"Wait, Mr. Devonshire, you haven't answered the reporter's question. You can't just walk away like that."
"Please answer our question, Mr. Devonshire. Are you against marriage?"
As William stood up to leave, the room erupted with noise. Reporters in the front row protested loudly, pushing past security, holding their recorders high, shouting that they had the right to an interview. But William paid no attention—whether or not he wanted to answer was up to him.
Suddenly, a reporter shouted, "If you don't get married but have children, wouldn't they be illegitimate? My God, is the centuries-old Devonshire family going to have a second illegitimate child?"
Silence. Extreme silence. Everyone was stunned, staring at the reporter who spoke. The journalists near him instinctively stepped back, distancing themselves.
William, who had been shaking hands with the L brand chairman with an awkward expression, turned and stared at the reporter. Glancing at the reporter's press badge, William released the chairman's hand, picked up the microphone, and said, "News of the World from News International? Very well, I'll remember you."
Throwing the microphone down, William turned back to the L brand chairman and said something that made the old man shiver. "You should thank me. Tomorrow, our company's stock will definitely surge. Perhaps you should seriously consider letting me take over more shares. My involvement would benefit you and the company, and as for management control, I'm not interested. Think it over and give me a call if you change your mind."
He then grabbed Ambrosio's hand and, amidst the furious shouts of the reporters, left the conference hall under the protection of a dozen bodyguards. They got into the same extended Cadillac used by the President of the USA, escorted by eight large SUVs, and headed back to William's home in New York.
An hour later, William's words during the contract signing with the L brand appeared on the midday news.
Perhaps because of William's prior warning, having prepared a legal team and a $10 million—or even $100 million—legal fund for lawsuits, the day's television, newspapers, and other media coverage were mostly accurate. Even though the facts weren't twisted, the footage from the scene was enough to leave viewers worldwide in shock.
The talk show guests invited by TV stations remained cautious, sticking to discussing why William had suddenly established a family foundation and why the beneficiaries were Lena, himself, and his future children, without any mention of his future wife, the mother of his children.
The topic of William's sudden revelation of his wealth was also a major focus. According to his own disclosure, he made more than $110 million in just two days. While the exact amount was unclear, even at the minimum estimate of $110 million over two days, William Devonshire's net worth now exceeded $13 billion. But this was only the lowest estimate. Many pundits believed his wealth had already surpassed $20 billion. If that were true, William would immediately rank as the 9th richest person in the world. Even at the conservative estimate of $13 billion, he would still rank 21st.
These puzzles left the public both baffled and intrigued, while sparking a nationwide discussion about whether Lena Devonshire was indeed now the richest woman in England.
Based on the companies William mentioned, while Apple and Amazon were underperforming, their combined shares were still worth around $400 million. Chelsea and Disney together were valued at nearly $1 billion. Adding $1 billion in cash, the Devonshire family foundation now had more than $2 billion in assets. Curious individuals investigated further and found that the wealthiest person in England was the Duke of Westminster's family foundation, which had around $7 billion as of May. The wealthiest woman was Queen Philip's consort, who had only £1.2 billion, roughly $1.5 billion.
By that calculation, Lena Devonshire had indeed become the richest woman in England. Furthermore, an online leak claimed Lena Devonshire had more than £300 million in cash deposits at the Bank of England. Combined with the foundation's $1 billion in cash, Lena now controlled nearly $1.5 billion in liquid assets, making her the undisputed female wealthiest in England.
However, within a day, London police arrested the leaker, who turned out to be a disgraced trader recently fired from the Bank of England.
Despite the envy raging across England, the public's attitude toward Lena was surprisingly tolerant. Unlike women who had married into wealth, Lena's fortune came from having a brilliant son. While people might be resentful, there was little criticism of Lena. After all, her son was William Devonshire, the current richest person in England.
Yes, that's right. The next day, every newspaper in England used the headline "Two Richest People in One Family" to cover the story of the Devonshire mother and son becoming the wealthiest individuals in England. The media valued William's wealth at $11 billion.
At the end of the *Guardian* article, there was a note stating that the $11 billion figure represented only the wealth they could verify. The *Guardian* believed that, excluding the $2 billion in the Devonshire family foundation, William's actual wealth might exceed $15 billion. The paper had an exclusive source, an unconfirmed rumor, that claimed a new trend among the English upper class involved wearing bulletproof suits worth £5 million each. The *Guardian*'s owner, after much agonizing, had purchased one of these suits and, using some connections, obtained Lena Devonshire's approval to reveal this information.
These suits, which looked no different from regular suits but offered Level IV bulletproof protection, were William's invention. He was reportedly planning to partner with some prominent figures to create a company specializing in bulletproof gear.
Given the current craze for bulletproof suits among England's elite, this company—yet to be founded—was already valued at $4 billion. The estimated value was based on the fact that, according to the *Guardian*'s owner, dozens, if not hundreds, of these suits had already been sold even before the official launch. With projected sales of £100 million to £500 million before the business even opened, a 20x price-to-earnings ratio gave the company a reasonable valuation of $4 billion. Once the bulletproof gear company went public, its valuation could soar to over $10 billion.
This news had an immediate impact. The day after the report, every company in the world that produced specialized bulletproof clothing saw their products stagnate, and some publicly traded companies even experienced a decline in their stock prices.
Meanwhile, William, still in New York, found the situation quite a headache. He could already imagine the trouble and harassment he would face upon returning to England. But not returning would be even more problematic, as he had already received more than 20 calls and over 100 party invitations while sitting at home in New York.
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