if her brother, Earl Spencer, can buy half of Duke Grosvenor's shares in your lighting company."
"What?"
William raised an eyebrow, his surprise evident. Pressing a finger to his earpiece, he asked Sunday, "Check if anything significant happened today."
After about a minute, Sunday responded, "Sir, the only relevant events are reports of increased vampire-related incidents in Europe, particularly around Budapest, where many vampires recently gathered.
"Additionally, there's been a rise in violent conflicts between the British vampires and werewolves you drove out and the local supernatural communities on the continent. This morning, the leaders of France and Germany contacted King Philip and Prime Minister Richard by phone.
"Details of the conversations are unavailable as you haven't authorized surveillance."
"Haha!" William couldn't help but laugh out loud upon hearing this.
This was truly a silver lining. Who would've thought that driving the supernatural creatures out of Britain would have such unexpected benefits?
It didn't take a genius to figure out that the increase in supernatural incidents had left European leaders feeling unsafe.
With the right price, it wouldn't be long before major cities in France and Germany adopted energy-efficient bulbs with ultraviolet capabilities.
Patting Wilson on the shoulder, William asked playfully, "Isn't your uncle afraid that Grosvenor will cause trouble for him later? And where is he getting the money for this? Don't tell me your mother is funding him."
"Trouble from Grosvenor is better than being broke," Wilson admitted frankly. "As for the money, that's between Spencer and us. Grosvenor has already agreed to sell 5% of his shares for £40 million."
"Does your father know about this?" William asked after a moment of thought.
While disputes among board members didn't directly affect him as the majority shareholder, such conflicts were generally beneficial.
However, if Philip and Charles were unaware of this deal, it could create more problems in the long run.
Wilson's silence confirmed William's suspicions. Smirking, he said, "Alright, let's just focus on the match for now."
"What if I bought the shares myself?" Wilson asked anxiously, grabbing William's arm before he could leave. "What if I teamed up with young Grosvenor to buy them?"
"Young Grosvenor?"
William sat back down, his curiosity piqued. "So the old man wants to sell, but his son wants to buy in? Isn't he afraid his father will break his legs? And isn't he only 11 years old? Where are you two getting that kind of money?"
"That's thanks to you, mate," Wilson said, grinning. "Miss Abigail only cares about antiques. As long as she approves of a piece, my commission as the middleman is in my account the next day.
"In just six months, I've become a millionaire, and so has Hugh Grosvenor. With that kind of track record, convincing our mothers to help us with the remaining £25 million will be a piece of cake."
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