The next morning, Berloff Reed got up early and instructed his butler, Sutton, to find some local travel guides for Silk City.
His cousin, Rebecca, had a few days off work, and Berloff planned to take her around for some fun.
Sutton, not daring to slack off in front of his new master, quickly brought several travel guides.
They included not only Silk City but also a few nearby cities, all very detailed.
Berloff skimmed through them for a while when suddenly, a system notification sounded in his mind.
"Ding!"
"Would the host like to recycle these five travel guides?"
Berloff's eyes lit up immediately.
Heh, the system was offering rewards again. This was awesome.
After he confirmed, the system announced, "Congratulations to the host for successfully recycling. You are awarded a 20% stake in Acat Group!"
Soon, a document for the transfer of shares was delivered to 11 Bund.At this moment, Berloff was completely stunned.
Acat Group was one of the two internet giants in the country, with main businesses including e-commerce, food delivery, transportation, travel, entertainment, and more, covering almost every aspect of daily life.
Its current market value was over 500 billion dollars.
The system's reward of a 20% stake in Acat Group, valued at billions of dollars, instantly catapulted Berloff Reed into the ranks of the nation's wealthiest individuals.
More importantly, as a major shareholder of Acat Group, Berloff's status was second only to the company's founder, Deandre.
With this identity, Berloff could command respect and courtesy from top political and business figures worldwide.
As for regular celebrities and small business owners, they wouldn't dare act arrogantly in front of him.
Berloff's hands trembled with excitement, his face flushed red.
Holy moly!
The system was unbelievably generous!
Rewarding him with a 20% stake in Acat Group was like a dream come true.From now on, who would dare to mess with him?
...
Meanwhile, in the president's office of Acat Group in Silk City, Deandre, the nation's richest man, was wearing black-framed glasses and handling various reports submitted by his subordinates.
At that moment, the president's assistant knocked and entered, informing him about someone acquiring a 20% stake in the company.
Upon hearing this, Deandre's face changed dramatically, and he nearly jumped out of his chair.He remembered how, during the early days of his business, he had been forced to give up many shares to external investors in search of funding.
Deandre currently held only 30% of Acat Group's shares. Combined with the shares of his co-founders and key executives, he barely maintained control of the company.
Now, suddenly, a young man named Berloff Reed had acquired 20% of the entire group's shares.
If Berloff teamed up with external capital, he could potentially seize control of the entire group, ousting Deandre, the founder, and changing everything.The thought sent a shiver down Deandre's spine, and he broke out in a cold sweat.
"Find out everything about this new major shareholder. I need to speak with him and understand his intentions behind this acquisition!" Deandre ordered.
The president's office of Acat Group erupted into chaos, everyone scrambling to gather information.
An hour later, Berloff Reed's personal details and contact information were laid out in front of Deandre.
...
Meanwhile, Berloff and his cousin Rebecca,who had just woken up, were having breakfast in a restaurant.
The two were discussing their plans to visit Silk City University of Finance that morning.
It was their shared alma mater, and Rebecca hadn't returned since she graduated. This visit was a chance for her to reminisce about her college days.
Ring, ring, ring...
Just as they were enjoying their conversation, Berloff's phone rang.
He glanced at the caller ID, which showed that the call was from an internal line at Acat Group.Berloff Reed couldn't help but chuckle to himself. He had become a major shareholder of Acat Group, and it seemed they were eager to contact him.
"Hello, is this Mr. Berloff Reed?" A steady male voice came through the phone.
"Yes, that's me. And you are?" Berloff replied.
"Hello, Mr. Berloff. This is Deandre, the CEO of Acat Group."
Clang! The spoon in Berloff's hand fell onto the dining table.
Holy cow! The famous business tycoon Deandre!This was the man who had built a massive internet empire from scratch, a true legend in the business world. The combined market value of the internet companies he controlled exceeded a trillion dollars, making him a global giant.
Berloff had only ever seen Deandre on screens, watching him dominate the news with his insights and bold moves.
Never in his wildest dreams did Berloff think he would receive a personal call from such a titan.
"President Deandre, it's an honor to speak with you!" Berloff said, his face breaking into a wide smile and his tone full of respect. "What can I do for you?"
Deandre's tone was very friendly. "Mr. Berloff, please, there's no need for such formalities."
"It's just that you've recently acquired a significant amount of shares in our Acat Group. I have a few questions and would like to discuss them with you in person. Are you available today?"
Being invited to meet the richest man in the country was something Berloff Reed knew he could brag about to his friends for the next three years.
However, his cousin Rebecca had finally come to visit Silk City, and Berloff didn't want to abandon her just to exchange pleasantries with an older man, even if he was the richest man in the country.
"Uh, President Deandre, I'm sorry, but I need to accompany my cousin, who has traveled a long way to visit. We're planning to revisit our alma mater, Silk City University of Finance. I'm afraid I don't have time to meet with you today."
Deandre's face darkened, his displeasure evident.
This young man was clearly not here with good intentions!
As the president of Acat Group and the richest man in the country, Deandre had personally reached out for a meeting, only to be brushed off with such a flimsy excuse.
How infuriating!
If it weren't for the bigger picture, Deandre would have shown his displeasure right then and there.
Taking a deep breath, Deandre forced a smile. "Heh, Mr. Berloff, you and your cousin must be very close."
"How about this? I happen to be free today as well. I'll also visit Silk City University of Finance."
"Mr. Berloff, just let me know the time, and we won't miss each other."
Berloff Reed felt helpless.
All he wanted was to enjoy some quality time with his cousin, but why was Deandre, this big shot, so insistent on meeting him?
Forget it, dealing with the richest man in the country is no joke. I'll find some time to talk to him later.
After setting up the meeting, Deandre finally hung up the phone.
"President Deandre, you have a high-level executive meeting this morning, a meeting with local leaders at the Jinjiang Grand Hotel, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony at one of our branch offices..."
The assistant, holding a tablet, was interrupted by Deandre's serious expression and a wave of his hand.
"Cancel everything!"
"The most important thing today is the meeting with Mr. Berloff Reed."
"If I don't get to the bottom of his intention to acquire our company shares, I won't be able to eat!"
Hearing this, the assistant was shocked.
This young Berloff Reed was truly terrifying.He had managed to scare the country's wealthiest man, President Deandre, to this extent!