Seeing Pierre nod, William squinted his eyes, feeling pleased. Fortunately, this was the movie world, and the ownership of the Château de Chantilly was in the hands of the bank. If it were held by the state, he wouldn't even have a chance to make an offer. "How much?"
"What?" Pierre looked at William in shock, unable to believe how straightforward he was. William dared to ask the price. Was he not afraid of the entire French nation boycotting him?
"I'm asking how much?" William stared into Pierre's eyes, enunciating each word carefully.
"Oh my God, I can't answer that," Pierre clutched his chest, clearly troubled and short of breath. "Although this is in the Chantilly district, just the 7,800 hectares, or 19,266 acres of land, could be worth 1 billion dollars. Could you really accept that price?"
"Hmm?" William calculated briefly. "Fifty-two thousand dollars per acre is a bit steep."
Pierre quickly nodded in agreement, not wanting to offend such a major client like William.
"But I can still accept the price. So, are you going to make an offer or not? That's all I care about right now."
"I don't know. If you had asked me before today if Château de Chantilly was for sale, I would have thought you were crazy. But this is you we're talking about. Oh God, I really don't know."
Pierre shook his head, confused, and after a moment, he advised, "Mr. Devonshire, personally, I strongly recommend that you don't buy it. This castle costs over 30 million dollars a year just to maintain. Plus, it's a historical monument from the 15th to 17th century, so you can't modernize it. It's really not suitable for living in. With that much money, you might as well build a bigger and more luxurious estate from scratch."
"Haha," William chuckled. "Whether I buy it or not is my business. Or, I could deposit 5 billion dollars in your bank as a gesture of sincerity, and you can have your board of directors discuss it?"
"F-f-five billion dollars as a deposit?"
Pierre wasn't new to large sums of money; as the general manager of the Bank of France, he had seen transactions worth hundreds of billions. But having someone casually deposit 5 billion dollars into their bank still shook him, making his hands tremble and his forehead break out in a cold sweat.
Especially when the person in front of him was William, someone ten years younger than his own son.
"V-very well, sir, I—I'll go back and discuss it right away," Pierre stammered as he turned and stumbled away.
"Hehe," Anthony, standing nearby, grinned as he watched the once-proud Frenchman now walking away in such a flustered state. "Boss, Pierre wasn't wrong about one thing. This type of building isn't really fit for living. Are you sure you really want to buy it?"
"Why not? Just because the structure can't be altered doesn't mean I can't install electrical systems or make reasonable modifications. Every building like this has been renovated over time—where else would the lights and bathrooms have come from?"
Anthony thought for a moment. "That's true, but aren't you worried that such a large castle will feel too empty and unsettling?"
"You're not me," William laughed. "Besides, at this point in Europe, apart from high-tech and internet industries, there's no investment more profitable than land and antiques. Believe it or not, in fifteen years, the value of this land will increase tenfold.
If you have spare cash, you should also invest in some antiques, preferably ones from China. In ten years, their value will rise fivefold like it's nothing."
"Got it," Anthony grinned widely. "I'll go find Prince Wilson as soon as I get back."
"It seems like Wilson's antique business is doing well," William laughed heartily.
From a distance, Catherine Russell noticed Pierre completely ignoring her as he left, gave a few instructions to the bank staff, and then drove away. She immediately redirected her frustration toward William.
She marched over angrily, but before she could get close, Anthony's men and the bodyguards blocked her, causing her to shout in frustration, "Let me go! If you touch me again, I'll call the police and accuse you of harassment!"
At that moment, three men and two women emerged from the castle, each holding dozens of balloons. Seeing Catherine yelling, they quickly moved to protect her.
With backup arriving, Catherine became even more emboldened. She shouted at William, "William Devonshire, you thief! You and Pierre are both thieves! That old bastard promised me five years to buy back the castle. Now, not even two months after agreeing, that old fool sells it to you, the thief!"
Being called a thief by a beautiful woman, William looked at Anthony in surprise. "Are all French people like this?"
Anthony shrugged. "They're just a bunch of Gallic roosters, Boss. The more you deal with them, the more you'll see how arrogant and rude they are."
"Arrogant?" William gave Anthony a disdainful look and laughed. "It seems Pierre really got to you. When you talk about arrogance, isn't that how people describe the English?"
"No, no, Boss. That's an outdated view. Just last year, a survey showed that the English are now seen as conservative and humorous. Arrogance is a thing of the past," Anthony corrected him with a grin. Then, remembering something, he added with a smile, "Although, in the eyes of the press, you're the epitome of arrogance."
"Screw you," William rolled his eyes at Anthony, then suddenly noticed the two Asian women next to Catherine holding rooster-shaped balloons. Several images flashed through his mind.
"Everything in this castle belongs to me now, right?"
"Of course, Boss. The contract is signed, and the 160 million dollars has been transferred to the designated Bank of France account. We're just waiting for their experts to inventory the antiques and other valuable items in the memorandum. You are now 100% the owner of this castle. If there's any problem, it's the bank's issue."
"Excellent," William snapped his fingers. "Bring them over."
"Understood, Boss," Anthony shouted a few orders, and within moments, a dozen bodyguards and half a dozen lawyers surrounded Catherine and the three men and two women next to her, bringing them in front of William.
"William Devonshire, you—" Before Catherine could finish, William raised a finger and gestured to the bodyguards. "If she speaks again without my permission, please escort her out politely."
Looking at the furious Catherine, William calmly warned, "I'm not joking, lady, and I have no interest in discussing the ownership of this castle with you. I bought it for 160 million dollars."
"Yes, even though I made that decision just a few hours ago," William added smugly.
This arrogant remark made Catherine roll her eyes in anger, but for the dozen bodyguards and Anthony's men, it was a big morale boost. They nodded and responded in unison, "Understood, Boss."
With nearly twenty people glaring at them, Catherine and the five Asian individuals who had just left the castle wisely chose to remain silent.
This reaction pleased William. He pointed to the rooster-shaped balloons and said to the man who looked like a younger version of Guan Yuming, "That balloon is mine, right, Jack Chen?"
"What?"
"I said, that rooster-shaped balloon is mine. Is there a problem?"
"N-no," realizing that their trickery had been exposed, Jack Chen immediately understood and sensibly told his companion, "Bonnie, give the balloon to the gentleman next to you."
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