America: My Time

Chapter 558 Sudden accident
Chapter 558 Unexpected Incident

On John's way back to San Francisco, the stock market began to recover quickly after the agreement reached between Wall Street to rescue the market. However, this recovery was weak because many people still did not agree with the agreement and felt that it was dangerous to keep their stocks for any longer. They chose to sell their stocks, so the funds invested by everyone did not have a significant effect.

In fact, John himself understood this, and the Wall Street giants all knew that once panic sets in, it is not an easy thing to calm it down. It takes time and more investment. Their investment is limited and is all targeted bottom-fishing. Therefore, the stock market has only had a small recovery, which is far from the result that the White House wanted.

However, the White House's latest press conference shocked many. Japan was the most worried, because John clearly stated that if the Mandarin Oriental Group lacked funds, it would choose to sell its real estate in Japan. This left Japanese banks in a state of mixed emotions; they didn't need to worry about John repaying their loans in the short term, but that time might come around next year.

"It seems we really need to consider Akio Morita's proposal. John has a lot of loans in our banks, and if he has to repay them, I believe it will put pressure on all of us. With such a large sum of money in hand, we still have to find ways to lend it out. Perhaps accepting the Mandarin Oriental Group's real estate in Japan is also a good option. At least we won't have to look for investment opportunities for our funds!"

“That’s true, but once we take over these properties, we’ll need to spend time and effort managing them, which is a bit of a challenge. Also, John has an agreement with that old guy Akio Morita that if we’re going to sell, we’ll consider Sony first. I believe that those shopping malls and commercial centers with high appreciation potential will all be acquired by Sony!”

"Does Sony have such funds? If not, can we transfer the loan to Sony?"

"Difficult, I'm afraid it's unlikely. Sony can't acquire these properties, but Mitsui Fudosan has the capability. It won't be easy for us to acquire those properties with the best appreciation potential!"

"Damn it, how could this happen? Mitsui has taken all the benefits. Surely Mitsui Bank doesn't have to worry about loans either? Given Akio Morita's relationship with John, surely Mitsui isn't under any pressure?" Soon, everyone's eyes turned to the big boss of Mitsui Bank, waiting for his answer.

“You’re overthinking it. Mitsui Bank doesn’t have that kind of capability. Besides, you know that the relationship between the Mitsui Group and John isn’t good. Even if we had such an idea, it would be difficult to implement. In comparison, it would be easier for you to keep that loan, since you don’t have such a big conflict with John.”

“That makes sense, but we still can’t let our guard down. We need to prepare for the worst. After all, John now controls a powerful bank. Everyone knows the situation with Standard Chartered Bank, and American Credit Suisse and East West Bank are also developing remarkably. If he wants to repay the loan, it won’t be difficult. It’ll just be a bit complicated with the procedures.”

"Now we can only take it one step at a time. Everyone has to rely on their own methods. Who can protect their own interests will depend on each other's tactics. Hopefully, the situation we fear most will not occur!"

"If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have listened to those guys' advice and put ourselves in this crisis, and those guys didn't even offer us any help!"

"What's the use of saying all this now? You know how cunning those guys are. Now look what's happened, we didn't get any benefits, and instead we banks are facing this kind of pressure. After this lesson, they can forget about us cooperating with their operations again. We've already suffered enough this time!"

"That's right, don't even think about using us as cannon fodder again. Now everyone should take action as soon as possible, each using their own methods to save as many as possible. It's better than having all the loans repaid directly. Besides, we also have to make a statement!"

Hitomi Kuroki and Yasuko Sawaguchi sat together, a faint bitterness on their faces. They had both received requests from Sanwa Bank, with only one goal: to persuade John not to repay his loan from Sanwa Bank prematurely. This put immense pressure on them. Unsure of what to do, they could only sit together and discuss their options, for they were now in the same boat.
Of course, Hitomi Kuroki's situation was much better. After all, she had followed John for a longer time, and her treatment was different. In contrast, Yasuko Sawaguchi was under immense pressure. With her intelligence, she naturally understood how dangerous her situation was and the vast gap between herself and Hitomi Kuroki. Fortunately, they still had a little bit of kinship, so things hadn't reached the worst point yet. However, Yasuko Sawaguchi knew that if she lost John's protection and the shield of that identity, a catastrophic disaster awaited her. Not to mention what other people who had designs on her would do, even Yoshiaki Tsutsumi could bring her devastating trouble. She knew how insidious and vicious Yoshiaki Tsutsumi was.

Once you embark on this path, there is no turning back. Yasuko Sawaguchi is well aware of this. Moreover, they all understand that once they lose the protection of the forces behind them, they will all suffer a terrible fate. Every year, the artists who commit suicide have experienced unimaginable hardships, especially since this industry is very dark and there are dark forces at play. Losing protection would have unimaginable consequences.

"Sister Akiko, what should we do now? This is not something we can just interfere with!" Seeing that Kuroki Hitomi hadn't spoken for a long time, Sawaguchi Yasuko couldn't help but ask. She had no experience in this matter and could only turn to Kuroki Hitomi for help, hoping that this 'older sister' could help her.

"Don't rush, we're not in danger yet, and you shouldn't rush either. Rushing won't help. You should understand that we can't be nervous or act rashly right now, or we'll only put ourselves in a bigger crisis. There's no news from the US yet, and I've already spoken to Naoko about what's happening in Tokyo. She'll relay our situation to us!"

"Sister Akiko, I'm afraid this isn't just a matter between the two of us anymore. Akina's situation isn't good either, and other people have probably received various requests that are difficult for them to refuse. Given Akina and Naoko's relationship, I'm afraid something unexpected might happen to us!"

"So you mean we should go to the United States? Do you know how serious the consequences of doing so would be? If we fail, there will be no chance to make amends. Such serious consequences are beyond what you and I can bear. Don't act rashly because of a temporary emergency. Although we are under considerable pressure, we are not in danger. They dare not take any action yet, so you can rest assured. Moreover, they should all know our situation and understand that our influence in this matter is limited. Rushing won't solve the problem. Now we can only wait, do you understand?"

"Sister Zhaozi, I understand, but I'm still a little uneasy. You know how many malicious people are watching me!"

“I know, but the more critical the moment, the calmer you need to be, and the less likely you are to make a mistake. As long as you don’t make a mistake, everything will be fine. They won’t dare to act rashly. I just didn’t expect things to happen so suddenly, and the promotion to be so rapid, leaving us no time to prepare. As for Naoko, don’t worry about her. She’s a kind person and won’t have any negative impact on us. We can only wait for news from them now! What I’m most worried about isn’t our problems, but that those people will take further action. Akina is definitely under pressure, pressure from Sumitomo, and others will also face different situations.”

Just as Kuroki Hitomi finished speaking, the phone rang. It's no wonder that Kuroki Hitomi was worried, because she was the one who made all the arrangements for these beauties, and she managed the real estate they chose.

When the phone rang, Hitomi Kuroki sighed. Her worst fears had come true. It was Momoko Kikuchi calling. Clearly, she had also received requests from those banks. If Momoko Kikuchi was like this, then others probably were too.

Many things are hard to explain over the phone, so Hitomi Kuroki could only ask Momoko Kikuchi to come to her residence. Soon, several more phone calls came in from Chisato Moritaka, Miho Nakayama, and Akina Nakamori. Since Naoko was not in Tokyo, she had no one to consult with and could only ask Hitomi Kuroki. Akina Nakamori was also somewhat uneasy in this situation!

It's no wonder that Akina Nakamori had such worries. After all, she had that greedy family, and who knows what they might do behind her back. After all, this wasn't the first time they had done something like this. Akina had to be careful. Even after asking her mother, she still felt a little uneasy, so she thought of her older sister, Hitomi Kuroki.

Hitomi Kuroki has a good relationship with Akina Nakamori and Naoko, so it's normal for Akina to do this at this time. However, this phone call from Akina has increased the pressure on Hitomi Kuroki. With so many problems weighing on her, how could Hitomi Kuroki not worry? But she has no one to share this pressure with. If Naoko were in Tokyo, she would be able to relax a bit, but now she has to bear everything on her own.

(End of this chapter)