Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet

The surge in orders for bulletproof suits brought tangible profits, yet not a cent reached Philip's pocket. Early that morning, Philip had been forced into discussions with the nobility, and seeing the numbers on the reports only worsened his mood.

But with shares recently exchanged and contracts signed, he and the Duke of Grosvenor, who also held shares, could only wait a month to see any dividends. Philip and his family felt envy and frustration, albeit helplessly.

Setting aside the royal family's foul mood, the second main news item spotlighted the Aston Martin supercar William had driven—a car that, despite taking over a hundred rifle hits, kept driving smoothly. The host praised how, without this car, it would have been difficult for William to single-handedly charge into Westminster Abbey and save over a hundred members of Britain's elite.

Had the rescue been delayed and the terrorists broken through, the headlines might be about over half of England's leadership perishing, the government collapsing, and the economy and politics regressing by twenty years.

Aston Martin, headquartered in Gaydon, Warwickshire, was thrilled yet anxious. They had received a flood of inquiries about the vehicle William drove. While it looked like the upcoming DB9, they hadn't produced a bulletproof model. The company had recently changed ownership, but the new boss only sent a team of accountants, lawyers, and a few representatives from Wester & Starr law firm to check the accounts. The agents had left a design draft for the DB9, ordered several models based on the new design, instructed them to carry on as usual, and then vanished.

After this incident, however, Aston Martin's management couldn't shake off a suspicion: their mysterious new owner might actually be William Devonshire. United in their assumptions, the company's executives decided to take a gamble, publicly stating how honored they were to have earned William's favor.

They went on to hail William as a hero of England and expressed hope that the royal family would bestow upon him the highest honor of the Order of the Garter.

The media, seizing this new angle, recalled the Western tradition of awarding medals for battlefield rescues. Given that William had saved so many elite figures, it seemed natural for him to receive the Garter, and networks eagerly championed him as a hero of England and even a hero of the capitalist world.

As time passed, more details emerged: among the leaders William saved, apart from Philip, the German Chancellor, and the French and Italian heads of state, was none other than U.S. President Benjamin Arthur.

When Benjamin publicly announced his intention to award William the highest U.S. honor, William's popularity skyrocketed. With his status as a "hero of the capitalist world" solidified, American media speculated on ways to reward him, igniting nationwide discussion.

Money didn't seem appropriate, and, as William held no official position, there was no possibility of promotion. Led by this deliberate framing, many argued that an honorary medal alone didn't befit his achievements. Ultimately, U.S. media concluded that the British royal family should break precedent and elevate William's title, given his exceptional contributions to England during the crisis.

Seeing all this free praise, William realized the Americans had decided he was worth aligning with after confirming his intentions through his million-dollar bounty on Amir Bakawi and associates in the underworld. Moreover, since some of Bakawi's associates had indeed been killed and payments made, they decided to fulfill their promises to him.

The Americans took the first step by gauging the public's reaction, and when they saw no major opposition to raising William's rank, they intensified their media coverage and praise.

Three days after the attacks, at noon, British television suddenly broadcast a piece of solemn news: the Earl of Oxford had passed away at 1:21 p.m. on the day of the London attacks.

That evening, the entire nation knew of the earl's passing, along with more insights into the Westminster Abbey attack.

Contrary to previous reports, the attack had not been a narrow escape. Not only had the Earl of Oxford died, but several elderly individuals had nearly succumbed to heart attacks during the incident.

With this new information, public discourse around William intensified, and media outlets began probing the true cause of the earl's death.

Inevitably, conspiracy theories emerged, with various versions of events circulating, each claiming to reveal the truth. Many who had been present at the Abbey felt indebted to William and feared that the media might distort events. Several high-ranking individuals thus stepped forward to confirm the earl's cause of death, lending credibility to the story. However, the world was never short of troublemakers. People clung to the notion that since William stood to gain the most, he was naturally the prime suspect.

But suspicions abated only when the late earl's wife presented Oxford Hospital's medical report, explaining her husband's sudden passing.

After taking refuge in the basement during the attack, the earl, in frail health, nearly collapsed from the panic. Upon realizing they'd been rescued, the surge of relief proved too much for him, causing him to collapse suddenly. Fortunately, with the battle over, his bodyguards quickly secured a car, but the route to the hospital was blocked, and it took over an hour to reach an alternate facility.

By the time they arrived, the earl was still breathing, but with the city's blackout, the hospital's generator struggled to power essential equipment. Doctors were short-staffed and overwhelmed with patients, leading to delays in his treatment, which ultimately proved fatal.

The bodyguards and the earl's wife, who witnessed the entire ordeal, as well as the hospital report released by Oxford Hospital the previous day, confirmed that there were no foreign substances in the earl's body. External interference was ruled out, and his death was attributed to the delays in medical attention.

Reading this, William couldn't help but admire Harry Hart's expertise as an elite operative. The person responsible for orchestrating the traffic jam had to be Harry. There was no intricate scheme, just a deft response that left no evidence.

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