https://smashwords/books/view/282519 The ‘great man’ was none other than the world renowned businessman Charles B. Hatton. He always included the initial ‘B’ in his title, to distinguish him from his father, also Charles; some time writer and photographer. Formerly a respected figure in the world of commerce, Charles B. had started life, the son and only child of a man who’d tried, and failed. It was actually on the death of his uncle, that Charles B. came into the inheritance that would set him up for life. He became the owner of a plot of land, which included a small hotel, a restaurant, and a pub. The land totalled several acres, but the properties had been largely neglected during the lengthy illness which, ultimately brought about the demise of his uncle. Charles B. made his first million several years later, when he sold the decaying properties to a local housing developer, during the housing boom. He still owned almost half the land, and seeing the potential income that could be generated from residential dwellings, he used his capital to fund his own building project. He built his own private estate of twelve luxury, detached houses, and with the housing market continuing to be in the ascendancy, these properties, when sold, became the areas first million pound, private homes. Millions became billions, through shrewd stock market investments. His portfolio included commodities, such as gold and oil, as well as IT investments in hardware, software, and the internet. His most notable success was the acquisition of struggling local software developers, Securisoft. The three-man outfit was in desperate need of major funding. Charles B. purchased the company for five million pounds. Under his guidance and leadership, they were able to expand rapidly, and developed, amongst other things, the ground breaking total security package that is now a household name; ‘Securisuite’. This company alone is today valued in the billions. Following his sudden departure from the constant glare of the public spotlight, he became obsessed with protecting the symbols of extreme affluence he’d spent the previous twenty years collecting. His collection of treasures included items of both historical and intrinsic value, ranging from a fleet of vintage and classic cars, to extensive cellars, filled with vintage wines. Original works of fine art, ancient maps and documents, as well as items of memorabilia that spanned decades in the worlds of sport and popular culture, completed his hoard. As a whole, the collection was priceless, but even some stand-alone items were so highly sought after, they were valued in the millions individually. Charles was by no means a young man, when he made his decision to abandon the constant glare and scrutiny of public life. Most people believed that it was an inevitable consequence of the pressures associated with the lifestyle he had been leading. After all, he was a classic example of someone who had risen from rags to riches, in a relatively short period of time, and this, in the opinion of some social commentators, was bound to render him a little eccentric. This was an opinion that suited Charles, who, in reality had his own, very personal reasons for keeping his profile as low as possible. It would not be until several more years had elapsed that he would bid farewell to his reclusive lifestyle, and once again make himself known to the world.
Posted on: Mon, 03 Nov 2014 13:35:31 +0000