The Tyrant Billionaire

At midnight.

Normally, ABC would sign off for the night, but not today. Hardy had ordered them to broadcast 24 hours nonstop.

This was the first time in television history that a station had a 24-hour continuous broadcast. Once again, Hardy had made history.

On the TV, three anchors were seated, continuously discussing the election while reporting results as soon as any state's tally came in.

Millions of Americans who were following the presidential election were gathered in front of their TVs, watching as the results slowly trickled in.

At 1 a.m.

News arrived from Georgia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The results showed that Johnson had won all five states by a significant margin.

Meanwhile, Dewey had won three northern states. Enjoy more content from empire

At 3 a.m.

More news arrived from three key populous states: California, Ohio, and Michigan. Johnson held a slight lead in all three.

At 6 a.m.

The final election results were in.

Johnson won 49.5% of the popular vote and 305 electoral votes. Dewey garnered 43.1% of the popular vote and 187 electoral votes.

Johnson won by an overwhelming margin, leaving no doubt about the outcome.

Of course, there were six other candidates, but their support was negligible and not worth mentioning.

By this time, Hardy and Johnson had woken up. As they opened their eyes, they saw the news on TV, with people congratulating Johnson on his re-election. A large crowd had already gathered outside the White House, cheering.

"Congratulations, Mr. President. You've got another four years of hard work ahead," Hardy said with a smile.

"Thank you, Hardy."

Johnson gave Hardy a hug and patted him firmly on the shoulder.

Only Johnson knew how difficult it had been for him before. No one supported him, no one cared for him, and his approval ratings lingered around 20-30%. Even his own party didn't support him. But after he sought Hardy's help, things began to turn around.

Johnson returned to the White House.

At this moment, thousands of people had gathered outside the White House, many holding banners supporting Johnson's re-election. When the presidential motorcade passed, the crowd surged forward to congratulate him. Johnson smiled and waved at the public.

At 2 p.m.

On the White House lawn, President Johnson held a small press conference.

This wasn't the inauguration speech—that would take place at Capitol Hill on January 20th next year. This was just a press conference, where he expressed his gratitude and allowed the public to share in his joy.

ABC broadcasted the event exclusively.

According to statistics, over 30 million people across the U.S. were watching Johnson's speech on TV.

Johnson approached the podium, with several rows of chairs behind him. Seated were dozens of government officials and prominent figures, including the Senate Majority Leader, Speaker of the House, the Chief of Staff, Vice President Barkley, and several business leaders.

Hardy sat prominently in the front row among the business elites.

As President Johnson delivered his speech, ABC's cameras focused on him, then panned to the VIP seating behind him. After scanning the group, the camera lingered on Hardy's face for a few seconds. Throughout, Hardy maintained a calm, confident smile, with a deep and thoughtful look in his eyes.

Many Americans recognized him.

Jon Hardy, owner of Hardy Group, only 27 years old.

Many knew that Johnson's re-election could largely be credited to Hardy. Even if some knew it wasn't entirely Hardy's doing, they had to admit that he played a crucial role in the election.

Giannini from the California financial group saw Hardy on TV and sighed softly, "He made the right bet. He's a remarkable young man, and his future is limitless."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Other heads of major financial groups also took note of Hardy, remembering his face. They knew that with Johnson as his political backer for the next four years, this young man was bound to rise even higher.

They would do their best to avoid conflicts with Hardy and seek opportunities to collaborate.

Supporting those in power is human nature. Now that Hardy was at the top, they would naturally avoid confronting him and would even try to win him over. That was the smartest way to navigate the world.

The business world isn't about fighting; it's about building relationships.

The presidents and managers of Hardy Group's various companies, seeing their boss in that position, were filled with pride. They admired Hardy's capabilities and felt even more confident about the future of their business.

When Marilyn Monroe saw Hardy, she immediately thought of the sensation she felt when he held her that night, and she couldn't help but shiver.

To be honest, powerful men mesmerized her.

And outside, rumors began to circulate, portraying Jon Hardy as the man behind the president.

...

After the press conference on the White House lawn ended, a White House cocktail party followed, and everyone had smiles on their faces.

Hardy took the opportunity to meet many people.

The Roosevelt family, the Adams family, the Harrison family, the Rockefeller family, the Morgan family, the Rothschild family, the Hill family, and the Stillman family.

There were also leaders of major corporations, including Citibank, First National Bank, Morgan Trust, Hanover, and the New York National Commercial Bank, among others.

Some of these people had previously not supported Johnson, and many were even Dewey supporters. However, now that Johnson had won re-election and Dewey had lost, they all came to offer their congratulations.

To them, it was simply a failed investment.

It didn't have much of an impact.

With Johnson's victory, it was natural to mend relations.

This is just how financial backers operate.

Meanwhile, many prominent figures were observing the handsome young man in the crowd—Johnson's most notable public supporter, Jon Hardy.

At 27 years old, Hardy was still considered a younger member within their family. While others in their family were just getting involved in various industries, with some still honing their skills at lower levels, Hardy had already made remarkable achievements.

In the past, Hardy was merely an emerging business tycoon, viewed as a nouveau riche by many. However, after his successful investment in Johnson, no one dared to look down on him anymore.

After all, how did the great families rise to their positions? They, too, climbed step by step.