"The stock market? Heh, no wonder you're called a cunning businessman," Wilson quickly caught on to William's meaning. "If we calculate earnings based on stock market valuations, selling a thousand suits over three years wouldn't be as profitable as selling them in one year. But going public would take at least three years."
"Seriously? You were so sharp a moment ago, and now you can't figure it out? Ever heard of a reverse merger?" William rolled his eyes at Wilson. "If we wait three years, other companies might already have similar products. Time is money. We go public quickly, raise a ton of capital, crush the competition, and from then on, we just sit back and count the cash."
"Exactly! Grab a big pile of money, crush the competition," Wilson echoed excitedly, but after a few seconds, his enthusiasm faded. "Ah, but too bad all the shares are in my grandfather and father's hands. If I could get even 1%, I'd be a billionaire overnight."
He glanced at William, who smiled but said nothing. A few seconds later, Wilson couldn't hold it in anymore. "William, we're friends who've been through thick and thin together. You wouldn't leave me behind when you strike it rich, would you?"
"Haha, I wouldn't mind bringing you along. But why should I?" William teased.
"That's easy. I'm not an idiot—I know there's no free lunch. You tell me what to do, and as long as it's legal and doesn't harm my family's reputation, I'll handle any tasks you can't publicly take on. If I do a good job, you give me shares. How's that for a deal?" Wilson proposed confidently.
"That could work. Let me think about it. If you really help out, giving you shares isn't out of the question." William pondered the idea as their car approached Kensington Palace. Wilson patted William, breaking his train of thought. "No rush, pal. Think it over, but don't forget, my future wealth depends on you."
"Got it," William nodded, turning his gaze toward the gates of Kensington Palace, where a crowd of paparazzi surrounded the convoy, snapping photos and shouting questions.
It took several minutes for the convoy to get inside. As soon as they got out of the car, William saw Charles. Just as they exchanged greetings, William's phone rang. Seeing Lena's name on the screen, William covered his forehead, realizing he had completely forgotten about his mother.
Sure enough, after excusing himself to Charles, the moment William answered, Lena's furious voice blasted through the phone. "You have five minutes to get home, or you'll regret it!"
"Sorry, Mom. Even if I had two hours, I couldn't make it home. Turn on the TV, and you'll understand. I have to go now, Mom—Prince Charles is waiting for me." William quickly ended the call and apologized to Charles. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Your Highness."
"It's fine. Nothing happened to either of you, so it's no big deal to me," Charles said with a smile, confusing William and Wilson. Seeing their puzzled looks, Charles elaborated, "Wilson's mother has been delaying his military service, but after today, he'll be reporting to the barracks soon."
"Oh no, God! I'd rather be grounded than go there," Wilson groaned in despair.
Ignoring Wilson's protest, Charles turned to William. "Let's go. Your grandfather has been waiting to talk to you. There's something he wanted to discuss yesterday."
Charles led William and Wilson to pose beside him for the paparazzi outside the iron gates, holding their positions like statues for a few minutes. Then, with a smile, he ushered them into the private palace.
As they walked, Wilson whispered to William, "You've got to help me."
William shrugged. "How am I supposed to help? Military service is a tradition in your family—you can't escape it."
"I know that. But at least let me finish university first. If I go to the barracks now, I'll just get bullied. I don't care, man. You have to help me. If you don't, don't expect me to help you next time," Wilson pleaded.
William raised an eyebrow, surprised. "I thought you'd use today's incident to blackmail me. I didn't expect you to be so clever."
"Don't treat me like a kid. Hanging around you for so long, if I didn't wise up, you'd sell me off without me even knowing. Honestly, you're a pretty good teacher. Just watching you, I've learned what it means to be shameless and devious," Wilson said, laughing at his own words.
"Get lost," William rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore him after that.
Walking ahead, Charles couldn't help but smile as he overheard their conversation. He had noticed that Wilson had changed quite a bit since getting to know William. However, while he was okay with Wilson getting involved in covert matters, he didn't want him to turn out just like William. Hence, the decision to send Wilson to the military.
When they reached the reception room, William was surprised to find that Philip wasn't there. He glanced at Wilson, who looked equally surprised.
Before William could ask, Charles pressed a switch on the wall, revealing a large screen. Soon, Philip appeared on it. "Good morning, William."
"Good morning, Your Majesty," William greeted with a slight bow.
"I was wondering what excuse to use to meet with you, but less than 24 hours later, you give me a pleasant surprise. How was your morning, Wilson?"
"Haha, not bad. But I only helped because William assured me it wasn't dangerous," Wilson replied, recounting the events of the morning and showing the watch on his wrist. "Grandfather, this thing is amazing. Within a 50-meter radius, it can detect any electronic or remote-controlled bomb. From now on, as long as we wear this, no one will be able to use remote or timed bombs against us."
"Very impressive. It seems we've found a new flagship product for our bulletproof goods company. Wouldn't you agree, William?" Philip's eyes gleamed, and both Charles and Wilson's faces lit up as well. Of course! Anyone buying bulletproof suits would definitely be interested in a bomb-detecting watch.
Not to mention, the potential customer base for a detection watch was far larger than for suits.
"Why should I add the bomb-detecting watch to the bulletproof goods company?" William teased.
"Haha, William, I'm not inexperienced like Wilson. Don't tell me you gave him the watch and involved him in today's incident without thinking about using his identity to give you free publicity. Once word gets out that the watch found the bomb, by tomorrow, everyone in the world who needs one will be banging on your door. You'll make a fortune, so don't you think Wilson deserves a little commission? And by the way, I hear Arthur from Kingsman was last seen with you, correct?"
"Haha," William chuckled. Philip was as sharp as ever, instantly seeing through his plan. "You must know why Arthur was taken care of," William replied, knowing there was no point in lying. He doubted Philip didn't already know why Arthur had been dealt with.
"Okay, since you were the one who handled it, I won't ask why. But are you interested in taking over Kingsman? I could gift it to you as compensation for the bomb-detecting watch. How about it?" Philip asked with a slight smile.
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