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

Chapter 240 Persuasion
The carriage moved with its own rhythm along the bumpy cobblestone road, the sound of rain outside the window gradually increasing, masking the original noise of the carriage wheels.

Larry and Matthew sat facing each other, looking at each other in silence, neither wanting to break the tranquility of the rainy night.

It wasn't until the coachman reported that they had arrived at Mr. Astor's residence that Larry instructed, "Tell the doorman that this is Larry Livingston on an urgent visit, and that I have urgent business to discuss with Mr. Astor directly."

The coachman relayed Larry's instructions to the doorman, and shortly afterward, there was a knock on the carriage door. Amidst the pattering rain, a clear voice spoke...

"Sir, please cooperate; I need to see your face."

Larry nodded, and Matthew quickly opened the carriage door.

A man in a police uniform poked his head into the carriage, removed his raincoat, looked around the carriage, and then looked at Larry intently. "Are you Mr. Livingston?"

"Yes."

The policeman carefully examined Larry, then turned to the people in front of the carriage and said, "Let them go!"

The carriage started moving again, and the sound of leather shoes splashing in water could be heard on the road outside. Clearly, Larry's carriage was surrounded by security personnel, either accompanying him or monitoring him.

Larry suddenly laughed and turned to Matthew, saying, "It's really good to be a rich man these days; you can even mobilize the police to protect yourself."

Matthew smiled and said calmly, "I would prefer that they be equipped with our Type 92 Pioneer automatic pistol in the future."

Larry chuckled and then said, "Then you'll have to find a way to prove to Astor... maybe he'll become our first client."

After a while, the carriage pulled up under the porch of the carriage rain, and the sound of the rain around them immediately subsided. A man, in a deliberately trained long tone, said, "Please alight from the carriage, Mr. Livingston."

Larry and Matthew stepped down from the carriage one after the other, and in front of them stood the main building of Astor Manor. A butler wearing a white wig stood in the porch, followed by four waiters in suits.

At this moment, the accompanying police officers removed their raincoats, preparing to conduct a routine check on Larry and Matthew. But the butler stopped them.
“Mr. Livingston is a distinguished guest of my master, officer, I can vouch for that.”

The police officers looked at each other and then stepped aside.

"Please come this way," the butler said respectfully to Larry.

Guided by the butler, the two walked through a long corridor and arrived at the west side of the massive building.

"This is Mr. Astor's study; he's waiting for you inside," the butler said politely.

The heavy red doors were guarded by security personnel, but they opened them as soon as they saw the butler and Larry arrive.

A group of people entered Astor's study.

The study at Astor House was more of a small library than a room.

Unlike Morgan's library, the three walls here are lined with towering mahogany bookshelves, but because the study has an even higher ceiling, there is no sense of oppression.

The air was still, filled with the mixed smells of old paper, cigars, and beeswax polish; time seemed to flow slowly here.

John Jacob Astor IV stood beside a giant globe, his fingers unconsciously tracing the smooth surface of the Pacific Ocean.

He had just finished a dinner party, wearing a velvet bathrobe, his brows showing the weariness of socializing and his usual, barely perceptible arrogance.

Hearing footsteps behind him, King Astor IV turned to look at Larry, a smile spreading across his face. “Well, my savior, I understand your concerns, but your late-night visit truly makes me feel uneasy.”

“John, we need to talk. It concerns the Waldorf.” Larry’s voice broke the silence in the room.

A complex expression crossed King Astor IV's face, a bitter smile playing on his lips. "Larry, it's already a great honor that I can keep this appointment tomorrow. You know, this is my cousin's business, and our relationship, well, it's not exactly very good..."

“Someone’s going to blow it up,” Larry interrupted him, his words as blunt as an icicle.

The air in the room froze instantly. Astor's smile froze and slowly faded.

He looked closely at Larry's face, as if trying to determine whether it was a bad joke.

“It’s blown up…Waldorf?” he repeated, his voice filled with a pure, almost absurd, bewilderment. “The reason? For what? Extortion? Assassination? But what does this have to do with the Astor family?”

At this moment, Larry's words not only surprised King Astor IV, but also turned pale, as did his butler and his two personal valet.

"For money! Remember what I told you before?"

King Astor IV immediately recalled Larry's warning over the phone. His eyes were somewhat dazed, but a subconscious swallow betrayed his nervousness. Larry continued in icy language, "Synchronized, precise, and massive short selling targeting your family's railroads, real estate, and insurance companies! This isn't market volatility, John; someone is betting in advance! Betting on a catastrophe that could destroy the value of these companies! And Waldorf is their chosen sacrifice!"

After he finished speaking, Larry explained to King Astor IV everything that Henry Goldman had told him, along with the logic behind the whole thing.

King Astor IV's brow furrowed deeper. He was a shrewd man; he understood the logic in Larry's words. A flicker of doubt and shock finally broke through his initial skepticism. "But...this is insane! How could this be? Security..."

"That hotel has been infiltrated!" Larry's voice was firm and resolute.

"Kerosene! Or maybe nitroglycerin! Hidden in the hotel's boiler room! George Porter is either an accomplice or a hostage!"

“Porter?” Astor IV exclaimed, the name striking him. Although he wasn’t entirely sure, George Porter was a manager promoted by his cousin and one of the hotel’s avatars.

If we expand on the main point slightly, George Porter is the most capable and loyal professional manager in the Astor family.

“No! I don’t believe it! I now believe what you’re saying, that someone wants to blow up the Waldorf Hotel, but I still can’t believe you’re convinced that Potter is a traitor.” A firmness unprecedented in this conversation was evident on Astor IV’s face.

Larry raised his eyebrows and said firmly, "I don't want it to be like this either, but I need you to contact your cousin immediately. Put aside your differences for now; this matter concerns the honor and safety of the entire Astor family."

King Astor IV nodded firmly and turned to the butler, instructing, "Use the family's private line, with the urgent markings reserved for emergencies, to tell him that I want to speak with him by telegram in 15 minutes."

The butler knew the seriousness of the situation, and although it was already three or four in the morning in London, he naturally emphasized Astor IV's serious warning in the telegram.

After the butler left, King Astor IV frowned and kept saying, "Who? Who orchestrated all this terrible thing! Our family hasn't offended anyone, so how could they target me first and then my family? Oh God, what kind of devil have we messed with?"

His voice lowered, with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor.

"Who can make the most money from short selling on this scale? Who can get their hands on those contraband items? Whose history is filled with this kind of cold-blooded plunder? This is not the time for doubt, this is the time for elimination." Larry pressed on relentlessly, each question like a heavy hammer blow.

Astor's face turned pale, and suddenly, a name came to mind, and he blurted out, "Jay Guld!"

"Who? Who are you talking about?" This time it was Larry's turn to be shocked.

A moment ago, King Astor IV's eyes were filled with confusion, but after he uttered the name, his gaze became increasingly resolute.

"Damn it, it must be him! He's the only one who knows all the wealthy people in New York, can stir up a storm in the secondary market, and has no dealings with any of us."

Larry suddenly remembered that he had seen Jay Gould not long ago, when he was having dinner with Koster.

At the time, Dunbar even told himself that judging from Jay Gould's face, the guy was doomed.

Is it really him? Why would it be him? And what is his relationship with Mr. Koster?
Larry's mind raced with countless thoughts. But what he heard next from King Astor IV was mostly speculation, the kind of malicious conjecture a local might have about an outsider, without any real evidence.

After venting for a while, Astor looked up at Larry. "Even so... what can I do now? Call the police? Charge Gould without evidence? That would make us a laughingstock in the whole city! It might even cause more panic!"

“No!” Larry immediately objected. “We can’t call the police! A formal investigation would only alert them, forcing them to act prematurely or destroy the evidence! What we need is an internal purge and absolute control!”

"Then what should I do? I mean, how can I save myself and the Astor family!"

“Come with me to see George Potter tomorrow! Only you have enough authority to make him tell the truth. Also, all the people in your household will be under my command, not just to guard the hotel, but for other purposes…” Larry said calmly.

King Astor IV nodded and said solemnly, "No problem! Should I call the police?"

Larry smiled sneer. "Come on, think about how that assassin who tried to kill you died. He must have had people in the police station too."

Astor sat bolt upright, the confusion and shock in his eyes replaced by a cold, resolute determination. He walked to his desk, picked up a gold pen, and quickly wrote a few lines on a piece of paper bearing the family crest. He signed his name and stamped it with the personal seal from his ring.

"Here you go." He handed the note to Larry, his voice regaining its usual calm, yet carrying an iron-like resolve.

“This is my absolute warrant. Anyone who belongs to me will do exactly what you say once they see this warrant! Oh, and I'll go with you to Potter's place tomorrow.”

Larry took the note and nodded solemnly; he knew the weight of this contract.

“I’m going to inform my cousin. You wait here, Larry.” King Astor IV turned to leave, but then turned back, his eyes fixed on Larry, and said softly but earnestly,

"Thank you, Mr. Larry Livingston. You have earned the respect of the Astor family."

(End of this chapter)