Secretary Office (4)

Atari currently had 98 million $ in cash plus the earnings of the month of March, which would probably be around 50 million $ again, so roughly 150 million $. This excluded the 50 million $ Atari had left from the year 1971.

The planned investment of 5 million $ was negligible compared to the profit. Simon kept roughly 100 million $ for the acquisition of the Los Angeles Lakers and some further investment into the team and the stadium. The rest would be used for the company which his older brother Alexander would lead in the future.

Howard Schultz was important for the next company Simon planned for himself and his older brother Alexander, Starbucks. Simon knew that the first Starbucks store was going to be founded on March 31, 1971, in roughly 2 weeks' time. That's why he claimed the name "Starbucks" last year already and had his parents law firm make sure there was no way to snatch the name away from him.

Of course, he didn't want to start Starbucks without the legendary CEO that led it to huge success in his past life, the soul and heart of Starbucks.

On Thursday morning he left his apartment under the protection of his security team and went on his way to a poorer area of Brooklyn, where the current Howard lived with his family.

When sitting down not far away from the basketball court he calmly inspected the surroundings. The young Howard Schultz was extraordinary in statue, no wonder he got selected for a sports scholarship. But nobody would even bet a single dollar on this guy to become a billionaire some day in the future. And not only a billionaire, but a future candidate for the President of the United States.

When the exhausted Howard took a break from his ball game and refreshed himself with some cool drinks, he eventually spotted a person he had never seen before in this area. Not only was he unknown, but he wore spotless clothing and seemed to be protected very closely by at least five bodyguards. He could even see a little bulge at their jackets, where they stored their firearms.

This young man was just observing the games going on, without showing any sign of participating at all. Howard could swear that this person was observing him most of the time. Even with his back towards this unknown young man he could somehow feel his haze on him. What annoyed him the most was the slight feeling of pressure. He felt uncomfortable. Obviously, he couldn't just walk up and swear in his face. He was not stupid enough to get angry with someone protected by armed bodyguards.

Simon could feel the slight changes in Howard's attitude and his over the shoulder look from time to time. After spending his childhood in poor living conditions and having to fight all by himself during his early childhood, the young future billionaire seemed heavily insecure and put on a very proud façade. Showing weakness was not possible for a person with those living conditions.

Those were the attributes an entrepreneur loved in his subordinates. That is why Simon didn't poach any very young targets, so their character wouldn't change compared to their future self.

Obviously, the character of Howard Schultz was already formed, he just needed professional knowledge and experience. They would be gladly given to him, if he could grasp the chance that was right in front of him.

When one of the five bodyguards moved exactly in his direction the future Starbucks CEO felt a little overwhelmed. When the burly guy was standing right in front of him, he couldn't keep his cool anymore.

"My Boss would like to invite you over. Please." 

Peter Sinclair, the new addition to the bodyguard team, didn't know why his boss wanted to meet with this unknown and unkempt person, but he would never dare to disagree with his order.

The situation was completely unpredictable for the young 17-year-old boy who would just graduate high school in a few months. But the fact that he was in his own neighborhood and many people were around gave him enough confidence to follow the large bodyguard in front of him with mechanical but steady steps.

When he was sitting on the bench next to Simon, surrounded by five heavily armed bodyguards, he didn't know what to say or to expect. Surely, nothing special was expected of him. Not showing panic already raised the expectations for the following conversation.

"We don't know each other. We have nothing in common and we have no grudge or anything like that. Truly, we have no connection at all. You don't have to worry about anything."

Howard breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this opening statement, but the confusion for this whole situation increased further. His questioning eyes prompted his opposite to continue.

"My hobby is to develop games and I look for inspiration every moment. Recently I was lacking some excitement for new ideas. I grew up in New York, but I never really walked around the poorer areas. You could say I grew up with a golden spoon."

The expression of Howard slowly turned for the worst. He was sitting across a mirror that showed him everything he ever wanted. A strong feeling of envy spread in his whole body. But there was no malicious jealousy, only the will to struggle for a better life. He was slowly clenching his hands.

"When I first laid eyes on you on the basketball court, I could feel a real struggle going on. You were going after every ball, nearly desperate. I don't really understand what's going on in your mind and that made me curious. Would you mind talking about what's driving you to play that hard?"

On the one hand Howard felt insulted by this question, because he was treated like an animal in the zoo. But on the other hand, he felt like this was an opportunity. He was obviously sitting across a very wealthy person. He decided to gamble on this chance with his dignity. What is dignity worth anyways, right?