imprint.

may 9.

The blonde's rosy cheeks were vibrant like two red apples, complemented by her slightly wavy hair, juxtaposed against Billy's fresh work attire without a tie.

-I don't want you to involve Winona in the movie, - Gwyneth remarked.

-I can't cancel; the movie production is already nearly underway. We've fast-tracked all the details to start shooting in June. She already signed off on it quickly, and I can't go against the producers, - Billy replied.

The furrowed brows and slight pout of the woman, who was completely dismissed by the way things were portrayed, reminded her of how they used to strengthen their relationship, known by producers, friends, and the film circle they used to gather in. The reserved look and the diminishing of each other in meetings, adding their personalities, which often led to private conversations, were entirely characteristic of another time. It would lead them to be a strong pair of friends who would overcome a struggle, a script that divided the relationship, like public statements.

-Business is business, precisely. Winona is a plus for the movie. Her face is publicity, along with Bionoche; they are the actresses I need. If I can sustain the relationship and hope they support the movie with their image, it's a win for me, - Billy commented.

-But... it seems like you're making a movie just for her, - Gwyneth commented.

-The movie was another business. Saul Zaents, along with the writer, made a statement that they would sell the film rights to 'The Lord of the Rings' if we made the 'Lord of the Rings' movie. Steve Parks, my acquisitions and purchasing director, now named the sales department, was clear and expressed that he wouldn't sell without our movie. Hollywood's dream is always to seek investment, and well, I want the copyright to 'The Lord of the Rings,' -Billy said bluntly, continuing with his work, completely ignoring the resentful look from the blonde. Billy felt her gaze strongly.

-I'm sorry, okay, but I can't step back. Your behavior is childish, - Billy commented.

-When you sleep with that tart, I hope my childish behavior still echoes in your words, - Gwyneth said, crossing her arms at the foolish way her thoughts were minimized.

-You found a movie for both of us! - Billy asked.

-Not yet. My dad is reviewing the scripts, but I can't find anything outstanding, and I think you must find something great for me, as for you, - the blonde commented.

-I'll look for something that fits. I can't promise anything; my agent usually reviews scripts for me and chooses them, as I'm one of the few represented, - Billy said.

The capricious woman watched Billy's process. No one had ever been so indifferent to her; it was an indifference she once wanted to suppress, wanted to spit at the women who crawled to men. But now she was stuck with a workaholic who had all the lights to have many women at his feet, even the temptation that Billy was cheating crossed her mind every day.

Without paying attention to what had happened, she tried to relax. It's never good to be the intense woman, the blonde thought.

Billy worked on the cartoons; the deliveries of his series continued to resonate. He now had in mind to produce separate volumes of Digimon, The Boys, 300, and Resident Evil.

300 is a comic, with four long issues compiled into one volume of different stories about the history of Greece, from the birth of Spartan and Athenian nations, the Persian Wars, to the wars between Spartans and Athenians, ending with betrayals and twists of fate, concluding with the downfall of Greece against Macedonia.

-You're impossible when you work; you've been working for a long time, dear, - Gwyneth said.

-I'll be done in half an hour. We can go for dinner. I have my apartment; it was delivered last month, and it's likely that in the following days, you can stroll around San Jose. I have two cars, the gray van my grandparents and father gave me, and the armored car I use to transport myself around the continent, - Billy commented.

-That sounds great, taking a stroll in San Jose. I heard there are nice places in San Francisco, - Gwyneth said

***

At Microsoft's offices, Bill Gates was seated with crossed legs and a slightly slouched posture. -That's what she mentioned, that they have enough plans to anchor different companies, - he commented.

-They do, - said Paul Allen, who met with Bill at least twice a month.

-It's a complete and undeserved lack of respect, his attitude, - Paul Allen continued, rubbing his forehead, something he did every time something bothered him greatly.

-He's just a precocious twenty-year-old, Paul. At his age, I was in college with doubts about the direction of my career - Bill Gates remarked.

This earned a heavy sigh from Paul Allen. Not far away, all the directors were listening in respectful silence to the conversation between the two big bosses, with some nostalgia in their memories for the young man who promised to make a game for Microsoft in 1995, which turned out to be a total success. The same young man who sat and spoke with the power of a businessman, with the arrogance that none would have in front of their respective bosses who imitated sleeping tigers.

-The fax came in recently, - Billy Gates responded. - Anne has been holding back Billy since your last meeting. They've given us an ultimatum. Even the young lady has some teeth. She explained that they're willing to sell their Hotmail service and all its services for 300 million dollars. They'll receive shares and money, as long as the shares don't exceed 40% of the price. She sent privileged information again. Billy Carson will take 2% of the company. -

Braim Chard organized the papers.

-Yeah, we've had numerous conversations. She sent the statistics along with their steps, which have led them to where they are. Hotmail has been building relationships with multiple organizations since 1994, including various charities. Similarly, they've made connections with universities worldwide. They have strong business relationships with Stanford, and Stanford has accepted a lot of investment money from them. In February 1995, the feature was ordered for all of the United States. A few days ago, they stabilized their network worldwide and established languages in seven languages: Spanish, English, French, Italian, German, Dutch, and Indian. However, their contracts from February to May have increased by 1300%, - Braim Chard paused briefly, a pause that was visible to everyone in the room.

-This phase is called the first phase of Hotmail. As I talked to Anne, they're planning to launch a national and European advertising campaign, diversifying the company's services as their third phase. Anne implied that the price for August 1995 will double; however, she claims that the merger with Microsoft is not a loss, - Braim commented.

Bill Gates' posture changed from the old man to the straight-backed businessman. Paul Allen's eyes widened as he listened; with the development plan and other statistics, they began to understand Billy, a man of bets. Why sell so quickly? Wouldn't it be better to wait and sell? Another deception?

-It must be a trick, - Paul Allen commented.

-I agree, it's a bluff, - Bill Gates commented.

It was totally what he expected! The complementation of the service, the MSN chat, which was so famous in the 2000s, was a chat that would use Hotmail emails as IP sources to connect people. For now, everything was in its infancy, but the business side would invest in another team of ten people to create said chat, spreading across the United States, and the multiple patents, designs, and market positioning were not the only company there; they flirted with technology companies. IBM, and Sun Microsystems, had certain relationships, with companies specializing in software development, but the ones with the best opportunities were AOL, NBC, and Intel.

-But we mustn't neglect and wait. We can start conducting our research on emails, - Paul Allen commented.

Competing against a reincarnated person is a problem that not just anyone can face. The way everything was starting to resolve and the way information tends to be the greatest asset in some companies.

-This kid is a complete headache, - murmured Bill Gates, noting a conversation he had with Steve Jobs about the blunt way of doing business and his wise-guy way of contrasting people, with different contributions about the company's future due to his deductions or the emergence of different companies. Microsoft's analysis was simple; the kid had an innate ability for storytelling and graphic models, which had earned him growth in the entertainment industry, but in other companies, it depended on like-minded people.

***

"Is it your new Iron Giant movie? - Gwyneth asked.

-It is, it's my new movie. There was a big sale, - Billy commented, happy to see that revenues had doubled, The Iron Giant was treated differently some time ago, as it was a failure and only remained a popular star in culture.

-They did well; I didn't know you had released a movie since your company, - Gwyneth commented.

-Yeah, in March, it's been a month, in theaters, and box office revenue surpassed 80 million dollars, enough to cover expenses, make a profit, and expand globally, along with other peripheral earnings, - Billy commented. The cost was 34 million, so the total profit of 50 million could be the baseline cost to step into the Star Wars business. Notice has been given, and a large villa was bought in Italy to imitate the planet Naboo, a total of 65 acres, in a secluded villa, with a beautiful river, imitating the cultural landscape in Billy's name. If some things can be built, it can help for the multiple movies and series he wants to make.

-Wow, you made a lot of money! What are you going to do with the profits? - she questioned.

-Invest, pay off some debts, and prepare for the June sales. We're releasing A Bug's Life; we can use it to leverage my ongoing series. I want to create a channel for kids by the end of the year, - Billy commented.

-Will there be a worldwide premiere? - Gwyneth asked.

-Yes, we'll grant rights to some companies that will pay percentages of profits and other values for distribution. Our distribution has a good percentage in Europe and part of Asia, but that's not enough to bet on a movie that doesn't reach 100 million. It's better to agree on shares and rights sales, - Billy commented.

-It sounds painfully complicated, - the blonde remarked.

...