As night fell and the city lights began to twinkle, Milo returned to his suite at the InterContinental Hotel in San Francisco. Wendy watched with a mixture of exasperation and amusement as he immediately collapsed onto the sofa, flipping through television channels with a bored air."My dear boss," Wendy began, unable to contain his frustration, "I understand your investment in Yahoo. After all, Sequoia Capital is already on board."The portly man paused, his tone shifting. "However," he continued, "I'm having some difficulty comprehending your venture capital investments in other Silicon Valley companies.""Such as?" Milo asked, barely looking up from the television."Delicious and AuctionWeb," Wendy replied."The former has only three employees and no office to speak of. The latter is even more absurd—it's a website created by its founder to appease his girlfriend, an online auction site for… fruit boxes."Wendy's voice rose in disbelief. "And you wrote them checks for fifty thousand and one hundred thousand dollars respectively!"Milo waved a dismissive hand. "Just do as I say, dear Wendy. Trust me. You'll think of me as a prophet one day."How could he explain to Wendy that he was a time traveler? That the fifty thousand dollars he'd invested in Delicious would, in three years at most, yield hundreds of millions in return?AuctionWeb was even more promising. Its founder, flush with Milo's investment, was planning to change its name to "Echo Bay Technology Group."Or, as it would soon be known, "eBay."One hundred thousand dollars for 60% ownership.Similar situations existed with other nascent companies like GeoCities and Lycos. Including Yahoo, Milo had embarked on a carefully planned spending spree in Silicon Valley.He'd poured fifteen million dollars of his twenty-million-dollar family line of credit into this venture, acquiring stakes ranging from 20% to 70% in over fifty fledgling internet companies. He'd also ensured that he had preferential investment agreements with them, guaranteeing his right to invest further down the line.Milo considered this a resounding success. Wendy, however, was in despair.As a peripheral member of the Blackbourne family, assigned to Milo with the multiple roles of "guardian," "butler," and "scapegoat," Wendy often found himself powerless to stop Milo's reckless behavior. In the past, only two and a half people had truly been able to control this wayward scion: John Blackbourne and Paladin Blackbourne. The "half" was Robin Bush Blackbourne.But now, Paladin was gone, and Robin, with only this one son remaining, was unlikely to intervene. Wendy knew that only the patriarch of the family could truly rein in the young master.He could only console himself with the fact that it was the old patriarch's money. The investment plan was known and tacitly approved by those at Plymouth. If it all went south, it wouldn't be his fault. At worst, he'd face a harsh scolding. And with a bit of luck, he might even be reassigned away from this young master.Holy Mary, Mother of God, please let it be so!With these thoughts, Wendy proceeded to update Milo on the state of his finances. "Since you insist, I have no choice. But I believe you should know how much money we have left."Milo finally turned his attention away from the television. "Oh? How much?""From the line of credit the family gave you at Wells Fargo, you have five million dollars remaining.""Your personal account at Flag Bank currently has three million, eight hundred and eighty-five thousand dollars.""And you have approximately two hundred thousand dollars in various cash holdings and smaller accounts.""In other words," Wendy summarized, "dear boss, you have a little over nine million dollars in liquid assets remaining."Milo grinned. "So much left? Excellent."Wendy rolled his eyes, turning to collapse onto another sofa.Looking at Milo's relaxed posture, Wendy realized there was no point in worrying. The Blackbourne family was vast and powerful, and Joseph had a bright future. Even if Milo acted recklessly, it wouldn't matter. It seemed the family wasn't expecting him to follow in Paladin's footsteps anyway.Silence settled in the suite's living room as the two men retreated into their own thoughts. Milo stretched out on the sofa, feeling utterly relaxed. It was perhaps the first time since his rebirth that he'd felt this sense of ease.He had achieved the first goal he'd set for himself after transmigrating: investing in the internet and leveraging the impending dot-com boom to secure his financial freedom.First, he'd used the Blackbourne family's connections to secure two hundred thousand shares of Netscape before its IPO. This had cost him four million dollars, depleting his existing funds. But it was a worthwhile gamble. Within a month, Netscape's stock would stabilize above seventy dollars, allowing him to easily cash out over ten million dollars, either by selling the shares or using them as collateral.He'd then successfully persuaded his grandfather to provide the initial family investment. He'd now acquired shares in over fifty internet companies, including Yahoo.Milo was certain that with proper follow-up, his nearly twenty-million-dollar investment would yield over ten billion dollars within five years. Yahoo alone could potentially bring in over five billion.With such vast wealth and the protection of his family, he could do whatever he wanted for the rest of his life. He was only twenty-two. By the time the twilight of his life arrived, around sixty, he would have experienced everything he desired. Even if the empire crumbled, it wouldn't matter.With this thought, Milo shrugged and stood up, walking to the floor-to-ceiling window and stretching languidly.Before him lay the glittering cityscape of San Francisco.So, what can I do now? he mused. What can bring me true enjoyment?The sounds of laughter and music drifted from the television behind him, tuned to the Disney Channel and a family-friendly movie.Milo licked his lips, his thoughts turning towards… Hollywood. He narrowed his eyes and silently mouthed the word.Suddenly, Wendy heard Milo speak from the window. "Dear Wendy, what do you think about me making movies?""Making movies? We are making movies," Wendy replied. "Now that the family funds have arrived, the remaining investment for the two movies we're co-producing with Miramax has been transferred. So, nominally, Paladin Pictures is currently filming two movies.""No, that's not what I mean," Milo said with a smile. "I mean, we should make our own movies!""Hmm?" Wendy sat up straight, his brow furrowed. "You mean…""I'll direct, write, and produce them!" Milo declared.Wendy opened his mouth, unsure how to respond.Holy shit!Was this even reasonable?This was absolutely, unequivocally unreasonable!This scion of New England aristocracy, descendant of Mayflower pilgrims, grandson of a former senator, son of a current congressman, a lineage that had produced five congressmen, and with a grandfather who had resided in the White House and an uncle currently serving as governor…This man was choosing not to play the game of political maneuvering like his ancestors. One could argue he had self-awareness, recognizing his lack of ability in that arena.At the very least, he could have leveraged his connections to become a successful stockbroker on Capitol Hill.Or even more simply, he could have started companies, endlessly creating new ventures to secure lucrative contracts. That was how everyone else did it.But he'd done none of these things.Instead, he'd run off to Los Angeles to chase women. This alone was enough to earn him scorn within his social circle.And now?Chasing women wasn't enough; he wanted to become a part of Hollywood himself.Wendy opened his mouth to protest.But in the end, he said nothing.