The Tyrant Billionaire

And Hardy also recognized a hidden risk: a royal grant might not be as secure as a purchase agreement under global law. What if someone later declared the grant invalid? What then?

A purchase, on the other hand, would come with a contract, which would be recognized by all international law. Even if he were no longer governor or lost administrative control, the land would still legally belong to him.

Hardy said, "It can be formally granted by the king, but I require a legitimate purchase contract with the British government."

Lambert considered it for a moment. "That should be possible."

"And another thing, your asking price is too high. $100 million in bonds and $100 million in loans—investing $200 million could easily double my profits in five years. The Cayman Islands aren't worth $200 million."

Both sides agreed to discuss the price further at a later date.

This was just a preliminary negotiation, with both parties needing to return and confer with their teams. After bidding Minister Lambert farewell, Hardy went to the telegraph office and sent a message to the U.S., instructing Andy to bring the financial and legal teams over.

This was going to be a major deal.

Andy and the team arrived in England two days later. In the hotel room, Hardy gave Andy and the lawyers a detailed rundown of the situation.

"If I acquire dual citizenship, what are the potential downsides?" Hardy asked.

The lawyer replied, "Obtaining British citizenship won't affect you politically, as both countries recognize dual citizenship. However, there may be some implications for taxation."

"Of course, most taxes are based on the principle of territoriality, meaning that taxes are paid in the country where the business operates. There are a few specific tax categories where double taxation might occur, but those can usually be avoided with proper planning."

"So, no significant issues?" Hardy asked.

"That's right, no major issues," the lawyer confirmed.

After the lawyer left, it was just Hardy and Andy in the room. Andy looked at his boss and asked, "Boss, what made you suddenly decide to buy a small island in the Caribbean? What's the plan?"

Hardy poured Andy a drink and smiled. "Opening a casino, developing a tourist resort, and having an autonomous territory—doesn't that sound like a lot of fun?"

Andy looked at Hardy thoughtfully. "I have a feeling you have bigger plans than that."

Hardy chuckled and took a sip of his drink.

"If that island fully belongs to us and has autonomous rights, the casino is just one aspect. Our HD Security could use it as a base to establish a stronger armed presence, right? After all, we'd have the legal right to form a military there."

"That island is overseas. What's most convenient overseas? Money laundering. We could turn it into a hub for money laundering—legally, of course. And that's where you financial experts come in to figure out how to make it work."

Hardy was envisioning turning the Cayman Islands into a future offshore financial haven.

In later years, the Cayman Islands would host over 50 banks with offices on the island, register over 100,000 companies, and manage over $3 trillion in assets.

And that's just the official numbers.

Behind the scenes, there would be even more opportunities.

For instance, drug deals could be facilitated by moving money between offshore accounts. In the Cayman Islands, there would be no oversight, and the actual drug transactions wouldn't involve direct cash flows—they could be settled through offshore accounts, with only the physical goods needing to be moved. It would be incredibly convenient.

Large-scale smuggling of commodities could work the same way.

Globally, an estimated $1 trillion is laundered annually—possibly as much as $3 trillion. That's an astronomical figure.

"If we base Wells Fargo Bank on the island, all this money would flow through the bank. It would mean those funds would always remain within the bank's ecosystem, giving Hardy access to enormous liquidity. Imagine the power of such a financial resource."

"We could engage in financial maneuvers that would terrify even nations."

"Actually, we don't need much territory. What matters is that it's entirely under our control. That's the real value of the Cayman Islands," Hardy explained.

Andy looked at his boss with astonishment.

He hadn't expected Hardy to have such an enormous plan.

Offshore companies.

Tax avoidance.

Money laundering.

Complete control of financial channels.
Enjoy new adventures from empire

The mere thought of it made Andy excited. If they could pull this off, the Hardy Group could become the most powerful company in the world.

Even the Rockefeller and Morgan families would be envious.

Hardy patted Andy on the shoulder to calm him down. "This is a long term plan. It will take ten, maybe twenty years to fully realize. Right now, the priority is securing the Cayman Islands at the lowest possible price."

"After all, I still plan to invest in Japan, which will require a lot of capital. We can't drain all our resources on this British deal," Hardy said.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer reported back to the British Prime Minister about the discussions. The differences between the two parties were not significant, primarily centered around the price, and they agreed to reconvene for formal negotiations later.

Now that Andy had arrived, negotiations were naturally handed over to him, as the professional in the field.

Over the next few days, Andy, along with his financial and legal teams, drafted a series of negotiation points. These included issues like the ownership of the Cayman Islands, the property rights of other residents on the island, and the various legal rights tied to the autonomous territory.

They weren't going to let any potential advantage slip by.

A few days later, when formal negotiations began, the Hardy Group's team came prepared. pushing out every point that mattered. With their deep experience, they knew how to hold their ground, skillfully steering the discussion when needed

There were a few key issues.

The island currently had about 3,000 residents, of which 30% were white, 30% were black, and 40% were mixed race.