Chương 130: Shares, Car, Farewell to New York

In the afternoon, Arthur arrived at the New York Herald's office.

Isabella is in the center of the office instructing the layout workers on how to adjust the page layout.

Isabella has now fully mastered all aspects of the newspaper's technical and management work.

Holding a newspaper proof, she approached Arthur and reported the latest figures: "Arthur, yesterday's newspaper sales exceeded 150, 000 copies. This morning, subscriptions increased by another 3, 000. Five large national corporations have contacted our GG department, requesting to purchase GG space on the front page."

Patrick sat in a chair in the corner. He had just finished loading and distributing a batch of newspapers and was taking a break.

Everyone was excited about the newspaper's future business expansion, preparing to extend its distribution network to New Jersey and Connecticut.

Arthur took off his coat and hung it on the hanger.

He walked to his desk, looked at Isabella and Patrick, and without responding to the questions about sales and GG, said directly, "My mother passed away. I need to go back to Scranton."

Isabella immediately stopped speaking and put down the proof she was holding. Her expression became very serious, and her eyes showed concern.

Patrick stood up, went to Arthur, and said, "My condolences, Arthur. Your mother was a good woman; she must have been called by God."

"If you need a few people to go back with you to handle the funeral arrangements, I can arrange it with the guys at the dock right away. We can rent two cars and set off for Pennsylvania first thing tomorrow morning."

Isabella walked to Arthur's side and said gently, "Arthur, go back and take care of things at home. I'll take full responsibility for the newspaper's work these next few days. Don't worry about anything here; just focus on the funeral."

Arthur shook his head, rejecting Patrick's offer.

"Thank you all. But I can go back by myself. Also, after this funeral, I don't plan to go back to New York for the time being."

Upon hearing this, Isabella's eyes widened slightly as she looked at Arthur and asked softly, "Not going back to New York? Arthur, what happened? Why did you make this decision? If you need rest, you can go to Long Island or Florida for a long vacation."

"The newspaper is currently on a rapid rise; we've just achieved a huge commercial and political victory. My aunt said yesterday that the Republican Party is willing to provide us with more resources and exclusive news leads."

Isabella then picked up a thick brown paper document bag from the table and opened the seal.

"Arthur, I originally wanted to settle the accounts with you today regarding the newspaper's shares. We've discussed this before."

She pulled out a draft equity transfer agreement and pushed it in front of Arthur.

Isabella explained, "Because of Jimmy Walker's administrative crackdown, in order to protect our assets from being seized, we had not completed the formal business registration change procedures. The newspaper's ownership has always been registered under my name."

"Now that Walker has resigned and died unexpectedly, the administrative threats and tax audits have been completely lifted. We can proceed with a legal share split."

Pointing to the terms on the document, she said, "This is the 51% controlling stake document. Based on our financial assessment yesterday, the newspaper's current total asset value, printing equipment valuation, brand intangible assets, and future GG advance payments add up to a very large sum of money."

"Once you sign this document, from today onwards, you will be the absolute controlling shareholder of the New York Herald. You will have veto power on the board of directors and the highest percentage of dividends."

Arthur glanced down at the agreement. He picked up the pen on the table and, without hesitation, signed his name in the signature field.

Arthur put down his pen, looked at Isabella, and said, "Isabella, thank you for keeping our initial agreement. I accept this share. It's also an affirmation of our work over the past few months. But my decision remains unchanged. I'm preparing to leave New York."

Isabella asked, somewhat puzzled, "Since you've accepted the newspaper, why are you leaving? You can now legally take over this highly profitable business."

You can continue writing editorials and novels, becoming a giant in the New York newspaper industry and influencing public opinion across the entire East Coast.

Arthur replied earnestly, "Because New York's political news cannot reflect the full reality of the country. We simply had one mayor resign."

But the nation's underprivileged are experiencing a complete collapse.

Arthur explained his plans to them: "I'm going to write a book, a novel that chronicles the lives of these farmers and workers. The book will be called The Grapes of Wrath."

"I want to document their stories of losing their land and jobs, their migration routes on the highways, their living conditions, and the injustices they suffer."

"These things need to be recorded, and you can't write down these details sitting in an office in New York."

No one spoke in the office. Isabella and Patrick listened to Arthur's plan and realized that Arthur's vision went far beyond what New York City could represent at the moment.

Isabella looked at Arthur.

She fully understood Arthur's motives, and her eyes showed support and appreciation.

"I understand, Arthur. Go and write what you want. You don't need to stay in the office managing day-to-day affairs. I will handle all the day-to-day operations, financial approvals, and human resources."

"You are the chief writer and major shareholder of this newspaper. Wherever you go, as long as you send back your investigative notes and manuscript of 'The Grapes of Wrath,' we will print it in the newspaper as a serial."

"I will arrange a dedicated front-page layout and be responsible for subsequent negotiations and distribution of the standalone edition."

Arthur looked at her and nodded.

"Thank you, Isabella. I'm very relieved to have you as my contact."

2 Isabella suddenly remembered something, slapped her forehead, and said, "You can't take the train. The train routes are fixed and can only take you to big cities. You need to explore along the highways, so you'll need a car that can handle all kinds of road conditions."

"Here's what we'll do. I have a modified Ford A-Class pickup truck at home. The chassis has been reinforced, and the suspension system has been replaced. I'll give it to you. This truck can take you anywhere you want to go."

She took a set of car keys out of her handbag and handed them to Arthur.

"This is a farewell gift for you. Be careful, Arthur. We're here waiting for you to come back."

Arthur took the car keys, put away the letters and share documents, and said to Isabella, "I will send the manuscript back on time. I'll drive off tomorrow morning, heading to Scranton first. I'll come back to see you after I finish this book."

""