Yet, several days passed. There was no statent from the royal family. No statent from the British governnt either. They allowed the newspapers to continue reporting.
Many people suddenly had the feeling that perhaps the newspapers had guessed correctly, and the lack of response from the royal family was as good as tacit approval.
This emboldened the gossip News Papers even more. Now they even reported on the royal family's silence.
"The British royal family has yet to make any statent on the romance between Princess Margaret and Mr. Hardy, suggesting possible consent or tacit approval."
While the outside world continued speculating about Hardy and Princess Margaret, Hardy had already left Britain and was heading to Miami.
Before leaving the UK, Hardy had instructed Andy to gather the legal departnt, the finance departnt, and HD Security's Lancer to et him in Miami, where they would all head to the Cayman Islands together.
At the sa ti, Hardy also hired the largest construction and design company in the United States, as the Cayman Islands needed a major overhaul, essentially requiring the construction of an entirely new city.
When Hardy arrived in Miami, his team had already rented a large cruise ship. Lancer had brought along 300 personnel from the security company, led by Neil. They were to be stationed on the Cayman Islands long-term.
Neil was one of Hardy's most trusted n. Years ago, when his wife couldn't afford dical treatnt, Hardy sold his watch to help pay for her care, saving her life from tuberculosis.
With security personnel and company staff, the ship carried over 400 people, and after two days of sailing, they arrived at the Cayman Islands.
The Cayman Islands are composed of Grand Cayman and two smaller islands. Grand Cayman spans 220 square kiloters and accounts for 85% of the total land area.
Beaches, coconut groves, blue skies, and clear seas.
Beautiful scenery.
The island mainly consists of coral reef plains, with a large circular lake in the center, ideal for docking ships. Its conditions are no worse than Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong, and it is also the site of the largest port in the Caymans.
As early as the 15th century, people had settled here, making it over 400 years old, though the population had always been small. Currently, only about 3,000 people lived on the island.
Previously, the island was under the jurisdiction of the British appointed governor of Jamaica, and there was only one administrative office on the Cayman Islands that managed everything on the island.
As Hardy's ship docked at the port, a group of people was already waiting. As the hatch opened, rows of security personnel in black uniforms, carrying bags and with assault rifles strapped to their backs, disembarked, giving the dock an air of tension.
Quite the sight.
The island only had a dozen police officers maintaining order, and suddenly, hundreds of ard soldiers had arrived, which was enough to intimidate anyone.
That was precisely the effect Hardy wanted—to intimidate everyone and make them realize that their new governor wasn't soone to be trifled with, so no one would dare cause trouble.
Afterward, Hardy, accompanied by Andy, Taylor, and mbers of Hardy's company, disembarked. The island's administrator imdiately ca forward, respectfully greeting Hardy with a smile. "Governor Hardy, it's a pleasure to et you. I'm Jack Ross, the administrator of the island."
"Nice to et you, Ross. It looks like you've managed this place well. Could you give a tour of the island and tell more about it?" Hardy said.
"Of course, Governor Hardy. I've prepared a car," Ross replied respectfully.
At 220 square kiloters, the island wasn't small. Ross gathered several vehicles to take Hardy and his team on a tour of the island.
Currently, the island didn't have many facilities. The main town, George Town, had a population of just over 2,000, with the remaining few hundred people scattered elsewhere.
A city of 2,000 people was no different from a village.
Fortunately, there were two roads on the island, so the transportation system wasn't too backward.
Because of the threat of hurricanes, the tallest buildings were only two stories high. The island was filled with low, simple houses, with the largest building being a church. After looking around, Hardy turned to Andy and said:
"We've got a lot of work ahead of us. Everything needs to be built from scratch. It's like rebuilding an entire country."
In the office, a map of the Cayman Islands was spread out on the table. Grand Cayman, a coral island, is flat, with an average elevation of 15 ters, aning there are plenty of usable areas.
The island is covered in coconut groves, surrounded by beaches with fine, soft sand. In later years, it would beco a renowned diving destination.
Hardy said, "The island must have a large airport capable of handling large aircraft. The runway should be no less than 4,000 ters."
Although today's aircraft don't need such long runways, Hardy knew that planes would beco larger in the future. For example, a Boeing 737 or Airbus A320, both small mainline aircraft, require a 2,700 ter runway. A 747 needs over 3,300 ters, and an even larger A380 requires close to 4,000 ters. Hardy was planning ahead.
"There also needs to be a large dock for both passenger and cargo ships. The existing dock is a natural harbor in a great location, but it's too small. We're going to develop this place into a resort and gambling hub, requiring large scale construction. There will be many tourists in the future, so we can't overlook the need for proper docks for people and goods."
"We also need to build a Governor's mansion. This current office isn't suitable. The future Governor's mansion will be the highest authority on the Cayman Islands, and it must et that standard."
"We'll need to build a governnt building, too, which will include all departnts."
"The military needs a suitable location. I think the end of the island looks good—there's a port there that can be turned into a military dock, solely for military use."
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