Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet

Less than an hour after William entered the Arcade Street, news about him appeared on TV. Several live reporters from different stations not only broadcasted the fact that William had bought the entire Arcade Street Mall just to accompany Lina on a shopping trip, but they also spent considerable time discussing the 200-year history of Burlington Arcade. They detailed the wealth of its previous owners, and after comparing them, it was clear that William was now the wealthiest.

The program even joked that the former owner of Arcade Street was probably the most dissatisfied person in the world. When interviewed, the previous owner shouted that he had sold it too cheaply. If he'd known the buyer was William, he would have asked for 100 million pounds.

At 11:30 a.m., BBC aired a special talk show discussing whether William's lightning-fast purchase of Burlington Arcade was primarily an investment or if he had simply bought it to accompany his mother on a shopping spree.

"I believe William's main goal is definitely for business," said Professor Tucci, a guest on the show.

"Everyone living in London has probably heard of Burlington Arcade, the oldest and most historically significant shopping arcade in England, located between Piccadilly Street and Burlington Gardens. Although this 112-meter street has been in decline in recent years, its 200-year tradition of exclusively selling luxury goods has deeply ingrained its brand image in people's minds.

For older Londoners, when you think of luxury shopping streets, Burlington Arcade is always one of the first that comes to mind. Even for younger generations, it's easily one of the top three luxury streets. It wouldn't be hard to revitalize the street by simply renovating it while preserving its historic charm and modernizing the interiors.

And for someone like William Devonshire, spending a few million pounds is just a thought. Once renovations are complete, the street's value could easily exceed 100 million pounds.

And people may have overlooked one detail."

"What's that?" the host asked curiously.

"Burlington Arcade covers over 9,400 square meters—about a quarter larger than a football field—and it's only three stories tall. What if William Devonshire decides to tear down these two adjacent malls and rebuild two high-rises on the site? Don't forget, the mall is right next to Burlington Park, and it's less than a two-minute walk to the park."

"Wow!" The host and audience were stunned by Tucci's idea. "My God, that's a brilliant idea! I remember the current property price in the western part of Burlington is about 3,600 pounds per square foot. Converted to meters, that's 11,000 pounds per square meter, right?"

"Roughly," Tucci confirmed. "Once the skyscrapers are built, their value will undoubtedly exceed 400 million pounds."

"Can you really do that?" asked Lina, who was sitting with Abigail in the mall, waiting for lunch. Both looked at William in surprise. "Is that what you're planning?" Lina asked excitedly.

"No, Mom," William rolled his eyes. "I know nothing about real estate. That guy Tucci is just sensationalizing things. Don't forget this place has 200 years of history. The London city council would never let me tear it down. Plus, I don't need that kind of money. Spending years trying to earn one or two billion wouldn't be worth my time. I'd rather focus on industries I'm familiar with. Besides, real estate is too much hassle.

I bought this place mainly to give you a safer shopping environment in the future. Secondly, it's a good investment project, as the mall is well-known and currently undervalued. Even if I do nothing, its value will surpass 400 million pounds in ten years."

"Alright, as long as you didn't lose out," Lina said, feeling pleased and proud of her son for being so smart and rational. "It's clear you haven't let all your success go to your head, which makes me very happy."

After lunch, Lina was in such a good mood that she went into full shopping mode. By 3 p.m., she had bought dozens of clothes, five or six pieces of jewelry, and three watches. Abigail also bought about half as much as Lina, yet surprisingly, she didn't show any signs of discontent.

At 4 p.m., after five or six hours of shopping, Lina and Abigail happily walked out of the mall with William. The reporters who had been waiting all day rushed madly towards them. However, Anthony, having anticipated this, had temporarily hired more than 40 bodyguards to form a protective circle around them.

Unable to get close, the reporters shouted at William from the outer edges. But when they noticed Abigail, who had been by William and Lina's side the entire time, their desire to interview William grew even stronger. They loudly asked who Abigail was and if she was his new girlfriend.

Neither William nor Lina paid any attention to the reporters, while Abigail, unexpectedly, didn't make any extra moves. She didn't hold William's hand or smile at the reporters, instead remaining quietly behind them.

This behavior earned her approval from both William and Lina when they returned to the estate and saw the coverage on TV.

During dinner, Lina not only chatted and laughed with Abigail but also, unusually, served her some dessert.

However, when it was just her and William, Lina hesitated and said, "Are you sure Abigail and your girlfriend in New York won't cause trouble? She performed very well today, but it also shows she's very smart. Poor Tina—she must be heartbroken right now."

"Oh, come on, Mom, can we not talk about Tina?" William rolled his eyes. "That girl is the most scheming one of them all. Besides, I'm not planning to get married. Who knows what'll happen in the future? Maybe Abigail and Ambrosio will eventually get tired of being with me and leave."

"Haha, sweetheart, do you really believe that?" Lina gave William a disdainful look. "These things are up to you to figure out. Good night, darling."

"Good night, Mom."

After seeing Lina off, William walked into the lounge, grabbed a bag, a bottle of Latour wine, and two glasses, then headed downstairs. He wandered through the garden and soon arrived at the estate's hedge maze.

Sitting on a bench inside the maze, it wasn't even a minute before White Ghost, dressed all in white, appeared behind him like a phantom.

"Stop with the theatrics. Your ninja tricks are useless against high-tech systems," William said as he pulled out the wine and glasses, pouring half a glass. "Since the moment you entered the estate, Sunday's been reporting your whereabouts to me."

"How would I know if I don't try?" White Ghost stepped out of the shadows and sat next to William, taking the glass and enjoying a sip. "Honestly, I've been feeling a bit outdated lately. With all these new technologies that can detect human signatures, no matter how good my skills are, they just can't keep up."

"Don't worry, I've prepared something for that. After we're done talking, I'll give you a combat suit that can block all current detection devices."

"Thanks," White Ghost said, unusually expressing gratitude. "By the way, someone was indeed following you today."

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