Ignoring Dario, who was deliberately acting like a clown, William tapped the microphone and said, "The joke is over. Those who shouldn't be here can leave. Let's get back to the main topic of today's event."
"OK, Mr. Devonshire."
"That's more like it."
"The conditions for applying to the foundation, the number of spots available, and the amount of aid are all very practical matters. My principle is to only help those without income who don't use children as a means to make money. I don't think anyone would object to that."
"No objections, that's the way it should be," was the first reaction from most of the crowd. Among the chatter, there was a surprised exclamation of "Oh my God," which came from Dario.
Hearing his exclamation, those around him quietly congratulated him, but not everyone in the world is sympathetic. Some looked at him with pity and sympathy.
Far from feeling ashamed, Dario, the battle-hardened paparazzo, stood up proudly and loudly asked, "Mr. Devonshire, may I know how much the foundation's aid will be?"
"Of course. That's what I'm going to talk about next. The legal entity of the Devonshire Family Foundation is me, but the actual controller is my mother. The primary beneficiaries of the foundation are my mother, myself, and my future children.
The first injection into the foundation will be no less than $1 billion in cash, along with 3% of Disney, 4% of Apple, and 7% of Amazon shares. These stocks are currently worth about $1 billion, making the total around $2 billion. According to legal regulations for private foundations, 5% of the funds must be donated annually, meaning that the foundation will provide at least $100 million in aid each year."
"What the fk."
"Oh my God, $100 million, and that's at least $100 million!"
"I wish I could get all of it," said a young reporter, who immediately received eye rolls and disdain from those around him. "Idiot."
"Principally, $100 million can assist around 20,000 families. That number might seem like a lot, but based on Mr. Dario's standards, those 20,000 spots might not even be enough to cover New York City. So I apologize in advance. Although the foundation will not refuse single-father families, our primary focus will be on single-mother families. And there's an even more realistic issue: should I help single-parent families in Europe and the USA, or should I help families in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, where incomes are lower?"
As soon as this question was raised, the previously noisy crowd fell silent.
Most people secretly hoped the aid would be reserved for Americans and Europeans, but no one dared to say it out loud. Anyone who did would be ruthlessly criticized.
"Is that question really so difficult?" After waiting for a few minutes with no response, William's meaningful glance caused many people to lower their heads, pretending not to notice.
"Alright, since this is such a tough question, I'll leave it to the public or just divide the aid equally," William shrugged. "One last thing to announce is that on the 23rd of next month, it's my mother's birthday. To give her the perfect birthday party, I've hired Eleven Madison Park in New York to handle the entire evening. As a birthday gift, I'm giving her Chelsea Football Club."
"Oh my God," the crowd at the press conference was already somewhat numb. They politely applauded William, but compared to the $2 billion foundation, the Chelsea Football Club, which is worth less than $200 million, couldn't excite or thrill the reporters anymore.
They didn't even know how to report tomorrow's news. There was just too much valuable content: the stock market battle with the L brand, which ended with the other party surrendering shares, making William tens of millions of dollars in a single day. If it weren't for the criticism he faced, he might have given the $110 million worth of shares he had just acquired to his girlfriend. Well, they might report it that way anyway, since William didn't exactly clarify his intentions.
Establishing a family foundation with an initial fund of $2 billion, with $100 million allocated for charity each year, and now giving his mother a football club as a birthday gift—it all seemed perfectly normal to the reporters.
"To avoid any unwarranted accusations and to protect my mother's peace of mind, I will be donating the same amount as the total cost of the birthday event to the England Women and Children's Protection Foundation, in cash. Yes, a cash check, paid in full.
Also, to thank everyone in the Chelsea area who has helped my mother and me, not only will they receive invitations to the party, but they'll also get lifetime Chelsea season tickets. Of course, this promise is valid only while the club remains part of the Devonshire family.
Moreover, I will reserve all the Chelsea fan pubs. For three days around the 23rd, anyone wearing a Chelsea jersey will drink beer for free at these pubs. To make it easier for families to join in, anyone wearing a Chelsea team scarf will also get free beer."
"Part of the reason for doing this is to give back to the fans, but it's also to celebrate my mother, Lena Devonshire, becoming the first female chairman in Premier League history. She is now the richest woman in England and, in a few years, might even become the richest woman in the world."
The people in the room were sharp enough not to argue with William about whether Lena would become England's richest woman or the world's richest woman. With the current performance of companies like Apple and Amazon, reporters didn't take such grandiose statements seriously, but they were sure to include sarcastic remarks about William in tomorrow's papers.
"Wait a minute," a female reporter suddenly raised her hand. "Why is there no mention of your future wife as a primary beneficiary of the Devonshire Family Foundation?"
Indeed, the other reporters quickly realized. William had mentioned his mother and future children, but there was no mention of his future wife.
The experienced reporters immediately thought of prenups and childbearing agreements, silently wondering what kind of person William had grown up to be. Not even 20 yet, and he was already so distrustful—guarding himself against a future wife before even getting married.
With that realization, their attitude toward Ambrosio shifted from envy and jealousy to pity, regret, and schadenfreude. The female reporters, in particular, couldn't help but secretly gloat, murmuring about Ambrosio behind her back. "Don't think that just because you landed a billionaire, you're set for life. Dating a super-rich guy isn't that easy. Now it seems like marriage is out of the question. Let's see how you handle this."
"Alright, today's press conference is over. Thank you for coming. One last reminder: I've prepared a legal team of 21 lawyers, including five senior attorneys, with over $10 million in legal fees ready. If that's not enough, I wouldn't mind raising that amount to $100 million. So, to avoid unnecessary trouble, please be cautious with your words and reporting after you leave. Thank you."
___________________
Read Ahead
P@treon.com/Mutter