Deposed Crown Prince: After three years of service on the frontier, the entire court knelt and begge

The group exchanged glances, and their doubts lessened considerably.

After all, they knew very well that Kimberley wouldn't invest rashly.

Since they've offered to invest, then this industry must be profitable...

Therefore, their suspicions about Xiao Ce's intentions to deceive them have been greatly reduced.

John Jonard listened with curiosity and asked, "I wonder, Mr. King, how many shares do you own?"

Kimberly looked at Xiao Ce but didn't answer directly, as if he were asking a question.

Of course, this was performed by two people...

John Jonard then said, feigning nonchalance, "Is it convenient? If it's inconvenient to say, that's fine too..."

Xiao Ce continued, addressing John Jonard, "Agent, it's convenient, of course it's convenient... there's nothing inconvenient about it. Agent, you'll be shareholders in the future! You need to know that! And I know your concerns... you must be worried that I might set up a shell company called Dark Light to cheat you out of the naming rights to your castle and the three-year lease, right..."

Xiao Ce spoke with a smile, and John Jonard naturally did not deny it.

He waved his hand: "Of course not... Mr. Ce, since we're going to cooperate with you, we naturally want to trust you..."

Xiao Ce said with a smile, "Alright, before we get to the point, let me tell you about the initial capital and shares of our Dark Light brand."

The group of five, led by John Jonard, nodded and did not refuse.

After all, that was their initial goal...

Xiao Ce then began to explain: "Actually, our shareholding structure is quite simple. I will contribute 60 billion soles, along with technology and management, for a 40% stake. Mr. Kimberly's Berle Capital will contribute 100 billion soles for a 40% stake, and you will each hold 20%. You will need to provide the naming rights for the castle and a three-year lease."

"Berelay Capital? This is..."

Clearly, they didn't understand. Actually, this word was something Xiao Ce came up with...

They still don't have this term.

"It's a consortium that Mr. Kimberly has assembled with some wealthy businessmen. They're investing in us. After all, my Dark Light brand, as you all mentioned... requires a lot of capital. Originally, I wanted to take it slow, but since it involves your shares, I figured that if we tried to attract investment later, it wouldn't be good for you..."

"Therefore, I've made the decision in advance. We currently have a total capital of 160 billion, which will maximize your benefits!"

John Jonard's smile widened with delight upon hearing Xiao Ce's explanation.

He couldn't help but say, "Good...good...good...Mr. Ce, you really are sincere."

Meanwhile, members of other families noticed the problem.

"So who did they bring into that Berle Capital you mentioned?" one of the Rust family members asked.

Kimberly then named those individuals.

These individual representatives, though they had heard of these names, revealed a hint of disdain in their eyes.

"Well... Mr. Jin, please forgive our bluntness. Why do you pull all sorts of people onto your side?"

“Indeed, Mr. Jin, although these people are cooperating with you, ultimately, outsiders will definitely think we're cooperating with them... which would be an insult to our family…”

“That’s right, Mr. Ce. You should know that we’re cooperating with you because Boudica is a member of the Targaryen family... and those other people are simply not qualified to cooperate with us..."

When these people spoke, they all unconsciously held their heads high, appearing exceptionally proud.

Xiao Ce was naturally very clear about their reaction.

It might be an exaggeration to say that these people are penniless, but when it comes to money, they are certainly no match for the people Kimberly invited. However, these people consider themselves superior.

After listening to their words, Xiao Ce smiled and said, "So, you don't need this 100 billion soles right now, is that right?"

After exchanging glances, the group said, "Actually, this investment can just be made directly in Mr. Kimberly's name. As for how Mr. Kimberly raises the funds and how the profits will be distributed, we don't care..."

After John Jonard spoke.

The others listened and quickly nodded in agreement: "That's right, that's exactly the point. We represent our families... If this gets out, it will tarnish our family's reputation..."

"Yes, actually we have no problem with it as long as it's not made public. But if it's announced, we definitely won't allow it..."

These individuals were speaking.

After listening, Kimberly looked at everyone.

In fact, Xiao Ce had already been secretly discussing the solution with Kimberly.

He then began to act along with Xiao Ce: "Mr. Ce, I told you... this is not appropriate... how about I withdraw my investment... you should stick to your previous decision. Those families have also secretly contacted you... they are all members of the twelve families, and only these four families are a match for them."

Xiao Ce nodded in agreement and played along: "It was my oversight... Agent... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... It was my oversight. I was thinking about this for a while... Well then, let's go find the Louisfa family..."

After Xiao Ce said this, John Jonard and the others exchanged glances and then asked, "What do you mean? Mr. Ce, what does this have to do with the Louis Fa family?"

Xiao Ce said to John Jonard, "Sir, here's the thing. This Dark Light brand has been very successful in building momentum here recently. However, if we want to make this brand a success, we need a lot of money... Although I have quite a bit, it's far from enough."

"So, I wanted to find some money. I went to Mr. Jin and asked him about borrowing money. Mr. Jin helped me look for a loan at the United Savings Bank, but they refused me outright... So I asked Mr. Jin to lend me money, and somehow the word got out, and people from several other families found out. They came to me to talk about investing..."

"Led by the Louisfa family, and with three other families in total, four families came to me to discuss investing... At first, I thought, 'Mr. John Jonard, since you didn't bring them along, there must be a reason...'"

"So I politely declined... After all, anyone with a discerning eye should know that Darklight is a golden goose. If you weren't in my group, inviting them would just be a disservice to you, wouldn't it? That's why I thought of having Mr. Kimberly find those people... Although their status is lower, they are certainly wealthy enough."

"However, I did forget that their status is different from your unapproachable status! I was indeed inconsiderate, but our Dark Light brand really needs money... Gentlemen, what do you think? If each of you could chip in and raise another 100 billion... I'd give you these 40% of the shares, what do you say?"

These people looked at each other in bewilderment. Even if they were offered to split the money equally, their families wouldn't dare spend any more.

After all, they would naturally want shares that they could get for free.

However, if it really is as Xiao Ce said, requiring them to pay real money...

They naturally wouldn't dare, after all, Xiao Ce had been boasting wildly about it.

However, this still largely depends on Xiao Ce's execution ability...

If Xiao Ce fails to fulfill his promise, they will have to pay compensation again. If they have to pay hundreds of billions, even the twelve families cannot withstand such a loss.

The group exchanged glances, and finally John Jonard spoke up: "This... might be a bit difficult, considering that our twelve families have recently made considerable investments and expenditures in various places. Asking us to invest might be rather challenging..."

After hearing this, a sly glint flashed in Xiao Ce's eyes.

"I see... So you mean we can contact one of the twelve Louis Families? If so, that would be wonderful... It seems I was overthinking things!"

John Jonard said, "They promised to give us the money?"

Xiao Ce shook his head: "We didn't discuss the specifics, but it shouldn't be a big problem..."

Before John Jonard could speak, the representatives of the other twelve families chimed in, "I'm afraid that won't work."

Xiao Ce asked in confusion, "??? It won't work? Why? I've looked into it, and those families seem to be neutral..."

John Jonard continued, "You said it yourself, those families appear neutral, but in reality, they're still biased towards East Asia. I know very well that they came to you this time because they saw we support you, and they want to get involved... Mr. Ce, your concerns are valid... It's indeed necessary! Letting them get involved will only create more trouble for ourselves..."

Xiao Ce said awkwardly, "My lord, these people won't do, and neither will the people from the twelve families. I could join you now, and we'll figure out a better way later. But securing funding at the beginning is very beneficial for us and will also guarantee your interests..."

"If none of those work... then this is going to be difficult... If my funds run out of steam after reaching half their current level, and someone else takes advantage of us, then we'll have nowhere to turn for help. I can afford to lose, but I feel like I'd be letting all of you down then..."

Kimberly stood up awkwardly. "Well then, since I'm withdrawing, it's not convenient for me to listen to your conversation anymore. You two continue. Mr. Ce, if you want us to withdraw our shares, please let us know immediately, and we will absolutely cooperate..."

Kimberly then pretended to leave.

Although Xiao Ce didn't speak, he was silently counting in his mind.

"3...2...1..."

"Wait!" the group said almost in unison.