Richie picked up a stack of papers and exclaimed loudly:
"Mr. Smith! Respond! Wave your hand so I can see you."
From somewhere in the distance came a muffled male laugh, more like a snort. Then a deep baritone commented:
"Smith, are you deaf? Someone's calling you."
"I hear, I hear…"
From behind the third gray office partition—counting from Richard's position—a young man of about twenty-seven emerged, dressed in a dark business suit. His brown hair was neatly combed to the side, and his brown eyes regarded the young courier with focused interest.
"I'm Smith," the man said.
"Great, sir. Here are your invoices," Richard said, glancing at the papers. "We come up, we hand them over, and we don't make the young body strain."
Smith smiled and walked over to the boy. Taking the documents, he began to leaf through them.
Seizing the moment, Ricky asked:
"Mr. Smith, I noticed you work with hotels. Do we have many hotels?"
"I've got a dozen hotels on my books," Smith replied. "Or are you asking about something else?"
"I just wanted to know in general — how many hotels the Grosvenor Group has on its balance sheet," the boy clarified.
"Well…" Smith said thoughtfully. "More than fifty."
Thus, by studying documents and chatting with various employees, Richie gradually began to grasp the structure and scope of the company. Every hour of every day, he learned something new, and little by little, the scattered pieces formed a coherent picture.
Richie learned about the real estate owned by the Grosvenor Group, as well as the company's turnover and profits.
So he discovered that the firm paid out only a small portion of its profits as dividends. The bulk of its net income went toward purchasing land and constructing new properties: shopping centers, office buildings, residential complexes, and hotels. Altogether, the company employed nearly ten thousand people worldwide.
The firm was divided into several large branches. The head office—where all the money and documentation flowed—was already familiar to him; this was where Richard worked. In addition to it, there were two more major divisions in London: Grosvenor UK and Ireland, and Grosvenor Fund Management. Three other large subsidiary offices were located in different parts of the world: Grosvenor America, Grosvenor Europe, and Grosvenor Asia-Pacific.
The company handled colossal sums of money. The hundred million pounds a year that Gerald, his daughters, his ex-wife, and—to a much lesser extent—Richard received were mere pennies compared to the amounts invested in business development.
Richie understood that even if he got his hands on ten million pounds and invested it with extraordinary success in venture securities, even then he still would not catch up with his father in terms of wealth. The sum was simply not the right scale. If only he had half a billion at his disposal…
On the other hand, if he thought about it, with that kind of money there would be little point in straining too much. He could simply invest in successful companies and live off the dividends. And no one was going to hand him such an enormous sum. He should be grateful for what he had managed to negotiate.
The month flew by unnoticed. It felt as though Richie had only just settled into a rhythm—exercise, breakfast, work, lunch, fencing or economics classes, walks through London's tourist districts with museum visits—when everything suddenly changed. Business sharks took charge of the young man's education, immersing him in the company's affairs and teaching him the realities of doing business.
Whereas before Richard had only occasionally glanced into the managers' offices on the fourth floor, now he barely crawled out of there until lunchtime.
Two more months slipped past, spring flashing by in an instant: in the blink of an eye it was March, and then June was already upon them.
Ricky was glad that another marathon was finally over. The instructors who devoted their working hours to the boy showed him no mercy. Seeing how quickly he learned, they made no allowances for his age and trained him as though he were their successor. One week with one manager, then a week with another. In this way, Richie worked in all the key departments: finance, legal, contracts, leasing, marketing, logistics, construction, and management.
It wasn't that the transmigrator instantly became a financial genius, but he learned a great deal and began to understand how the business worked—and that was what mattered. After all, dry academic knowledge of economics is meaningless on its own. Every year, thousands of students graduate from colleges with degrees in economics. And where do they end up? What are they doing? Did they all start their own businesses and make millions? Of course not! Most of them go on to work as clerks in banks or become office plankton. And if they're unlucky, they end up in a field completely unrelated to their specialty.
Take the professor who taught Richard, for example. He was an expert in economics, yet he himself was not involved in business. At best, he invested his spare cash in securities.
Richie returned home after fencing practice. Today was his last day at the Grosvenor Group office. He didn't stop anywhere along the way, as he usually did, but went straight home and began eagerly awaiting his father's return. The boy was already mentally rubbing his hands together in anticipation of the promised money. He had even roughly planned how he would spend it!
(End of Chapter)
Hey! Don't forget, your support is very important.
Please donate power stones, write reviews, and leave comments. It will be a huge help!
🎁 Bonus chapter at 50 power stones!