American Adventure: My Uncle is Don Quixote

This time, she wasn’t planning on backing down.

Once the Free Port was operating smoothly and had stabilized, she would return to the high society of New York with a completely new identity. Then, she would go on the offensive.

Just as Elizabeth was sketching out her future plans, a commotion outside the sunroom broke her train of thought.

Looking out the window, she saw the estate’s heavy main gate being shoved open.

Timothy Mellon stormed through it, furiously yanking at his overcoat. Behind him was Charles Mellon, who hadn’t said a word for the past two days.

No entourage followed him, and he didn’t say goodbye to anyone.

He yanked open the door of a Cadillac sedan parked in the driveway and threw himself inside.

A transfer of power was always accompanied by the loser’s dejected exit.

Of the 20% she now held, at least 19% had been wrested from Timothy’s grasp.

"Miss Elizabeth." Silvia, the chief legal counsel, stood outside the door, holding a thick stack of documents.

Before, Silvia’s attitude toward Elizabeth couldn’t have been called bad, but it was a far cry from warm.

But now, Silvia kept her head slightly bowed when she looked at Elizabeth.

’How strange. It’s not like I’ve grown any taller.’

"Silvia, come in," Elizabeth said with a nod.

Silvia walked over to the spot Phoenix had just occupied and spread the documents out one by one.

"These are the trust asset transfer confirmations, as well as the delegated management agreements for the Elizabeth Foundation and the Brooklyn Art Gallery, which are under your name," Silvia said, handing her a fountain pen. "Per Mr. Alexander’s instructions, the daily administrative management of these assets will be fully entrusted to the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation."

Elizabeth took the pen, quickly scanned the key terms, and after confirming everything was in order, signed the documents.

"About the Free Port, what stage are we at? You can tell me now, I assume," Elizabeth said, setting down the pen and taking a sip of her black tea. "Knowing Grandfather, this wasn’t just a spur-of-the-moment decision."

"You’re right. In fact, Mr. Alexander began laying the groundwork several years ago. The Free Port’s physical structure and security systems are nearly complete, and the license for its legal status as a tax-free special zone has been fully secured," Silvia said, pushing her glasses up her nose. "After Christmas, the first shipment—worth approximately 3 billion USD and consisting of tax-free European art, antiques, and offshore assets—is expected to be secretly delivered and stored. And that’s just the first confirmed shipment."

As she spoke, she pulled a financial statement from the file and handed it to Elizabeth. "According to this report, as the second-largest shareholder with 20% equity, you can expect a net cash flow of approximately 40 million USD in January."

"After that, profit dividends will be paid out quarterly. A conservative estimate places your total personal net dividend for the first year at 120 million USD. Furthermore, this income will completely bypass all scrutiny from tax authorities."

"And that’s just the first year," Silvia added after a pause. "If our projections are correct, by its fifth year of operation, the Free Port’s capital scale will approach and then surpass the total wealth managed by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Annual net profits will exceed 2 billion USD."

Elizabeth nodded slightly. After accounting for the 5% fixed return she owed Richard, her personal net profit for the first year would still be over 70 million USD.

Compared to her previous situation, this was a world of difference.

This was over 70 million USD in cash annually, and it was all post-tax. She wouldn’t even need approval from the Clan Committee to spend it. This money was completely, entirely her own.

And if what Silvia said was true—that annual net profits would exceed 2 billion USD—then by the time she graduated from college, her cash dividends alone could be more than 400 million USD a year.

’Grandfather’s ambition is immense,’ she thought, ’but the returns are just as high.’

"If you have no objections," Silvia said, producing another stack of documents, "these are your next steps..."