The Tyrant Billionaire

Without production, there was no profit. The original workforce of over a hundred people was scattered. The factory barely survived the war. When the material ban was lifted, the owner hurriedly rehired workers to resume production. But after a few years, his toys were outdated, and no one bought them on the market.

The warehouse was piled with toys, and the factory was losing money. The owner had no money, and the bank didn't see his business as promising, so no loans were given. The company was stuck, unable to move forward or backward.

The quarterly report showed, and the stock price naturally fell, from over a dollar to now only $0.23.

There were photos with the information.

Hardy looked at them. The area was not small, and the workshops were not too old, with all necessary facilities in place.

He then turned to the second document.

This health product company is called 'Health and Wellness Supplements'. The product is 'Fitness Capsule', said to promote health.

The company initially performed well. Its current low stock price is entirely due to manipulation.

Fitness capsules contain various vitamins, with the other ingredients being mostly potato flour. Vitamins were discovered only decades ago, some even just a few years ago.

But vitamins have a significant reputation. Since 1906, the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine has awarded 17 prizes to vitamin researchers, making the public very aware of the importance of vitamins.

After obtaining the license to produce vitamin supplements, the company started making fitness capsules. At the time, there were already many similar products, and many major pharmaceutical companies were eyeing this market. Health and wellness had no advantage.

Its investors began losing money from day one. Desperate, they hired a professional manager who promised to turn the company around but demanded 20% of the shares and the right to cash out after the company went public.

The investors eventually agreed.

The manager then assembled a sales team, heavily promoting the fitness capsule, gaining some fame for the small company.

Next came multi level marketing, making fitness capsules a hot item.

The manager then sought to go public, successfully raising the stock price to $1.75. He got his promised 20% share.

Next, he engaged in a series of financial maneuvers, buying and selling stocks to cash out. The stock price, initially $1.75, dropped to $0.8, while the manager made a fortune.

He then gave himself and the management team high salaries, draining the company's profits. By the next financial report, everyone was shocked to find a massive loss.

How did the company lose money?

Because in the second half of the year, the sales team barely sold any products. The directors, blinded by the first half data, let the sales team operate independently, only discovering the truth too late.

Then followed a fallout between shareholders and management, with the latter leaving en mass, plunging the company into crisis.

Analysts concluded that Health and Wellness fell victim to a professional corporate raiding team.

Its stock plummeted to $0.16, less than a tenth of its initial price.

The last company was a magazine publisher.

The magazine, 'West Coast Perspective', covered military, politics, economy, and culture.

Its low stock price was solely due to poor sales, making no profit.

They sought to go public to raise funds, but it only prolonged their struggle. Now they were on the brink of collapse, with a weekly circulation of just a few hundred copies, insufficient to cover printing costs.

No one saw a future for this magazine, so its stock was only $0.04, rock bottom.

Hardy put down the documents and said to Andy, "Andy, these companies are not bad. I think they have great potential for transformation. Start acquiring them."

Hardy drove to USC to pick up Elena. When "The Wild Bunch" was released, Hardy had said he would take Elena to see the movie.

He had been busy, and it wasn't until now that he had time. Hardy just called Elena, and she was at USC. They agreed to go see the movie.

The car stopped downstairs.

Two beautiful women walked out of the hallway. One woman was gentle and elegant, with a delicate charm. The blonde was tall and radiant.

Male students passing by the dormitory couldn't help but take a second look at the two beauties.

"Hi, Elena."

"Hi, Irina. Are you going out too?" Hardy smiled and greeted the two women.

Irina raised an eyebrow and covered her chest with her hand. "I'm so sad. You're taking Elena to the movies, why not me?"

"Stop being silly," Elena said, then looked at Hardy. "How about the three of us go together?"

Just like that, a "date for two" became a "trip for three."

The three of them drove away from USC, had dinner together, and talked about the auction house during the meal. They entered the cinema at around 7 p.m. and got a triple seat.

"Elena, I need to go to the bathroom. You guys go in first," Irina said.

Hardy and Elena didn't think much about it and found their seats. Soon, Irina returned, stood on the other side of Hardy, and said, "Move over, I'm sitting here."

She pushed Hardy to the middle.

Now, Hardy was sitting between the two girls.

After sitting down, Irina naturally held Hardy's arm. Elena glanced at her roommate, her face always carrying a faint smile.

The movie would start in a few minutes. Irina asked, "Boss, how much has your movie made now?"

"It's been 11 days since release, and the box office is at 4.3 million. MGM estimates the total box office to be around 7 to 8 million."

"Wow, such a high box office. Will it be the North American box office champion this year?"

"Very likely."

"How much will you make from it?"

"Over 2 million."

"So much money. Boss, how much did you invest in the beginning?"

"A bit over 200,000."

"Wow~~, ten times the profit, is it so easy to make money from movies!" Irina exclaimed.

Hardy shook his head. "Out of ten movies, seven lose money, two break even, and one makes a profit. Making movies isn't that profitable."

Irina's eyes twinkled. She smiled and said, "Boss, you've made so much money. Shouldn't you give the auction house some more money? So we won't be tight when buying artworks."

"This money won't be available for a while, probably not until next year. But since there is indeed some profit, I'll give you an extra $100,000 next month," Hardy said.

"Thank you, Boss," Irina thanked sweetly.