America 1919

Donnie waved his hand with a smile, "George, you've misunderstood. I'm not after the managerial rights to Coca-Cola. I just want to become one of its major shareholders. As for Mr. Woodruff's business policies with Coca-Cola, I highly agree with them and have no intention of snatching Coca-Cola Company from the Woodruff family. Well, it should be said that I simply wish to leverage this relationship to lay a foundation for my beverage company in the future!"

On this matter, Donnie didn't completely confide in George Whitney. A company's strength doesn't ensure it will remain strong in the future. Coca-Cola's dominance was achieved over several generations and countless managers, who worked hard for over a hundred years to turn it into the Coca-Cola Company of later days.

While Donnie knew some of the development history of the Coca-Cola Company, if he could make the company stronger without lifting a finger, he was willing to reap the benefits.

Of course, all that would depend on how Donnie's business progressed in the future. If it became necessary, or if the Woodruff family no longer wanted to be just

George Whitney looked at Donnie with some confusion. After giving it some thought, George Whitney eventually agreed to Donnie's request, mainly because at that moment, aside from Donnie, no one understood Coca-Cola's potential.

"However, this matter involves a company of significant interest to the firm, so I still need to discuss it with the company before I can give you an exact response!"

Donnie nodded, "I'll wait for your exact answer tomorrow morning, George!"

After all, George Whitney wasn't like Young Rockefeller, who could directly call his father, nor was Morgan the same as Rockefeller. Morgan's partnership system meant that Morgan also had to consider the interests of all partners on the surface. Discover hidden stories at My Virtual Library Empire

After George Whitney left the reception room, Owen Young came in!

Owen Young was in the same predicament as George Whitney. The failed short sale of ABC directly affected Owen Young's standing in General Electric. As a behemoth among listed companies in the United States, General Electric was certainly not all peace and harmony within.

As the president of General Electric, Owen Young's position was undoubtedly coveted by many.

"Donnie, about this matter..."

Though he wanted to apologize to Donnie, as the president of General Electric, Owen Young couldn't lower his head.

Donnie waved his hand with a smile, "Let's not talk about the past. Let's discuss the current situation instead!"

Owen Young nodded, "Alright, Donnie, let me hear your demands. As long as they're not too excessive, I can agree to them right now!"

Donnie, without any hesitation, voiced his thoughts: he wanted more shares of General Electric.

It was simple: General Electric had at least several decades of rapid development ahead. With its current market value just over ten billion US dollars, it could potentially break through to a market value of 600 billion. Such a growth rate was certainly a long-term investment opportunity for Donnie, just like how many people in later generations would be willing to invest their money into Coca-Cola.

Previously, Donnie had traded his ABC shares for shares of General Electric for this very reason.

One might say that the shares in General Electric were Donnie's way of securing a fallback plan. Although Donnie didn't anticipate any major setbacks in his future ventures, having a backup always offered more options.

Owen Young's choice was the same as George Whitney's: They personally agreed with the matter, but neither could decide on their own and could only inform Donnie of the final decision after consulting with the company.

When it came to Charles Merrill, Donnie's request was the same: to acquire a portion of Merrill's shares.

Although Charles Merrill was reluctant to give up more company shares, under the circumstances where he had no choice, he ultimately agreed to Donnie's demands.

As for the benefits Donnie gained from William Mellon, it was much simpler: Donnie became an official shareholder of Gulf Oil!

"I thought you wouldn't ask William Mellon for benefits this time!"

After everyone had left, in Donnie's suite at the Ritz Hotel, only Donnie and Helen remained!

Helen had specially requested the hotel to prepare top-quality ingredients for them. The feast, candlelight, and the soft, soothing violin sounds from the gramophone made for a very romantic atmosphere. Yet, even in such a setting, Helen still habitually discussed business matters with Donnie.

Donnie felt nothing wrong with this, as he wasn't a romantic person by nature either.

"Favors are favors, benefits are benefits. Besides, didn't Mellon himself not show us any favors in this matter?"

Helen nodded in agreement, "Indeed, that's true!"

The two clinked glasses from afar.

After setting down their glasses, Helen asked Donnie, "With this affair over, there shouldn't be anything else on Wall Street, besides the acquisition of Coca-Cola, right?"

While cutting the Quinine steak in front of him, Donnie answered with a smile, "Yes, if we stay on Wall Street, some people might start to worry!"

With the short sale of Sinclair Oil Corporation and standing up to the likes of Rockefeller at the forefront, Donnie had already severely shaken the heart of Wall Street.