[Chapter 906: Evasive Maneuvers]
Both Eric and Katzenberg hoped that the expansion of the Firefly Group theme park project would occur quietly and without fanfare. However, some things were simply destined to not go as planned. The day after the opening of the Titanic exhibition, the media burst forth with reports that Firefly Group was set to build a theme park based on the Playa Vista studio, even analyzing in detail the most likely eastward expansion plans for Firefly Studios.
Soon after, staff members who had been discreetly negotiating with the residents east of Firefly Studios reported that nearly all the homeowners who had almost agreed to sell now backed out. Although most were willing to continue discussions, without exception, they raised their asking prices to astronomical levels. Some homeowners even quoted $1 million for properties valued at less than $100,000.
It didn't take a genius to figure out that someone was stirring the pot, and it wasn't hard to guess who that someone might be. In contrast, the plan to acquire 160 acres of land west of Lincoln Avenue moved along smoothly. Once proposed, the Playa Vista district government quickly approved it, offering only a 50% markup over what Firefly initially paid for the studio land.
One could easily imagine that the Playa Vista district was eager for Firefly Group to build a theme park within their borders. After all, a large theme park could generate hundreds of millions in taxes and create numerous job opportunities for the local community. Tax revenue and employment generally served as indicators of how well various levels of government performed, from federal presidents to small-town mayors. To win voter support, one couldn't escape these metrics.
Due to the disruption, plans to expand eastward were now put on hold. Management had no choice but to let the theme park design team focus on the parcels west of Lincoln Avenue, trying to draft a feasible proposal.
...
On Saturday night, Eric secretly handed his and Caroline's hair samples to Katzenberg, who initially promised to deliver the results by Monday. However, the next day, Katzenberg called with a tone of regret, explaining that the cousin relation testing Eric requested was proving challenging. To obtain accurate results, it might take up to three days.
By Wednesday morning of the following week, Eric was in his office at Firefly Studios when Katzenberg finally brought in a thick stack of evaluation reports.
"For confidentiality, I had the analysis done in San Francisco," Katzenberg said, pulling the reports out of their folder and placing them in front of Eric. He continued, "The report just came in this morning. The doctor overseeing the analysis told me they've compared all 46 chromosomes from both samples and selected nine that matched preliminarily for further testing. Out of the 50 DNA loci sampled on those chromosomes, only one showed a difference, yielding a matching rate of 98%. They then tested another 50 DNA loci, and this time, all matched."
At this point, Katzenberg's implication was clear. Noticing Eric deeply engrossed in the report, he remained silent, quietly leaving the office.
The report spanned over twenty pages, containing far more detail than Katzenberg had mentioned and included many professional comparison images.
After calmly finishing the report, Eric glanced at the definitive conclusion on the last page and, after a moment of silence, rose to walk over to the shredder, feeding the report and the manila envelope into it.
To be fair, Eric had no interest in the origins of this body. If it weren't for Caroline, he wouldn't have proactively sought any verification, even if he sensed something was off. After sorting through some details in his mind, he realized that perhaps the woman had no intention of claiming him and that was probably for the best.
...
Lost in thought, staring at the pile of shreds, he heard a light knock on the office door. Eric responded and turned around. Caroline walked in with a stack of documents. Noticing Eric standing next to the shredder with a strange expression on his face, she asked in confusion, "Eric, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," Eric shook his head and made a habitual joke. "I'm just not used to this; I almost thought an elementary school kid invaded my office."
Caroline scrunched her nose in annoyance, but a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Ignoring Eric's banter, she placed several binders on his desk and said, "These are the ones you need to review and sign today. Also, Ms. Pascal called; MGM's negotiations with Rainbow Media reached a conclusion, and she wants to set up a time to talk to you."
"Go ahead and call her over now," Eric said as he settled into his chair behind the desk. "And, I forgot to mention it yesterday, but reserve a table at the restaurant on the boat for lunch. I'm treating someone."
"Okay," Caroline nodded, making a note. After confirming Eric had no further requests, she turned and left the office.
...
Once the door clicked shut, Eric picked up a pen from the holder and opened the first document in front of him. It was the Clover Fund's next phase buy-in plan.
By late July, Thailand's financial market had become a disaster zone. After having drained the Thai economy, international currency speculators had turned their sights on the next juicy target: the Indonesian rupiah.
The Southeast Asian financial crisis had also affected the North American Nasdaq index, which had recently experienced frequent fluctuations, pausing its previous rapid ascent.
While negative commentary on the Nasdaq market increased, Eric recognized this as the Clover Fund's last chance to buy into IT stocks at lower prices. Thus, he devised a massive $1.5 billion stock investment plan for the coming three months, which would raise the originally planned $2 billion investment to $3 billion or even more. However, with Firefly Group's recent performance increase and unexpected profits from hits like Titanic and Finding Nemo, the plan faced criticism from some shareholders and executives, but none had firmly opposed it.
After carefully reviewing the buy-in proposal and glancing at the list of popular tech companies, Eric suddenly thought of Larry Ellison, whom he hadn't heard from in a while. He wondered how Ellison's plans to raise funds for the acquisition of Apple were progressing.
Thinking about this, Eric picked up his phone and dialed Ellison. They chatted briefly, and although Ellison spoke in a friendly tone, Eric sensed some hesitance in his voice regarding the Apple acquisition.
After hanging up, Eric pondered for a moment, shaking his head with a smile before dialing Caroline again. This time, Melanie answered the phone, but he didn't mind. He instructed, "Have someone look into the progress of Larry Ellison's plan to acquire Apple."
*****
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