Chapter 266: Investment Company
Chapter 266: Investment Company
“Chris, do you know Cisco?” Eric asked, somewhat excited. In his memory, Cisco might not have gone public yet. If so, with his current net worth, he could definitely acquire a sizable stake. Eric was not even asking for much. Even if he only obtained ten percent, ten years later, the value of that stake alone would let him taste what it felt like to be the richest man in the world.
Chris thought for a moment and asked, “You mean the router company incubated by Sequoia Capital?”
“That’s right. You know Cisco too?” Eric asked nervously. The fact that Chris knew the company did not seem like good news. Could it be…
Chris did not notice the unease in Eric’s expression. With an inexplicable smile, he said, “Of course I know it, because our company is also handling Cisco’s IPO. It happens to be in the same department as mine, though not the same team. The man in charge is named George Kelly. That guy spent several months persuading Cisco’s major shareholders to agree to the IPO plan, and now he’s lobbying everywhere, hoping some investment institutions will take over Cisco’s stock when it goes public next February.”
So it had not gone public yet.
Eric immediately breathed a sigh of relief. When he first heard that Chris was familiar with Cisco, he thought the company had already gone public, or that it had been targeted by a major investment bank like Morgan Stanley. If that were the case, snatching food from a tiger’s mouth would not be easy.
“Chris, can you do me a favor?” Eric thought for a moment, then stared seriously at Chris. “Help me acquire Cisco shares. As many as possible.”
Chris was baffled. “Eric, right now some investment institutions are hiding from George Kelly because he keeps pestering them. Many people aren’t optimistic about this company.”
Jeffrey, who had been quietly listening, also advised, “Eric, if you want to invest, you can have Chris help you find some more valuable companies. As for this… Cisco you’re talking about, I think you should forget it.”
Eric shook his head firmly and continued staring at Chris. “Chris, will you help me with this?”
As if affected by Eric’s gaze, Chris nodded subconsciously, then said, “Eric, if you’re interested in this company, I can help you ask George Kelly for more detailed information. You’d better read it before deciding.”
“No need. I’ve already decided.”
Chris and Jeffrey exchanged a glance. Jeffrey said softly, “Eric, did you perhaps… drink a bit too much just now?”
“Listen, Jeffrey, and Chris. I’m very clear-headed right now. I’m neither acting on impulse nor drunk. Fine, actually… I saw some information on Cisco before. I think this company may become an industry giant like Microsoft, Oracle, or Apple. So, Chris, give me some good advice, alright?”
Chris glanced at his father. He knew Jeffrey was the one most familiar with Eric. Jeffrey thought about Eric’s usual personality. It seemed that once Eric decided to do something, Jeffrey had never successfully talked him out of it. So Jeffrey nodded to his son.
After receiving his father’s confirmation, Chris said, “Then, Eric, if you’ve decided, the first thing you should do is set up an investment company, or find an investment company to act as your agent. Morgan Stanley has a dedicated private wealth management division. With your current net worth, you’d definitely receive top-tier service. Of course, you’d also have to pay a considerable commission. So I recommend the first option.”
“After that, things are simple. Use this investment company to acquire Cisco’s shares, then find a professional manager to enter Cisco’s board of directors and handle matters after the stock acquisition for you. Of course, you could also do this personally, but I assume you definitely don’t have time, and I don’t recommend personally handling such specialized work.”
Eric thought for a moment, then sized up Chris sitting opposite him. Suddenly, he said, “Chris, why don’t you help me manage this investment company?”
“Me?” Chris pointed at himself.
Eric nodded. “Yes. Don’t worry, this company won’t be some small operation. I guarantee the company’s funds won’t be less than one hundred million dollars.”
Chris knew Eric would not joke about this, and he immediately fell into hesitation.
He was already a senior manager at Morgan Stanley. For many people working in investment banking, reaching this level required at least seven or eight years. He had only taken four years, and if he worked for another year, he was very likely to be promoted again.
Now, another opportunity had suddenly appeared before him. If someone other than Eric had said this to him, he might have agreed immediately. But Eric was too young, which made him hesitate inwardly. He feared this was only a sudden whim on Eric’s part.
“I know what you’re worried about, Chris. But believe me, this isn’t a decision I made on a whim. I promise you.” Eric glanced at Jeffrey beside them. “If you don’t believe me, Jeffrey can testify.”
Jeffrey touched his nose and laughed dryly. “What am I supposed to guarantee?”
“Guarantee that I’m not acting on a whim. You should be familiar with my personality.”
“But in my memory, a lot of things you do really are sudden whims,” Jeffrey said, leaving Eric depressed. Then he smiled and added, “But later, all of them proved to be correct. Chris, I think you can give it a try.”
Chris pondered for a moment and said, “Eric, I need to think about this. I’ll give you an answer as soon as possible.”
“No problem,” Eric nodded, not urging him.
It was not until ten o’clock that Eric finally took the initiative to leave Jeffrey’s house with the two little girls.
The chaotic Thanksgiving quickly passed. Because of the quarrel, none of the three got to eat turkey. The two girls made a fuss and surpassed even the President of the United States by pardoning the two turkeys each of them had bought. After the holiday, Aniston resumed work and left the villa, and Eric finally breathed a sigh of relief.
While paying attention to the box office of the three films related to Firefly, he also began casting for The X-Files. After two months of busy work, the writing team had basically completed the first-season scripts for The X-Files.
At Disney headquarters, after knocking a few times, an assistant pushed open the door and said to Michael Eisner, who was busy working, “Mr. Eisner, Mr. Rubin is here.”
“Let him in,” Michael Eisner said, putting down the pen in his hand.
Bruce Joel Rubin soon entered the office.
These days, he had been enjoying himself greatly. Because word had spread through Hollywood that Eric had taken a liking to the script for Ghost, he had met with almost every top executive from the seven major studios. As for small film companies approaching him in hopes of cooperation, they were countless. The prices offered by those who wanted the script kept climbing higher and higher, but none had yet reached his expectations.
“It’s a pleasure to see you, Mr. Rubin,” Michael Eisner said, circling around his desk and smiling as he shook Bruce Joel Rubin’s hand.
Bruce no longer had the flattered feeling he had when meeting executives from the seven majors not long ago. He shook hands with Michael Eisner neither humbly nor arrogantly, then the two sat down together on the sofa.
Michael Eisner did not make any comment on the script for Ghost. Instead, he said, “Mr. Rubin, I’ve already read the script. I invited you here today because I want to ask you about something.”
“Mr. Eisner, please ask whatever you like.” Bruce picked up the coffee the assistant had brought and took a light sip.
Michael Eisner patiently watched Bruce put on airs. Only after Bruce set down the coffee cup did he ask, “I only want to know one thing. When you spoke with Eric Williams, what exactly did he say? If your answer satisfies me, I’ll give you a very suitable price.”
Bruce Joel Rubin frowned. Michael Eisner’s commanding tone made him very uncomfortable. “Mr. Eisner, Mr. Williams said he thought highly of this script and wanted to buy it so he could direct it personally.”
Michael Eisner shook his head. “No. I know that little guy very well. He would never say something like that. I need you to reconstruct exactly what happened when you met him, from beginning to end. If you keep lying, or if you don’t want to say it, you can leave now. If you tell me the complete situation at the time, and the result satisfies me, I’ll give you a very generous screenwriting contract.”
“I know Paramount currently offered the highest price: six hundred thousand dollars and two percent profit participation. Believe me, my offer will definitely be higher than theirs. It depends on whether your answer can satisfy me.”
Bruce felt a burst of irritation and almost wanted to walk away. However, he was not someone who would refuse money. After thinking for a moment, he endured it and roughly recounted what happened when he met Eric.
Michael Eisner listened patiently.
Of course, he knew Bruce would not honestly tell the truth word for word. Adding embellishments was inevitable. So he also judged how much exaggeration was mixed into Bruce’s words.
After Bruce finished speaking, Michael Eisner leaned back against the sofa and thought for a full ten minutes.
The matter had originated at the celebration party for The Others’ box office success. That party had been hosted by Disney, and most of the people there had also been from Disney. Therefore, Michael Eisner had already asked many people for a detailed account of the entire incident.
What he could currently determine was that Eric had indeed not approached that group of people on his own at the party. He had only happened to pass by, been surrounded by those guests, and only then accidentally heard about the script. At the time, they had merely chatted for a few brief sentences. Among that group was one general manager from Disney’s distribution department, and according to that person, Eric had shown nothing unusual at the time.
Therefore, the possibility that Eric had immediately thought highly of the script the moment he first heard those people discussing it could be ruled out.