Reborn in America, I am a legendary short seller on Wall Street.

Chapter 226 Preparing for the Roadshow and Contacting the Waldorf Hotel
At 2 p.m., Larry arrived at the New York branch of Paine Weber Securities.

Mr. Porter remains the general manager of the sales department here, because these days, it's not mandatory to quit your main job if you take on a side job.

Mr. Porter didn't think that his work at the fund company would be so busy that he wouldn't be able to manage the sales department, so he remained comfortably in his office.

Larry knocked on Mr. Porter's office door and found him reviewing a stack of reports.

When Porter saw Larry come in, he just glanced at Larry over his glasses and said, "Make yourself at home. I have something to tell you in a bit."

Larry sat on the sofa, opened his gold-cased pocket watch, checked the time, and then took out a gold coin and rolled it between his fingers.

After several weeks of training, Larry's skill in handling gold coins has become very advanced. He can make the gold coins roll around on his fingertips as if they have a life of their own.

However, Larry is now more used to the ten-dollar Eagle gold coin, which is just the right size and weight.

After a while, Mr. Potter finished his work, took off his glasses, and said to Larry,

“I’ve basically finished my work here. I think you can contact Mr. Morgan now. As long as he agrees to the trusteeship of the fund, we can hold the fund’s inaugural meeting. At the same time, Eastman can promote its Kodak company at the fund’s inaugural meeting.”

Larry nodded, and the gold coin between his fingers obediently stopped between his index and middle fingers, then disappeared into his palm.

Mr. Potter frowned. "How did you do that? Make the coins disappear?"

Larry smiled, walked a few steps to Mr. Potter's desk, found a chair and sat down.
"The little magic trick I learned, wasn't it pretty good? The gold coins can be made to appear and disappear..."

Mr. Potter glanced at him and snorted. "You're even more skilled at manipulating money in the stock market. Oh, speaking of which, why haven't you been buying or selling stocks lately?"

"I haven't been in the mood lately because I'm always busy with other things. Besides, I'm waiting for GE to go public."

Mr. Porter took his glasses, looked at the report in his hand, and then said, "The report shows that it's next Wednesday. Once you've finished the roadshow for the fund's inaugural meeting, you can focus on managing your stocks."

Larry nodded. "Okay, let's get the foundation's inaugural meeting sorted out first. I'm waiting for a report now, and then I'll go see Mr. Morgan."

“My God! When did you see J.P. Morgan so casually? As if he would be waiting for you in his office.” Mr. Porter smiled and gave Larry a deep look.

Larry didn't explain, but instead asked, "Mr. Porter, have you contacted your wealthy friends yet? Where do you plan to hold our foundation's inaugural meeting?"

Mr. Porter hesitated. "I had planned to stay at the Garden Hotel, but I heard it's under renovation. And if we go to the Fifth Avenue Hotel, the facilities there are too outdated..."

“Why don’t we go to our neighbor’s place, the Waldorf Astoria?” Larry suggested.

Mr. Potter looked at Larry. "How did you know?"

This time, Larry was completely bewildered. "What do I know?"

“George Potter… he’s my brother.” Mr. Potter stroked his beard, his expression showing a hint of pride.

Larry was still confused, but with Mr. Potter's explanation, he quickly understood the reason.

It turns out that William Waldorf Astor, the actual owner of the Waldorf Hotel, moved to the UK last year.

The Waldorf Astoria he left behind is now fully managed by George Porter, a renowned New York hotelier.

This George Potter was Mr. Potter's brother, but like Waldorf and Astor IV, they were cousins.

After listening to Mr. Porter's account, Larry couldn't help but smile. "No wonder you know so much about New York. It turns out your brother is a senior hotel manager."

Mr. Porter nodded. “Yes, it’s strange that almost our whole family are professional managers.”

“Then why don’t we go to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel? I heard they’ve already renovated the auditorium and theater, and the banquet hall is all set up. It’s certainly befitting the status of those wealthy people, and we can also give your brother’s hotel a good on-site recommendation,” Larry suggested to Mr. Porter.

Mr. Potter stroked his beard, as if deep in thought, and after a while he said, "I'm a little unavailable right now, could you go for me?"

Larry was incredibly clever; he already knew something was going on here, so he readily agreed without saying a word.

On Monday afternoon, Larry asked Mr. Dunbar to deliver a carefully worded visiting card to the Waldorf Hotel, specifically addressed to Manager George Porter. The card was concise, expressing a wish to visit the following morning to discuss business matters.

This was a traditional custom among New York's upper class at the time; if you visited someone without a formal invitation, you were likely to be seen as an ill-mannered country bumpkin and refused a reception.

Mr. Dunbar relayed that the other party was willing to meet with him formally tomorrow morning.

At 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Larry arrived at the Waldorf Hotel on time, accompanied by Mr. Dunbar. Both were dressed in the best clothes they could find.

Larry, dressed in a well-tailored dark suit, looked composed and capable. Mr. Dunbar, on the other hand, wore his oversized coat, with his automatic pistol concealed in a holster inside his vest.

The seven lower floors of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel are basically finished with renovations, and General Manager George Porter works there.

Upon entering the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, the marble floors gleamed, the brass decorations shimmered with a cool luster, and the air was filled with an understated yet luxurious atmosphere. It was nothing like the messy state of a hotel about to open, which also showed George Porter's shrewd management skills.

A smartly dressed waiter, clearly having been informed beforehand, respectfully led Larry to a small, private meeting room. The room was carpeted and furnished tastefully but not ostentatiously.

Mr. Dunbar was asked to wait in the lobby.

After a short while, the door was pushed open. George Porter walked in.

He looked somewhat like Saul Potter, but his physique was excellent, unlike Mr. Potter's, who had become overweight. He was impeccably dressed, and his sharp, calm eyes revealed the shrewdness and prudence characteristic of a professional manager.

He wasn't holding any documents; he simply walked naturally toward Larry and extended his right hand.

“Good morning, sir. I am George Potter.” His voice was steady, with appropriate politeness, but also with a sense of distance.

Larry stood up, shook hands with him, and found that Porter's hand was dry and strong.

“Thank you for taking the time to meet me, Mr. Porter,” Larry said, getting straight to the point. “I have a proposal that you won’t refuse, which I believe will greatly enhance the hotel’s reputation and may align with the Waldorf’s pursuit of excellent service.”

Porter's eyes flickered slightly, revealing a professional interest. He gestured for them to sit down opposite each other on the sofa.

“Striving for excellence and keeping our guests happy will be the cornerstone of the Waldorf,” Porter said calmly, leaning forward slightly to show he was listening. “I would love to hear your specific thoughts.”

Larry then explained his request to use the Waldorf Hotel for a large Wall Street business roadshow, along with a cocktail party.

George Porter listened and nodded, never daring to interrupt or ask questions before Larry had finished speaking.

After Larry had finished saying what he wanted to say, he solemnly began to speak.
“Your request is reasonable, but I’m afraid the Waldorf Astoria Hotel cannot currently handle such a large business banquet. After all, the staff here have only recently undergone training, and if they offend the VIPs, it could have a significant impact on your company's grand opening…”

Larry was surprised that the other party rejected his proposal so politely, and that the words were so resolute, leaving no room for negotiation.

After a few seconds of contemplation, Larry tried again to persuade George Porter to accept the commission for the business dinner by promoting the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

But the other party still refused firmly in a friendly manner...

Larry, left with no other option, had to resort to his trump card, whispering to George Porter, "Alright... I can't keep this from you any longer. The truth is, the manager of this company is your brother, Saul Porter. He tried contacting the Fifth Avenue Hotel and the Garden Hotel, but neither went well..."

George Porter raised an eyebrow, said nothing, but gestured for Larry to continue.

Larry looked troubled and continued, "This is very important to him. We need to hold an opening ceremony and roadshow, inviting many VIPs from New York, and also to raise funds for the future. You have to help him."

George Potter, his face expressionless, glanced at Larry's face and nodded, saying...
"Sure, is your plan this weekend or Sunday?"

Larry was taken aback, not expecting the other party to accept the job so calmly; he was still planning to continue playing the victim.

Judging from the other person's tone, it was as if she had only made a trivial request that he had easily resolved.

Larry quickly straightened up. "Thank you for Sunday evening, Mr. General Manager. Mr. Saul Porter will be very pleased to hear that you are willing to help him."

The other person maintained their professional smile, and George Porter nodded.
"You're welcome. Actually, our hotel also needs a similar event to warm up the atmosphere. Thank you for your consideration, we will definitely do our best to make it a success. As for the cost, we will give you the usage price, which I estimate to be around $1250, but you will need to pay a $200 deposit first."

Larry nodded and hurriedly reached for his wallet. Ever since he received the commission of more than $6000 from Mr. Porter, he would try to pay in cash whenever he had the chance.

Even though he tried his best, he still has nearly $3000 left of the original $6000. There's no way around it; the dollar is now highly valuable, and it's hard to spend it all at once unless you deliberately make it.

Larry handed $200 to George Porter, who respectfully took the money but did not put it away; instead, he placed it on the back of the sofa.

Just as the two were about to discuss the follow-up matters, there was a knock on the door. A short while later, Mr. Dunbar pushed the door open a crack, saw Larry at a glance, and had a slight expression of relief on his face before saying, "Mr. Livingston, you have to go to another appointment."

Larry looked a little puzzled, but nodded knowingly and said, "Okay, wait outside for a moment."

Surprisingly, Mr. Dunbar did not close the door, but nodded and said, "Then I'll wait for you here."

(End of this chapter)