Reborn in Tokyo: From Heiress to Global Tycoon

Chapter 510 The Last Ally

The office fell silent again.

That being said, if no solution is found, Gutfred will still be forced to resign.

The two sat there, staring at the table piled high with documents, seemingly lost in thought.

Just then, Gutfred's gaze fell on the list on the table.

Over the past few days, the secretariat has reorganized a list of all the people who could help.

Banks are only willing to maintain existing credit, and politicians are starting to avoid phone calls.

Insurance companies and institutional clients prioritize their own money.

As for their Wall Street counterparts—Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, and Morgan Stanley—they probably want Salomon to continue bleeding more than anyone else, so they can take the opportunity to siphon off clients and traders.

He was about to put the list aside, but his attention was drawn to the contents of the list.

One of the lines reads:

SA Investment. Agreement status: Valid.

He stared at that line for a few seconds.

"Has Saionji Temple reduced its business recently?"

Williams didn't react at first.

"What?"

"SA".

Gutfred raised his hand and tapped the list.

"After the scandal broke, did they remove the transactions that originally involved us?"

"No significant changes."

Williams thought for a moment.

"No. Routine communication is normal, and transactions within the scope of the agreement are proceeding as usual. Tokyo has not issued any formal documents regarding adjustments to the cooperative relationship."

Gutfred nodded and did not ask any further questions.

He leaned back in his chair, resting his hands on the armrests.

Saionji and Solomon were not competitors.

Saionji leverages Solomon's trading capabilities, clearing network, and Wall Street channels to complete its investments in the US market.

As long as Solomon is alive and functioning properly, there is a natural basis for cooperation between the two sides.

And if Solomon has a problem—

Satsuki will also be affected.

The positions she holds and manages through Salomon are enormous. Switching to another brokerage firm isn't impossible, but the time and transaction costs would be substantial.

Especially for those complex derivative positions, if Solomon suddenly collapses, the liquidation process itself could cause additional losses.

What does this mean?

This means that Saionji had a motive to help Solomon survive.

The string that had been taut in Gutfred's mind for weeks suddenly snapped in another direction.

"Retrieve the most recent publicly available information about Saionji Temple."

Williams looked up. "Saionji?"

"Yes, the last two or three months. Market news, financial news, investment trends—get everything you can get your hands on."

Williams looked at him for a few seconds. Without asking why, he got up and left.

The documents weren't very thick when they were sent in.

The first few pages contain information they already know.

After June 27th, Saionji Temple did not significantly reduce its investments.

The Odaiba project continues to progress.

The existing assets in the United States have not been withdrawn.

SA's trading in New York and London has not stopped.

When Gutfred turned to the third part, his page-turning speed slowed down.

"FamilyMart, MUJI, PARCO," he read out the three names.

Williams saw it too.

"Japanese media have been reporting on this since last week," Williams explained. "Saionji has officially begun negotiations with Kiyoshi Tsutsumi regarding the equity transaction of FamilyMart and Ryohin Keikaku, both of which involve operational control. PARCO is preparing to acquire a significant shareholder position."

"What about the price?"

"It hasn't been made public yet."

Gutfred looked at it again.

Less than three months have passed since June 27th.

The Soviet Union suddenly underwent drastic changes.

There are also numerous other projects in Odaiba and elsewhere within Japan.

Even at this time, Satsuki still had the capacity to simultaneously push forward several new acquisitions.

Is this the financial strength of Saionji Temple...? In other words, they still have funds.

He looked up at Williams.

"She has more money than we thought."

Williams had already picked up the financial summary at the back.

"Yes, that's right. We actually know how much money she has."

Of course, Gutfred knew.

Five billion twenty billion US dollars.

Even after deducting the fees taken by Solomon and other institutions, more than $44 billion still remained in the Saionji system.

These figures were not estimated by the media.

A large portion of the transactions were actually handled by Solomon himself.

Moreover, a significant portion of these funds are currently tied up in U.S. short-term Treasury bills, repurchase agreements, and money market instruments.

Gutfred looked at the few pages of data.

If Satsuki wanted to, she could indeed come up with billions of dollars in a very short time.

But what really made him start to seriously consider this matter was not the money itself.

"If Saionji publicly confirms that it will continue to fulfill the three-year agreement and continue to entrust us with the execution of large-scale business in the US market—this in itself is an endorsement from the client."

Williams continued, "Other clients in Asia and Japan, if they see that Saionji hasn't left, will at least reconsider whether it's really necessary to leave now."

"right."

"If she provides further long-term capital, or alternative credit arrangements—"

“Those counterparties who are currently observing the situation will at least feel that Salomon won’t suddenly collapse in the short term,” Gutfred picked up where Williams left off. “That alone is more effective than us saying ‘well-capitalized’ a hundred times.”

The atmosphere in the office is completely different from what it was ten minutes ago.

Williams looked at Gutfred's face and noticed that the somber gray that had been weighing on his brow for the past few weeks was showing signs of loosening for the first time.

"And—" Gutfred paused.

He looked at the materials on the table, then at the gray sky outside the window.

"She is not Buffett."

After saying this, the two of them remained silent for a few seconds.

Williams spoke first: "You mean, she has no reason to demand your resignation?"

“It’s a business relationship between her and me,” Gutfred said, his tone becoming calmer. “Solomon makes money for her, and she makes a lot of money for Solomon in return. There’s cooperation and competition between us, but no personal grudges.”

He put the pen he was holding on the table.

"Warren is different. Warren is a shareholder, a board member, and he has always had his own opinions on how the company should be run and who should run it."

"Once things escalate to the point where he has to step in, the first thing he'll do is take action against the entire management team."

"Saionji doesn't have that kind of burden. What she cares about is whether her transactions can still be executed normally, whether her assets still have safe counterparties, and how much Solomon is worth to her as a conduit."

Gutfred tapped the table lightly.

"If what I propose to her is an upgrade of the cooperation—expanding Saionji's financial business arrangements in the United States, renegotiating the agreement framework, and introducing capital support—this can be packaged as a strategic cooperation that would benefit both parties."

"Instead of Solomon appealing to shareholders for help."

“Yes.” Gutfred looked at Williams. “These two things seem similar, but they are completely different in nature.”

Williams thought for a moment.

"There's a problem."

"explain."

"It's only been three months since the June 27 Incident."

Gutfred had already thought of that.

"She was attacked on Japanese soil, and the details behind it are still not fully understood. Now you're inviting her back to the United States—"

“That’s the key point,” Gutfred said, picking up the conversation. “If she were really willing to come to New York at this time and sit down with Solomon to discuss expanding cooperation, do you know what signal that would send?”

Williams raised his eyes.

"Everyone on Wall Street will see this—a Japanese businessman who has just been shot in Japan will fly back in person three months later and sit at the same table with the CEO of Salomon Brothers to discuss business."

Gutfred did not continue speaking.

The power of such a visual image cannot be replaced by a statement or a remittance.

Williams sat there thinking for a long time.

"Even if all of this is true..." he finally said. "Are you sure she'll agree?"

Gutfred stood up, this time with a more decisive movement than in the past few weeks.

I'm not sure.

He walked to the phone next to his desk and pressed the intercom button for his secretary.

"Mary."

"Yes, Mr. Goodfred."

"Please pick me up from Tokyo."

He paused for a moment.

"I am preparing to extend a formal invitation to Saionji Satsuki in my personal capacity."

"The reasons are to renegotiate the follow-up arrangements of the three-year cooperation agreement between the two parties, the expansion plan for Saionji's US business, and long-term cooperation in the Asian market."

Gutfred thought for a moment, then added:

"Let's also include capital cooperation in the discussion."

"clear."

"Also, tell Tokyo."

He held the phone and looked out the window.

"John Goodfred wants to speak with Ms. Saionji in person."

"The sooner the better."

……

Tokyo.

Saionji Main Residence.

"Okay, I understand."

Satsuki sat on the sofa in the study, listened to the explanation on the other end of the phone, and glanced down at the schedule that had just been delivered.

"Please convey to Mr. Goodfred that I accept his invitation. The specific time will be coordinated by both parties, and as for me... I should be able to arrange something next week."

The woman on the other end of the phone visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

Satsuki thought for a moment and then said:

"SA currently has no plans to adjust the three-year cooperation agreement, so he doesn't need to worry about that."

"As for other matters, we can discuss them after I arrive in New York."

"Okay, thank you very much, Ms. Saionji. I will convey your message completely."

"Thank you for your help."

Satsuki hung up the phone.

The study fell silent again.

She looked down, turned a page on her schedule, and then picked up the document about the Solomon Brothers next to her and glanced at it a few times.

He then reached for another phone.

Satsuki clearly knew the number very well; she didn't even bother to look through her contacts.

After pressing the last number, she put the receiver to her ear.