The Tyrant Billionaire

With that, Hardy turned and started walking back. "The tour of the traditional Japanese estate was quite unique. Let's end the program here for today. I have plenty of work to get back to."

The Foreign Minister was visibly flustered by Hardy's reaction.

According to their script, Hardy would accept the house, and then, upon seeing the carefully selected girl, would take an interest in her. Many men, even just out of lust, would have kept the girl.

Then, they would set up a table of traditional Japanese food in the estate, with Sasaki accompanying Hardy for drinks and conversation. Once Hardy had a bit too much to drink, the girl would attentively serve him, and the two would naturally end up together.

It was a perfect plan.

After all, it had worked with MacArthur.

But with Hardy, the plan fell apart completely. They had assumed that, as a younger man, Hardy would be more lustful. They never expected him to reject everything so decisively.

As Hardy left, Ayako Sasaki's expression dimmed. It was clear that Mr. Hardy hadn't taken a liking to her.

When she learned that she would be serving Mr. Hardy, Sasaki had read up on him. The more she read, the more admiration she felt. In just a few years, Hardy had gone from being an ordinary person to a billionaire, and now he was one of the most influential figures in the U.S.

And he was so young and handsome, too.

She felt she would be far more fortunate serving him than Setsuko Hara had been serving MacArthur. Over the past few days, she had been looking at pictures of Hardy and, as her instructor had taught, had even hypnotized herself into falling for him, so that when the time came, she could serve him wholeheartedly.

Men are sensitive and can sense a woman's true feelings. A girl's every move, even the tone of her voice, can affect a man's mood and experience.

She had prepared extensively.

But he had walked away, leaving Sasaki heartbroken. It felt almost like a rejection in love.

Back at the hotel, Duncan came to Hardy's room.

"Boss, I've uncovered some information to report," Duncan said.

"Go ahead."

"Japan is currently experiencing food shortages, leading to the emergence of many black markets. In Tokyo alone, there are several large scale markets. The food provided through official rationing is extremely limited and monotonous, while the black markets offer a wide variety of goods." Discover stories with empire

"They sell rice, wheat, corn, cheese, candy, coffee, canned lunch meat, and canned beef."

"The prices in these markets are often ten times the official price or higher, making it extremely profitable. Most of the black market trade is controlled by criminal gangs. For example, the Asakusa market is controlled by the Shibayama-gumi, the Ginza market by the Ueda-gumi, the Shimbashi market by the Matsuda-gumi, and the Shinjuku market by the Yamaguchi-gumi."

"The supply in these markets is huge, far beyond what small scale channels could provide. I later discovered that behind all this is an American company. This company, based in Wisconsin, exports food and goods to Japan, but instead of going through official channels, the goods end up in the black market, where they are sold at much higher prices."

"Boss, MacArthur's hometown is in Wisconsin, and the owner of this company is MacArthur's cousin."

A smile spread across Hardy's face.

"Use our confidential contacts to inform Henry. Have him investigate this matter thoroughly, including the smuggling channels, quantities, tax evasion, and any other information he can uncover."

"Understood, boss."

Duncan left.

Hardy lit a cigar and took a deep puff.

He chuckled to himself.

Throwing a tantrum and blocking him off, refusing to meet? Ridiculous behavior. No wonder some say he's a "first-rate actor, second-rate politician, and third-rate general."

He couldn't help but wonder how MacArthur would respond once all this information was exposed. The thought amused Hardy greatly. He chuckled again.

"Boss, the president of Toyota Motor wishes to see you. He's right outside the door," Hardy's assistant reported as he entered the room.

Hardy was puzzled.

He wasn't responsible for acquisitions, which were primarily handled by the consortium. The seven major conglomerates had a unified plan, and there were six or seven hundred large companies in Japan that could be acquired. If they all sought Hardy out, it would exhaust him.

"What's this about?" Hardy asked.

"He says he hopes to meet with you privately to discuss the future of Japan's automobile industry," the assistant replied.

Toyota Motor.

The future top-ranking company in Japan.

Hardy thought for a moment and said, "Let him in."

The assistant left and soon returned with a middle-aged man. Hardy had seen him at the welcome reception—Kiichiro Toyoda, the president of Toyota Motor.

"Mr. Hardy, thank you so much for seeing me. I hope I'm not imposing!" Kiichiro Toyoda bowed deeply to Hardy.

Kiichiro Toyoda was in his fifties, wearing glasses, and at the prime of his life.

"Please, have a seat. What can I do for you, Mr. Toyoda? If it's about acquisitions, you can discuss it with the consortium," Hardy said.

Toyoda bowed again before sitting on the sofa, but only half-sitting, with an air of utmost respect.

"Mr. Hardy, I would like to introduce you to Toyota, as well as the current state of Japan's automotive industry. Perhaps this might be of help to your plans for Japan's automobile sector," Kiichiro Toyoda began.

Hardy nodded, "Go ahead."

Toyoda explained that his family originally ran a textile company. In 1929, they sold the textile business to the British firm Platt Brothers, and he became interested in the automobile industry, eventually moving into car manufacturing.

Japan's entire automobile industry began by imitating Europe and the U.S., and Toyota was no exception. During World War II, Toyota received some orders that allowed it to gradually develop. However, Toyoda was honest with Hardy, admitting that they had far fewer orders compared to the automotive divisions of Japan's other major conglomerates.

After the war, Toyota was punished for having supplied the military, though fortunately, they weren't shut down.

Japan's pre-war automotive giants were companies like Mitsubishi, Isuzu, Nissan, and Subaru, all of which were subsidiaries of the large financial conglomerates and operated on a massive scale.