America's Road to Wealth

Chapter 126 The Prosecutor Who Admits Defeat
Abel when meeting Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

On the same day, Manhattan, New York.

Manhattan District Attorney's Office Building, in the office of Attorney Robert on the third floor.

Robert watched his granddaughter walk in.

In the past, Robert liked to see his granddaughter come in here.

But recently, when he was in this office, he vaguely didn't want to see his granddaughter come in.

It wasn't that he had begun to hate Paige, or his granddaughter.

But for another reason.

The reason for this is that in recent times.

Most of the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, Indicted Attorney's Notice and Court Notice.

It was all sent in by Peggy!

Others dare not touch him, they will be scolded by Robert.

In the office, I saw Peggy push the door and come in.

Basically, it means that there are new lawsuits that make Robert feel irritated.

"Is there a new one?" Robert Morgenthau looked at his favorite jewel blankly.

Looking at Peggy, whose grandfather has been haggard a lot recently, she felt very distressed.

While hating someone, she nodded and said:

"Yes, this time it's a woman named Maria."

"What's the case this time?" Robert asked.

There are far too many people named Mary in America, probably more than David and John combined.

Robert's annual cases in Manhattan, or under his name.

The number is the same, and it is not uncommon for more than a dozen or twenty Marys to appear in it.

"This time it's not a case." Peggy said helplessly, "Maria was the cleaner you fired last year."

"Oh?" Robert was in a trance for a while, and Peggy's reminder reminded him.

A few years ago, the cleaner in charge of my office seemed to be named Maria.

She is a white woman in her fifties with a bloated figure.

"What's the matter with her?" Robert asked puzzled.

Peggy actually didn't want to tell her grandfather about Maria.

It's just that this incident of Maria this time may be a change of wind.

She felt a little disgusted though, although it might have pissed off her grandfather.

But it is still necessary to let the grandfather know in advance, so that there will be any changes in the future.

It can also make the grandfather mentally prepared and prepare the means of defense in advance.

So Peggy felt a little inappropriate, but she still whispered:

"Grandfather, this cleaner you speak of. She recently 'hired' a lawyer."

"Hehe~"

Robert Morgenthau sneered.

A cleaner with a monthly salary of about two thousand to three thousand dollars, hire a lawyer to sue the Manhattan District Attorney?

What are you kidding? ! !
Robert naturally knew that Maria was just a cover, a pawn on the surface.

It wasn't Maria herself who really caused trouble.

"What is she suing me for?" Robert has been used to being sued recently, and Robert is a little numb.

He felt that no matter how outrageous the name of the lawsuit he heard, he would not have any special feelings.

However, what the granddaughter said next left him dumbfounded.

Because Paige said:
"This Maria, she sued you through a lawyer. She said that you tried to rape her in the office several times in March, April, and June last year"

Robert thought he heard it wrong at first, but after confirming that he heard it right.

He felt the position of his heart, and couldn't help but throbbed.

"I SHITfxkk this fxxk!"

Covering the position of his heart, Robert pointed up and down with one finger, his face turned pale.

Peggy knew her grandfather's reaction would be big, but she didn't know it would be this big.

Fortunately, she was prepared and immediately took out the medicines that she had prepared in advance.

And he moved quickly, poured it down for grandpa, and fed him a little water.

This made Robert Morgenthau feel much better.

Although his face was still a little pale, at least he was not as angry as before, as if he was about to faint.

"FXXKYOU!!"

Robert Morgenthau, who was more comfortable, finally cursed angrily.

This is also the first time that Peggy has seen such angry and vulgar words from her gentle and refined grandfather since she was a child.

Paige regretted it all.

If he knew about this earlier, he shouldn't have let grandpa know.

"Hu~~"

Robert Morgenthau took a deep breath, anxious and angry.

But as Paige thought, Robert Morgenthau came from an East Coast political powerhouse.

He keenly felt that the matter of Maria might not be that simple.

Robert Morgenthau thought quickly.

After about a minute, he suddenly asked Peggy softly:

"Honey, tell me. Who is the lawyer representing Maria this time?"

Peggy was stunned for a moment, but she still hadn't realized why her grandfather asked this question in the first place.

She thought for a while and said, "It's John Sam's law firm."

John & Sam Law Firm is a well-known law firm in New York.

It is different from those big law firms that rank very high.

This law firm has only been around for a few years, and its reputation depends entirely on its boss, John Sam.

To put it simply, there is only one barrister in this law firm, and the others are assistants and auxiliary lawyers.

This is different from those big law firms with a large number of people and a large number of barristers.

"Sam John." On Robert Morgenthau's ashen face, there was a thoughtful micro-expression.

"You've done well this time, dear," said Robert Morgenthau suddenly, after a while.

Peggy looked at him: "Grandfather?"

"Not Abel Smith," said Robert Morgenthau. "I mean, it wasn't Abel Smith who led the Maria thing."

"what do you mean?"

"Just like what you think. Just like why you told me this disgusting thing." Robert Morgenthau, who was still furious and angry just now.

At this moment, his tone was steady, and he regained his original gentleness and elegance.

"There is a high probability that some people are trying to test me by taking advantage of Abel Smith's madness."

Robert Morgenthau said.

Peggy immediately understood what Grandpa meant, which was exactly what she was worried about.

It was also the reason why she chose to tell her grandfather about this disgusting thing at the risk of her grandfather being angry.

The direction of the New York judiciary may have changed.

"Then who do you think it could be?" Paige asked softly.

Robert Morgenthau shook his head and said:
"It doesn't matter who it is. What matters is that we have to stop Abe Smith as soon as possible."

Paige nodded.

Although Abel Smith's approach kept the Manhattan District Attorney's Office very busy.

It also made Robert a little angry and sick.

But in fact, it is still acceptable to Robert Morgenthau.

Firstly, it was Abel who did this within the rules and in a mannered manner.

Secondly, Abel's actions will not cause any actual harm to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and Robert Morgenthau.

So many prosecutions, just let the Manhattan District Attorney's Office waste some personnel capacity to respond to the lawsuit.

Every month, Robert Morgenthau's funding will be increased by more than one hundred thousand US dollars.

The biggest damage is the reputation of the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.

But now, Robert Morgenthau was keenly aware of the change in the wind.

Most of the prosecutions of the law firms hired by Abel are very formal.

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office was used to counterclaim and prosecute some previous cases that may have been unjust.

At best it could be said that Robert Morgenthau's handling of the case was not rigorous.

This kind of thing is not a big deal in the US prosecutor's circle.

But this time, the prosecution of Robert Morgenthau's name was such an unwarranted thing.

It seemed to Robert Morgenthau that someone was taking advantage of the opportunity.

Taking advantage of the storm of lawsuits that Abel launched against himself, through Abel's cover, he wanted to do something else to himself.

such as
To discredit Robert Morgenthau by spraying stink.

And then indirectly affect the upcoming Manhattan District Attorney election!

That's right, just like any other job.

Regional prosecutors, they are also elected.

Robert Morgenthau was solid in Manhattan, but he had to be re-elected every few years.

Every year someone rises up to challenge him, although they all fail.

This year is the time for him to accept the challenge of others, and half a month later.

That's when election season for district attorneys begins.

There is a Chinese proverb that goes, "The drunkard does not want to drink."

Robert Morgenthau felt now that some people were beginning to have this intention.

Maybe even Abel Smith's approach is one of the drunkards!

Robert is not afraid of the lawsuit storm, but he does not want this lawsuit storm to continue.

Ultimately affecting his throne.

After thinking for a long time, Robert Morgenthau suddenly said directly to his granddaughter:
"Peggy, I want you to put down all the cases and things you have in hand first."

"Okay. Grandfather." Peggy, who had been quietly waiting for Robert to finish thinking, answered without hesitation.

"You go to California right away," Robert said again.

Paige asked this time, "What is your purpose in sending me to California?"

"Abe Smith is in California now," said Robert Morgenthau:

"I want you to go to him and make peace with him."

Peggy was startled, but said immediately: "No problem, I'll go right away."

Robert Morgenthau nodded, and continued to think.

At this time, what he considered has become who is behind the scenes.

Who is likely to really threaten himself in this election.

Peggy stopped bothering her grandfather and quietly left the office to prepare for her trip to California.

As Paige boards a plane bound for California.

United States west coast,
California, San Francisco, Santa Clara Valley.

Santa Clara Valley has another name called Silicon Valley.

The reason for this name is that it is the place where silicon-based semiconductor chips were first researched and produced.

Silicon Valley is the kingdom of the electronics industry and the computer industry, and the venture capital in this region accounts for one-third of the total venture capital in the United States.

Met with Sergey Brin and Larry Page at noon, and after raising the price again later.

In the evening, in Palo Alto, Silicon Valley.

Abel was at a company called IDEO when he met the three co-founders of the company.

He received a text message.

This short message made him laugh in front of the three co-founders of IDEO.

Opposite him, sat the three founders of IDEO.

David Kelly, dean and founder of Stanford University's School of Design.

There are two other co-founders, Mike Nutto and Bill Morgridge.

This time Abel came to IDEO to discuss a business with IDEO.

Secondly, he simply and directly wanted to invest in IDEO, which already had some reputation.

When Abel received a text message with good news from David Jones just now.

Between Abel and the other party, the valuation of IDEO is being discussed.

Before the dot-com bubble burst, there was the IDEO company led by David Kelly.

At one point, the valuation exceeded $[-] billion.

At that time, valuations of Silicon Valley startups were generally high.

Install a few computers in the garage, hire a few college students, and come up with some ID ideas, and the cost is under $20.

When angel round investors come to their door, they dare to quote a valuation of 2000 million US dollars.

This kind of leather bag company dares to do this.

Not to mention a unicorn company like IDEO.

Just not now.

After the bubble burst, IDEO, like other Silicon Valley companies, experienced a crazy rollercoaster decline in valuation.

On the market, IDEO's latest valuation is less than $1.5 million.

However, the three co-founders of IDEO are still stubborn.

Even in this bubble period, IDEO is in a tough spot.

However, IDEO's market value should at least be more than [-] million US dollars.

Abel seemed unwilling to regress, and the three people in IDEO watched the company with a market value of one billion fall like this.

Nor are they willing to back down.

When there was some stalemate, Abel felt a lot better when he saw the new text message.

This change in him also made the three of them notice it.

They were not familiar with Abel, and it was impossible for them to ask such a blunt question without Abel telling them.

Fortunately, Abel laughed directly and said:

"Ha~ Good news. Let me tell you, the person sitting in front of you is already the largest individual shareholder of Google."

"Just now. Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and several other independent shareholders sold me $6.1 million worth of shares."

"The share of these stocks currently accounts for about 20% of Google's total share capital~"

The news came out, and the three co-founders of IDEO were obviously a little surprised.

Although IDEO is also one of the famous unicorn companies in Silicon Valley in recent years.

But make no mistake, it simply doesn't compare to Silicon Valley's unicorn king, Google.

20% of Google's shares were sold for only $6.1 million.

IDEO, whose market value and volume are not even one-sixth of Google, is obviously unrealistic to sell for more money.

When David Kelly and the other three looked at each other.

When they saw Abel stand up, they laughed and said to them:

"With a valuation of 1.8 million, I want 20% of IDEO's shares. And after that, I have priority investment rights."

"At the same time, I will give IDEO an order of at least 1000 million U.S. dollars after meeting the requirement for the shareholding."

"This is my condition. Consider it, I will leave San Francisco tomorrow."

"I hope I can get a clear answer from you before then."

David Kelly, the leader, wanted to say something to keep Abel.

But Abel had already got up and left, so they had to stand up and send him out of the gate of IDEO.

When the three turned around and returned to the company.

Bill Morgridge, one of the co-founders, couldn't help but said:
"I think it's okay. The market is in a cold winter, and the first thing we need to do is to keep IDEO alive."

"A valuation of 1.8 million, 20% is only 3600 million US dollars. Is this a bit small?" Another founder, Mike Nato, was a little bit unwilling.

You must know that half a year ago, if you wanted to win so many shares in IDEO.

At least [-] million U.S. dollars is enough.

Only half a year later, the value of the same share is only 3600 million US dollars.

I hate the dotcom bubble!
Mike Nutto thought to himself.

At this time, the leader of the three, the real head of IDEO, David Kelly, a professor at Stanford University, spoke.

He said: "I agree with what Bill means. Survival is more important than anything else. Few people are willing to invest money in Silicon Valley now."

Mike Nutto actually knew this, he was just a little unwilling.

"Okay. I agree with that, too," said Mike Nutto.

3600 million is 3600 million, it's better than nothing.

IDEO is not at the end of its rope now, but it really has no money in its account.

Abel, on the other hand, wasn't lying.

After leaving Palo Alto, he really went straight to Los Angeles and stopped lingering near San Francisco.

The main reason is that his purpose of coming to Silicon Valley this time has been more than half completed.

That is to get a stake in Google, which has not yet been listed.

For IDEO, he initially wanted to negotiate a deal with it.

Looking back, IDEO is currently undervalued and belongs to the stage with the most investment value.

Thinking of hugging grass and hunting rabbits, and by the way, buy shares if you can.

The business that I originally wanted to negotiate with IDEO has become a request to lure IDEO to accept his shareholding.

Although it is said that in Silicon Valley at this time, besides Google, there are many companies with great value, which are worth buying their shares.

But Abel knows that next year there will be another big wave.

These high-tech companies, or Internet companies.

It will really fall to the bottom next year.

At that time, it is the most cost-effective to make a move.

Google is a special case.

Because of the psychological damage and impact caused by the bursting of the bubble this year
This year, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the two founders who hold the most shares of Google, have a strong intention to sell their shares.

By next year, after Schmidt became the chief CEO of Google.

These two founders will no longer have the willingness to sell their shares in large quantities.

At that time, it will be much more difficult to obtain a large number of Google shares.

This empty valley period this year is the best time.

In the current market, 6.1 million US dollars, 20% of Google shares is indeed a bit expensive.

But Abel and Silicon Valley don't have any favors and contacts, and want to do so.

It is impossible to get so many shares in such a short period of time without spending more money.

Fortunately, the shares are finally in hand, and if they are left alone in the future, they can appreciate dozens of times in value.

If the ratio can be maintained unchanged, it can be exaggerated into hundreds of billions of dollars.

One of his main purposes for coming to Silicon Valley was finally accomplished.

The next only needs to be next year.

Throughout Silicon Valley,
When everyone is mourning again, just reap the harvest.

After leaving San Francisco, his next destination is the most dazzling pearl on the west coast.

City of Angels, Los Angeles with sea breeze.

(End of this chapter)