great productions (part 1.)

December 29.

-You'll have to arrive tomorrow at the latest; your grandparents are asking for you. You promised not to be late! You embarked on a trip with tight deadlines, and now I have an irate Texan and a father asking for you, - replied Thomas upon learning of Billy's new trip to New York, with Marvel as his sharp objective.

-Why did I participate in such an unforeseen trip? - asked Ronald Perelman. The only person I needed to buy Marvel was that lunatic who owned 92% of the company, a company with a series of advantages. Firstly, they had a toy line; secondly, they had a small animation company, promoted by two people, Sahin Saban and Avi Arad, who were in the toy business and interested in taking over Marvel. Along with Isaac Perlmutter, another entrepreneur, they all wanted one thing: to replicate the continuous success that Billy had with the X-Men and Spider-Man series. Unlike before, he modified and improved the drawings with his techniques, and the visual quality increased by 10%. However, that doesn't detract from the fact that everyone was very excited about the meeting.

Series that Billy knew to be fantastic; his mere presence doubled the number of viewers. The November statistics were revealing: 895,000 people on screen, comic sales doubled, and even stalwarts like Stan Lee not only congratulated Anne but also saw how she helped boost sales.

-An opportunity arose, father. I don't have to explain it to you. Send my apologies to Grandma and Grandpa; I'll arrive on the 31st in the morning. I spoke with Margot; she'll help me with the New Year's shopping, - replied Billy, walking through the long airport tunnel, numerous flashes began to assail him.

He could hear Thomas's voice. - I have to hang up, - said Billy as the shouts became louder, and Thomas simply hung up; his father was looking at him with total seriousness.

-You heard; he'll arrive on the 31st, - said Thomas.

-That's how things are, son. Don't expect much when your son is a millionaire businessman acting on a whim; he probably won't need you until he divorces, - said Richard Carson.

-Let's get back to what we were doing! - replied Thomas, a bit exasperated.

Ivanova chuckled from a chair near the window with a cigarette in hand. - Darling, Billy will come on the 31st. His employees start working on January 3rd. I think if we leave him alone to do his thing, it's easier for us to have the family plan on January 2nd, - replied Ivanova.

-Great example, always letting the kids do whatever they want! - retorted Thomas, more exasperated. Livy ignored his outburst and closed her eyes; they were getting little sleep with the new baby.

***

For Billy, it was different; he was bombarded by relentless flashes, everyone talking about this or that. 'Little Women' had received $14 million in its first 8 days; the approval spelled triumphs for Sony. The company couldn't enrich their desires even more to carry out promotions; tomorrow the news that Winona was seen arriving in the United States would be out.

-Trouble in paradise. -

-Mr. Carson, is it true that you're in a polyamorous relationship with four of your cast members? -shot a journalist.

-Mr. Carson, can you tell us about the recent acquisitions of ID Software, Raven Software, Parallax Software, and Blizzard Entertainment? Is this a new expansion of video games? Your recent meeting with Microsoft left notes indicating a possible partnership, - another commented.

This question made him pause. Surprised by the exclusivity.

-Is it true that you're a Christian Catholic? - asked another. Still, too fast, the questions kept coming one after another; now he understood the importance of on-air interviews. He had a career without interviews.

-To the ID Software guy. Which outlet are you from? - Billy asked.

-I'm with the New York Post, - he quickly replied.

-It's true; we acquired those three companies. Our goal is to continue creating the best games on the market. Innovation must go hand in hand with investment. Expect one of the most sensational games of all time, Tomb Raider. Our last game is great, I affirm, but ID Software's next megaproject will compete to be one of the games of the year, - Billy replied.

-Why were you in Seattle? - the journalist asked bluntly.

He tried to speak as loudly as possible, but everything was drowned out by the constant shouting.

-I'm part of the board, well, a small percentage of shares. Just a coffee chat, nothing serious for now. We might collaborate in the future, - Billy replied, continuing on his way as his security guards shielded his coming and going. He managed to get into a waiting black car, with the skilled Douglas Sing nodding as Erwin got into the back seat with him.

-Who leaked the information? - Erwin asked Leo Roy.

He shook his head. Billy wanted to untangle himself from New York traffic; he invited him for an hour-long ride through the streets of Manhattan.

Exhausted, hungry, and with a headache, his destination was the offices of Wall Street, first a quick meeting under the table with Ronald Perelman, a man many called foolish, but the man was lining his pockets with Marvel and now planned to sell it to Billy for no less than the value of his purchase in the '90s. He was a vampire, after all; if he didn't follow the rules, he'd likely go after the toymaker.

Parked in front of Wall Street.

-Erwin, you'll come with me. Meanwhile, you guys can take a spin or just find parking. We can walk to the Marvel building; we have the meeting in an hour and a half, - Billy replied before opening the car.

-Yes, sir, - Erwin replied.

Taking an elevator to the 38th floor, he took a calm breath; he despised business, but he was facing a man who couldn't be underestimated. Likely, Ronald doesn't have much time left.

In his previous life, he could determine that one of Ronald's big mistakes was that he didn't care about a comic book company that could wait; the bankers wiped their backsides in 2008 with taxpayers' money, as long as they received money, no problem. Everything is important as long as they have money.

The comic book bubble was the first strike; the Major League Baseball strike massacred the units of Fleer and Panini, which are part of the Holdings group. For now, it's a union between Grupo Andrews and Marvel Holdings Inc.

Marvel starts talking big about the many projects they have, but in reality, they're under Ronald Perelman's control, who has done several investment tricks, sorted and distributed. To counterbalance the spending and not allow the entry of other capitals, they have issued bonds to sustain themselves. Bonds that he buys for a lower price after a vicious circle between his companies that distribute spending and loss.

For now, Billy bought the rights to X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Iron Man.

-Good morning, I have an appointment with Mr. Perelman, - Billy replied to the receptionist, a blonde beauty with a neckline that left everything to the imagination, due to the leopard pattern peeking through.

-I'll ask, - the blonde said with a smile.

Erwin remained seated, taking out a small Bible and starting to read, while the blonde played with her phone, maintaining a somewhat stereotypical American movie attitude, though not so cliché anymore.

-You can go in; it's to the left, three doors down, - the blonde replied from her desk.

With his experience, he could detect two important things: he needed to negotiate quickly, but he couldn't point out Ronald Perelman's mistakes. He could buy shares from the New York Stock Exchange; meanwhile, he could acquire 35% to 40% of the company. Additionally, the shares, which had dropped to two dollars, had started to rise again and stabilize at eight dollars.

However, they were certain that the price would drop as soon as the greed of some began to affect the employees. If you take a brief view of what Ronald Perelman wants or doesn't want, it's to create a large corporation through Marvel. He has bought video games, stamps, trading cards, and toys. They have an enthusiastic plan to acquire numerous related companies, which may result in a good investment. However, they have distorted the parent company, creativity, and characters, with the many comics that have created endearing series.

-Mr. Carson, come in, come in. Don't worry about my friend here; this gentleman, Mr. Oswald, is a respected person, a client of mine, - Ronald Perelman replied.

-Mr. Oswald, Billy Carson, a pleasure to meet you, - the young man replied, deeply aware that if he was esteemed by one of these sharks, he should be part of a very large company or another shark.

He wasn't wrong; it was Oswald Mars.

-I'll leave you gentlemen to sort out your business, but young man, would you be up for a meal? - Oswald asked.

This caught Billy off guard, and with much to do; he debated whether to decline or accept. - Mr. Oswald, I wouldn't want to disrespect you, but I have a workday until the evening. I'm staying at Plaza; if you could come there, I'd be pleased to dine with you, - Billy replied.

-Oh, unfortunately, my helicopter leaves in two hours. I see it'll have to be another time, young man, - Oswald Mars, the first son of Forest Jr., one of the owners of the world's largest chocolate company, responded.

-I regret not being available, sir. I'll come to New York on some occasions. I don't think I'll go unnoticed, - Billy commented with a smile after the man departed, without a second glance. Ronald then commented aloud, -You dodged a bullet, girl. -

-So, let's schedule a meeting to discuss something relevant. I can't help but want to guess why you want to talk to me, - Ronald Perelman replied, who also had a thorough list of Billy's status. As a wholly private company, it jealously guarded its company. No offerings in the stock exchange and the purchase of 2% of shares was enough to add that the kid was buying shares here and there.

To the point; he would throw out the hook.

-You already know, I've produced television series. I believe the Marvel market has a lot of potential. If we can continue producing television series, we can earn a lot of money. TV ratings soar, but it requires investment. That's what I'm looking for; only outstanding series can catch consumers' attention, - Billy replied, spouting nonsense. He wanted Ronald Perelman to spend money, whether it was with him or with others. Even if they made a movie, given how mediocre the superhero film industries were in the early years, they would likely make a grave mistake.

Ronald Perelman smiled like an idiot. A child; he was a child who came without advisors. He was probably only good with character design, comics, and cartoons. Youth-led them to make many mistakes.

-Television series, young man? - Ronald Perelman asked, with feigned surprise. - I don't think they make much money. Producing some series, and distribution is just a meager detail; often, distribution companies take all the money. I don't think Marvel would embark on such an enterprise. -

-Of course, of course, sir, but thanks to the series, we can revitalize old comics, the stamp industries can revive forgotten characters, and even better, toy designs can vary. I have a channel, and my comic series has increased in sales. Kids love seeing their superheroes on the screen, - Billy commented, using his acting skills to create an aura of anxiety. All Ronald would see was what he wanted.

-I understand, but we're not interested in shows. We want to focus on our toy sector, - Ronald Perelman replied.

...