renewal.

The Disney team was most surprised by the upcoming Lux Animation film, Mulan. It was a slap in the face. They wanted to make a similar animated series. Lux Animation stole the game before they could even present their case. It was a subtle trick: while the production time for a movie is usually a year, Billy only made a brief 25-second teaser, meaning about a week of work at most, to establish the idea and set up the second part of his new series.

-I think this is exactly what we were looking for, - commented Thomas Schumacher and San Souci, who had been working on a story based on the Chinese poem The Ballad of Fa Mulan. According to the legend, Mulan took her elderly father's place in the army by disguising herself as a man.

In the story, after a prolonged and distinguished military service against nomadic hordes beyond the northern border (in this case, the Huns), Mulan is honored by the emperor but declines a high position. She returns to her hometown, where she reunites with her family and, to the amazement of her comrades, reveals herself as a woman. However, the registered script has been in place since March 1994, meaning they've been preparing it for longer.

Thus, San Souci, who only had a general idea, put aside the Fa Mulan script to save it for later after seeing Lux Animation's film and proposed a sequel. They decided to go with the Blue Prince.

-This young man must be a reader or have a huge team. The Ballad of Fa Mulan is a popular tale, - commented San Souci, adjusting his glasses. - I think we can take a different approach. Instead of adopting that dry Western tone, maybe we could bring in a Russian or Japanese perspective. Even a Portuguese angle would be more relevant; in the 15th century, they dominated the Asian maritime routes with their commercial and navigational techniques. -

-That sounds like a fantastic idea, - responded Thomas.

***

The atmosphere was heavy at the Carson house. Billy found the place so different; there was a series of painted photographs on a white wall, the furniture was new, and for the first time, he felt that the Colombian house perfectly matched the colorful rugs his father always had. Claudia was not in San Jose; she was studying art in New York, while Ivanova took care of the year-and-a-half-old twins, mischievous young ones who always laughed at everything. Their eyes were just like their father's, and a large belly suggested that there was movement in the house; a third child was on the way. Even now, his father was more cheerful, although the deep wrinkles on his forehead remained.

-We'll use the private jet I rented, - said Billy.

-Jet...? Forget it. We'll go, and thanks, son," said Thomas, hugging his son. Billy returned the gesture, feeling for the first time that they were reconciling. The gap was so wide; Thomas was his father and his companion, who had always supported him.

-I'll see you tomorrow to pick you up around 10:00 AM. Please be ready; the paperwork is a hassle, and the landing times in Texas are a bit tricky," Billy said as he took his leave, not before stopping to look at his old house. Monica was waiting in the car, playing with some dice. As soon as he opened the door, she came over to pamper him. For the woman who accompanied him, family was the most important thing above all; for her, family was the condition that could not be overlooked.

-Tomorrow we're going to Texas. - said Billy.

-We'll go, my love. I'll stay at a nearby hotel, but you need my company, my life, - said Monica, giving sweet kisses on Billy's chin.

The car disappeared down the road.

***

-People come and go, and I'm left with the bills, - Raimon muttered, glancing over the various account balances.

There's a particular reason: Billy's stock portfolio is one of the largest assets. If Billy wants to survive the next year, he needs to secure a loan of at least $70 million. His income is sky-high, even if he doesn't receive a substantial amount of money.

-I think he can buy the football team, - he continued. Negotiations were already underway with the family, and the asking price was $180 million. However, if Billy buys the team with a $150 million loan and uses the remainder from the company, adjusting the loan and rates a bit, he can ensure that the next tax declaration will be lower. Perhaps he could even apply for two additional loans to keep purchasing stocks.

Here is the list of stocks:

From Coca-Cola: he holds a total of 469,870 shares in the Coca-Cola Company, with purchases made annually. From Worldcom, he owns 15.3 million shares, having bought them at $0.21 each. At $2 per share, it's a clear profit no matter how you look at it.

But that's not all. From Walmart, he has 856,450 shares. In Home Depot, which is the two market stocks, he has a total of 1.8 million shares. McDonald's has 130,227 shares.

General Electric, one of the companies where he has invested the most, having initially bought shares at $7, now holds 34,931 shares, which has grown to 2.3 million shares. Compared to Cisco Systems, which has 10.4 million shares, it's less, but the fact is that General Electric shares are at a staggering $69 each.

-It's simply madness, - Raimon muttered. The growth of the stocks was soaring; if he could make a basic deal, he could earn an insane amount of money. In Oracle, Intel, and Microsoft, he had percentages of 17%, 7%, and 8.9% respectively. The amount of stocks bought in recent years was ridiculous.

-Stop muttering, - Rachel responded from her chair, irritated by his whispering, sighing, and gasping at each number he read.

-Hehehehe... -

-Ahhhhh! You're impossible! - Rachel roared, leaving the room to get some fresh air, perhaps to call Anne. Billy's financial status was kept under strict control, and he went in search of Steve Parks for the purchase of the San Francisco team. It was better to give in to a roaring Rachel.

...