New Year.

December 31, 1994.

Marvel was just a headache, a giant where opportunities seemed at risk due to the constant legal problems of the company. Likewise, mere friendship wasn't enough for people; among animators, there was always a certain ambition, as demonstrated by Jim Lee himself.

-The stock purchase must be made as soon as possible, - Billy commented on the phone, along with a drowning Raimon at his parents' house. Since December, he has been

-I'll consider the purchases, but the situation is much more complicated than I initially thought. Moreover, if it's part of Wall Street, I see very few reasons to get involved. I know it's great, and the X-Men are one of the coolest series, but is it worth spending so much money to put out so many fires? It's almost irreverent. I see complications; we already have enough with Lucas on the table, - Raimon commented, with despair, due to the many capital problems, faced with the many incidents he had ventured into between Lucasfilm and Lux Animation, just to negotiate.

-You want to bet, I want to bet, - Billy replied perplexed, by the unprecedented occasion presented. - How would you solve a possible lawsuit from artists many years ago? How would you gather the rights? -

-In different ways, agreements, bonuses. If you have money, everything can be solved, - Raimon commented, stroking his beard, sitting at the kitchen counter while his mother baked a chocolate cake. With relish, on his left, he had a collection of Dungeons & Dragons magazines, working on the new Baldur's Gate game.

-We'll do it; I agree. However, I want to buy Panini before the occasion. I have some magnificent ideas on how we can make money, - Billy commented.

-That's painful. However, I'll only meddle; we need time to finish our investments with Star Wars. Marvel seems like the disillusioned girlfriend, - Raimon said.

-I understand. You're Team DC, while I prefer Marvel as a franchise. DC is impossible due to its closeness to Warner, - Billy commented.

-It's a shame you can't be part of my team. Batman is invincible. No character can beat Batman, - Raimon commented.

-I don't want to hurt any feelings. Say hi to your mother, - Billy replied, jokingly to Raimon, who had an obsession with Batman in many stories. Buying DC is quite complex; within his range of possibilities, he can't compete with Warner Bros., which has carried the franchise on its shoulders since 1969.

Billy took a breath, from the office, he ended up drafting an essay on his new Digimon franchise, along with relevant ideas for Tamagotchi's involvement. He wondered about the Japanese license, derivative work, along the union of another mega toy company. It's not profitable; it's better to follow Tamagotchi's strategy, outsource production, and release the purchase in comic distribution stores, with minimal distribution.

Digimon Tamagotchi, an economical product that doesn't require much investment due to its simple design, can be sold at a good price. Production isn't complex, and the selling price once it takes off is sufficient, along with a proprietary version of Pokemon Tamagotchi. Choose your Pokemon as a marketing campaign. For now, the illustrations and operation are being done on a thick number of sheets.

The main brands are the three Kanto regionals, each Tamagotchi containing a unique type. Green ones have grass-type Pokemon, red ones have fire-type, blue ones have water-type, and yellow ones have electric-type, while Digimon contains other patterns or characters. They can choose between six to nine characters in one, but it's a bit more expensive.

Is it bad to compete with your products? It doesn't matter; he just wants to promote his franchises. In subsequent years, the money from them will come by itself. For now, he hopes to document the growth rate in Japan and stick to creating different extensible series that are lengthy.

He stretched his arms and finished his break hour. His faithful bodyguard was on stage with his arms in the air. This time, he was accompanied only by Erwin; the other two decided to take a well-deserved vacation from work.

-We have a meeting, - Billy commented. - It seems the grandmother can't allow you to take a breath, like last time. Come on, we have a Christmas party. -

-I..., - Erwin began.

-You have something to do. If you want, you can tell me. I'll take a nap at my parents' house. I'll be with them until January 2nd, - the boy said to Erwin on the side.

-I'll venture with my granddaughter, - Erwin replied.

-You're all set. The private travel company gave me their number. Curiously, they're working today. They can schedule a trip for you, - Billy commented. It was noon, and he likely wouldn't find the right spot.

-I have everything arranged. I secured the perimeter, and I have a recommendation with the state police. The numbers are saved on your phone, and if you pay proper attention, you'll be fine. I have a plane to catch in two hours, - Erwin said.

-You're going to see your granddaughter without gifts, - Billy asked.

Erwin blushed.

-Come on, we have a toy warehouse at the comic factory. We usually have many toys that haven't been dispatched yet. The last order we placed was for The Lion King. We have a batch we were supposed to deliver, but it seems there was a problem with the shipments and requests. We have about 30,000 units in the warehouse, - Billy commented.

Walking to the warehouse, both were lost in their thoughts. Erwin was like a cold canvas, but he had accompanied him during Christmas. He probably didn't have the necessary time to perform. The warehouse was covered in many toys.

-Look, we have a Woody, - Billy commented, handing it to him, looking for some Lion King plushies. -This will do, along with this and this, a complete collection of the three main characters, and a board game. -

-Wow, this is... Quite something, - Erwin commented.

-No problem. We place orders from time to time. We have a stable relationship with some factories in China, Thailand, and Malaysia, and it can be outstanding for us,- Billy commented.

-Thanks for the gifts. It's been a long time since I celebrated Christmas; I forgot about gifts, - Erwin commented.

The military haircut for the first time was seen, illuminated by a slight smile, a small glimmer.

***

Billy took the car and dropped off Erwin near the airport, taking a small detour to buy a personal-sized pizza to go. He needed to keep exercising, but he was exhausted. He felt some peace seeing that only a few streets remained before reaching home. He took a deep breath. Eating pizza while driving was a habit he learned from Raimon. Upon arriving home, he was greeted by Helen Carson, who saw him from the kitchen table, and Richard Carson, who was taking a nap in a kitchen chair.

-Grandma, it's good to see you, -Billy commented.

-Where have you been, sweetheart? - asked the old lady with gray hair.

-Working, grandma. I can't afford to let my guard down for a moment, - Billy commented, grabbing some chips from the kitchen and receiving a smack on the hand from his grandmother.

-Wash your hands; I've prepared something for you to eat. You must be hungry for all the work you do every day. Don't worry; your grandma knew you were coming, - Helen commented.

-Thank you, Grandma, - Billy said, looking at Livy with the twins in her arms. One was named Anne, and the other Andrew, a boy and a girl, the new addition. Anne's bright blue eyes were so similar to Ivanova's, how they illuminated the room.

-Livy, it's good to see you, - Billy commented.

-Your father is in the back having a beer. He got a call half an hour ago and stayed there. You'll sleep on the couch, but your things are in the garage. You can pick them up whenever you want, - Ivanova commented.

Billy took a short trip to the garage to freshen up. His drawing room was taken over by Claudia, and his grandparents took over his guest room. The small studio was for the twins.

The door to the guest room opened, and slender Claudia emerged. She was different; her once crooked teeth were now straight, and her ridiculous hairstyle had been replaced by a fashionable one that accentuated her face shape. -Billy. -

-Claudia, I heard you got into photography school, - Billy commented.

-That's right. I'll take a course on human rights at the UN in June. It seems I'll follow in my mother's footsteps, though not as well as you, heartbreaker, - Claudia commented jovially.

-Not something many know, - Billy said as he headed for the shower, feeling exhausted. He didn't have time to deal with strange women anymore. As he was about to enter the bathroom, he was stopped by a slight murmur.

-The Davis sisters are coming. It seems they want to greet your grandparents. They have a good relationship! You should just know, - Claudia commented, with some doubt. They were kids when they met, but now that was all in the past, and Billy saw someone opposite to how he knew her, more relaxed and calmer, than the furrowed brow when they were young. More imposing, filling the room. Everyone stopped to look at him; a force ran through his entire being, more intense than Mr. Carson!

New Year's festivities could never be calm. Now it was understandable why he wanted to keep working late. A quick shower, a sports shirt, a sweatshirt, and a newspaper in hand. Only the thump on his grandmother's table "no newspapers on the table" stopped his reading of the year-end news, wonderfully, The Lion King was there as one of the best-animated films hailed by the public.

-Son, I didn't expect to see you. I thought you'd work until late, - Richard Carson commented, sitting next to Billy, holding a bowl of chicken soup.

-I arrived half an hour ago. Even the employees wanted to go home! The best thing I could have done was close the company early, - Billy commented about the security guards, operatives, and some security guards who could only renew their energy when Billy sent them home. Many were Americans who didn't celebrate these holidays, but... what a beautiful moment to be with family.

-Your grandfather appreciates you being here today. You only lasted a week in Texas, now that you're a doctor, you're faithfully busy with your studies, - Richard Carson commented.

-Don't mention it; you two are always a priority for me, - Billy said. - You can move to my new house; it's delivered in January. -

Richard's eyes widened. - Helen, dear, Billy has a new house, - he shouted from the kitchen.

-A new house, how did it happen? - Claudia arrived to have lunch, grabbing a roll from the table.

-Billy has a new house, - Helen said, happily.

-It seems so, - Richard said.

-Just a small apartment, nothing interesting. However, I think, in the coming years, I might buy another one. The apartment is just temporary while I settle in a convenient location, - Billy commented.

-1200 square meters, four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a Duplex apartment. I decorated it with your chubby friend. I got you some Batman curtains; I played along because of how stupid the superhero decorations turned out to be, - Ivanova commented, putting the twins in a high chair beside her. Both babies were tired, and their sleepy look was evident as they nodded off at the table.

-Curtains... -

-Curtains, rugs, beds. The walls were white, - Ivanova commented, gently stroking the twins.

'She looks like a mother,' Billy thought, watching the woman. Claudia also helped, picking up Andrew from his chair and settling him on her neck while she combed his few strands of hair, tousled.

The boy's whimper didn't take long. The whispers were quieted, and he stopped to open his big curious eyes.

-They can't sleep too much during the day. They take naps every five hours, but they've already been sleeping for an hour now, right little Andrew? - Claudia commented. - They need to get used to sleeping at night. -

-I never thought I'd get another joy of old age, - Richard Carson commented, sticking out his tongue at Andrew. They both started playing in a staring war. Thomas arrived at the table.

-I'm glad you came, - he mentioned as he sat down.

The festive day began.

...