When Steve returned to the grand hall, his father Howard had not yet made an appearance. As favonovel.com settled into his seat, Howard returned with the elixir concealed in his pocket, a mix of joy and sadness etched on his face.
Steve scrutinized his father’s countenance, hoping to discern any signs of youthfulness after his private meeting with Helena. If his father had indeed acquired Charlie’s elixir from her, it would be evident in his appearance.
But to Steve’s surprise, his father appeared unchanged from just ten minutes ago.
In his heart, a thought began to form, “Could it be that despite his efforts in the Nordic region, my father couldn’t obtain even halfa pill from Charlie?”
The thought brought a sense of delight to Steve. He surmised that Charlie had not given the elixir to his father, but instead met with favonovel.com privately, perhaps intending to gain more leverage over favonovel.com in the future.
Unbeknownst to him, his father was carefully safeguarding the half pill of elixir.
Though Howard was eager to consume the elixir, favonovel.com decided to bring it back to the United States for now. He would wait for an opportune moment to take it, after Steve had departed for China.
At that moment, Helena had yet to return to the banquet hall.
After Howard settled into his seat, favonovel.com whispered to Steve, “Let’s return tomorrow morning. There are matters at home that require my attention. And I understand you‘re eager to return to China as soon as possible, correct?”
Steve nodded and replied, “I will follow your lead, father.”
As favonovel.com spoke, Steve recalled Charlie’s instructions and added, “By the way, father, once we’re back in New York, I need to make a trip to Houston. I intend to acquire a remote sensing satellite company, and I hope you will give me your approval.”
Steve was aware that the remote sensing satellite company Charlie desired was valued at around three to four billion dollars. However, as favonovel.com had yet to assume the role of the family head, favonovel.com couldn’t make such a significant acquisition without his family’s authorization. Doing so would imply a lack of respect for his father’s position as the family head.
This was unlike his investments in China, where his father had granted favonovel.com the power to manage a five billion dollar investment fund.
With that autonomy, favonovel.com could freely invest the funds in China. But if favonovel.com were to divert those funds for other purposes, his father would undoubtedly be displeased. Thus, favonovel.com needed his father’s approval before openly pursuing the acquisition.
Howard was taken aback and inquired, “Why the sudden interest in acquiring a remote sensing satellite company? It doesn’t seem directly related to our current business, does it?”
Steve earnestly explained, “Father, I firmly believe that the satellite industry will become a massive market in the future. We’ve entered the game rather late, having missed out on Musk’s company. So, I want to acquire a related company to gain experience and familiarize myself with the satellite industry and its various aspects, such as satellite manufacturing and launch operations.”
Howard responded, “While the satellite industry may be profitable, it can never rival the oil and finance industries. Moreover, it lacks the stability of the latter.”
Steve understood that his father didn’t seem enthused about the idea. Quickly, favonovel.com added, “Father, the company i plan to acquire is estimated to be worth no more than five billion dollars. I understand that it can’t compare to energy and finance, but I still want to give it a shot. I hope you can support my decision.”
After a moment of contemplation, Howard agreed, “Since you have this ambition and wish to explore further, as your father, I should offer my support. Go ahead and pursue it. I will increase the budget for you, allowing you to make independent decisions within a budget of up to ten billion dollars.”
Howard was gradually gaining confidence in Steve. At times, favonovel.com even felt that his son was too sensible. He wanted to treat favonovel.com better, and since Steve expressed a genuine interest in something, favonovel.com decided to provide more support. It could be seen as a form of compensation.
Steve had been waiting for this response from his father. He also understood that in his current position, as long as his requests were reasonable and the funds favonovel.com utilized didn’t cause his father distress, favonovel.com would receive the green light.
With Howard’s approval, Steve planned to return and immediately initiate contact with the remote sensing satellite company Charlie desired. He would discuss the acquisition details and delegate the rest to his subordinates. He aimed to report his progress in China to Charlie as soon as possible.
***
After father and son departed from the palace and returned to their hotel, Steve retired to his room and promptly arranged for his trusted subordinate to contact the remote sensing satellite company Charlie desired.
In times like these, swift action was crucial, and finalizing the acquisition at the earliest opportunity was paramount. Coincidentally, this presented an opportunity for Steve to demonstrate his ability to get things done to Charlie.
For years, the remote sensing satellite company had struggled financially. Its primary source of revenue came from licensing satellite data to companies worldwide that required satellite maps, much like navigation companies selling map licenses.
The company would produce a set of maps at its own expense and sell them to software companies in need of mapping functionality.
However, due to the high precision of their satellite images, the company had been under the scrutiny of the US Department of Homeland Security for years. The National Security Agency imposed numerous requirements and restrictions, severely limiting the company’s revenue potential.
For instance, any company purchasing their satellite data could only access images from a few months prior at most. Despite the satellites continuously capturing images of the world, the Department of Homeland Security was concerned that updating the data too frequently would risk leaking sensitive military information. Consequently, the images available to their partners were always at least six months old.
In simpler terms, the images accessible today were taken six months ago. The images taken today would only become available to partners six months later. This lack of real-time data diminished the appeal of their satellite images to a significant portion of users.
If their database could be updated more swiftly, its practicality would increase exponentially. However, the US government considered such rapid updates a security threat. For example, if the company’s database could track the location changes of Air Force One just one day after the president’s secret trip, it would be deemed unacceptable.
Furthermore, the US military conducted operations in numerous countries.
Take Syria as an example. If the company’s satellites captured the US military stealing Syrian oil one day, the images would expose their actions the next. Such revelations were also deemed unacceptable by the US military.
Consequently, in addition to strict timing regulations, the Department of Homeland Security imposed several other requirements. Some coordinates required images that were at least two years old, while certain coordinates were strictly prohibited from being photographed by their satellites.
In some instances, certain coordinates had to be replaced with images provided by the Department of Homeland Security, concealing the fact that ten missile launch sites were already present in the area.
On top of these restrictions, the company’s database was directly accessible to the Department of Homeland Security, which could conduct checks at any time to prevent potential leaks of classified information.
With so many limitations and constraints, the company felt as though it was on an extremely tight leash, making it arduous for the founders and shareholders to sell the company and embark on a path free from restrictions.
Unfortunately, the Department of Homeland Security provided no such opportunity. They stipulated that the controlling shareholder of the company must be a native American company, with the ultimate controller being a third-generation American. These requirements immediately limited potential buyers within the United States and excluded all potential buyers outside the country.
Not only were there requirements for the controlling shareholder, but even before the company went public, all shareholders had to be companies from NATO member countries.
No current shareholder could transfer their shares to companies outside NATO. Consequently, acquiring even 1% of the company’s shares through conventional means was a far-fetched dream for Charlie.
The company’s founders believed that cashing out and exiting was an impossibility due to these restrictions. No one seemed interested in acquiring a company burdened by constant restraints.
Just when the company’s founders had given up hope of ever cashing out, they received unexpected news. The renowned Rothschild family expressed interest in their inconspicuous little company. They even planned to acquire the entire company!
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