Chapter 27: Rockefeller’s Special Envoy

The next day.

The dawn air was different from yesterday.

If yesterday was the day of the decisive battle, today was the day to confirm victory.

There was a subtle mix of excitement and gravity.

Lee Jun-hyuk woke before sunrise.

‘George Howard. And, William Vanderbilt III.’

He submerged his face in cold water and fell into thought.

His knowledge of the Vanderbilt Family from his previous life was fragmentary at best.

The railroad king Cornelius had amassed a vast fortune with steamships and railroads, and his son William Henry had doubled that fortune.

After that, he had no idea how the Vanderbilt Family had fared.

“‘The third’… That means he’s Cornelius’s grandson. Or is he the great-grandson? Well, I can’t memorize the family trees of every conglomerate family.”

Pointless thoughts like these flashed through his mind.

Focus.

Whose descendant he was didn’t matter.

What mattered was the power that came with the name ‘Vanderbilt.’

“Mr. Lee.”

Jose entered.

As always, he was carrying a cup of strong coffee.

It had become almost a ritual now.

“Mr. Leonardo has arrived.”

“Already?”

He checked the clock.

7:30. An hour earlier than scheduled.

When he went out to the reception room, Leonardo was waiting with the bodyguards led by Miguel Santos.

Unlike yesterday, Leonardo’s face showed a sense of ease.

As if he’d had a good dream all night.

“Any movement from Delgado?”

“Last night, he just gathered his subordinates and drank the night away.”

Leonardo gave a short laugh.

“There was no specific action. He probably heard the news about the guests from New York.”

“Those names carry weight even in the Caribbean.”

As he entered the reception room, Judge Mendoza spoke up.

Today, instead of his judicial robes, he wore a well-tailored gray suit.

Yet, what radiated from him wasn’t the suit, but the dignity of the man himself.

“Rockefeller and Vanderbilt. James really set the stage properly this time.”

Carlos came over with a schedule in hand.

“If we leave at 9:30, we’ll have plenty of time to reach the port. I’ve prepared three carriages.”

“And security?”

“Miguel personally selected and assigned four men. The port is always crowded, so he wanted to be prepared for any situation.”

Everything was perfectly prepared.

When the time came, the group boarded the carriages.

Lee Jun-hyuk rode in the middle carriage, along with Judge Mendoza and Leonardo.

Thud.

The carriage began to move.

The road to Havana was filled with the vibrancy of a city greeting the morning.

“Mangoes! Sweet mangoes are here!”

The loud cry of a woman selling fruit.

A boy next to a pile of newspapers shouting some incomprehensible slogan.

The rattling noise of hundreds of carriage wheels rolling over pebbled roads.

Everything blended together, creating one grand symphony.

“Cuba has changed a lot.”

Judge Mendoza spoke quietly as he gazed at the passing scenery outside the window.

“When I was young, this place was nothing but the Spanish Governor’s residence and sugarcane fields. It was never this noisy, never this lively.”

“It’s thanks to increased trade with America.”

“It’ll develop even further from here.”

Lee Jun-hyuk answered confidently.

He knew.

The era known as the ‘Dance of the Millions,’ when sugar prices would skyrocket and bring about an age of frenzy, was about to begin.

This energy was just the prelude.

But in this slightly twisted history, there was no guarantee that the end would be the same as the original.

As they approached the port, the scent in the air changed.

The smell of dust faded, replaced by the tang of the sea, the stench of fish, and the distinct coal smell unique to the harbor.

“There it is!”

Carlos pointed with his finger.

At the port, a massive white passenger ship was docked, flaunting its grandeur.

The letters ‘United Fruit Company’ emblazoned on its hull caught the eye.

The notorious company that monopolized banana trade in Central America, giving rise to the term ‘Banana Republic.’

The party disembarked from the carriage and headed to the pier.

The rough shouts of dockworkers.

The screeching, clanging noise of cranes turning.

The cries of seagulls circling overhead.

Everything was chaotically intertwined.

“There! Over there!”

Leonardo spotted them first.

At the end of the pier, standing slightly apart from others, were two gentlemen.

Both were familiar faces from the New York Office.

George Howard.

A neat gray suit and a fedora. Not a hint of disorder about him. His eyes glinted sharply, analyzing and appraising everything around.

William Vanderbilt III.

He wore a black suit, but unlike George, exuded a different kind of composure. The languid confidence of someone born with everything.

“Frank Gould isn’t here.”

Lee Jun-hyuk looked around, but the other Director, Frank Gould, was nowhere to be seen.

He was probably managing the funds in New York.

As Lee Jun-hyuk’s party approached, George Howard recognized them first and waved with delight.

“Lee Jun-hyuk! There you are!”

“George, William. Thank you for coming all this way.”

Lee Jun-hyuk shook hands with them in turn.

George’s grip was firm and strong.

William’s was gentle, but carried an unmistakable pride.

“I still can’t believe the telegram that said you’d toppled the Sugar King of Cuba.”

William Vanderbilt smiled genially.

“That’s why I left the financial preparations to Frank and came to see for myself.”

“This is Judge Mendoza.”

Lee Jun-hyuk introduced the Judge.

“He’s the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Cuba, and has been advising us on all legal matters in this deal.”

“Ah, Your Honor. I’ve heard a lot about you from James.”

George bowed politely.

“Your integrity is the talk of Cuba, sir.”

“James must have been exaggerating.”

Judge Mendoza replied curtly.

His tone was distinctly different from when he spoke with Lee Jun-hyuk.

It was clearly condescending.

“He always overdoes his praise. So, I hear you two have come to Cuba for a big deal?”

“Yes, Your Honor.”

George was unbothered by the Judge’s manner.

He seemed to take it as proof of the Judge’s reputation.

“Alright. Let’s not stand here talking—let’s move along.”

The Judge turned first.

But as he glanced at Lee Jun-hyuk, his tone softened, as if he’d never spoken roughly.

“Mr. Lee, allow me to escort you to the carriage.”

That subtle shift in attitude.

George and William exchanged glances.

They, too, must have sensed that Lee Jun-hyuk and the Judge’s relationship was not a simple one.

As soon as they boarded the carriage, George Howard got right down to business.

A handshake had already sufficed for personal greetings.

“To be honest, we were surprised too.”

He stared Lee Jun-hyuk straight in the eye.

“I never imagined Escobar would voluntarily step down. I heard he was the one who suggested transferring his shares. Was there some special trick?”

“I was just lucky.”

Lee Jun-hyuk answered humbly.

“After his heart attack, facing death seemed to have changed his mind.”

“That alone doesn’t explain it.”

William interjected, his voice soft but his question sharp as a blade.

“Are you sure there wasn’t some other kind of pressure we don’t know about?”

“None at all. In fact, it was Escobar himself who named me as his successor.”

“Successor?”

George and William’s eyes widened at the same time.

“That’s hard to believe.”

George shook his head.

“For a man who ruled Cuba with an iron fist for thirty years to hand his empire to a young Asian rival…”

“Anyone changes when faced with death.”

Lee Jun-hyuk spoke quietly.

He recalled the image from yesterday, of the dying dictator who had lost everything.

“Is the contract airtight?”

William asked, getting down to practicalities.

“No legal flaws, right?”

“Judge Mendoza reviewed and drafted it personally. Yesterday, at the hospital, he was present for Escobar’s signature.”

“Then we can rest easy.”

Both men sighed in relief at the same time.

Judge Mendoza’s name was a guarantee of trust even to the New York magnates.

“But I heard this Delgado fellow keeps interfering?”

George asked worriedly.

“I heard he even barged onto the estate yesterday.”

“It’s been resolved. And now that you two are here…”

Lee Jun-hyuk smiled.

“In the face of the names Rockefeller and Vanderbilt, he won’t be able to make a move.”

“I hope you’re right.”

William gazed out the window at the vast sugarcane fields.

Waves of green rippled endlessly in the wind.

“I don’t want to waste time on things like this. The reason we came all the way here is to paint a bigger picture.”

“A bigger picture… You mean the price of sugar.”

“So you’re in the know.”

William looked back at Lee Jun-hyuk.

“Yes, sugar prices. You know, don’t you? In a few months, all this green will turn to gold.”

“Yes, I know.”

Lee Jun-hyuk replied cautiously.

He was careful not to seem too knowledgeable.

“Europe’s reconstruction demand is exploding, but production is nowhere near enough.”

“Exactly.”

George nodded.

“Our analysis says prices will triple by early next year. Possibly more.”

“In my previous life, it went up fourfold.”

Lee Jun-hyuk thought to himself.

From six cents to twenty-three cents per pound.

But he couldn’t mention the exact numbers now.

“Impressive.”

William marveled.

“All this will soon be ours.”

“To be precise, it belongs to the American Sugar Trading Company.”

Lee Jun-hyuk corrected him gently.

“I’m the CEO with 30% shares, and you gentlemen are Directors and Investors holding the rest.”

“Haha, you’re right. Still, you’re the captain of this ship.”

George laughed heartily.

“We’re just here to fill the sails from behind.”

When they arrived at the estate, a stack of documents Leonardo had prepared was spread out on the meeting room table.

“First, here’s the contract with Escobar.”

Judge Mendoza handed over the papers.

George and William scrutinized the contract carefully.

Their expressions grew increasingly serious.

“35%… including all assets held under false names…”

William quickly jotted some calculations in a small notebook.

“At market value, that’s easily over five million dollars.”

“We agreed on five-point-two million dollars.”

Five-point-two million dollars.

How much would that be in 2020 money?

With that, you could probably buy a small brokerage in Korea outright.

But here, it was merely seed money.

“But when the sugar price soars, this will be worth several times more. Escobar must know that—why did he sell at this price?”

George’s question was sharp.

“Because of his health.”

Leonardo answered.

“According to the Doctor, he only has a few months at best. He wanted to settle everything while he was still alive.”

A heavy silence fell.

Even for an enemy, the end of a figure who had dominated an era felt bittersweet.

“Is the funding ready?”

Lee Jun-hyuk changed the topic.

“Frank is handling it. Three million from the New York Account, two-point-two million from our private funds. Is that enough?”

“Perfect.”

“But Delgado…”

George began to speak.

At that moment, there was a commotion outside.

Louder than yesterday—the noise of several carriages arriving at once, and shouts from many men.

“He’s back?”

Miguel looked out the window, and his face stiffened.

“It’s Delgado. And he’s brought a lot more men this time. At least twenty.”

George and William’s faces showed concern.

No matter how influential they were, a physical confrontation was something they wanted to avoid.

“Don’t worry.”

Lee Jun-hyuk stood up.

“I’ll handle it. In fact, with you two here, it’s even better.”

Lee Jun-hyuk smiled meaningfully.

“Even Delgado won’t dare draw a blade in front of the names Rockefeller and Vanderbilt.”

When he stepped outside, Delgado and his men were standing in a cloud of dust.

As soon as Delgado spotted Lee Jun-hyuk, he strode over.

But when he saw George Howard and William Vanderbilt standing behind Lee Jun-hyuk, he froze on the spot.

“These are… who?”

A look of bewilderment spread across Delgado’s face.

“Isn’t that Mr. George Howard and Mr. William Vanderbilt?”

“It’s been a while, Delgado.”

George greeted him calmly.

“What’s the reason for bringing so many people?”

“I… I came to assert my rightful claim.”

Delgado’s voice trembled slightly.

“Chairman Escobar’s shares—”

“We’ve already heard all about that.”

Judge Mendoza stepped forward.

“I was personally present, and Escobar was completely lucid. If you have any objections, take it up in Court.”

“But the medical opinion—”

“Delgado.”

George took a step closer.

“Be wise. Even if you win, if you make enemies of us, it’ll be hard for you to set foot in Cuba again.”

A direct warning from American capital.

Under its weight, Delgado’s shoulders shrank.

“Moreover—”

William added.

“Our company has already signed an official contract. We’ve agreed to pay five-point-two million dollars.”

“Five… five-point-two million dollars?”

Delgado’s eyes widened in shock.

“That’s right.”

William took a Bank Guarantee from his pocket.

“A guarantee from Chase Bank in New York. It means the money’s already been prepared.”

Delgado’s face turned pale.

“You’re a businessman too.”

Lee Jun-hyuk spoke for the first time.

“Instead of fighting, how about cooperating? We need capable people. Including you, Delgado.”

“You… want to hire me?”

“That’s right. We need your experience and knowledge. I’m saying, let’s be colleagues, not enemies.”

Lee Jun-hyuk held out his hand.

Delgado hesitated for a moment, then finally took the hand.

His palm was damp and clammy.

“I’ll think about it.”

After Delgado’s group left, George clapped Lee Jun-hyuk on the shoulder in admiration.

“Amazing! To make the enemy commander kneel without firing a single shot!”

“It’s not over yet. But it’s better than fighting.”

The sun was sinking low.

The long day was drawing to a close.

They had crossed one great mountain.

But beyond it—

An even greater mountain range awaited.

Now, the real beginning.