Chapter 122: Disney in Danger

Words : 1128 Updated : Sep 30th, 2025

While William White was having fun in the Bahamas, the capital market started to get turbulent. The end of the acquisition plan led investors to start selling Disney's stock. They had realized that if William White wanted to acquire the whole company, there wouldn't be much advantage for them. Warner Bros., due to its unimpressive performance, also faced investors reducing their holdings, creating quite the stir as the entertainment sector saw a general decline. The market this year was already bad, and now it's gotten even worse. The damage from the actors' strike made the big giants feel like throwing in the towel. Disney probably had it the toughest. Stock prices can't just drop without consequence, as many shares are pledged to banks. A drop in stock value naturally leads to a devaluation of collateral. Banks don't fool around. If you can't increase your collateral in time, they won't hesitate to sue. Everyone knows William White is interested in acquiring, but it's just a matter of agreeing on the price. If Disney were to go bankrupt, their losses wouldn't be too big. Well, maybe a bit, but that would be the best outcome. They didn't dare to borrow more. If things continued this way, they might truly be insolvent. Banks weren't using their own money either. If the losses were too great, these banks could also collapse. ... William White found out about this news the next morning. A group of youngsters had partied all night on a deserted island and were now exhausted. "Tsk, I thought it might last two years, but it's already failing so soon?" "Yes, boss. Warner Bros.' condition isn't great either. The old guy's been laying low." Indeed, Steve Ross dared not make any moves. He wasn't even shorting Warner Bros. yet. If he provoked any further, his position wouldn't hold. "Filson, with things like this, I'm definitely interested in acquiring. Investigate their situation again and see how bad it really is. Increase the action on that front. I'm counting on mortgaging those stocks and properties." "Okay, boss. I'll arrange it immediately." After the call, William White went to fix his hair. The weather was too hot to keep it long. ... "Boss, they seem to be checking Disney's situation. They might truly be interested in buying." "Well, how's it going on that end?" "They seem to have increased their holdings. The recent market performance there was good, so these additional funds didn't cause much of a stir." "Tsk, his investments sure are strange. Why not just borrow yen directly instead of going around in such a big circle?" "According to the securities company, they originally planned to short Warner Bros., but then canceled for some unknown reason." "Idiots, does it take a billion bucks to short Warner Bros.? Probably wouldn't even need half. Their initial plan was probably a hostile takeover and then to dilute other shares." "Boss, all that money is on that side. Could he be planning to pledge the shares again?" "Yeah, with the market like it is now, to have such guts... Is he a genius or a madman?" ... William White was quite relaxed. Whether it was a high-leverage acquisition or not, once William White completed the acquisition, he'd immediately become a huge player. Even if not up there with Warner Bros., the gap would be very small. William White's total assets approached two billion bucks, which seemed to be Wall Street's consensus. The current concern was that he was actively expanding, and if successful, he might employ aggressive financial methods, likely doubling his assets. Regardless of his loans, the assets he controlled already exceeded most families'. It was such a desperate figure! Disney was leaking everywhere like a sinking ship. Even the Disney family, holding 5% of shares, had lost its voice. The current CEO was just a figurehead and couldn't decide anything anymore. "What? Near bankruptcy?" Hearing Filson's conclusion left William White a bit dumbfounded. He couldn't quite grasp it. How could Disney be this bad off? Where did things go wrong? "Yeah, I'll be back tomorrow. Keep an eye on it." "Understood, boss." ... "Looks like I don't even need two billion, what a steal! Wait a minute, could those old folks be planning to trick me?" "Hmph, it must be that. Seeing how aggressive I am, they want to reap the benefits. Ha ha, let's see you get what you want. I can just try again if needed." Once William White figured out these bastards' plans, he wasn't in a rush. Buying and selling were two different matters. "What? Selling in a bundle? Is he nuts? How much is he offering?" "Three billion, he plans to put up three billion." "No way, even if Disney was two billion, NBC can't possibly be just one billion. At least 1.5 billion is needed." "Boss, I think it might be an opportunity." "Oh, tell me more." "William White definitely can't fork out three billion. Considering his assets in the U.S., he can muster at most one and a half billion dollars. He'll definitely use Disney and NBC shares as collateral. His debt ratio is just 50%, and for the existing loans of these companies, they'll definitely renegotiate." "Tsk tsk, I underestimated this kid. You mean he'll ask for an extension on these loans?" "That's precisely the play. If the banks get ticked off, they might just force Disney into bankruptcy." "Such ruthless tactics, but I don't mind borrowing them. Ha ha ha!" "It's NBC that's the headache." "Hmph, isn't General Electric interested in their headquarters? Let's play a big one then." William White's hints were too obvious. Those sharp old foxes at Morgan Stanley wouldn't fail to catch on. If you start naming random prices, he surely won't take heed. Both parties knew full well these weren't just their affairs, and the losses of others weren't their concern. William White was truly crafty. Once he figured out what these bastards intended, he calmly sat on the fishing platform. Morgan Stanley wasn't a flock of good birds; their usual MO was acting recklessly, with a knack for hostile takeovers. William White was convinced these guys would put the squeeze on those banks. Two conspiring minds began working in tandem, leaving everyone else bewildered. What game are you playing? As for what Disney was thinking, nobody cared. That was already a decent outcome; indifference meant worse -- shareholders might not get a dime. ***** https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.

Chapter 122: Disney in Danger

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