I Am Jose-Chapter 145 - : Father and Son

Letting such an obvious business opportunity slip away would be a huge waste. José couldn't take action himself, but there was someone who could.

"Dad, I suggest you secure the development rights for a piece of land. Once Llucmajor is built up, this place will become the Las Vegas of Europe! It may not be a gambling city, but its appeal won't be any less than that of Vegas. Opening a hotel here will bring in far more revenue than what you're making now," José said to Alemani.

"I know that too... but José, I don't have enough cash on hand. My working capital is just over two million, and simply acquiring the development rights will cost more than a million. After that, I'll still need a lot more money to build a hotel," Alemani sighed.

"Just secure the rights first. It's not like the hotel has to be built immediately. That gives us a buffer period, and by then, we should have the funds to build it," José thought for a moment before replying.

"Son, if I don't complete construction within five years of acquiring the development rights, the district council will reclaim the land... The ones securing development rights now are all major hotel chains. Once construction is permitted, they can start building right away. They can afford to wait. But I'm just a small hotel owner with modest wealth!" Alemani complained. "If I can't raise five million in five years, there's no way I can build the hotel! And the investment has to be substantial—if it isn't, I won't be able to compete with the big hotel chains. Five million is just a conservative estimate!"

"That... does sound like a problem," José scratched his head.

"But son, if you help me, I can still make it happen," Alemani grinned. "How about lending me a few million to build the hotel? I'll repay you with the hotel's revenue, plus interest."

Alemani had already considered this plan. He couldn't pass up the business opportunity on this land. Even if he only built a mid-tier hotel that couldn't compete with major chains, as long as the area became popular, the hotel would never lack guests. Even if he couldn't attract wealthy clients, he could still cater to tourists with more modest budgets. The revenue would be stable, and the investment would never be a loss.

However, the Balearic district council took this development project very seriously. They wouldn't allow someone to acquire development rights just to sit on the land and wait for its value to rise. The rule was clear—construction had to be completed within five years, or the land would be reclaimed. With his current financial situation, Alemani was hesitant. That's when he thought of his son.

Even though he never considered his son's money as something he could use freely—after all, in Europe, father and son had separate finances—otherwise, he would have already asked José for money to expand his hotel business. But at this moment, he felt that it was okay to ask his son for help. The money was just sitting in the bank earning minimal interest anyway, and he wouldn't let his son suffer a loss.

"Uh..." José was stunned. It wasn't that he was unwilling to lend the money—he didn't mind giving it all to his father, for that matter. But what worried him was his terrible luck with investments—he lost money on everything he touched. If he lent his father money, wouldn't that mean his father's hotel was doomed to fail as well?

Even though he didn't know if such a ridiculous thing would actually happen, if it did, he wouldn't care about losing money himself. But if it caused his father to suffer losses, he couldn't bear that.

But if he refused... would he even be human? Having over a hundred million in cash sitting in the bank and refusing to lend a few million to his own father? Even in Europe, that would be considered disgraceful. More than anything, he didn't want his father to think he was unwilling to help—that would make him worse than a miser.

"What's wrong?" Alemani asked, puzzled. He didn't think his son was stingy. He knew his son's character—José had barely used any family money since going to America and had always been respectful toward him. How could he refuse over just a few million?

"It's a bit complicated," José scratched his head and said awkwardly. "Dad, I don't know how to put this, but I need to tell you—if I had to give you every penny I own, I wouldn't even hesitate."

"If it's complicated, then forget it. You're my son—do you think I'd force you?" Alemani laughed. "If it really doesn't work, I can always mortgage the hotel and take out a bank loan. I just didn't want the bank to profit off me."

Hearing this, José felt even more guilty. Just as he was about to grit his teeth and agree, an idea suddenly struck him.

"Haha! Dad, I've got a plan, but we can't use it just yet," José laughed. "For now, go ahead and secure the development rights. When the time comes to build the hotel, I won't let you be held back by money! Also, take more development rights—get the best plots of land. I'll figure out the money. Why settle for a mid-tier hotel? If we're doing this, we're going high-end! We may not be able to compete with global hotel chains elsewhere, but in Mallorca... this is your territory!"

"With you backing me, I have no worries," Alemani nodded with a smile. He trusted his son. Besides, even if José couldn't come up with the money later, he could still mortgage the hotel. He had a strong reputation in Mallorca, and the bank would gladly lend to him.

José made a good point—opportunities like this were once-in-a-lifetime. Think of how many new financial empires emerged during the westward expansion of the United States! If someone got a chance like this and didn't seize it, they'd be a fool.

If everything went well, Alemani could go from being a small-time hotelier in Mallorca to a wealthy businessman recognized across Spain—at least in terms of personal assets (of course, he couldn't compete with major corporations).

In the following days, Alemani got busy with his plans. José didn't interfere, as his solution couldn't be implemented just yet.

His idea was simple—he'd pay his father a salary instead. If he wasn't allowed to invest, then fine—he just wouldn't invest. But as Mallorca's shareholder and his father being the club's chairman, he could justify giving his father a salary, right? At the end of the season, he could pay his father a few million as "salary"—the money would just be moving from one pocket to another, and worst case, they'd pay some taxes.

However, it wasn't feasible just yet, because José wasn't Mallorca's sole shareholder. Financial decisions still required approval from the second-largest shareholder, Grande. But within a few years, if José could push Grande out, then he could pay his father any salary he wanted.

As for Grande, José was certain he wouldn't last much longer. Grande was clinging to his Mallorca shares solely for financial gain, but there were many ways to make money. With Mallorca developing land, this was the perfect investment opportunity. However, Grande's investment firm had cash flow issues. When he needed liquid funds, selling his Mallorca shares would be his only option.

If Grande were smart, he'd cash out now and profit from the land development. But if he hesitated, a year later, it would be too late. By then, he'd be competing with major corporations flush with cash—right now, it was mostly mid-sized firms willing to take risks, but the big players would enter later.

José knew Mallorca's future was only getting brighter—where there are people, there's money. As long as he kept completing tasks, the population of Mallorca would keep growing. More people meant higher land values. Even if they didn't do business, simply leasing out the land would yield massive returns.

That's why José was determined to get his father to acquire as much land as possible. If someone was going to profit, it might as well be his father—since he himself couldn't benefit directly.

By the time Mallorca's pre-season training started, Alemani had already secured the best beachfront land in southern Llucmajor—enough for a luxury hotel and supporting facilities.

"This is going to cost nearly ten million dollars to build," Alemani said, both worried and excited.

"Don't worry," José reassured him. "In a few years, Llucmajor will thrive! Your wealth will rise along with it!"

"That's even better," Alemani chuckled. "Once I have enough cash, I'll invest in Mallorca to support you."

"Sounds great," José grinned. "But we have to get rid of Grande first..."

The father and son exchanged glances and chuckled mischievously.

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