From legendary short seller to god of American capital

Chapter 325 A Broader Perspective is Needed

Chapter 325 A Broader Perspective is Needed

Larry sat in the Waldorf Hotel's café, his expression grave.

Opposite him stood Bernard Baruch, the front desk manager of Reading. Baruch's expression was equally grave.

On the table in front of Larry was a document, which was Reading's "Account Risk Notification".

Bernard Baruch had revealed the whole story of how the Reading executives had plotted to assassinate Larry. This sudden news left Larry very puzzled, but even more so, terrified.

Someone was targeting me, and this targeting was premeditated, if it weren't for the $120 million bank draft I had placed with Reading Corporation by chance before returning to Boston.

So this time they've already been murdered—

Larry had always felt this kind of being stared at, but now that his premonition had become a reality, it added a sense of anger and panic from the bottom of his heart.

Who is it? This guy has been plotting this for ages!

Considering his own investments and positions in American tobacco, Larry was almost certain that this person had been watching him for a while, and had consistently targeted his account at Reading.

It's incredibly sophisticated that it can use stocks to manipulate itself. Furthermore, this person has exceptional patience—so much so that it can calmly dig traps and wait for itself to fall into them step by step.

This person is definitely an expert! Without a doubt. And an expert who is well-versed in the secondary market.

What's even more terrifying is that he was hiding in the shadows—and I hadn't even noticed his presence.

Larry frowned slightly, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the mahogany tabletop. Outside the window, the Manhattan sky was somewhat gloomy, much like the fog that shrouded his heart at that moment.

"Sir, your coffee is here." The waiter brought the coffee, slightly breaking the heavy atmosphere.

Through the steam rising from the coffee, Larry saw Bernard Baruch across from him with a furrowed brow, a stark contrast to his usual enthusiastic front desk manager.

"Mr. Livingston, I've been looking for you lately. This is extremely important—" After the waiter left, Baruch pushed a cup of coffee in front of Lari and said in a low voice, "I really couldn't find you. It's been almost a month—I also secretly inquired about the specifics, but Mr. Bush, who used to work in my company's risk control department, has already left—"

Larry picked up his coffee cup but didn't drink it, merely feeling the warmth emanating from the cup. After a few moments, he said, "Please continue—"

"They must have been watching your tobacco business in the US for a while now—" Baruch took out a small notebook from his inside suit pocket, turned to a page, "They must have known every time you placed an order—because I checked the previous transaction records—in short, there are quite a few coincidences in the timing."

Larry nodded slowly. "Then, the most important thing now is to find out who those three are—I'll handle that, but you, Mr. Baruch, I'd also like to ask you to inquire about it as well?"

"I will do my best—this matter is very serious, and I am not on the company's side. Because I feel it is unethical and unfair—even though you are just one of my clients," Baruch said frankly.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Baruch. I will remember your valuable reminder." Larry nodded to him.

Baruch remained calm and continued, "To be frank, Mr. Livingston, I suggest you clear all our company's accounts—even though you are my best client, it has nothing to do with profit. Because someone is watching you—you can't make good deals under these circumstances."

“This isn’t about the deal; someone is targeting me personally,” Larry said after a moment’s thought. “But as you just said, they’ve already cut off all leads very quickly—even getting the company’s top executives to resign. That’s a very powerful move.”

"Yes, his name is George Bush. He had worked for Reading for ten years, and just a few days after this raid, he resigned under some pretext—I was going to complain to headquarters about this substandard customer clearance procedure," Baruch said.

"Does your sales manager know him?" Larry suddenly asked.

"They should know each other—but the general manager is very tight-lipped about it." Baruch then recounted the general manager's behavior in this incident.

Larry tilted his head and thought for a moment, then suddenly looked up at Baruch and said, "Now, there's not much time left until the end of June—does your general manager have performance pressure?"

"Oh, of course! Everyone has performance pressure—" Baruch didn't know why the other person asked this question, so he could only answer truthfully.

"Go back and tell him—if I don't clean up my own account, I'll have to pay an additional 100 to your branch."

"He has $1 million in savings. Could he do me a favor and check on the company's internal situation? Of course, this $1 million account will still be under your management." Larry made a suggestion.

Baruch instantly understood what the other party meant—it was a deal, a deal that was impossible to refuse.

For Reading Securities, a client with $100 million is already considered a super-client. Their general manager, in fact, had long been living in constant anxiety.

Given this situation, anyone would expect that the customer would empty their account and leave Reading.

But Larry already had nearly $800,000 worth of stock. If he were to withdraw it, especially if he were to close the account at this brokerage, it would be an unprecedented disaster for the brokerage's performance.

Now, not only is the other party not closing the account, but they also want to add another 100 million yuan to the account—this is a complete reversal, and the branch's performance will not only not fall short, but will actually skyrocket.

Baruch felt that this temptation was not something everyone could resist—but did Mr. Livingston really intend to do it?

After hesitating for a moment, Baruch frankly told Larry, "Your deal carries a lot of weight, but I still want to remind you that continuing to trade with Reading is actually very disadvantageous for you."

"I know—but I'm more curious about who's targeting me, Mr. Baruch. Your honesty has shown me your sincerity and kindness, and I will definitely repay you in the future," Larry said calmly.

Baruch shook his finger and said in a deep voice, "I have my own principles. To be honest, I value your talent very much, and even if it were some other minor client, I would still do the same—"

Larry raised his eyebrows and nodded, saying, "That's what I respect about you; you have a heart of gold."

"

"So you still intend to keep Reading's account?" Baruch confirmed again.

"Yes, since that guy behind me wants to keep an eye on me—then I'll let him keep an eye on me. I need to leave him a back, so I can find him sooner or later—" Larry said solemnly.

Larry then brought the coffee to his lips and took a small sip. The coffee was bitter and extremely hot.

After Grenard Baruch left, the place remained in the Waldorf Hotel's café. A full half hour later, Matthew pushed open the door and walked in.

"Is everything done?" Larry asked.

"Everything's taken care of—the senior partner at the New York bank agreed to help as soon as he heard you were looking for a lawyer." Matthew smiled and sat down opposite Larry, glancing at the two cold cups of coffee on the table. Seeing Larry's serious expression, he asked in surprise, "What happened? What did the receptionist at Reading tell you in such a hurry?"

In Matthew's memory, Larry initially greeted the receptionist with a smile, but after exchanging a few words, Larry's expression changed—

After that, the receptionist from Harding Company rushed back to the sales office to retrieve some documents, while Larry's expression darkened. He told Larry to go take care of his business first and meet him later at the Waldorf Hotel.

What exactly did that Mr. Baruch say to Larry?

Larry thought for a few seconds before saying, "Bernard Baruch, he originally went to the Waldorf Hotel to meet with Mr. Porter, the general manager. But he unexpectedly ran into me, and he told me something that shocked me greatly—"

Someone actually tried to access my account, and to be honest, he almost succeeded.

Larry then told Matthew everything that Baruch had just told him.

Matthew was also taken aback when he heard this. He thought for a moment, "So, your account has been under surveillance for a while? We need to find out who it is?"

"Well, I plan to approach it from multiple angles. I'll try to get Goldman Sachs to investigate at the stock exchange. Also, I'd like to consult Mr. Porter—he has connections."

"Which Mr. Potter are you talking about?" Matthew suddenly pointed to the ground. "Mr. George Potter, the manager of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel? I just saw him—"

"I meant Saul Potter—wait, you just said George Potter, he owes us a huge favor, but can he really help?" Larry raised an eyebrow.

Matthew thought for a moment and said, "Just as you said, after the other party learned that their secret had been leaked, they immediately cut off the trail. If you ask someone in the industry to investigate, they might have already thought of that approach. Why don't you ask Mr. George Porter for help? As you said, he owes you a big favor."

"Okay!" Larry snapped his fingers to summon a waiter and told him to inform George Porter, the general manager of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

A short while later, Mr. George Potter walked over with a calm expression on his face, which was always a professional poker face.

"Mr. Livingston, it's been a long time—" George Potter greeted him, but his face still carried a perfunctory politeness.

"How have things been lately?" Larry asked meaningfully.

Potter's face trembled slightly for a moment, but he still said, "Thanks to you, everything is fine!"

Both of them were speaking with hidden meanings, but at this point, there was no need to say anything more.

Larry smiled and invited him to sit down. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he cautiously inquired, "Mr. Potter, in my business dealings, I have some competitors who are always secretly sabotaging me—I'd like to know who they are, and what should I do?"

Porter raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is your opponent from New York?"

"Yes! It must be from New York." Larry was certain that since the other party was after the stock market, they must be connected to Wall Street.

"I know someone who can handle these things, no matter how well they're hidden—have you heard of Moncrostan?"

Larry's face stiffened. "Isn't he already dead?"

"I'm not referring to him, of course, but to his gang—" Potter continued earnestly, "Since Monk Rostan's unexpected death, the Rostanbond has been leaderless—and they've lost a lot of money. But clearly, a gang that's been entrenched in New York for so many years won't just disappear easily. To be honest, we hotel owners inevitably have to deal with these gangsters—"

Potter glanced at Larry, and seeing no particular reaction, continued, "Moncrostan's brother, who's currently in charge of gang affairs, recently asked me—Mr. Livingston—if you'd mind if they looked into it for you?"

Larry fell into deep thought. He had a history of conflict with the Rothschild gang. Furthermore, he had appeared at the casinos in Metropolis, and the Rothschilds might have even seen him before—

It's definitely impossible to deal with them directly.

But if we want to use them as intelligence sources, we'll have to reveal our own names.

That's impossible too.

Mr. K also appeared at the Metropolitan Casino and made a large sum of money from them.

But given the current situation, utilizing them might be the best option, since they are also short of money.

How about this: I won't take the lead, and I'll let George Porter handle everything.

Having figured this out, Larry nodded secretly and said solemnly to Porter, "It's kind of you to help so sincerely—but my family isn't used to dealing with gangs. How about this, I'll leave this to you. I don't need them to help me figure out any other complicated matters; I just need them to help me find out where one person is."

"I believe no New Yorker can escape Rostanbond's investigation—I can take full responsibility and will absolutely not reveal your identity," George Porter stated first, before asking, "Who are you referring to?"

"A guy named George Bush! He used to be one of the executives at Harding Corporation—but he recently resigned. We need all his information, including his address, his family, friends, why he left, and what his weaknesses are—"

As Larry finished speaking, he noticed a slight change in Porter's expression.

Larry immediately understood, a smile spreading across his face as he looked at Potter and said, "Don't worry, I'm not a gangster. I won't do anything to his family—I just want to gather some information. With that information, I'll follow the clues and find my opponent—"

Mr. Potter's face turned deathly pale, clearly recalling the bloody massacre at the Waldorf Hotel—

His fear of Larry stemmed from this —

But I can't not repay the favor I did for them.

After thinking for a moment, Porter solemnly said to Larry, "Leave this to me. Don't worry, you won't be exposed, and I'll get to the bottom of it—Rostanbond, they'll seize this opportunity too, otherwise they'll be finished!"