Chapter 29: Diana Rigg
"Good heavens, is it really that much?" William said jokingly, continuing his response to the reporter. "That means I'll have to pay more than five million pounds in inheritance tax someday."
"Well, I suppose that's a lucky problem to have," William said after a moment's thought. "Here is what I will do. When I do eventually inherit the earldom and the Devinshire family wealth, after paying the required taxes, I will donate the remaining portion to a foundation for the protection of women and children in England."
"To be clear," he stressed, "if the total wealth is assessed at, say, £10 million, and I pay the 40% inheritance tax, the remaining £6 million I will donate in cash. I will not sell the family's real estate; I will only donate the cash equivalent of its value as determined by the English tax authorities."
"Of course, this all depends on one important thing: that I haven't gone bankrupt decades from now when the time comes to inherit. And the current Earl's business acumen is almost too good. In the last ten years, he has increased the family wealth nearly thirty times. My God, thirty times! If that continues, when I'm supposed to inherit decades from now, the estate could be worth a billion pounds. Imagine being told you have a billion-pound inheritance, but you can't afford the four-hundred-million-pound tax. That would be very desperate indeed."
Haha! Everyone smiled. The people present were all in the media industry; they knew William was joking and skillfully changing the subject. He was trying to ensure that English citizens wouldn't resent his good fortune too much. At nineteen, this kind of savvy was impressive.
A young man who could earn ten times more than his inheritance through his own efforts, and who was also philanthropic, could easily win the public's goodwill and deflect their jealousy.
This was very important. As long as he had public support, his inheritance of the title would not be met with opposition.
Even the Earl of Oxford, who was watching the live broadcast, felt a sense of goodwill toward William. He was no longer so resistant to the idea of William inheriting his title. After all, he had tried for ten years, but no children had come. He'd been with so many women, yet not one had become pregnant. It all seemed to be as William had said: God's arrangement. The thought comforted him.
The Duke of Devonshire and the other nobles watching were also very pleased. William had not shown a trace of urgency or entitlement, nor had he outright rejected the idea of inheriting the title.
The press conference ended on time at 5 o'clock. William and Roger Moore shook hands and said goodbye, but Roger Moore was clearly not ready to let William go. The 'myListen' MP3 player he'd described looked very promising.
If he didn't hold onto William now, he'd be a fool. He had to see if there was a chance to get in on the action.
"William, we are friends now, aren't we?" Roger Moore asked, his tone deliberately familiar.
"Of course, Roger. We are friends." William knew the Vice President of Best Buy was interested in the myListen series, but Best Buy's parent company, Viacom, wouldn't be much help in the electronics business. In this matter, Best Buy could offer little more than money.
Wait, William thought. Viacom owns television stations. Maybe that could be useful.
"Roger, be direct," William said, "As you know, I have a wonderful date waiting for me." He blinked at Roger Moore and nodded his head toward the door of the conference hall, where Diana Rigg was waving at him.
"Alright, William, you lucky boy," Roger said, getting to the point. "We are very interested in your myListen series. I think we should find time to talk carefully."
"Roger, I don't lack money now," William stated plainly. "So, what benefits can you bring me? I think you understand what I mean. What I need now is help—people who can help me launch the myListen series. Money is no longer the most important thing."
Roger Moore understood. Just then, he glanced at a TV screen showing the BBC's post-conference analysis.
"Professor Thomas," the BBC host was saying, "do you think the technologies William Devinshire just described can be realized? And was that rough, handmade MP3 player he showed us really as good as he claimed?"
An older man in his sixties appeared on screen. "From a purely technical standpoint, what William Devinshire described is not only possible, but relatively easy to achieve. The hardest part is combining those technologies effectively and bringing it to market at a price the public can accept. It's difficult for me to believe that he, a single person, could accomplish what large companies have not. However, after hearing the sound quality from that handmade prototype, I have to believe it."
"Alright, viewers, there you have it. Since Professor Thomas believes what William described is feasible, and it seems William has already solved the two biggest problems, then the only question is this: if there were an MP3 player that was cheaper than current models, had a larger capacity, better sound quality, and was more beautiful, would you buy it?"
"I don't know what you think, but I definitely would. It sounds truly special. My biggest concern now is how many units the first production run will have. I doubt it will be enough to meet the demand in London alone."
"William Devinshire caught our attention because he became the youngest billionaire in England in less than a month. But he's shown us today how cruel reality can be. He's about to become an even wealthier man in just six months. If, one year from now, you tell me that William Devinshire is the richest man in England, I will likely be sent to the hospital with a heart attack."
The host added, "In fact, don't tell me. I've decided to block all news about William Devinshire after six months. I have a feeling my prediction will come true."
The professor in the studio nodded with a smile. "And if what William said is true, I think his net worth could easily reach a billion. He also mentioned drones during the interview but was interrupted by Diana Rigg. I'm even more curious about what he has to say about those."
"Yes, yes! I'd forgotten about that!" the host exclaimed. "William did mention drones. Unfortunately, with so many reporters there, no one followed up on it."
After hearing what he needed to from the broadcast, Roger Moore stopped paying attention to the TV. Looking at the young man in front of him, he truly couldn't believe that he would soon be a billionaire-level tycoon.
"Alright, William," Roger Moore said with a sigh. "Let's talk later. I need to report back to the board. I won't keep you from your date with the beautiful lady. I wish you a wonderful evening."
"Thank you, Roger. I'll call you if needed. That's all for today, then. Goodbye." William and Roger shook hands and parted ways.
When William walked over to Diana Rigg, he saw that the beautiful reporter had changed out of her professional women's suit and into something far more feminine.
"Wow, Diana. You're so beautiful right now, I was stunned for a moment."
"Giggle, thank you, William." Diana Rigg was very satisfied with the way William was looking at her. It showed her strategy had been successful and had made it easier for her to get into William's line of sight.
"Alright, Diana. Shall we go?"
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