socalfunplaces Page 86
Page 86
Surrounded by Wall Street tycoons, Ivanka trembled and dared not utter a word. Only after they left did she stare at Hawke and say in disbelief.
Hawke: “…”
I'm not Zoffy, and you're not Belial, so what nonsense are you spouting?
It's perfectly normal for them to have this preconceived notion about Hawke, because Hawke has really gone all out. Throughout New York, from dinner parties with assets of several million or tens of millions of dollars, to dinner parties with assets of hundreds of millions or billions of dollars... Hawke has been present at almost every kind of dinner party...
He was either eating or sleeping, so the entire upper-class circles of New York were filled with the story and image of Hawke—a lazy bum who just loafed around and waited to die…
Therefore, when the Lane family officially announced that Hockley was the sole heir to the family and its assets, it did cause some ripples, and the stock even fell for a period of time.
But his father, John Lane, had the foresight to manipulate the offshore company in advance, shorting his own stock and making a profit of more than two billion dollars. He also took the opportunity to buy back a batch of shares, playing the game very skillfully.
"No, I might have gotten too excited." Ivanka smiled awkwardly, took a sip of her drink, and composed herself.
As expected, he is the man she values. He is no longer just a potential stock, but a heavyweight stock whose potential is beginning to materialize.
"It's nothing, I just got lucky and made some money, it's not a huge amount."
Hawke smiled slightly.
"I happen to have some spare cash on hand. Isn't your Ivanka Jewelry currently seeking Series B funding? How about having Ryan Capital lead the investment?"
"Are you serious?"
"of course."
“If you’re not afraid I’ll lose all your money, then I’d be happy to accept it!” Ivanka said. “You have no idea how many investors I’ve met and how much I’ve talked to during this time, but there’s just been no progress. Those guys are all questioning me. The current state of Ivanka Jewelry is entirely due to my father’s help; it’s not my own ability at all. I was almost overwhelmed by life.”
Hawke: "I wish it wasn't life that was suffocating you, but me."
Ivanka: "???"
His very words confirm he's a lecherous old man!
Amanda was eavesdropping nearby and figured out what was going on.
Well... I'm a little happy that Hawke can now freely control such a huge amount of money, but I'm also a little worried.
Does Hawke really have the ability to control this?
Was John Lane really comfortable entrusting so much money to Hawke?
Even she, who worked hard following her elders in the business, couldn't say she could succeed, let alone Hawke, who was always eating, drinking, and having fun...
When Amanda looked at Hawke with concern...
My worries immediately disappeared.
His face turned gloomy.
I'm still worried about you, and you're chatting so happily with that little bitch Ivanka?
I was here first!
Whether it's kissing, hugging, or falling in love with that guy.
What made Ivanka able to surpass others?
Ivanka rolled her eyes at Hawke and said:
“A real man keeps his word! You said you were willing to invest in Ivanka’s jewelry, so you can’t go back on your word.”
"No backing out, no backing out." Hawke shrugged and said, "It's just a few days' worth of spare change for me, why would I back out?"
"I really envy you rich kids, the sons of big tycoons. Money talks!"
Ivanka sighed.
"You're not bad either; you've managed your career very well."
Hawke took a sip of his drink.
"What's the big deal! We all know that Ivanka Jewelry is just a small-scale operation, barely enough to help me earn a living. Otherwise, with the salary of a vice president at the Tesco Group, I'd starve to death in New York." Ivanka said, "And you should know about my family situation. There are 4.8 siblings in my family. Although my father is extremely good to me, I guess in the end it'll be divided equally. How much money is that anyway?"
“Then he must be a billionaire, right?” Hawke said. “The reason people suffer in this life is not because they have too little, but because they want too much.”
"When did you turn into a philosopher? It's easy for you to talk when you're not the one suffering!" Ivanka scoffed. "You're already on land, yet you're telling those still adrift in the sea to stop struggling, that the more they struggle, the faster they'll sink, and that they can just lie there and be comfortable. Is that appropriate?"
"Haha, okay, it's my fault, it's my fault."
Hawke raised his hands in surrender.
Ivanka's words are too sharp; she's not easily fooled.
155 Why not just let old Ryan adopt another one?
"By the way, Hawke, you'll be graduating in a little over a year, right? Although you've made a name for yourself, are you really not planning to formally accept the position of chairman of the Ryan Group?"
Ivanka took a small sip of her drink, a blush rising on her fair face, and tentatively asked.
John Lane once publicly stated that he wanted to hand over the chairmanship to Hawke, but Hawke was unwilling and wanted to play the game a little longer.
"What's the difference between me and the chairman now? I've officially taken over the position, but I still have to talk bureaucratically to those White House gentlemen, and smile at this one and that one. I'm afraid I'll lose my temper and just smash the White House to pieces!"
Hawke said, pursing his lips.
Ivanka said, "The Ryan Corporation is such a large company, it still needs an heir. If you don't like getting involved in these trivial matters, perhaps you could find someone you can completely trust to manage it for you?"
Well, Ivanka practically said, "What do you think of me?"
If you marry me, I'll help you run the Ryan Group. You can just stay home all day eating, drinking, and having fun. You can even go out and play around with women, it doesn't matter. How carefree and comfortable you'll be!
Ivanka's interest in power far outweighs her interest in love.
"Let's talk about this later," Hawke said. "Live for today, worry about tomorrow later. Why think so much? Just be happy."
"that is!"
Amanda had already quickly walked to Hawke and Ivanka's side, and said in a slightly sarcastic tone:
"Why did you try to persuade Hawke to do something that makes him unhappy? Living a life without stress is a right: the most persistent people I've ever met never force themselves. If Hawke won't take over, why not just let old Ryan adopt another one?"
"Adopt another one? By the time he grows up enough to inherit Ryan's legacy, who knows how long it will be!"
Ivanka argued:
“You can’t encourage Hawke to give up inheriting Lane just because he doesn’t like it. You’re ruining his future!”
Hawke sighed.
To be honest, Amanda's affection for Hawke was purer, more like Lin Daiyu. She never encouraged Hawke to be ambitious. However, Amanda's love was too intense, and Hawke felt uncomfortably baked by her side.
Ivanka's affection for Hawke, much like Xue Baochai's, carries a strong element of pragmatism. However, in terms of interpersonal skills, Ivanka is far better than Amanda, and being with her is never uncomfortable.
Amanda and Ivanka were exchanging blows, while Hawke was lost in thought.
Ivanka is clearly at a disadvantage because Amanda's attitude is obviously spoiling Hawke, letting him do whatever he wants. How can Ivanka possibly win an argument against that?
Who wouldn't want to be someone who can do whatever they want?
Ivanka was frustrated. The reason Amanda was able to do this was because Amanda was the direct heir of the Hearst family, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Hearst family would be handed over to her.
In other words, if Hawke and Amanda were to marry, it would be entirely possible for the woman to be the breadwinner and the man to stay at home. Even if Hawke were to give up inheriting the Lane family, the Hearst family's assets of tens of billions would be more than enough to support this young master.
But the situation is completely different for Ivanka. She might be able to get a certain share of the Trump family, but if she marries Hawke and Hawke gives up inheriting Ryan's estate, then the couple will become penniless with a net worth of at most one or two hundred million.
Amanda is simply using her family background to undermine her, and she's not having it!
Suddenly, a commotion broke out outside the Four Seasons Hotel.
Then, a man with a mustache walked into the banquet hall with an air of superiority after the commotion caused by the media reporters.
Tony Stark.
Hawke immediately chose to leave.
Being with Ivanka and Amanda is just listening to them argue, which is no fun at all.
In fact, if it weren't for physiological needs and procreation, it would be more fun for boys to be together.
Don't be fooled by how mature, composed, gentlemanly, and reliable some men appear in front of women; you can never predict how silly they might be in private...
Do you think men are as happy as you imagine? You're wrong. You can't even imagine how happy men are!
After Hawke left...
Ivanka and Amanda, who were arguing, naturally stopped. The main characters were no longer there, so who were they arguing for?
"Humph!"
The two exchanged a glance, snorted coldly, and then turned and left.
"Uncle Tony, you're finally here! If you hadn't come, I'd probably have been torn in two."
Hawke walked toward Tony Stark.
"You seem to be enjoying this quite a bit!" Tony joked. "Two very famous women in New York's socialite circles almost had a public falling out over you, and you're not happy about that?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Hawke rolled his eyes and said, "Go find two women and have them stand in front of you arguing while you're focused on your experiment, 537? Two women are like a thousand ducks! You'd be driven crazy."
“Well, that’s pretty annoying. I’ve even had thoughts of stabbing them.” Tony shrugged and said, “I heard you’re going to build a Ryan Financial Group. That’s interesting. I never knew you had this kind of talent.”
“There are many things you wouldn’t expect!” Hawke said. “For example, could you have imagined that I would sweep through the San Fernando Valley?”
"I absolutely refuse to believe that this is something a normal human being could do. Tell me quickly, did Ryan create something amazing in the lab?"
Tony held onto Hawke tightly.
"Why is your mind always on those little blue pills?" Hawke sighed. "I really got this through sheer skill. As for those pills, you can ask Osborn; they're good at making things like that. This is pure talent!"
"Well, let me put it this way. When I was born, God gave me two choices: to have superhuman mental abilities or superhuman memory."
Tony asked instinctively, "So what did you choose?"
Hawke: "I don't remember."
Tony: "..."
156. Thirty is Microsoft, forty is Panasonic, fifty is Lenovo...
"Haha, just kidding!" Hawke patted Tony on the shoulder and said, "I know you, but coming to me won't help you with this. I already told you you have to talk to Osborn; they're the experts!"
"What do you know about me?" Tony looked warily at Hawke's ambiguous gaze. "Don't overthink it, okay? I'm perfectly fine, very capable, okay? It's just that what man wouldn't want to become stronger?"