America’s Road To Wealth - Vol 2 Chapter 479
Chapter 479 Every family has scriptures that are difficult to recite
“It’s a winner in life, and this world is really wonderful. It seems that sometimes, wealth may not be a necessity, the key still depends on the person…”
California, Santa Barbara.
1 San Mateo Rd., Corona del Mar.
The next morning.
In the breakfast room of the villa, Abel held a copy of the “American Sun” and posted such content.
The reason why Abel can express such emotions is because the news in this newspaper is enough to make most male readers feel emotional when they see it, and female readers feel indignant when they see it.
This is an article from the American Sun, reprinted from the British news of the British “Daily Mail”.
Simply speaking, it is Abel’s American newspaper, reprinting the report of Abel’s British newspaper.
Swapping left hand for right hand and authorizing each other can save a lot of money.
This is also the reason why those multinational news corporations can develop better.
The title of this piece of news is “British man lives with 7 wives, all the wives do housework through the “duty list”, and take turns to share Simmons with her husband…” report.
Seriously, just the title.
is enough to make most men all over the world envy, envy and hate.
The problem is that this man from a corrupt country is not a very rich man like Abel, he is just a second-hand furniture dealer.
This guy claimed to be the reincarnation of the Hebrew king in the Bible era, and he found 7 wives successively under the excuse that God asked him to marry 7 wives.
The youngest wife No. 7 is now 20 years old, and she ‘married’ him during college, when she was only 18 years old…
Abel felt that the man in the news was simply against the sky.
Compared to myself, this man has no tricks, he is really just an ordinary person.
Unlike himself, he has an unparalleled talent in finance.
There is also a super exaggerated body, which barely took down the current Crystal Palace.
Crystal Palace is even a little unstable, mainly maintained by wealth and power.
What about others?
Abel couldn’t help feeling that the magic power of religion is so terrible in many cases.
It can even replace money, power and other aspects of ability to influence humans and make humans subservient to other humans.
“Oh, you’re reading this news too? Ha… It’s outrageous, but I’ve seen it. His wives are all average-looking, and none of them are beautiful.”
Ikana, her father, wakes up later than Abel.
The old man came in for breakfast, glanced at the headline of the newspaper Abel was reading, and said with a smile.
Abel put down the newspaper and pointed to the seat beside him, “Ted, sit down. It seems that we haven’t had breakfast together.”
“Ha, indeed.” Ted Lerner sat down with a smile.
The old man is in a good mood.
Yesterday at noon, he and Abel rushed to Santa Barbara.
More than two hours later, Ted saw the two little grandchildren he was thinking of.
The two children born to his favorite daughter are also the two children he values most now.
The main thing is that Abel values family values and treats his illegitimate daughter very kindly. It is not a secret among the upper echelons of the United States.
Ted thought that the daughter of a Hollywood actress could be loved and treated favorably by Abel.
There is only reason for Abel to prefer his own daughter, the child born to Ikana, who is more beloved by Abel.
Abel likes his grandson, so his grandson is naturally more valuable.
This made Ted think that these two little grandchildren, the Lerner family and the Smith family, are the two most important ties in the future.
Ted, who has a strong businessman habit, is willing to show great love for these two grandchildren, even if it is only out of businessman’s concept.
Last evening and night, he even took turns holding Ivana Laura Smith and Andy TLP Smith for almost two hours under the guidance of nurses and baby specialists.
That’s right, the two children Ikana gave birth to Abel were named after this.
The girl was born first and is the older sister. The name was finally decided to use Ikana’s mother’s name, which is the name of the child’s biological grandmother.
The middle name is her “aunt’s” name, and the last name is of course Smith without a doubt.
The boy was born later and is the younger brother. The name was Andy, and Abel took it. The middle name is Ikana’s last name, which is Ted’s last name, followed by Smith.
As long as the names of these two children are revealed, anyone who knows a little bit about things will immediately know who their father is.
This means that, fundamentally, Abel never thought of hiding these two children.
He is open about the existence of the children.
Ted Lerner was very satisfied with this.
Because the more Abel is like this, the better it is for Ted.
Dining room.
After sitting down, I took a sip of the warm Niu Nuo.
Then Ted asked: “Honey, have you read the development report of the x199 plot? The manager of your real estate company should have told you that the construction has started, right?”
Plot X199 is a real estate property jointly developed by New Start Real Estate Company and Ted’s Lerner Group on Manhattan Island.
It is on the verge of Fifth Avenue and Central Park. It has a good location. The only disadvantage is that the land area is a bit small, not enough to build a large community.
The year before last, under the introduction of Ikana, Abel contacted Ted Lerner.
The two looked at the land behind, and Abel decided to buy it and develop it into the tallest residential building in New York.
His new starting company auctioned off the land, and then the construction company under the Lerner Group undertook the construction.
Both parties jointly invest, Aberfon will contribute more, owning 60% of the property rights, and Lerner Group owning 40%.
It was also during this cooperation that Abel asked people to collect commercially valuable land information throughout New York.
From the very beginning, Abel wanted to build his own “Stark Building” in Manhattan.
It is the iconic building with a big “A” standing above the head in the Marvel movie.
With this in mind, Abel discovered the plan for the Hudson Bay City Plaza in the intelligence of these commercial real estate plots.
Abel was naturally surprised that there was such a large piece of undeveloped land on Manhattan Island.
After he got to know about it, it was later that he pursued this plan with all his might, wanting to create a spectacle in New York and Manhattan.
After more than two years of unremitting efforts by Abel, Hudson Yards has finally taken shape.
The demolition work is almost done, even though it was very difficult and there were some accidents.
But anyway, with the efforts of Abel and Bloomberg, Morgenthau, and some other collaborators.
After all, everything was settled. This can really be said to be a huge project.
A big project negotiated with behemoths including Morgan and Rockefeller.
If it weren’t for Abel’s rapid growth, if it weren’t for Abel’s influence to expand wildly.
Even if we can talk about success, it will not be so smooth.
Fortunately, now, it is finally completed.
The entire huge project is expected to start demolition work at the end of next year or the beginning of the next year.
Around the beginning of 2005, construction began.
Completion time is estimated at the end of 2008 or early 2009.
Seeing the time period when it was completed, if there are reborn people in this world, you will find that Abel can be said to have “sinister intentions”.
Because this project started in New York, even after the 21st century in the United States, when real estate was the most prosperous and housing prices were the most expensive.
At that time, for this huge project, Abel is bound to engage in off-plan housing.
It is the kind where the property rights are sold before the house is built.
Don’t think that China is doing this, it’s the same abroad…
In other words, there are many foreign real estate options, and real estate is not an advantageous project.
Except for particularly tight real estate projects, most real estate companies have no way to do this.
No matter how you look at it now, Hudson Yards is such a super tight project, one of the future centers of Manhattan.
Abel can take advantage of the prosperity of the American real estate industry to push up the housing prices of Manhattan’s new urban landmarks to an exaggerated level.
When the profit is maximized, sell or rent out the house in the city square.
Wait until the whole project is almost under construction, when the house is about to be handed over and completed.
At that time, the subprime mortgage crisis was over, and the impact of the financial crisis was still continuing, but it was also nearing the end.
This period is also one of the lowest periods in the history of US house prices.
The most exaggerated place in the United States at that time, the house price in 2009 fell by 4/5 compared with the peak in 2007.
The house that was originally priced at $5 million fell to more than $1 million.
Even Manhattan is no exception, just slightly better.
At that time, Abel can take back the house that was sold at a high price at a low price in the attitude of a great benevolent person.
At that time, there must be a large number of investors who have to cut their flesh and leave the market.
The meat they cut was the delicacy in Abel’s mouth.
And we all know that the US economy began to “recover” again later.
The falling housing prices started to rise one after another, and returned to the peak in 2014, almost doubled in 2018, and doubled in 2020…
Sell at a high price to make a profit, and buy it at a low price to make another profit.
After such a toss, not only can the entire construction funds be fully recovered, but even a lot of money can be made.
This is the basic operation of capitalists.
As for the X199 plot, the total investment is only hundreds of millions of dollars, with a cap of at most 1 billion dollars.
For Abel, it was just a small dessert before a big meal in Hudson Yards.
Insignificant.
But what was insignificant to him was crucial to Ted Lerner.
This project is already the largest construction project that Ted Lerner has received in his lifetime.
In the past, most of the real estate projects that the old man engaged in were buying and selling existing houses, and at most they were renovations and decorations.
Today, the X199 project is still a landmark, a project in cooperation with the richest man in the world.
Ikana’s father certainly attaches great importance to it. All the old man’s work in the past year has been devoted to this.
Now has the opportunity to meet Abel face-to-face. Of course, the real estate businessman wants Abel to pay more attention to this project.
This is also a good way to increase the popularity of this project.
When the project is completed, it can make the value of the project higher.
When the time comes to sell the house, the quotation can be higher.
A house built by Abel Smith, the first real estate project that the richest man in the world participated in.
What a gimmick, those local tyrants in West Asia who are not short of money, absolutely don’t mind opening their pockets and spending a lot!
“I have seen it, hasn’t the construction work already started? I remember that the progress is very good.”
Of course Abel knew what Ikana and her father thought.
Abel smiled and said:
“It is expected to be completed in 2004, and it will be on sale at the end of the year. Ted, believe me, this will definitely make you a lot of money. And it will definitely give the Lerner Group a sufficient reputation in the industry. In this way, waiting When my Hudson Yards started construction. I was able to let your business join the feast. All this is in my plan, so you don’t have to worry.”
Even though he already knew the plan was like this, hearing Abel say that now made Ted Lerner more at ease.
Hudson Yards, as long as you can eat 1% of it, it can double the market value of the current Lerner Group!
Thinking of this, the old man’s mood improved, and that happy look appeared.
“Oh, of course I, of course I understand! Nobody knows better than me…”
Halfway through the speech, Ted retracted his favorite mantra.
He felt that in front of his son-in-law, it was better not to say that no one understood better than himself.
Smiled without shame, Ted wisely changed the topic to Ikana and the children.
“Abel, I have decided to transfer 10% of Lerner Group’s shares to Ikana, Andy, and Ivana.”
Abel raised his eyebrows and looked at Ted.
“Ikana is my child, my first child. No matter what, she will be one of my heirs. Then her child, of course, also enjoys part of the inheritance rights of my property. This is as it should be.”
Ted said with a natural face.
Abel felt a little disapproving of the old man’s statement.
He remembers in parallel time and space, as Ted’s best child, but only because he is a daughter.
Ikana didn’t get much inheritance rights at all.
What she has is only part of the management rights of the Lerner Group.
To put it bluntly, she is just working for her father and earning more property for her brothers in the future.
If it weren’t for the matter of inheriting her father’s property, she wouldn’t feel much hope.
She will not be cruel and give up so much, just to marry the oil man husband she picked.
Even her vision is not very good.
The husband she chose by herself is glamorous on the outside, but he is actually very ordinary on the inside.
A 100% embroidered pillow, and something like “Ikana, you too” happened later.
In view of what happened to the Lerner family in parallel time and space.
Abel doesn’t think that Ted is sincerely distributing part of his property to his women and children in advance.
What the old man did was actually a businessman’s habit.
What is businessman habit?
Pay the cost and want to get more benefits.
The 10% stake in the Lerner Group is the cost that Ted spent when he was doing “this business”.
And what he wants to get, of course, is more and more.
Knowing this, but for the sake of Ikana and the children, Abel thought about it.
He still said softly: “I will replace Ikana, Andy, and Ivana, and I would like to say thank you.”
“Ted. Well, all the subsequent proceeds of the X199 project will be incorporated into the Lerner Group under the name of Ikana and the children. This will be the same as the 10% of the shares, as Ikana and the children the property of.”
Ted didn’t have time to think about whether Abel’s approach would be more beneficial to him.
Abel has stood up, and he said:
“I’m full and I’m going to continue working. I have to go to Washington in two days. Ted, you can do whatever you want. If you want to go back to New York, I will let my plane take you back.”
Ted only had time to respond before seeing Abel turn and leave.
Looking at Abel’s disappearing back, Ted patted himself a little distressed.
“Snapped-”
The old man regretted, regretted setting his bottom line so early.
In fact, to put it bluntly, the 10% shares that Ted said were given to Ikana and her children were not as fair as what Ted said.
The reason why he did this is very important because he was afraid that Ikana would use Abel’s power and with Abel’s help to influence and intervene in the Lerner Group.
The Lerner Group and he are so dependent on Abel now, if Ikana wants to do this, Abel will also support it.
Then Ted himself and his other children will be very troublesome.
If Ikana is more ruthless, and Abel is also ruthless.
It is not impossible for Ted and his children to be directly occupied by doves and magpies.
There are too many such things happening in the rich and business families in the United States and Europe.
It is a standard rich family grievance routine.
The problem is that Ted is now reluctant to part with the benefits that Abel has brought him. There are also various influences, and a better future.
In order to guard against this possibility, he intends to divide the property in advance.
Transfer a large piece of benefits and cut yourself a large piece of meat.
Hope to dispel Ikana’s possible thoughts in this regard.
He was testing Abel just now.
Test Abel’s possible attitude and position in this matter.
As a result, Abel didn’t express it at all, and he wanted to add more weight to this matter.
The interests of the X199 project were merged into the Lerner Group, which gave Ikana a greater say in the Lerner Group.
If Ikana has no idea, that’s fine.
Abel did this purely to help Ted Lerner, allowing him to grow his real estate company faster.
If Ikana has an idea.
By doing this, Abel directly helped Ikana seize power on the bright side.
Ikana has both name and ability, and her brothers are too inferior.
If this is the case, her father has nothing to do except cut it immediately.
Thinking of all the possibilities behind, Ted Lerner regretted it more and more.
“I shouldn’t have said that… No, I shouldn’t have come to California!”
Ted hates California, he thinks California is not compatible with him!
Now he’s more sure of that.
(end of this chapter)