Reborn in Tokyo: From Heiress to Global Tycoon

After leaving the closed parking area of ​​JFK Airport, the convoy headed northwest along the Van Weck Freeway into Manhattan.

Early autumn in New York has a subtle feeling that lies between late summer and late autumn.

The sky was a pale gray, with thin clouds, and the sunlight that pierced through had little warmth. The roadside trees hadn't started shedding their leaves in large numbers yet, but their green was a bit darker than it had been in August.

Satsuki sat in the back seat of the extended Toyota Century, holding a market briefing updated this morning, but her eyes were not on the text. Instead, she looked out the window at the scenery passing by.

The convoy entered Lower Manhattan from the Williamsburg Bridge.

Satsuki simply put the briefing aside and sat up slightly.

She wanted to take a good look at the "rare building" that she had never seen in her later life.

The World Trade Center twin towers are now in the center of the horizon.

Two silver-gray square high-rise buildings stand side by side, their tops partially obscured by clouds, making them appear as if they are piercing directly into the sky.

From this angle, they occupy the most prominent position in the entire view, and the surrounding buildings, which are not short either, appear much shorter in front of the twin towers.

Satsuki looked at the two buildings, her expression unchanged.

But the thoughts that flashed through her mind were much more complicated.

In September 1991, the Twin Towers were still intact and could even be considered one of the most symbolic buildings in New York and even the entire United States.

Millions of tourists come here every year to stand on the observation deck overlooking Manhattan, or simply to look up and take pictures from below.

But ten years from now—

These two buildings will remain in human memory forever in another way.

Thinking of this, Satsuki suddenly spoke.

"Frank".

Frank, who was sitting across from her and processing emails on his laptop, looked up.

"Yes, Miss."

"After the 21st century, unless absolutely necessary, avoid going into those two buildings."

She spoke very seriously, pointing her finger towards the Twin Towers outside the window.

Frank paused for a moment.

He followed Satsuki's gesture and looked over, his gaze landing on the two iconic World Trade Center buildings, a clear look of confusion on his face.

"...You mean, the World Trade Center?"

"Um."

"But—" Frank clearly didn't understand where this suggestion came from, "That's one of the most important business districts in Lower Manhattan, with many financial institutions, law firms, and accounting firms located there. If you need to hold meetings or handle business..."

"I know," Satsuki interrupted him, "but just don't go after the 21st century."

She did not continue her explanation.

Frank stared at her for two seconds, but ultimately didn't press the matter further.

Having worked with the young lady for years, he had long been accustomed to her occasionally making judgments that others couldn't understand at all, but which were often proven to be correct in hindsight.

Although this sounds really bizarre—the World Trade Center doesn't seem like the kind of place where anything would go wrong.

This is America, this is New York. You can't just say that a few terrorists came with bombs and blew up the building, can you?

But since the young lady said so, he'll just write it down.

"I understand," Frank nodded. "I'll remember that."

Satsuki then looked away with satisfaction and leaned back in her seat.

There's no way to explain this; as long as Frank follows orders, that's all that matters.

They couldn't very well tell Frank that ten years later, terrorists would hijack commercial airliners and crash them into those two buildings, causing the entire World Trade Center to collapse in front of a global live broadcast.

Even if I told you, no one would believe me.

And even if someone did believe it, so what? There are still a full ten years until that incident, and there are so many things involved that she simply can't be bothered to touch them—the situation in the Middle East, the US counterterrorism policy, loopholes in the intelligence system, Al-Qaeda's funding network... none of these can be solved by simply saying "be careful of airplanes" ten years in advance.

She was just casually reminding her own people.

As for the rest?

It's none of her business.

The convoy turned onto Liberty Street, and the Twin Towers were already in sight.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the clouds, cutting out alternating lines of light and shadow on the glass curtain walls of the two buildings.

A few minutes later, the convoy slowed down and entered the World Trade Center area.

Solomon Brothers is headquartered at the Seventh World Trade Center.

This reddish-brown 47-story building is located not far from the north side of the Twin Towers. Although it is not as conspicuous as the Twin Towers, it is also part of the World Trade Center complex.

Before even getting close to the main entrance of the building, Satsuki could already see a large crowd gathered on the roadside.

There are a lot of people.

Much.

At least a hundred reporters gathered in the square outside the main gate, their cameras and microphones pointed at the entrance, tripods, video cameras, and recording equipment filling almost every available space.

If the New York police hadn't set up a temporary cordon and Saionji's security personnel hadn't been in place beforehand, Satsuki would have been overwhelmed by reporters as soon as she got out of the car.

Satsuki frowned slightly as she watched this scene.

"Gutfred even arranged this?"

Frank also noticed what was happening outside, and his expression became somewhat subtle.

"It seems so, we didn't notify the media in advance."

The convoy slowed down and stopped a short distance from the entrance.

The security personnel from Saionji Temple ahead quickly got out of their vehicles and confirmed the route and quarantine arrangements with the New York Police Department and Solomon Islands officials.

Chizuru, in the passenger seat, did a quick check.

"Young Miss, you are safe."

"Um."

Satsuki nodded.

It takes some courage to appear in a country that once tried to kill you.

Dojima Iwao got out of the car in front, quickly scanned the surroundings, walked to the car door where Satsuki was, and opened the door.

Satsuki took a deep breath, her polite smile returning to her face, and stepped out of the car in her high heels.

A series of camera shutter clicks immediately rang out outside the quarantine zone.

The spotlights flashed intensely, creating a blinding white light.

"Miss Saionji—"

"May I ask the purpose of your visit to New York?"

Is Saionji preparing to invest in Solomon?

Could you disclose the specific amount?

Reporters shouted into their microphones, but the sounds were all mixed together and the content was impossible to make out. Only the repeated words "Saionji," "Solomon," and "investment" could be vaguely discerned.

Satsuki didn't look at them; her gaze fell directly on the main entrance of the building.

Gutfred was standing there.

Today he wore a dark gray striped suit, a white shirt, and a burgundy tie, and his hair was neatly combed.

He wore the standard Wall Street smile—enthusiastic, confident, and with a touch of composure that comes from years of experience (you can probably refer to Harvey's smile in "Suits").

Upon seeing Satsuki alight from the carriage, he immediately stepped forward to greet her.

"Ms. Saionji, welcome to New York."

Gutfred extended his hand.

Satsuki maintained her "kind" smile and held his hand, squeezing it tightly.

You bastard, you've crammed a bunch of people here! If there's a gunman hiding in there, I'll never forgive you...

The handshake between the two lasted for about three seconds.

That's enough for all the reporters to capture this scene on camera.

"Mr. Goodfred," Satsuki released her hand, her smile still polite, "you're quite the hospitable one."

Gutfred understood the implied meaning in those words, but his smile remained unchanged.

"After all, we have distinguished guests here," he said casually. "And I think you probably don't mind if the outside world knows that we met today."

Satsuki glanced at him.

That old fox certainly put it well.

In fact, Gutfred is certainly more than just "passionate".

He deliberately leaked the news of Satsuki's arrival at headquarters to the media, making "Satsuki Saionji's first stop after landing in New York is Salomon Brothers" a market signal that could be spread immediately today.

This was a carefully planned public relations move.

If this photo appears in tonight's financial news and tomorrow's newspaper front page, the market will receive a clear signal—Saionji has really arrived, and is heading straight for Solomon.

As for whether Satsuki will actually pay, how much she will pay, and under what conditions?

That's all in the future.

The mere fact that "she has arrived" is enough to give those clients and trading partners who were waiting on the sidelines a slight sense of relief.

Satsuki understood this as well.

She could even imagine how Gutfred had personally called several authoritative financial media outlets last night, "inadvertently" revealing today's schedule.

However, she didn't intend to publicly undermine him.

After all, he really needed Solomon to survive.

Being used as a public relations tool is never a pleasant experience—and he didn't seem to react much when I squeezed his hand.

At this moment, several reporters squeezed through the edge of the quarantine area.

They were carrying recorders and notebooks, and appeared to be representatives of authoritative media outlets who had obtained prior permission to approach.

"Miss Saionji!"

A middle-aged reporter wearing glasses spoke first, his voice hurried.

"Did you come to New York to provide assistance to the Solomon brothers?"

Satsuki stopped in her tracks.

Forget it, I might as well cooperate and do you a favor.

She turned around and looked calmly at the reporter.

"I came to New York to discuss our future cooperation with Mr. Gutfred."

"Saionji and the Solomon Brothers have established a very stable cooperative relationship over the past three years, and we currently have no plans to change this relationship."

Another reporter immediately followed up: "Does that mean Saionji will invest in Solomon Islands?"

Satsuki tilted her head slightly.

"Specific capital arrangements will be decided after both parties complete their assessments."

She paused for a moment.

"However, I can make one thing clear—Saionji wants to help Solomon restore stability, which is why I'm here today."

As soon as he said that, the surrounding reporters visibly became excited.

Several microphones were thrust in front of Satsuki almost simultaneously, while someone behind her shouted, "What is the exact amount?" "In what form will the investment take?" "Will there be any changes to the management team?"

At this moment, Gutfred stepped forward and raised his hand to signal a pause.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Ms. Saionji has just completed a flight of more than ten hours. I think we should let her rest for a while."

"If there is any further news, Solomon will release it through official channels."

After he finished speaking, he turned to the side and made a "please" gesture.

Satsuki nodded and turned to walk towards the building entrance.

Dojima Iwao and other security personnel quickly followed, blocking the reporters who tried to continue asking questions.

Gutfred walked beside Satsuki, his smile more genuine than before.

He was truly relieved this time.

Satsuki essentially lent her credit to Solomon in public—she said she hoped to help Solomon restore stability, which meant that Saionji would at least not withdraw her business or take advantage of his misfortune in the short term.

This statement had a greater impact on the market than ten statements issued by Solomon himself.

Once inside the building, the noise was shut out by the heavy glass doors.

The lobby became much quieter.

Gutfred led Satsuki through the security checkpoint and toward the private elevator.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Saionji." His voice carried a hint of apology, but not much genuine remorse. "I know that scene just now may have made you a little uncomfortable."

Satsuki glanced at him sideways.

""possible"?"

Her tone was flat, but it carried a hint of dissatisfaction.

Gutfred heard the complaint in those words, but his smile remained unchanged.

"However, I believe you also understand that in the current situation, the market needs to see something that can help them rebuild their confidence."

"What you just said is enough to make many people reconsider whether it is really necessary to leave Solomon now."

Satsuki stopped in her tracks.

"So you arranged all the reporters in advance?"

"I only notified a few media outlets with whom I have close ties," Gutfred said casually. "As for the others—news travels fast in this circle, I don't need to invite them one by one."

Satsuki stared at him for two seconds.

"Mr. Goodfred."

"yes?"

"Next time you plan to use me as a public relations resource, you'd better let me know in advance."

Gutfred's smile faded slightly.

"I will be careful."

"However—" he paused, "if it weren't for those shots today, the effect of what you just said would have been at least 50% less."

Satsuki did not respond.

After all, Gutfred's move was indeed well-placed.

But the most crucial point is... she wasn't actually as "dissatisfied" as she appeared on the surface.

Goodfred used her arrival to stabilize the market, but she also used the interview just now to give herself an edge.

The game begins the moment the two people meet.

As for the "loss" I just suffered—

Once we actually sit down at the negotiating table, someone will naturally retaliate.

The elevator continued upwards.

The numbers jumped up and down, finally settling on forty-seven.

With a soft sound, the elevator doors slowly opened to both sides.