Chapter 229 Luxurious Friendship
The Sur slums have disappeared. What the "demolition king" Kellner failed to do was easily resolved by Ron's promise.
No one is born to like living in slums, and one of the biggest fears of Mumbaikars is living on the streets.
Who would want to live in a smelly slum if there are brick buildings to live in?
It's just a matter of causing trouble, which is nothing to the people in the slums.
Seizing the territory of Kama Compound is even less of a problem, as that is for himself.
In Mumbai, even young children have learned how to fight for more space.
More importantly, once you have fought for it, you must guard it well and never let yourself be squeezed out, otherwise someone will come and snatch the space that originally belonged to you.
The Kama compound was packed to the brim, and even when construction workers wanted to open up more single rooms, those people were reluctant to leave.
They value the house here more than their lives, just because the small room can be inherited by the next generation.
From then on, they were no longer refugees in Mumbai. They completed the class leap from proletarians to bourgeoisie.
That is something that countless people dream of, and only by guarding it at all times can they feel at ease.
Of course, the things are not taken for free. The people here will follow Ron's lead in the future.
From ballots to proxy rights, including the next La Foda.
To do business in a place like Mumbai, you always have to have the power to restrain others.
It's not to cause trouble, it's just to make sure that no one else does it.
The 30,000 people in the Kama compound were handed over to Amol by Ron, with Anand as his deputy.
The scale of an entire community is difficult to handle with Anand's talent.
Amor is knowledgeable and motivated, making him a very suitable manager here.
Kama Compound is a test for him. If he does well, it is inevitable that he will be transferred back to Suer Electric Appliances to become a member of the management team.
It goes without saying how to choose a property manager or a business manager.
It's just too messy, especially now. Creating thousands of private rooms across five buildings is a massive undertaking.
Since workers alone are not enough, some slum residents simply discuss it among themselves and use plywood as barriers.
Amidst the clanging sounds, 30,000 people quickly squeezed into the building.
Don't doubt the traditional skills of Indians. It is common for seven or eight people to squeeze into one room.
Next was to register the population and plan the toilets, but Ron didn't care about these trivial matters at all.
He only needs to master a few key managers, which is the basic quality of being a commander.
He was more concerned about the planning of the Sur Park. After the slums were evacuated, the surrounding wastelands were fenced off.
Construction will probably begin here next month, starting with the office building to the west and then the factory area to the south, step by step.
A loan of Rs 20 crore from a Bombay Bank has arrived and he can't wait.
Oh, Ron felt good about it, as he had unknowingly accumulated a huge debt of 400 million rupees.
Those who owe money are the boss, don't panic.
Ron even planned to buy a villa in Malabar Hill. He had this plan for a long time, but was delayed by a series of events.
After a stroll through the wasteland of the Sur Park, Ron was about to meet a bank president, but Johnny showed up.
"Ron!" He wanted to come over and hug her, but stopped in shame.
"Come on, let's go have a drink." Ron patted his shoulder.
Anand's words came back to his mind, and Ron had many questions.
They found a restaurant and sat down. After waving to the waiter to bring two sets of food and wine, the two of them waited in silence for the wine to be served.
Then they each poured themselves a glass and raised it.
"A toast to friendship!" Ron suggested.
"To friendship!" Johnny echoed.
They clinked their glasses and drank it all in one gulp.
"You didn't tell me," Ron said.
"What?"
"You didn't tell me you ran into Anand that night." Ron stared at him.
"I'm sorry, Ron." A trace of pain appeared on Johnny's face.
"Does his imprisonment have anything to do with you?"
"No! That's a complete coincidence, I swear!" The pain on Johnny's face was even more intense, it was the heartache of having his friendship questioned.
"Why didn't you tell me? I could have rescued him with just one phone call."
"I can't," Johnny said, gripping his glass tightly. "At least not then. Khaderbhai is working on a crucial deal."
Ron looked at him, speechless. His calm eyes pierced his heart more directly than any torture.
"Mrs. Elizabeth was helping Khaderbhai connect with politicians in order to gain their favor. That connection was crucial, as it was related to their existing agreement."
"Madam Elizabeth hates me, but she can't do anything to me. She can only deal with the people around me. Does she want to make me uncomfortable to vent her hatred?"
"That's just the kind of person she is, extreme and paranoid." Johnny sighed.
"So Khad Khan knew the answer I've been searching for for over a month?"
Johnny didn't say anything, but his twisted brows said it all.
"Cheers to Bombay!" Ron raised his glass.
"To Bombay," he said with a sad look on his face.
Ron drank the whole glass in one gulp, put down his glass, stood up and left.
In a city like Mumbai, friendship is a luxury.
Ron didn't know what kind of deal Hard Khan had with Lady Elizabeth, and he wasn't interested.
With the palace in ruins, none of that mattered anymore.
Johnny's arrival may be a test. The underground black emperor cannot be indifferent to the destruction of the palace.
He was probably surprised at the riots Ron could control, a force more terrifying than gangs.
Ron didn't care, and he didn't have time to argue with the gangster right now. He was busy with something else: buying a house.
The apartment in the fortress area was too old and not big enough, so Anil and his family had to live in the basement.
I have already taken on a big project worth hundreds of millions of dollars, so there is no reason to put myself in a difficult position.
Ron was ready to go all in one go and directly chose Malabar Hill, the most prosperous and wealthy area in Mumbai.
Looking at the map, this is the bay of South Mumbai. Shaped like the handle of a spoon or a scimitar, it is surrounded by the sea, the surface of the water is shimmering, and the shore is lined with lush palm trees.
Malabar Hill is located here, with beautiful bays, gurgling streams, rushing rivers and towering hills.
It has unobstructed views to the south and west, and you can see the vast Arabian Sea just by walking out of the house.
The sea breeze blew in from the west, bringing a chill, and the chaotic smell of the downtown area disappeared without a trace.
This is the best location in Mumbai, with unique scenery, culture and environment.
The villa that Ron liked was located at the southernmost end of the bay, surrounded by quiet woods and meadows, and patrolled by security personnel.
The villa's three-meter-high gate, carved entirely of white marble, is very grand. When visitors arrive, the gate automatically slides to the left, revealing a short driveway leading directly to the lobby.
Entering the gate, there are garden lawns on both sides, surrounded by carefully designed water features.
There are golf holes, tennis courts and badminton courts on the lawn, all of which are managed by dedicated staff.
There are precious potted plants on both sides of the entrance hall, and the ceiling of the hall is almost full of crystal chandeliers, with smaller chandeliers on top of them.
Everything looks shiny, from the decoration to the ornaments, very Indian style.
The main building of the villa has more than a dozen rooms, not counting the servants' rooms in the garden outside.
Not to mention the various function rooms, there is also a private home theater and an underground wine cellar.
Ron's favorite spot is the rooftop terrace, which overlooks Chowpatty Beach and, paired with a whisky, would make every Indian jealous.
Two crore rupees, he took it without a second thought.
This is the price after Mumbai's housing prices plummeted, and is 40% lower than before the bombings.
It is said that the original owner was an Indian overseas Chinese who returned to China, but was scared away by last year's unrest.
Very good, Ron is very satisfied with this villa.
Without any hesitation, he signed the contract on the spot.
There is no such thing as installment payment when buying a house in India, and everyone defaults to paying in full.
Of course Ron had money in his account. After two or three months, Soul Electric's profits grew steadily.
The net profit alone was Rs 120 million, but this amount had to be reserved for the budget of the Sur park.
The 20 million yuan used to buy the house was a loan, taken out in his own name. His reputation now holds him in good stead in the bank.
The media's hype about the Sur Park project served as a clear ticket. The bank didn't even verify his assets before lending him the money.
In this case, it would be a waste not to spend the bank's money.
"Niya, arrange for someone to clean this place today. We will stay here tonight."
"Yes, Baba." The girl agreed crisply.
She was like a happy butterfly, looking around the villa.
The estate in Uttar Pradesh was magnificent, but she preferred a modern villa.
It is open and bright here, and you can feel the comfortable breeze just standing at the door.
Nia commanded more than twenty servants, some of whom were old men from Uttar Pradesh and some of whom were newly hired servants in Mumbai.
Anil also took the bodyguards to familiarize themselves with the terrain. They would live in the servants' quarters in the future and no longer have to squeeze into the basement.
When one person succeeds, the whole family will prosper.
In Bombay, servants are also proud of their masters.
"Hey, man!"
Just when Ron was thinking about how to decorate the villa, Luca suddenly came.
"You've done something big recently, it's so fucking cool! But I have to tell you, our business is fucking doomed!" He was furious, frowning.
"What's wrong?" Ron walked with him to the grass.
"The drug business is dead," he said, looking sick and haggard. "There's a problem in Brazil."
"About your brother?" Ron seemed a little confused.
Ever since Anand and his team went overseas last year, the pharmaceutical business has stagnated.
There are other forces in Brazil competing with Luca and his team. They purchase goods from New Delhi and take a different approach.
The two sides could get along peacefully at the beginning, but as the competition intensified, a fight was almost inevitable.
"My brother is dead, my family fled to South Africa, we are finished!" Luca's eyes were red and his teeth were grinding.
"Hey, man, I'm sorry to hear that, but what are you going to do now?" Ron also had a headache.
As he expected, this lucrative business was bound to attract other people's covetousness.
Brazil is a hellhole place, gangs are rampant and the government has no presence at all.
Fortunately, he did not invest much capital, but the downside was that his stable dollar channel was gone.
"I can't go back to Brazil, so I want to do another business." Luca stared at him with burning eyes.
(End of this chapter)
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