"I'm not asking for much, but you need to at least spend more time with me, Barron."
Seeing Amanda's somewhat annoyed expression, Barron shook his head and said,
"I'll try to make time for you, honey, but you should know I'm incredibly busy, and..."
"And there are so many other women I need to be with, right?"
Amanda Hearst looked him straight in the eye, her face etched with anger.
"I think we should reconsider whether we should stay together."
Seeing the girl leave, Barron didn't try to persuade her to stay.
He knew Amanda was different from the others. She came from the Hearst family, a once-glorious media family, and was one of the heirs.
While the Hearst family's current status was far inferior to Barron's, at least as the heir to the family, Amanda had her own pride. Although Ivanta also came from a wealthy family, the difference between them was that Ivanta was more ambitious. The bond between her and Barron wasn't just emotional, but also a connection of mutual interests.
Just as in Barron's previous life, Ivanta was able to choose a Jewish marriage that would benefit her family, so now, facing the immeasurably more powerful Duke Barron, even without a formal marriage, Ivanta remains resolute in her choice—her rationality is inherently superior.
Amanda's relationship with Barron can be seen as purely driven by her love for him. She herself lacks a strong sense of ambition, and choosing him is more a matter of a girl's infatuation with her Prince Charming.
Barron is actually quite surprised that Amanda has managed to stick with him for so long. After all, while Barron frequently visits America, he still spends most of his time in London.
Even in America, Barron couldn't possibly devote all his time to Amanda; he still
had Ivanta and Rebecca to share his time. Furthermore, Barron is married, so a public relationship between him and Amanda is strictly prohibited, and Amanda can't frequently visit London to see him.
Therefore, in all their time together, the time they've truly spent together has only been a few months.
If initial love is passionate, like a raging fire, yet also somewhat blinding, then after all this time, Amanda needs to consider their future together.
Unless Barron divorces Bonnie and chooses to be with Amanda...
but is that possible?
Not to mention that Bonnie is pregnant again. Furthermore, having been with Barron for a longer time, Bonnie holds a deeper place in his heart.
Besides Amanda, there are also women like Ivanta, Tamaran, Miss Ella, and Beatrice. Even if Barron does divorce...
well, let's put it this way, under these circumstances, if Barron divorces, the consequences could be even more chaotic.
At least for now, these women can accept the fact that Barron is married to Bonnie. If Barron divorces and becomes single again, who will he marry next?
Believe me, no matter which one he chooses, the damage to the other women will be even greater than it is now!
Now that Amanda has expressed her intention to break up with Barron, whether she's angry or making a well-considered decision, Barron can't immediately pursue her back.
He could only try to talk to the girl again after both of them calmed down a little. If sweet words still couldn't win her back...
then it could only be said that the girl had made the final decision, and the two of them had to separate. Having lived a new life, Barron had come to understand the situation more openly. Amanda was different from other girls. When they were younger, their mutual affection might have allowed them to overcome some obstacles. But unless she remained unmarried, how could she possibly have stayed with him in such an unofficial relationship?
Furthermore, Barron honestly knew his feelings for Amanda weren't particularly profound. Their relationship was more about physical attraction. Even so, objectively speaking, Amanda's appearance and figure weren't among the best among his women. Her family background was a significant advantage, but for Barron now, that aura wasn't a decisive factor.
"Lydia, yes, Amanda just left me. We had some issues..."
After a moment's thought, Barron answered Lydia Hearst's call.
This time, Amanda hadn't come with her cousin Lydia, who was also very surprised to hear Amanda had decided to break up with Barron.
"I understand her perspective. After all, Barron, we all need company sometimes..."
"Sorry, Lydia."
Hearing the loneliness and sadness in Barron's voice, Lydia's initial empathy for her cousin softened. She said softly,
"Don't be like that, dear. I'll talk to Amanda later. Besides, I want to see you, too..."
...
"Your Highness, here's Costco's information. The company's stock price is currently around $70, with a market capitalization of approximately $31 billion, a 32% increase compared to the same period last year..."
Zhang Junning handed Barron information about Costco. Founded in 1983, Costco was in the midst of severe stagflation in the United States, characterized by high unemployment and inflation.
Consumers in this era were price-sensitive, and low-priced, high-quality goods were their primary shopping destination in the early 1980s.
Costco distinguished itself from traditional retailers by profiting from price differences and pursuing a business model focused on long-term membership growth.
At Costco, merchandise is arranged unlike typical supermarkets, resembling a wholesale market. Customers are accustomed to driving to buy Costco's highly valued products by the bag or case, making it seem more like sourcing than shopping. It's
also worth noting that Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has also invested heavily in Costco. Interestingly, Costco was also a stock strongly recommended to Buffett by Charlie Munger, and Berkshire Hathaway has been buying Costco shares since 2000.
Prior to this, Costco had become the fifth-largest retailer in the United States and the eighth-largest globally, with 53.5 million members worldwide and eight stores in Asia.
Baron's deep impression of Costco stems primarily from the fact that it was once a major investment for Buffett and has been widely reported.
From his past life, Baron knew that after the financial crisis, while traditional retailers like Walmart and Target experienced a decline in growth due to the economic downturn and the resulting decline in consumer confidence, Costco bucked the trend and thrived.
From 2008 to 2015, Walmart's compound annual growth rate fell to 2.5%, while Costco maintained a compound annual growth rate of over 7%. Investors believe that Costco's performance is comparable to that of Amazon.