[Edward POV]
Three days passed quickly. The basement renovation was in full swing. Six egress windows were installed to bring sunlight into the room, and after some persuasion, Phil and Claire agreed to knock down a wall, merging two rooms into one, which meant installing six more windows on the other side of the basement.
The new space would feature a sliding, foldable barn door, and a bathroom would be added as well. A team of 20 contractors was hired to handle the renovation.
Phil and Claire were speechless at first by the sheer number of workers, but after seeing their 'discounted' price, he decided to hire them all to work on the house.
Most of them had worked for me before, whether on my house or the company building. This was a huge opportunity for them since I usually hire people I know for my other projects. A project manager was hired, and, of course, it was the reluctant grandfather, Jay.
Seeing Jay wanting to work while Phil filmed the process for the channel provided great entertainment for me. I even helped edit the finished videos—all one minute each—for Instagram. Jay appeared in the videos a few times, and people loved his interactions with Phil.
Six videos had already been uploaded for this project, and the number of followers Phil had gained was skyrocketing. He went from around 5,000 as a realtor to almost 20,000 followers after the project started. In this 2009 pre-iPhone 4 era, that was tremendous growth.
The YouTube video was also uploaded and was slowly gaining traction, with over 300,000 views after just three days. Phil definitely couldn't recoup his money from the renovation, but he was enjoying the process immensely.
It was the first time his skills as a realtor and his knowledge about houses were showcased in full. Phil's video was highly praised by commenters as he discussed the cost of the renovation, the legalities involved, how to obtain permits, and more.
After seeing all of the comments, Phil suddenly had an idea to buy a house, flip it and record all of the process before selling it back. However, since it was too risky, he didn't proceed with the idea yet.
While the renovation was ongoing, Abed and I found ourselves deep in an interesting discussion about TV shows.
Inside the office building, Paige, Abed, and I gathered around my laptop to watch Abed's amateur production series, "Study Group."
Abed had already made five episodes of the series, with each one garnering between 200 to 500 views on the community college art department's website. As we started the first episode, Paige watched with an awed expression, her eyes glued to the screen.
When the episode ended, she turned to us and said, "It's… um, rather than feeling like an amateur production, it seems more like a low-budget TV show. The writing works—it's really good." She paused, clearly impressed.
Abed retorted, "It doesn't achieve the level I want it to yet." He was referring to the occasional poor lighting and filming conditions that appeared in the video. Since he shot it in a real college, various factors sometimes ruined the filming.
"It's like a Community TV show," I mumbled to myself, "but more unhinged."
I thought about how Dan Harmon had created Abed and Jeff's characters based on himself, and now Abed was taking on that role in his own show.
As Abed just started his directing journey, he didn't have a lot of professional equipment or a budget to produce an actual TV show. That's why he only posted his work on the art department website.
Watching the show with Abed sparked an interesting idea in my mind. If Abed could produce Community-style shows, why not create something like The Big Bang Theory or even Modern Family?
There was a huge demand for new types of TV shows in this world. I realized I didn't even need to use the same characters—just their personality types and the plotlines of the TV series could work.
"Let's try it with The Big Bang Theory first." I mumbled. "Paige, Abed, I have an idea." I grinned as I leaned forwards to the both of them, disrupting their discussion.
…
[General POV]
Since the first episode of Breaking Bad aired, viewers have been hooked. Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Faced with financial struggles and the burden of impending medical bills, Walter decides to secure his family's future by using his chemistry skills to produce methamphetamine.
The idea itself was absurd, but it worked. Audiences loved how Walter snapped out of his own mediocrity. The concept of a man with nothing left to lose finally realizing his potential excited viewers.
He partners with former student Jesse Pinkman, a small-time meth manufacturer. Together, they cook meth in an RV in the desert. The episode introduces Walter's family, including his pregnant wife, Skyler, and his teenage son, Walter Jr., while setting the stage for Walter's transformation from a mild-mannered teacher to a drug manufacturer.
The last scene of Bryan Cranston in his underwear, preparing for a confrontation with the police, was a peak cliffhanger that sparked endless conversation about the show.
By the time episode two aired, the show already had a large fanbase, with 20 million views on Netflix alone. People worldwide were eagerly awaiting the next installment. As interest grew, Netflix subscriptions climbed to 50 million.
At the time, Netflix was privatized by Edward, who chose not to disclose user numbers publicly, eliminating the need for external investment. Traditional media had yet to recognize the threat Netflix posed.
In episode two, after a violent encounter with two drug dealers, Walter and Jesse are left with a dead body and an unconscious man, Krazy-8, in the RV. They must figure out how to dispose of the evidence. Walter struggles with the moral implications of his actions, while Jesse tries to manage the situation. Back at home, Walter's family grows suspicious of his erratic behavior.
What made the show unique was its commitment to having characters face the consequences of their actions, rather than resorting to contrived plotlines to resolve conflicts.
When episode three premiered, the Breaking Bad cult following truly began to take shape. Walter grapples with the reality of his situation as he keeps Krazy-8 captive in Jesse's basement. He is forced to confront the consequences of his choices and their impact on his family.
Meanwhile, Skyler becomes increasingly worried about Walter's health and behavior. Walter's moral struggle culminates in a tense decision about Krazy-8's fate, deepening the exploration of Walter's transformation and the lengths he will go to protect his family. When Walter decides to kill Krazy-8, viewers are left on the edge of their seats.
Mrs Alexandaria's character; Skyler, became widely talked about by the audience. Her name was in the articles, which she later printed out and framed it in her house.
Even though she was paid only 100, ooo per episode, Jenna's mother was extremely satisfied by the critic's praise of her performance and her name entering the mainstream media network. Finally, she felt like a true actress rather than a cheap escort.
TwitterUser122: Hopefully they keep the quality till the end of the season.
TomHolland: I still can't believe Edward made this show. Isn't he still a teenager?
JaimeFox: Now I can't wait to see his upcoming movie.
Many actors started praising the show, in hope to gain some points from Edward, for him to consider them for his next project.
Even the sitcom, 'The Office', talked about Breaking Bad in their scenes. Micheal Scott talked about having a Netflix subscription and watched the show there, however, no one else was as excited as he was or gave a damn about the show, which made a simple, yet funny scene.
Entertain also announced their adaptation of the Percy Jackson books after the third episode aired, and how Jon Favreau would be directing it after he was finished with the Iron Man 2 production.
The news was really exciting for the readers of the book. People were really looking forward to the adaptation.
…
[Edward POV]
"No, you cannot make another series." Pepper shook his head decisively after I brought up the idea of The Big Bang Theory to him.
"Huh? Why not?" I was confused since I knew the studio had the capability to handle another project as we kept hiring more and more workers.
Most of them left Hollywood because of their cultures and biased hiring processes. Their talents had almost gone to waste, but then, Netflix offered them another way to unleash their creativity.
"Honestly, Ed, do you have ADHD? Just focus on your tour! You even have a concert tomorrow," Pepper scolded, trying to dismiss the topic. "Did you even prepare for that?"
I narrowed my eyes at him and asked, "What's the true reason?"
Pepper was startled and hesitated for a moment. My gaze seemed to pick at his defenses until they crumbled.
"THEY'RE NERDS!" Pepper exclaimed in frustration, slamming both of his fists on the table. "People don't like nerds! They find them off-putting. Also, you don't have any money to produce another show."
"I have my stock portfolio," I replied easily.
"Then you're going to have to pay 35% capital gains tax over the liquidated assets, which means you'll lose over 400 million dollars. Are you sure that's what you want?" Pepper asked, his tone filled with concern.
I was speechless for a few seconds after hearing that. Not that I was unaware of the capital gains tax, but hearing the figure again made my heart bleed.
"I'm still going to sell them, Pepper. The market will stabilize after this, so growth will be slow," I said with a sigh. I had tripled my investment by taking advantage of the stock market during the time of crisis.
Also, I wasn't planning to sell all of them—maybe just half and keep the other half to grow.
From 400 million dollars of personal wealth, I now had a net worth of over 1.2 billion dollars, legally. No one knew what Robin had made for me.
As most transactions leave a paper trail, news articles came out about my net worth, shocking the public.
Artists reaching billionaire status weren't too common, but there were quite a few. However, mine was achieved through trading and other businesses, which intrigued people even more.
After the news broke, the number of nudes I received from women in my Instagram DMs doubled.
"I'm still going to do it," I said with a smirk. Pepper was helpless and slumped in his chair. "Alright, it'll be our first failure then. It's about time for that to happen. Seriously, a live audience sitcom? What are you thinking?"
"I can tweak it to become a normal-style sitcom. Wait, I think it'll be even better that way." I paused, contemplating the show's format and whether it would work after the change.
"That's not my concern! Who'll watch a show about off-putting, horny smart alecks with mental issues?" Pepper argued.
"Me. I relate to that," I replied simply, a mischievous smirk on my face. Pepper rolled his eyes at me.
I continued, "Also, this is not new. Go watch The IT Crowd. TBBT will show smart people, yes, but it will also highlight their problems and make people relate to them—not to mention a ton of pop culture references. It'll work, trust me. I'll think about the new format for a bit and tell you about it later."
"Is this a billionaire's ego? Is that it?" Pepper joked sarcastically.
I smirked and replied, "Hey, the media says I'm the youngest self-made billionaire in the world. I'm a role model to every kid in America. I can have an ego, can't I?"
Pepper burst into laughter. "Alright, let's go with it. Let's make the show."
After some discussion, I left Pepper's office and bumped into Taylor and Vanessa.
"Oh, what are you guys doing here?" I asked politely.
Vanessa replied, "Um, Taylor and I are talking about my album." Her eyes darted between Taylor and me, feeling uncomfortable in our awkward encounter.
Taylor suddenly spoke up, "Ed, can I talk to you about something?"
"Yeah. Sure." I responded easily.
"In… private." Taylor gave a subtle look at Vanessa. She caught on and quickly said, "I still need to practice the choreography. You guys should talk."
Once Vanessa left, Taylor and I moved into an empty room. "What do you want to talk about?" I asked.
"Remember you told everyone that we're going to collaborate at the end of the year?" Taylor said. "Are we going to do that? Or should we just forget about it?"
"The reply songs could work for that, or if you want, we can record a few songs together—"
Taylor interrupted me, "No, the duets are better performed together. Even the song 'Two Is Better Than One' suffers because of our schedules. Now that you're going to be away, it's better not to have any duets yet. I think, we should continue the reply songs."
Taylor's heart beats quicker as she suggested it. With a look of anticipation, she said, "You know, since we can perform by ourselves…but still keep the narrative that we were once…together." A wave of melancholy flashed in her eyes before she shook it off and returned to her casual expression.
"I'm listening." I said with some interest. "Now then, I already know you wrote another song about me." I said, which made Taylor laugh awkwardly. "We can lead with that. But, you might regret it cause I could write something really scathing and hurtful–"
Before I could finish my sentence, Taylor hugged me. "Hmm? What is this for?" I was confused by her suddenness.
"I'm just really glad that you're safe." Taylor tightened her embrace and said, "I also want to say that I'm really sorry."
We talked about the incident leading to the breakup in September, and Taylor apologized for the way she acted at that time. Never once did she mention during our conversation, anything about getting back together.
She just wanted to apologize for hurting me, and told me that her words have haunted her ever since. We finally made up and Pepper was really excited by it.
"Oh! It's a Pre-Christmas Miracle!" He hugged both of us at the same time.
"Don't lie, you hate this." Taylor exposed him.
"Yeah, there won't be any more dramas for you to enjoy." Harvey also exposed him. Pepper gasped in offense and looked at Harvey and Taylor with bewilderment.
…
I returned home just in time for dinner. My dad and Frankie were working, and Maggie went out to play with Vanessa, so I thought I only needed to cook for myself.
As I was parking my car, suddenly, Haley and Alex approached my house. "Hey!" Haley greeted me cheerfully as I got out of the car.
"Hey," I replied, smiling back. "You guys want something to eat? I'm going to make dinner."
"That'll be great. It's so dusty in the house," Alex complained. "I wonder what would happen if I confronted my parents about it being preferential treatment to only give the room to Haley."
Haley ignored Alex's comment and asked, "What are you making?"
I also chose to ignore Alex and said, "Beef braciole and caprese salad."
We walked toward the door together and entered side by side. As I began cooking, the familiar scents of garlic and herbs filled the kitchen, and I engaged in conversation with the girls. They sat at the kitchen island as they watched me cook.
Haley turned to Alex, a playful glint in her eye. "When I'm gone, you'll have the entire room to yourself. You can decorate it however you want."
"I know, I'm counting the minutes until you're gone." Alex said mischievously, even though I knew she felt a bit sad about it.
"You can have a reading space. A comfy couch, a mini library." I added.
Alex was excited by the prospect of having a lot of books in her room and said, "Where can I get the books? It's pretty expensive if I want to make a mini library. I'm not even sure if mom and dad will buy me those."
Haley turned to me and grimaced, "You know when she has that, she will no longer get out of her room, right? She'll become the lonely loser again."
"I was not a loser!" Alex defended herself. Suddenly, Alex got a text message from her boyfriend. "Oh, Finneas wants to have a video call from Switzerland. I'm going back home."
"Keep your clothes on." I shouted at her as she left. Alex showed me a middle finger and retorted, "You guys are the one who needs that advice."
Haley and I exchanged confused glances before bursting into laughter at each other's expressions.
"So, have you thought about what you want to do with your room?" I asked Haley as we shared dinner.
Haley replied coyly, "Hmm, I'm not sure. I kind of want to put up a picture, but I don't know what yet."
"I was thinking about themes, but we can start with pictures," I teased. "Do you want me to paint a picture of you?"
Haley's eyes widened in excitement. "Really?! You can paint?"
"I can try," I replied vaguely.
She giggled and flirted, "So, you want to draw me like one of your French girls?" referencing the iconic scene from Titanic where Leo drew Kate Winslet as she lay there nude.
I smirked and replied, "I'll draw you like Jenny drew her mother in Not Another Teen Movie."
"Hmm? I don't remember that," Haley said, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.
After dinner, I set up a canvas and had her sit in front of me as I began to draw. Haley's heart raced as she modeled.
"Done!" I announced after a few moments.
"That was fast," she said, surprised, and rushed over to see. Her excited expression changed into disdain when she realized I had drawn her like a child would—a stick figure with oversized eyes.
"See? Same eyes!" I pointed at the exaggerated features.
"I'm leaving," Haley said, slightly offended, and stormed out of the house. I couldn't help but burst into laughter before setting up another canvas to draw more seriously.
The next day, I flew to Vegas for a Christmas concert with my fans. The hall erupted in thunderous cheers as I walked onto the stage.