Chapter 64: No One Can Steal My Money
"Mr. Devinshire, the day before you signed the contract to sell the game company, 60% of the shares of the Devinshire Industry Corporation were transferred to the British Virgin Islands. The Treasury believes that you are evading taxes," Linda Vestpa said with a smile.
"Ha, the tax authorities can think whatever they want. If there were a real problem, the police would have come for me by now," William said.
"And so, I'm here, Mr. Devinshire. I don't know why the Treasury was so sure you would win, but since they sent me, I'm here to oversee the money you've won."
"A bunch of bastards. I know who's behind this, and I'll deal with them when I get back to England. I refuse your supervision. This money is mine, and I have no intention of letting the Bank of England tax it."
"No, Mr. Devinshire, the Treasury has the right to collect taxes on any income earned by a British citizen. Besides, the department knew about this prize money ahead of time. We'll be watching it closely. You won't be able to hide it from our sight like you did last time," Linda Vestpa said with a smile.
"Damn it," William said, looking at Linda Vestpa angrily. He knew this had to be her doing. Otherwise, how would the English tax authorities even know? The money was coming from a Swiss bank.
In the year 2000, as long as an account remained anonymous, not even the United States could collect taxes from a Swiss bank, let alone the English government.
"Fine. How much tax do I have to pay?"
"Twenty-six percent."
"So you're telling me that the English government, which did absolutely nothing, gets to take $46.8 million right out of my pocket?"
"Yes, Mr. Devinshire. Your arithmetic is quite good," Linda Vestpa smiled at William.
"No. You're not taking a single penny of my money," William said, picking up his phone to call Philips, his personal manager at the Swiss National Bank.
Once the call connected, he said, "This is William Devinshire. I need you to put together a legal tax avoidance plan for me immediately. I'm currently in Montenegro for a ten-person card game tonight. I expect to win $180 million, and I need you to ensure that not a single penny goes to the English government."
Philips replied, "Of course, Mr. Devinshire. We will dispatch a specialist to Montenegro to meet with you. We guarantee we can meet all of your requirements. The specialist will be there in three hours. Our bank will handle everything else for you."
"Excellent. I'll be waiting. Goodbye." William hung up and waved the phone in Linda Vestpa's face.
"See? This is the advantage of being rich. All I have to do is make one phone call, and someone handles everything for me. This tax avoidance plan will be so airtight the English government won't find a single loophole to collect taxes."
"You're out of your depth, Miss Vestpa. Your cleverness is no match for the brute force of wealth. You should just give up. I'll even book you a ticket back to London."
"No, William, you can't just send her back," Bond said hurriedly. "This operation was authorized by Downing Street. MI6 and the Security Council are powerless to intervene. Linda Vestpa came to Montenegro with your buy-in funds. If you don't agree to her terms, you don't get the money to play. Many people in Downing Street and on the Security Committee already have doubts about whether you can even win."
Linda Vestpa simply looked at William with a smile, letting him continue his performance, an amused expression on her face as she watched the show.
William just laughed and dialed his phone again. "I need you to arrange the buy-in for tonight's game in Montenegro. Can you do that?"
"Of course, Mr. Devinshire. I've just checked. The Basel Bank, which is handling the fund custody for the game, has a strong correspondent relationship with us. In your case, you will receive the full and meticulous support of the Swiss National Bank. I wish you the best of luck in the game. I will arrange the payment for you right away."
"Good, very good. Haha, thank you, Philips," William said, hanging up the phone. He turned to Linda Vestpa. "See? You still can't supervise my funds."
This time, Linda Vestpa's expression changed. She said hatefully, "Mr. Devinshire, you need to think about what will happen when this becomes public. Your reputation will be ruined. If the citizens of England find out you're actively trying to evade taxes, you'll become a pariah."
William laughed out loud. "It doesn't matter. So what if I'm criticized for a while? People will forget in a few months. As long as the government can't touch my money, I'll still be a billionaire. Besides, I never planned on going into politics."
"I'm a man of leisure. People can find me at my castle in Oxford if they need me. I'll go back there, go hunting, and live my life. What does it matter if some people don't like me? What can they really do?"
"What about your MP3 company?" Bond asked.
"Bond, are you still living in the Middle Ages? As long as my MP3s sell, there are plenty of other countries that would be happy to have me set up factories there."
"Well, you're a billionaire, so you can do as you please," Bond said. "But if 'the lady' hears this, she'll certainly be interested. She has always been skeptical about you." Bond, ever cautious, didn't use M's codename, referring to her only as 'the lady'.
"Bond, you can relay this to 'the lady' for me. I have no desire to be a thug for the Security Council. From now on, I'm only looking out for myself. This isn't the 1990s anymore. I think if Henry were alive and understood the current international situation, he would agree with my approach. If they want to give me orders without offering anything in return, they can go to hell," William said.
Bond was relieved to hear William's words. It was clear William had no interest in a power struggle.
"Understood, William. I'm sure 'the lady' will be pleased to hear this. Perhaps you two could even have dinner together sometime."
William shook his head. "Forget it. I don't want the Security Committee thinking I've chosen her side. I'm not looking for that kind of trouble."
Back at the hotel, William left Bond and Linda Vestpa and went to his luxurious suite. Once inside, he made a call to Barney Ross of the Terminator team.
He needed to make some preparations. He didn't believe for a second that a shady banker like Le Chiffre wouldn't have a contingency plan. If a man like that couldn't win the game, he'd surely be killed by his own clients.
Backed into a corner, a man like Le Chiffre was capable of anything. William knew his own greatest weakness was his mother, so he arranged for the Terminator team to protect her.
The call connected after a few rings.
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