Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet

As Lara descended from the boxing ring, she suddenly threw a hook toward William's face. 

William, having expected some mischief from her since she nodded so obediently, intercepted her gloved fist with a swift smack.

A dull "thud" sounded as her fist was deflected with surprising force, making her stumble backward and fall onto the steps leading to the ring.

"Ow!" Lara muttered, rubbing her sore arm and the spot where she'd landed, her face a mixture of pain and disbelief. She muttered softly, "Monster."

"Listen carefully," William said, looking down at her sternly. "I'm only waiting five minutes. If you're not ready by then, our deal's off. I don't have time to waste on a broke rookie with no skills."

"Jerk," Lara muttered under her breath, but she didn't waste another second. She rushed to the locker room, changed quickly, and managed to be back at William's motorcycle within five minutes.

Throwing her a helmet, William started the bike and took off, heading toward the Kingsman Academy located over twenty kilometers away.

When they arrived at the academy, Harry, who had been notified by Sunday, was waiting outside the gate. He greeted William with a smile as he removed his helmet. "Didn't expect you so early. In a hurry today?"

"Not really. Just woke up early. Besides, the sooner I drop her off, the sooner her training can begin," William replied, gesturing to Lara. "This is Lara Croft, heiress of the Croft family and my client."

"Ah, then Miss Croft must be quite special indeed if she managed to hire you," Harry remarked with a knowing smile. He then extended his hand to Lara, smiling warmly. "Good morning, Miss Croft. I'm Harry Hart; it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Good morning, Mr. Hart. I'm Lara Croft, and it's nice to meet you as well," Lara replied, matching his polite tone.

"Come on, let me show you both around the academy," Harry said, guiding them on a tour through the sections of the academy accessible to Lara.

Afterward, he handed her over to Merlin, the academy's head trainer, instructing him to put Lara through the same rigorous training program used for all Kingsman agents.

With Lara's admission settled, William and Harry left her to face the daunting path ahead and retreated to Harry's office.

"The famous Miss Croft," Harry said, handing William a glass of whiskey. "Are you really serious about this?"

"No, not really. I'm not planning on marriage or settling down with just one woman anytime soon," William replied, taking a sip of his whiskey. "For one thing, she's willing to pay me a hundred million dollars to find her father. And she seems to have a lot of potential—it's just a small investment."

He added with a grin, "Though, if she doesn't mind the fact that I already have someone, I wouldn't mind seeing where things go."

"You're a real piece of work, William," Harry shook his head with a disapproving smile. "Looks like the Devonshire bloodline won't be continuing anytime soon."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Surprised, Harry glanced toward the entrance, exchanging a look with William before moving to open it.

To their surprise, it was Wilson standing outside.

"Good morning, Your Highness," Harry greeted him respectfully.

"Good morning, Mr. Hart. I apologize for not notifying you before coming to the academy," Wilson replied politely.

"No problem at all, Your Highness. How can I assist you?"

"If it's possible," Wilson said, glancing at William, "I'd like to speak with William alone."

Harry looked to William, who gave a slight nod. "Of course, Your Highness. Feel free to use the office. I'll go check on the trainees," Harry said, stepping out and closing the door behind him.

After he left, William rolled his eyes at Wilson and continued sipping his whiskey. The two sat in silence for over twenty minutes as Wilson hesitated, clearly wanting to say something but struggling with how to phrase it. Finally, William grew impatient and glared at him. "If you have something to say, just spit it out."

Wilson hesitated a moment longer before sighing and admitting, "Alright, my grandfather heard that you brought Miss Croft to the Kingsman Academy and wanted me to come and ask if you'd reconsider taking over Kingsman. We could…"

Before Wilson could finish, William clapped him hard on the shoulder. "I'm already a Grand Duke. Only an idiot would take over an agency meant to protect me, just to turn around and serve the nobility."

"Damn it," Wilson groaned, rubbing his shoulder in pain. "God, can't you at least let me finish? And are you some kind of monster? You nearly dislocated my shoulder!"

"Sorry, mate, I didn't mean to," William said with a smirk that betrayed his amusement. The truth was, he'd done it on purpose and knew Wilson would only feel a few minutes of discomfort.

True enough, after a couple of minutes, the pain subsided, and Wilson gave William an exasperated look. "My grandfather knows you hate being restricted and dislike protecting others, so he wanted me to let you know that if you agree to lead Kingsman, the only stipulations are that you keep the name and maintain the duty of protecting the royal family. Aside from that, the entire agency is yours to run as you please."

William shook his head. "I've already told you I'm not interested in making money for you guys. If I had profitable ideas, I'd use them myself—I'm not crazy enough to hand them over."

Wilson knew this was the real sticking point.

Last time, William had turned down the offer over financial concerns. Philip had later realized the flaw in trying to exploit William's talents to revive Kingsman's assets. No one with half a brain would give away profitable ideas, so this time, Philip was prepared to forgo any cut of the revenue.

"Relax. We have no intention of profiting off you," Wilson said. "Kingsman's assets will be placed into a trust fund. As long as you ensure a 5% annual growth, any additional profits are free for Kingsman to use."

William squinted with a wry smile. "So you want me to fund Kingsman with my earnings, yet you're saying you're not taking advantage of me?"

"Look, the 5% annual growth is hardly a challenge for you."

That much was true. Even without touching the assets, they'd naturally grow by at least 5% per year. William nodded in agreement.

"In exchange, we're offering you a level of independent control and the power to make judgments, even in investigative matters," Wilson continued. "For that, surely one or two million pounds a year to sustain Kingsman isn't unreasonable."

"No," William replied curtly. Truthfully, if he could gain independent authority, he didn't mind the cost.

"Then it's settled. With full control of Kingsman in your hands, what's left to hesitate about?"

William paused to think, then asked, "How much is left of Kingsman's current assets?"

"About 1.7 billion pounds," Wilson replied promptly. "20% is in equipment, while the remaining 80% is in fixed assets."

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