Chapter 500: Chapter 500

The meeting took place at The Independent’s headquarters in Canary Wharf.

Mr. Whitney, the editor-in-chief of The Independent, was a middle-aged man—glasses perched low on his nose, short, slightly overweight, and carrying the tired energy of someone who had spent far too long wrestling with budgets and deadlines.

"It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Richard," he said, extending his hand politely.

"Likewise, Mr. Whitney. And this is my assistant, Larry."

When else in your life can you casually introduce the future most powerful man in the world as your assistant?

Richard certainly not going to miss that chance.

Larry Fink coughed awkwardly, pretending not to smile.

The conversation started with some small talk first before Richard got to the point.

"Mr. Whitney, you should already know why we’re here."

"Of course." Whitney nodded, adjusting his glasses. "And I must say, I’m very interested in your proposal. I hope you won’t be disappointed—despite everything, I still have confidence in this newspaper."

Initially, Richard just needed to find an easy way to spend a lot of money to buy the newspaper, but after seeing the state of the Independent, he wanted to take advantage of the opportunity. He thought that the money for buying it could instead be used to boost newspaper sales to a certain extent, such as through marketing or development

After all, in Britain, owning a struggling national newspaper like The Independent—even if it demands ongoing financial support or, in the worst case, a complete redevelopment—is still regarded as worthwhile. Just like Murdoch with The Sun, it can play a huge role in expanding his voice and influence.

It’s just a matter of negotiating the price.

"Mr. Whitney, to be honest with you, Maddox Capital is also in negotiations with several other newspapers, including The Daily Telegraph. We are very interested in that prospect. As you know, your newspaper does not have an advantage in this regard. You should also be aware that The Independent’s business performance hasn’t been very strong in recent years."

As soon as Richard said this, Whitney’s expression shifted from excitement to silence. After all, The Independent had been founded by three editors who left The Daily Telegraph, and with the competition between the two papers over the years, the relationship between them was certainly strained.

The fact that The Independent currently ranked last in sales among the major national newspapers only made Whitney more embarrassed when Richard mentioned The Daily Telegraph.

However, at a moment , he simply regarded Richard’s words as a negotiation tactic. After all, this was business. As long as one of the parties stood to gain something, there was always room for discussion.

"Mr. Richard, do you have a suggestion?" Mr.Whitney finally asked.

"Yes. Since our plan is to acquire The Independent, why don’t we entrust the process to a reputable firm? For example, Barclays Bank. They’re more reliable and will have a better understanding of your company’s financial situation."

The moment Richard said this, Mr. Whitney immediately understood the subtext behind his words.

People like to talk about the "professional ethics" of European and American companies, but in reality, when interests are involved, they can be more flexible than anyone else.

Richard also understood these tactics by the time he began stepping into the business world and running Maddox Capital. In fact, he was partly inspired by the Enron case.

As you know, the "largest financial fraud case in history" would erupt in the early 2000s.

Richard didn’t know all the details, but even he had heard of it. Enron had used a series of sophisticated accounting tricks to inflate its revenue and profits, deceiving both investors and regulators. The fraud was so intricate that it fooled not only outside authorities, but even the company’s own executives and members of the board.

The accounting firm that assisted Enron in carrying out the deception was Ascent Accounting, one of the so-called "Big Five" firms at the time. And you know the outcome — the scandal was so devastating that Ascent’s reputation collapsed overnight, and the "Big Five" became the "Big Four."

And it wasn’t only Ascent. Even major institutions like HSBC, one of the largest banks in the UK, had been caught leaking confidential client information more than once. So much for "professional ethics."

What Richard truly meant was simple:

Almost all major banks and accounting firms now had legal departments or partner law firms that handled corporate mergers and acquisitions. At the same time, these firms also performed audits for countless companies.

Since the acquisition process required an audit of the target company’s financial condition, hiring a reputable firm offered a convenient one-stop solution. Of course, the more prestigious the institution, the higher the commission — but the results were usually worth the price.

And since Richard had strong connections with Barclays, well...Mr. Whitney could only feel helpless.

"Mr. Whitney, Maddox Capital will choose Barclays as our advisor for the acquisition of The Independent. If everything goes smoothly, we can coordinate with them and begin formal negotiations."

In short, Richard was pushing Whitney to choose Barclays as The Independent’s auditing firm as well — ensuring that both sides of the transaction would ultimately be handled by the same institution. Read complete versıon only at N()velFire.net

Richard had already expressed his intentions, and he didn’t stay long at Canary Wharf. He immediately set off for Manchester. He knew the current situation in Manchester City was bad—especially after they were blocked by Spurs’s bus.

During the entire trip back to Manchester, Richard’s eyes never left the newspaper. He was so focused that even Larry Fink didn’t dare to initiate a conversation.

It wasn’t just Richard who felt down; he believed that the players on both sides were equally frustrated after the match. Rumors from The Guardian even claimed that Tottenham’s players were completely deflated, sneaking out of the stadium after the game, avoiding cameras and skipping interviews altogether.

To be honest, it wasn’t really Tottenham’s fault. This was simply how George Graham coached football. It was not the real Tottenham, it was it was tottenham by their coach’s design.

And under that system, only Les Ferdinand seemed to break free—fighting hard and scoring a brace in the match Even though, he spent most of the game strolling around. But a goal is still a goal. His teammates barely created any chances for him—only two—and he converted both with remarkable efficiency.

There was also a picture of Manchester City’s players trudging off the field, their frustration written all over their faces. In the players’ tunnel, when confronted by the cameras, most of them were too dispirited to say much. Still, the media is the media. They eventually found City’s Ashley Cole, cornered him, and insisted on getting his thoughts on the match.

Then there was Cole’s photo, accompanied by a bold, quoted statement.

"I don’t know what the Tottenham players are thinking, or how they understand the sport of football. I don’t want to face them again; it feels pointless. This is their home—White Hart Lane—and as the home team, Tottenham didn’t register a single shot on goal throughout the entire first half. I can’t believe this is the same club where I watched Lineker and Gascoigne play together. Back then, Tottenham played attractive football. Now? Do they even deserve to be in the Premier League?"

Thankfully, it was only Ashley Cole who got interviewed. If the entire Manchester City squad had been questioned, Richard was certain they would all have echoed the same frustration—complaining about Tottenham’s complete lack of ambition to win.

Richard sighed as he read what the media were saying about the match.

’t’s going to be a long day for both teams,’ he thought.

The next day, Fleet Street and the Manchester local media ignited intense debates across English football about the match’s final result.

Some media outlets—especially those aligned with Alan Sugar, owner of Tottenham—naturally chose to flatter the club. To put it politely, they framed the result as: "Tottenham fought bravely to secure a draw against the defending champions."

But with most of City’s substitutes on the field, Tottenham were dominated for the full 90 minutes and couldn’t manage a single shot—a statistic that spoke for itself.

Tottenham legend Gary Lineker, who had retired just three years earlier, criticized the team’s declining performance, saying that Tottenham "played worse than rubbish."

Various pundits joined the fray, sparking a heated debate over the "bus parking" tactic.While clubs understood the harsh reality of needing results—every match had consequences for the league table—fans, commentators, and media spectators still craved exciting, attacking football.

Some even cried out, "English football is on the brink of death!"

However, more rational voices also emerged, offering deeper analysis. For example, Liverpool legend Alan Hansen wrote a column titled: "The Difference Between Parking the Bus and Counter-Attacking."

Just as Richard was about to close the newspaper, a headline caught his attention.

The subtitle read: "Leicester Shock Anfield! Liverpool Trail Leicester City by Three Points Now. David Moyes Guides the Foxes Into the Premier League Top Four!"

David Moyes... Leicester City?

Even Richard was stunned by this butterfly effect.