A Wall Street Genius's Final Investment Playbook-Chapter 324 : The 100 Billion Race (20)

I already had so much to do, and I didn’t have the time to fly all the way there.

So I did not go to Saudi Arabia.

But that wasn’t even the decisive reason.

“Absolutely not!”

“Where do you think you’re going? Have you lost your mind?”

It was because every employee at Pareto Innovation rose up in opposition.

I don’t know where they heard the news, but a dozen traders and analysts surrounded their CEO and began protesting as a group.

“Sir, you absolutely cannot die! I told you I just signed the contract for the Central Park View apartment! The house alone cost nine million dollars…! If you die, how am I supposed to pay for that?”

“I also bought a vacation house in the Hamptons last month!”

“Why in the world would you go somewhere that dangerous? Do you have a death wish?”

They were convinced that if I went to Saudi Arabia, some kind of “unfortunate accident” was bound to occur.

In other words, they believed the Saudis were going to harm me.

“When a person loses face, there’s no telling what they’ll do! And you shattered the Saudi royal family’s pride into dust…!”

“Besides, if Sean disappears, the entire $100 billion race becomes void, doesn’t it? Why would you voluntarily give them such an easy solution…?!”

I understood their concern, but…

I shrugged.

“Come on. If they touch me, the world is not going to stay quiet.”

Who am I?

The top investor on Wall Street, personally praised by the President of the United States as a national treasure.

If I went to meet the Saudi prince and ended up dead under mysterious circumstances, it wouldn’t be just a diplomatic incident—it would become an international crisis.

However, the employees were adamant.

“No. If I were Saudi… I definitely wouldn’t let you go. They’ll handle it in a way that lets them deny involvement!”

“I’m telling you, tomorrow morning the headline will say you died of a heart attack in your hotel room!”

“No, I think it’s more likely the chauffeur’s limousine will suddenly accelerate into a concrete wall. Don’t you think?”

“You’re wrong.”

Just then, while everyone else was in agreement, a single dissenting voice arose.

It was none other than Gonzalez.

Gonzalez shook his head and calmly spoke.

“Saudi Arabia wouldn’t kill Sean.”

Everyone looked at him in disbelief, only for him to continue with a chilling smile.

“Of course, they would announce him dead to the world. But if it were me? I’d keep him alive. I’d lock him in a dungeon for the rest of his life—until he wishes he were dead…”

At the eeriness of his tone, the noisy room instantly fell silent.

Surely they wouldn’t go that far… right?

‘Though… you never know.’

The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia may present himself as progressive, projecting an image distinct from the old royal establishment, but the reality is that he often employs extreme and ruthless methods.

In fact, he once summoned members of the royal family to a hotel, imprisoned them, and refused to release them until they agreed to donate all of their assets to the state.

Not to mention the internationally shocking incident involving the brutal murder of a journalist—either this year or next.

Of course, at the time, he probably didn’t expect that targeting a single journalist would create such global repercussions.

More importantly, he probably wouldn’t dare touch a high-profile figure like me.

‘But confinement is entirely possible.’

For example, detaining me in a hotel as a form of warning—that is something he could very well do.

But if that happened, I would lose what is most precious: time.

And I certainly couldn’t expect them to provide any conveniences…

They’d probably cut off my water, prevent me from showering, and make me sleep on a cold floor without bedding…

That would be the worst.

“In that case, let’s have him come here instead.”

And so, after many twists and turns, the meeting location was set at the Pareto Innovation headquarters.

This decision came only after we tripled our security staff as an emergency precaution.

***

Thus, on the evening two days later—

The Saudi Crown Prince personally arrived.

His displeasure was written all over his face.

“We’re not here to make small talk. Let’s get straight to business.”

Clearly, he was not in a pleasant mood.

I nodded and immediately got to the point.

“I understand that Your Highness came here to invest in us. May I ask what investment amount you have in mind?”

“If it’s for the ‘insurance’ purpose you mentioned, then ten billion dollars would be the appropriate amount… but I assume that’s not what you want.”

He was right.

My goal was to reach one hundred billion dollars.

We had currently raised around eighty billion, which meant we needed about twenty billion more to hit the target.

But I smiled gently.

“There seems to be some misunderstanding. I never force investments on anyone. If Your Highness only wishes to invest ten billion dollars, that is perfectly acceptable.”

And I meant it.

“However, should that be the case, the race will continue. And naturally, I won’t be able to refrain from using the information I already possess.”

Meaning: even if he paid ten billion, I would continue exposing Ubers’s corruption.

For the Crown Prince, who had invested a staggering thirty-eight billion dollars into Ubers, that would lead to unavoidable losses.

He lifted one corner of his mouth and sneered.

“This is absurd hostage-taking. I’m surprised an American would stoop to this level. Isn’t the American stance supposed to be, ‘We do not negotiate with terrorists’?”

“I’m hurt that you would compare me to a terrorist.”

It seemed the atmosphere needed softening.

So I smiled with the wisdom of the East and continued.

“While my nationality is American, I spent my childhood in the East. So my mindset is closer to Eastern thought. For instance, when discussing war strategy, I look more to Sun Tzu than Machiavelli. And as Sun Tzu says, ‘Do not corner your enemy with no escape.’”

“Isn’t that exactly what you’re doing now?”

“No. I am providing multiple choices, and I will never, under any circumstances, force Your Highness to choose anything.”

After stating this firmly, I raised my hand.

“There are three choices.”

“Three?”

“Yes.”

I extended a finger.

“One, invest ten billion dollars. In that case, as mentioned, the race continues.”

Meaning the Ubers exposé war goes on.

The Crown Prince’s gaze turned cold.

“And two, if you invest twenty billion dollars. Then the race ends, and I will have no reason to use the information I possess.”

“You mean you will stop.”

“Correct. I harbor no personal grudge against Ubers.”

I extended a third finger.

“And the final option. Three, invest more than twenty billion dollars.”

“…You are asking me to invest more than that?”

“That is correct.”

The Crown Prince looked utterly baffled, then gave a scoffing smile.

“And what exactly do I gain by investing even more?”

“Of course, you gain something. In that case, the race doesn’t end as my unilateral victory, but rather as a reconciliation.”

“Reconciliation?”

“That’s right. Your Highness would become the mediator who brings about a historic reconciliation between me and Masayoshi Son. The narrative would be that you, unable to bear watching two brilliant men engage in a wasteful conflict, personally stepped in and proposed the perfect, Solomon-like solution that restored peace.”

“……!”

A subtle shift appeared in the Crown Prince’s expression.

This was no longer just about paying money.

This was a scenario in which he became the protagonist.

Rather than losing face, he would instead be remembered as the wise arbitrator of international finance.

“There must be a price for that.”

“Good things always come with a price tag.”

“How much?”

“An additional ten billion dollars, bringing the total to thirty billion.”

“…”

“Of course, I won’t force you. You simply review the services I’m offering and the price, and choose what you believe is most rational.”

Another silence followed.

The Crown Prince narrowed his eyes, as though calculating something.

“How am I supposed to put up thirty billion without knowing the exact plan? Buying a product without seeing it first is foolish.”

“Of course. I will explain the plan.”

I then proceeded to calmly lay out the prepared “reconciliation scenario.”

By the time I finished, the Crown Prince’s once rigid expression had noticeably softened.

“It’s not bad… but for that plan to work, Masayoshi Son would also have to agree, wouldn’t he?”

“That’s correct.”

“Does he have any reason to agree with you?”

His concern was valid.

But I smiled with confidence.

“Leave that to me. Negotiation happens to be my specialty.”

“You sound certain.”

“Yes. I will make it happen.”

The Crown Prince finally made his decision.

“Very well. I’ll choose the third option.”

We shook hands, sealing the thirty-billion-dollar investment.

At that moment, the one-hundred-billion-dollar target was exceeded by ten billion.

***

Meanwhile, Masayoshi Son was spending his days in mounting anxiety.

This was because he had received insider information from his contact within the Saudi sovereign wealth fund.

—His Highness is heading to New York. A meeting has been scheduled with Pareto Innovation…

He’s meeting Ha Si-heon.

His greatest backer—the Saudi Crown Prince himself.

Since the Ubers exposé war erupted, relations between the Crown Prince and Masayoshi had rapidly deteriorated.

In truth, Masayoshi was utterly innocent in this matter.

‘Why is Ubers my fault?!’

Masayoshi hadn’t invested in Ubers at all!

Therefore, no matter how hard Ha Si-heon attacked Ubers, Masayoshi suffered no direct losses.

It was completely someone else’s problem.

But the Crown Prince, who had poured a staggering thirty-eight billion dollars into Ubers, saw it differently.

—It’s because of your war with Ha Si-heon that Ubers ended up in this state.

And now…

The Crown Prince was going to meet Ha Si-heon in person?

This could only be seen as a clear signal that he had completely turned his back on Masayoshi.

Soon, the news of Saudi Arabia’s investment into the Cure Fund would be made public.

When that happened, everyone would unanimously conclude:

—The winner of the one-hundred-billion-dollar race is Ha Si-heon.

Being branded the loser was humiliating enough—but beyond that, the real damage was immense.

In the world of finance, no one wants to side with the loser.

If that happened, raising the remaining twenty billion dollars would become a nightmare.

Investors would naturally hesitate.

And even if he managed to secure the funds, an even greater problem awaited him—no promising startup would want investment or advice from someone branded a loser.

‘That bastard Ha Si-heon… why me of all people…!’

Masayoshi clenched his fists.

It was infuriating beyond words.

No matter how he looked at it, he had done nothing wrong.

He just happened to be standing at the crossroads where Ha Si-heon passed by… and got caught up in the disaster.

At this point, Ackman’s assessment that ‘he was bitten by a mad dog’ was entirely accurate.

Just then, his secretary rushed in.

“Sir! Ha Si-heon has requested a meeting!”

“What?”

“Chairman Ha Si-heon of Pareto Innovation wants to meet in person…”

It was an unexpected message.

They had crossed paths many times in television studios, but had never once met privately.

“What’s his purpose?”

“He says he wants to end this competition. He wants reconciliation.”

“Reconciliation?”

A stunned look flashed across Masayoshi Son’s eyes.