"Did you meet Schwarzenegger today?"
Barron, upon returning to his villa, heard Jenny Boot's question and smiled.
"I remember telling you this morning..."
Seeing the meaningful expression on Jenny's face, he couldn't help but ask,
"Why, are you unhappy with our governor?"
"Not really. I don't care much about his affairs. I just heard that during his gubernatorial campaign, he spent a lot of money to silence his scandals."
"That's normal, isn't it? After all, he was once a Hollywood star and had ties to the Kennedy family..."
Barron knew Jenny Boot was referring to the rumors surrounding Schwarzenegger, including his infidelity after marrying his wife and harassing actresses. Schwarzenegger had spent a lot of money to address these matters.
But the more significant revelations, which came out after he left office, included his affair with his overly plump nanny—they even had a child together, which was one of the reasons Maria later divorced him.
The next day, Barron brought a beaming Jenny Booth to Hunt Valley, Maryland, the headquarters of the Sinclair Group.
"Honey, I heard you and your brother went to Hawaii. How was it? Was it fun?"
John Smith, like a man who cherishes his family, gave his wife a hug and asked affectionately.
"Not bad, but the bright sunshine there made my skin darker, so I came back early with Barron..."
After dealing with her husband, Jenny Boot gently broke away from his embrace and said,
"You guys chat, I'll go upstairs to rest for a while."
John looked at Barron and shrugged:
"She's always like this. It's nice to see you again, Your Highness."
"Me too, John, how have you been lately?"
John sat down opposite Barron and called the servant over:
"Give me a cup of coffee, and you?"
"Black tea will be fine, thank you."
After the servant left, John smiled and said,
"The company is doing well. By the way, "Succession" has good ratings. I believe it will have a place in next year's Emmy Awards."
As he said, the first season of "Succession" has been broadcast on the TV station owned by the Sinclair Group, and the ratings are very good. Even after two or three episodes, its popularity surpassed CBS's popular American series Crime Scene Investigation (CSI).
John, however, seemed unfazed by the plot in "Succession," which resembled the plot of his older brother, who fought for control of the Sinclair Group.
In reality, the popularity of the show did boost Sinclair's advertising revenue.
It's true that while John Smith's management style differed significantly from his father and older brother, he did manage the Sinclair Group to gradually reduce its debt.
However, it's unclear whether the liquidity stagnation caused by the subprime mortgage crisis, which impacted the entire American financial sector, would worsen Sinclair's situation. After all, Sinclair's previous acquisitions had kept their debt levels below the safety line.
"By the way, there's something I need to tell you, Your Highness,"
John Smith said to Barron, accepting the coffee from the servant, adding a sugar cube, stirring it for a moment, and then saying,
"We're planning to sell our shares in SEM Group. The proceeds will be used to repay some of our bank loans." "This is something the Sinclair Group can handle on its own, John. I have no objection."
Relatively speaking, the impact of the subprime mortgage crisis is currently limited to the American stock market and some European bank stocks, and hasn't had a significant impact on SEM Group's stock price.
Of course, SEM Group's stock price has fallen compared to last month, but it's still at a satisfactory level.
If John Smith wasn't exceptional at judging the economic situation, then he'd be lucky. Selling off SEM Group's shares now would still be considered a high-priced sale. Using the funds to repay bank loans would also put Sinclair Group in a safer position should the crisis escalate further.
"Actually, what I'm saying is, if you want to buy back these shares, I can sell them directly to you."
"That's not necessary. I already have enough shares now. There's no need to hold so many."
Even if Baron wanted to buy back some shares, he wouldn't choose now. European stock markets are sure to experience several declines next year, and then the price would be even more discounted.
Regardless, Barron could finally breathe a sigh of relief after Jenny Boot returned home. He wondered if this woman had been "gathering strength." The learning prowess she'd displayed over the past two days had truly astonished him. This was the first time since his rebirth that Barron had felt a bit overwhelmed.
But just after leaving John Smith's place, he received a call.
"Are you still in Los Angeles, honey?"
"I'm in Maryland. I just met with John. What's up, honey?"
It was Ivanta. Barron heard her say,
"Looks like I'm in the wrong place. I just got off the plane and am on my way to Silicon Valley..."
"I'll be right back, honey. You can wait for me at home."
The "home" Barron was referring to was the mansion he'd purchased for Ivanta in the San Francisco Bay Area. They'd lived there together during their time in Silicon Valley.
After hanging up, Barron sighed. It looked like tonight would be another night of hard study.
"
Are you optimistic about Twitter?"
After a pause, Ivanta couldn't help but ask, hearing Barron ask about IC Capital's previous investment in Twitter.
"Before, Twitter's development was so-so, but things are different now. Our Android and Apple's iOS systems both support the convenient running of apps on mobile phones. Twitter, a social form, is more suitable for such smartphones..."
Hearing Barron's words, Ivanta's eyes lit up. She was no longer the half-baked internet user she once was. After two years of investing in internet and tech companies, Ivanta had been learning about this area, and her understanding had greatly improved. She immediately grasped the meaning of Barron's words.
Indeed, Twitter allows users to express their opinions directly online through text messages.
This is why each message has a 140-character limit.
However, with the increasing number of smartphone users, those using Android or iOS can log in to the app and post information directly from their phones, which has indeed provided the soil for Twitter's rapid growth.
"So, should I suggest they launch apps on Android and iOS as soon as possible?"
"There's no rush. If their founding team is sharp enough, they'll figure it out. Or maybe wait until you participate in the next round of financing. If they haven't thought about it yet, you can give them a heads-up."