February 8.
The battle over Bentley, the battle over Rolls-Royce. A struggle that had become almost symbolic of industrial sovereignty itself. The sector was being compressed between two corporations that stood as the principal contenders in this race against time. On one side stood Volkswagen, a conglomerate proud of the enormous number of brands it controlled, rivaling even General Motors, which had begun to weaken beneath the inefficiency of its sprawling empire. And of course, Ford Motor Company could not be forgotten. Great automotive houses were falling into evident crises, to the point where the great sharks of the industry seemed ready to devour one another. Such was the fate circling around Volvo Cars, Nissan, Daewoo Motors, Skoda, Bentley and Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Rover Group, Bugatti, and Maybach.
Billy was already contemplating the acquisitions of Volvo, Bentley, and Bugatti. The profits arriving from the latest nations shaken by economic crisis—South Korea, Malaysia, China, and Japan—were flowing in with tremendous force. Altogether, they amounted to nearly three hundred million dollars. Billy did not hesitate. He requested a four-hundred-million-dollar loan from the state of North Carolina for the acquisition of those three brands, which to him represented the spearhead of his future empire. And while doing so, he intended to carry out the purchases quietly. For that reason, negotiations would pass through the hands of William Dommer Bolbo. Through discreet arrangements, Bugatti would be acquired almost invisibly under that man's guidance, while he himself would negotiate Bentley independently.
Meanwhile, the frenzy of reality continued around them. Thousands of shares climbing toward historic highs were preparing to be sold between December of 1999 and February of 2000, all for two singular purposes: first, to build the largest automotive conglomerate in existence; second, to reinforce every operation tied to Apple, pay off a number of debts, and then attack the digital market without restraint—the acquisition of intellectual property, art galleries, companies—devouring everything like a capitalist giant desperate to absorb the entire world.
According to William Dommer's estimates, Volvo was worth nearly five billion dollars. Bentley and Rolls-Royce together were estimated at eight hundred million, while Bugatti was worth perhaps twenty million at most.
It was far too much money for a company of Billy's size. But through those brands, he intended to fill every existential void among the categories of customers he wished to attract and dominate. From there, he would begin building Formula racing teams at every level—from Formula 4 all the way to Formula One itself—with an absolute and merciless corporate structure.
The machine consumed billions. His acquisitions had been precise, but the investments were already approaching three billion dollars. Add another estimated billion on top of that, and his company's finances were being strained to a point that could no longer depend upon luck alone. Billy could almost feel eyes crawling across his back: the looming loss of control, the total collapse of his assets, and the possibility of some wealthy magnate stepping in to repurchase everything with cash already waiting in hand. Perhaps William Dommer himself would eventually buy the company, and the Rockefeller family would return to the market exactly as they had always planned.
Billy lived surrounded by doubt.
--Where exactly are you going to get the money? These are three separate loans that will consume every stream of revenue and swallow more than seventy percent of the automotive company's total assets. - came Anne's sharp response.
Now, even she had begun to doubt. Through William's connections, it was becoming increasingly obvious that their lenders were no longer traditional banks, but entire state governments and even national institutions.
--Nothing will go wrong. Money flows toward me the way drizzle rolls across the coast. Money comes to me the same way the wind moves along the shoreline. - he replied delicately, with that same overwhelming confidence born from his unshakable character. The certainty surrounding Billy stretched like a vast shadow, paving the horizon with a furious wave of ambition.
--You sound like an insufferable know-it-all. - Anne whispered.
She could not stop tormenting herself with anxious thoughts. Her trip to Italy had not turned out nearly as satisfying as she had hoped, and now time itself seemed ready to determine whether Billy was truly right.
--You need to travel to London. - Billy commented.
--Another debt. A major film production company was completely stunned when they heard the offer just to be considered in the production partnership. - Anne replied.
Now she would be responsible for handling the entire fiasco in London, something burdensome and humiliating in its own way. A fifty-fifty partnership represented a value already reaching seven figures, and even Universal, cautious as it was, seemed hesitant to attach itself to a proposal that bordered on the abusive. Meanwhile, Billy compulsively continued acquiring what looked increasingly like a black hole of investments—production studios disguised as entertainment complexes that were, in truth, massive tourist centers with their own attractions attached.
--We'll use the comic book profits. For London, redirect every possible fund. - Billy commented.
At this point, that was the only option remaining. The productions themselves would become the chosen locations.
--I'll think it over. - Anne sighed, surrendering herself carefully to the weight of these private burdens.
A few extra dollars would not change the miserable situation surrounding them. They were trapped across multiple fronts, with enormous investments spread throughout expensive sectors that yielded no immediate return. Everything now depended upon waiting—waiting for Matrix, waiting for Pixar. That was the game they were living through. Anne's stomach twisted with sharp pain.
--I'll keep buying and buying because these are the years of opportunity. We're building a foundation strong enough to last for the next twenty years. Opportunities vibrate in the air itself. - Billy declared with the same poetic arrogance he had grown accustomed to, carrying himself with dramatic exaggeration and relentless intensity.
--We'll see. Our years are still long ahead of us, in the most absurd way imaginable. If people truly knew, Forbes would become the gossip column of the entire market. - Anne replied, leaving behind the lingering scent of her Chanel perfume.