America: My Time

Chapter 848: Willing to Give Up
Chapter 838 Willingness to Give

“John, don’t you ever think about giving up on Western Lighting and starting over? With your abilities, you could easily start over, and that would allow Pratt & Whitney to have a better future?” Jimmy asked, something he had never been able to understand. If John were willing to sell his shares, he could definitely make a considerable profit. There was no need for him to continue fighting Rockefeller and let things get to this point.

“I can’t back down, and I dare not back down. I backed down this time in the face of Rockefeller’s provocation. If someone provokes me again, will I back down again? Rockefeller can forget about taking Western Gas & Electric from me. If he’s still not giving up, then we’ll continue. I want to know if he can hold out or if I can outlast him. He will never get his hands on Western Gas & Electric. Even if he sells it to someone else, I won’t let him have it!”

Is this John's act of spite? No, it's not a spiteful argument; it's a matter of not backing down, not to mention the considerable benefits involved. If he backs down now, it won't be easy to get it back later. Although John has plans in the gas and electricity sectors, they're not that important, at least not now.

"There's no need for that. It's just a business matter, and it won't involve anything else!"

"Hehe, it doesn't matter if you see it that way, but others won't. If Morgan is interested, I can sell it to you. I don't necessarily want to hold onto it tightly. It was originally just for the development of Puhui, so selling it now is not a big deal! Of course, if you are willing, we can also exchange shares."

John's words made Jimmy's eyes light up. Although the development of Western Gas Power had stalled, its potential was still quite good, and its market share was also good, which tempted him. However, he did not have the authority to make the final decision on such a deal, but he did not want to give up this opportunity.

"John, I need to think about this. This all happened so suddenly, I wasn't prepared!"

“I understand. If you are interested in acquiring it, that’s not a problem. I can then focus my energy on this project. To be honest, as long as Rockefeller doesn’t succeed, I don’t care at all. He wants to annoy me and get benefits from me, but that’s impossible. I have absolutely no goodwill towards Rockefeller.”

Jimmy didn't see anything wrong with John's words. Everyone knew that Rockefeller was the most hostile financial group towards John, and the reason wasn't just about profit, but also about saving face. John's decision to abandon Western Gas & Electric might not be a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather a long-held plan; he simply didn't want Rockefeller to succeed. As for the claim that John was doing this because of financial difficulties, Jimmy didn't believe it. Right now, everyone had plenty of money; what they lacked were projects. Those guys on Wall Street had plundered a lot of money from Japan, and it wasn't just one or two companies, but the whole nation.

“John, you’re not going to stay in Taiwan forever, are you? Once the plan starts, even if you don’t want to deal with those guys, you have to show up. At least you have to give everyone a clear stance. If there are any problems, we can sit down and talk. There’s no need to make things too tense! Many people are wary of Hurricane Investment. You know how famous it is on Wall Street right now!”

"I'll go back in a few days, once everything here is settled. I haven't realized I've been away for several months!"

After reaching an agreement with John, Morgan's side began to move. Jimmy, after concluding his meeting with John, quickly returned to the United States. Such important matters could not be taken lightly; not only was the acquisition of the Presidential Steamship Company underway, but the sale of Western Gas & Electric was also crucial, requiring early preparation. As for the sale of Grumman Aircraft Company, arrangements also needed to be made, as such a sale required considerable coordination and preparation. The share swap itself wasn't the problem, but how to allocate the shares was, which would naturally lead to significant disputes.

"Morgan's manager, Jimmy, went to Taiwan to meet John. It seems they have a new collaboration. What could it be? Pan Am or something else? Morgan's guys are really lucky. It hasn't been long, and they already have a new collaboration. The fact that Jimmy went to Taiwan clearly means they don't want us old guys to know. Keep an eye on Morgan. I need to know if these guys have any plans."

This situation wasn't limited to the Rockefeller family; it was playing out in many places. Jimmy's actions immediately reminded them of a new collaboration between John and Morgan. They all knew how aggressive John's investments had been lately—just look at his investments in Taiwan. Could this be another investment? Given the opportunity, these guys all wanted a share of the profits, at least not letting Morgan monopolize it all. However, they didn't know the details yet. Before Jimmy even returned to the US, things were already underway. Many people were watching Morgan, eager to know what he was up to. Soon, Wall Street was abuzz with activity, many people were keeping a close eye on Morgan, wondering what he was planning.

"These old foxes reacted so quickly. Jimmy's itinerary was exposed so quickly. It seems that these guys are not only keeping an eye on Jimmy, but they have also been keeping a close eye on John's side!" Morgan frowned when he received the report from his subordinate. If these bastards were to launch an attack, the acquisition might be disrupted. At this time, he could not rush and had to remain calm.

However, necessary preparations still needed to be made. Soon, Morgan began discussing the sale of Grumman Aircraft Company, and the news quickly spread to others. Not only were the old guys shocked, but the White House was also stunned by the news. Gulfstream Aerospace was already a powerful military-industrial group in the United States. If it acquired Grumman Aircraft Company, it would reach a new level. However, it was still unknown whether this was an acquisition or a merger.

Upon learning this news, those guys had some doubts. Was it John's acquisition offer, or Morgan's proactive recommendation? If it was the former, it meant Gulfstream Aerospace wanted to continue expanding. If it was the latter, it meant Morgan had a new idea and wanted to sell and cash out while the market value of military companies was soaring.

Everyone knows the current situation in Russia. Could Morgan's decision to sell Grumman at this time be because he's worried about Russia's collapse and the military industry entering a downturn, so he's preparing in advance? But how could John, with his intelligence, not see through all this? Is there such a 'cooperation' between them?
Some people think this might be a trap, deliberately released to mislead everyone, but others believe it's true. Grumman Aircraft Company wasn't that important to Morgan, and this wasn't the first time they'd proposed selling it.

Before these guys could even recover from the news, new information quickly spread within Morgan: as soon as Jimmy returned, he told Morgan about John's intention to sell Western Gas & Electric. If Morgan was willing to take it on, it wouldn't be a problem, but he would definitely not hand it over to Rockefeller.

“Jimmy, are you sure John isn’t joking? John is willing to let go of this excellent company. This isn’t the Grumman Aircraft Company we’re selling. Although the situation in the Middle East is still uncertain, its impact on Western Energy is limited.”

“I’m sure John said that we could even swap shares if we wanted. He doesn’t necessarily want to take control of Western Gas & Electric. He just doesn’t want to be outmaneuvered by Rockefeller and doesn’t want the other party to benefit.”

"Do you think John had any other motives in doing this, or did his expression change?"

"Nothing major has changed. It's just dissatisfaction with Rockefeller and a reluctance to let him profit. Judging from John's reaction, he doesn't seem too concerned about Western Gas & Electric. Perhaps he genuinely wants to reassure them and focus his energy on his grand plan. Moreover, many of his companies are currently undergoing consolidation, and Western Energy is undergoing even greater changes. It's not impossible for him to abandon Western Gas & Electric. After all, he's a businessman; no matter how deep the grudge against Rockefeller, it won't harm his own interests. Dragging it out won't benefit him either, so selling it is reasonable. However, if we take over, we can't sell it back to Rockefeller, or even merge it with Rockefeller's companies!"

"That's not a problem. We don't need to cooperate with Rockefeller. If we take over Western Gas and Electricity, we can go our own way. John has done a pretty good job in this area, at least there are no problems. As for what Rockefeller thinks, that's their own business and has nothing to do with us. The winner takes all, and the loser is their own failure, and they have to bear the consequences themselves."

Morgan didn't care too much about Jimmy's statement. Rockefeller couldn't control Morgan, and Morgan had no reason to care about their feelings. Everyone was fighting for their own interests, so there was no need to worry about what the other party thought.

Thus, Morgan began another round of meetings to discuss the acquisition of Western Gas & Electric from John, even considering a share swap—exchanging Grumman Aircraft Company shares for John's. Throughout the meetings, Morgan clearly indicated a desire to sell Grumman Aircraft Company, which puzzled many. Even if the goal was to cash out at a high price, there was no need to be in such a hurry, especially with such a direct share swap. Many people couldn't understand Morgan's decision!
(End of this chapter)