America's No. 1 financial conglomerate

Chapter 81 The Overt Schemes of Wall Street

Tilting her head, she gently rubbed her wet blonde hair with a soft bath towel, water droplets dripping from the ends of her hair and leaving winding water trails on her fair neck.

When Gisele Bündchen stepped out of the steamy bathroom, Ernst on the bed was already awake, gazing at her with a lazy smile in his eyes, his gaze carrying the unique drowsiness of the morning and a hint of barely perceptible heat.

"Honey, you're awake. Did I wake you?"

She playfully curved the corners of her mouth, her eyes filled with the ingratiating look unique to a girl in love. Her charming and innocent appearance was particularly fitting for her teenage years. She had shed her usual naivety and maturity, and gained a touch of pure liveliness.

She sat down by the bed and gently stroked Ernst's face with deep affection, her fingertips tracing the defined jawline.

The man before her was handsome, dashing, and possessed immense wealth. Becoming his mistress was undoubtedly a shortcut for her, a hundred or even a thousand times better than juggling countless older men in the world of fame and fortune.

Ernst rubbed his sleepy eyes, trying to completely shake himself off the drowsiness.

His other hand casually rested on Giselle's thigh, and the delicate touch from his fingertips stirred something within him.

Undeniably, Gisele's appearance is extremely sophisticated, with her angular features perfectly matching Western aesthetic standards. However, what truly captivated Ernst was not her looks, but her long, beautiful legs that he couldn't get enough of. Every touch of them easily ignited a flame within him, painting a vivid picture in the sea.

"It doesn't matter if you disturb me." Ernst's voice was hoarse from just waking up, but his eyes gradually became burning.

That's beyond my control.

As expected, the day's plan starts in the morning. The air seemed to carry an ambiguous element, especially with Giselle's appearance after her bath, her skin faintly visible beneath her loose robe, which instantly heightened Ernst's emotions.

No matter how mature she was inside, she was still a young woman who had only recently become a married woman. When she caught sight of Ernst's undisguised reaction, her cheeks instantly turned bright red, and she shyly spat out, "Pah!"

Her voice was barely audible, carrying a hint of coquettishness and panic.

He shouted and stood up from the bed, silencing the wicked woman.

Meanwhile, not far away on Wall Street, a discussion surrounding him is also underway.

339 Park, New York, is home to the headquarters of Wall Street giant Citigroup.

Inside the conference room, if Citibank were to be attacked by Scuds at this moment, the Wall Street financial system would likely collapse.

Executives from the five major Wall Street investment banks—Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers, and Bear Stearns—were all present. In addition, representatives from commercial banking giants such as Morgan Stanley, Chase Manhattan, and Bank of America were also seated among them.

John Reid, CEO of Citibank, sat at the head of the table; he was the one who spearheaded today's meeting.

"Gentlemen, we can't keep fighting like this." John Reed's steady and powerful voice broke the silence in the room.

"That old man Wenger clearly wants us to fight it out so he can reap the benefits. And the prices he's offering are getting more and more outrageous. If we can't unite, we'll be the ones who suffer in the end."

A month and a half ago, when Lehman Brothers representatives first approached Google, they offered a valuation of $2.2 million.

Little did they know that Ernst would immediately offer $12 billion, and the Lehman Brothers representative thought they were hallucinating, dismissing it as wishful thinking.

After Google was exposed by the media, countless investment institutions flocked to Mountain View, and Google's market value soared like a rocket.

Even the most optimistic institutions about Google's future can only shake their heads in despair when faced with Google's unwavering $12 billion valuation, as no one can match it.

Little did they know that a month later, as Google swept in 1600 million users, these Wall Street giants could only grit their teeth and endure Wenger's arrogance.

It doesn't matter if the price difference is too big; no one is willing to give up negotiating, no matter how much they have to talk.

Google's future is so promising that it makes my mouth water.

Look at the growth rate of tech stocks on Nasdaq; such a crazy scene was last seen in the US stock market in the last century.

Although internet companies don't have the market capitalization of tech giants like Microsoft, Cisco, Lucent, and Nvidia, their rapid growth in internet users is undeniable.

According to predictions from relevant organizations, the number of Internet users in North America was likely to exceed 60 million in 1997, and the number of Internet users worldwide was expected to exceed 80 million.

Just in 1996, there were only 40 million Internet users in North America and less than 50 million Internet users worldwide.

Such a rate of market growth is something Wall Street has never seen before. It is astonishing that an emerging market can rise so rapidly.

In the realm of search engines, which every internet user needs, if there is one search engine that can dominate the market, it is none other than Google.

Wall Street had people study Google's search engine, and the conclusion was that it was revolutionary.

Currently, most search engines on the market are based on category-based searches, making it relatively cumbersome and complicated for users to find content, requiring them to identify and organize various chaotic and false information and entries.

It's like you say you're going to the market to buy spinach, but the market doesn't know which ones are spinach, so they put all the leafy greens in front of you and let you choose for yourself.

But Google changed this approach. Now, as long as you enter the accurate name, or even just two or three keywords, Google can provide you with the search results you want.

Some experts brought in by Wall Street described Google as a company that, like a young adult, had already skipped the step of other search engines that were still figuring out how to grow and mature.

The word "monopoly" instantly flooded everyone's minds, and no one understood its true value better than Wall Street.

Look at Microsoft, which has almost a monopoly on operating systems, and then look at Intel, which has almost a monopoly on CPUs.

Although Google has not yet found more profitable models, just those two words are enough to make Wall Street drool.

"So we can't delay any longer," John Reed's voice rang out again, with unwavering conviction. "When Google's user base explodes again, and it truly reaches our projected valuation of $12 billion, do you think they'll still be willing to negotiate with us at this price?"

Definitely not. Even a fool could figure that out. By then, Google will only offer an even higher price.

"We must seize this opportunity to finalize the financing negotiations with Google. The longer it drags on, the more disadvantageous it will be for us, and the higher the costs will be."

"My suggestion is that we all discuss and come up with a reasonable price, then submit a joint offer. As for which one Google chooses, let God decide."

"On what grounds?" The Lehman Brothers representative was the first to stand up and object, his tone full of dissatisfaction.

Google was the first company they discovered. They decided to put Google on hold and let them face reality because the price they quoted was too outrageous.

Little did he know that the other person wouldn't be left hanging, but he himself would become the one being ignored.

These days, countless investment firms come to Wenger's door every day, and Lehman Brothers has to make an appointment in advance just to meet with him.

Now you're telling me that everyone should be fair and just, and that everyone should leave things to fate? That's inherently unfair to Lehman Brothers.

"Do you think Lehman Brothers will be able to secure funding if this competition continues? The most urgent task is to open the door to funding for Google. This won't be the last round of funding. Internet companies burn through cash very quickly, and we have plenty of opportunities."

John Reed was very dissatisfied with Lehman Brothers' opposition. His actions did not benefit or give Citibank any advantage, but he should take a longer-term view.

"I invited them to this charity gala to leverage my influence. With so many of us being major players, as long as the price we offer isn't outrageous, they have no choice but to agree."

"No one can directly refuse the goodwill that we all extend, unless the other party wants to be at odds with the financial world."

There was a moment of silence in the meeting room before Robert Rubin, one of Goldman Sachs' senior partners, was the first to raise his hand and say, "I agree with John's proposal."

"Reconsideration".

Once there's a first, there's a second. As Morgan Stanley Vice President Dick Felman raised his hand, voices of agreement followed one after another, and a consensus was finally reached.