December 29.

  -You'll have to arrive tomorrow at the test; yrandparents are asking for you. You promised not to be te! You embarked on a trip with tight deadlines, and now I have an irate Texan and a father asking for you, - replied Thomas upon learning of Billy's rip to New York, with Marvel as his sharp objective.

  -Why did I participate in su unforeseen trip? - asked Ronald Perelman. The only person I o buy Marvel was that lunatic who owned 92% of the pany, a pany with a series of advantages. Firstly, they had a toy line; sedly, they had a small animation pany, promoted by two people, Sahin Saban and Avi Arad, who were ioy business and ied in taking over Marvel. Along with Isaac Perlmutter, another entrepreneur, they all wanted ohing: to replicate the tinuous success that Billy had with the X-Men and Spider-Man series. Unlike before, he modified and improved the drawings with his teiques, and the visual quality increased by 10%. However, that doesn't detract from the fact that everyone was very excited about the meeting.

  Series that Billy ko be fantastic; his mere presence doubled the number of viewers. The November statistics were revealing: 895,000 people on s, ic sales doubled, and even stalwarts like Sta only gratuted A also saw how she helped boost sales.

  -An opportunity arose, father. I don't have to expin it to you. Send my apologies to Grandma and Grandpa; I'll arrive on the 31st in the m. I spoke with Margot; she'll help me with the New Year's shopping, - replied Billy, walking through the long airport tunnel, numerous fshes began to assail him.

  He could hear Thomas's voice. - I have to hang up, - said Billy as the shouts became louder, and Thomas simply hung up; his father was looking at him with total seriousness.

  -You heard; he'll arrive on the 31st, - said Thomas.

  -That's how things are, son. Don't expect much when your son is a millionaire businessman ag on a whim; he probably won't need you until he divorces, - said Richard Carson.

  -Let's get back to what we were doing! - replied Thomas, a bit exasperated.

  Ivanova chuckled from a chair he window with a cigarette in hand. - Darling, Billy will e on the 31st. His employees start w on January 3rd. I think if we leave him aloo do his thing, it's easier for us to have the family pn on January 2nd, - replied Ivanova.

  -Great example, always letting the kids do whatever they want! - retorted Thomas, more exasperated. Livy ignored his outburst and closed her eyes; they were getting little sleep with the new baby.

  ***

  For Billy, it was different; he was bombarded by relentless fshes, everyoalking about this or that. 'Little Women' had received 14 million in its first 8 days; the approval spelled triumphs for Sony. The pany couldn't enrich their desires even more to carry out promotions; tomorrow the hat Winona was seen arriving in the Uates would be out.

  -Trouble in paradise. -

  -Mr. Carson, is it true that you're in a polyamorous retionship with four of your cast members? -shot a journalist.

  -Mr. Carson, you tell us about the ret acquisitions of ID Software, Raven Software, Paralx Software, and Blizzard Eai? Is this a new expansion of video games? Your ret meeting with Microsoft left notes indig a possible partnership, - another ented.

  This question made him pause. Surprised by the exclusivity.

  -Is it true that you're a Christian Catholic? - asked another. Still, too fast, the questio ing oer another; now he uood the importance of on-air interviews. He had a career without interviews.

  -To the ID Software guy. Which outlet are you from? - Billy asked.

  -I'm with the New York Post, - he quickly replied.

  -It's true; we acquired those three panies. oal is to tinue creating the best games on the market. Innovation must go hand in hand with iment. Expee of the most sensational games of all time, Tomb Raider. Our st game is great, I affirm, but ID Software's megaproject will pete to be one of the games of the year, - Billy replied.

  -Why were you ile? - the journalist asked bluntly.

  He tried to speak as loudly as possible, but everything was drowned out by the stant shouting.

  -I'm part of the board, well, a small pertage of shares. Just a coffee chat, nothing serious for now. We might colborate iure, - Billy replied, tinuing on his way as his security guards shielded his ing and going. He mao get into a waiting bck car, with the skilled Dougs Sing nodding as Erwin got into the back seat with him.

  -Who leaked the information? - Erwin asked Leo Roy.

  He shook his head. Billy wao untangle himself from New York traffic; he invited him for an hour-long ride through the streets of Manhattan.

  Exhausted, hungry, and with a headache, his destination was the offices of Wall Street, first a quick meeting uhe table with Ronald Perelman, a man many called foolish, but the man was lining his pockets with Marvel and now po sell it to Billy for han the value of his purchase in the '90s. He was a vampire, after all; if he didn't follow the rules, he'd likely go after the toymaker.

  Parked in front of Wall Street.

  -Erwin, you'll e with me. Meanwhile, you guys take a spin or just find parking. We walk to the Marvel building; we have the meeting in an hour and a half, - Billy replied before opening the car.

  -Yes, sir, - Erwin replied.

  Taking aor to the 38th floor, he took a calm breath; he despised business, but he was fag a man who couldn't be uimated. Likely, Ronald doesn't have much time left.

  In his previous life, he could determihat one of Ronald's big mistakes was that he didn't care about a ic book pany that could wait; the bankers wiped their backsides in 2008 with taxpayers' money, as long as they received money, no problem. Everything is important as long as they have money.

  The ic book bubble was the first strike; the Major League Baseball strike massacred the units of Fleer and Panini, which are part of the Holdings group. For now, it's a unioween Grupo Andrews and Marvel Holdings Inc.

  Marvel starts talking big about the many projects they have, but iy, they're under Ronald Perelman's trol, who has done several iment tricks, sorted and distributed. To terbahe spending and not allow the entry of other capitals, they have issued bonds to sustain themselves. Bonds that he buys for a lower price after a vicious circle between his pahat distribute spending and loss.

  For now, Billy bought the rights to X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Iron Man.

  -Good m, I have an appoi with Mr. Perelman, - Billy replied to the receptionist, a blonde beauty with a nee that left everything to the imagination, due to the leopard pattern peeking through.

  -I'll ask, - the blonde said with a smile.

  Erwin remained seated, taking out a small Bible and starting to read, while the blonde pyed with her phone, maintaining a somewhat stereotypical Ameri movie attitude, though not so cliché anymore.

  -You go in; it's to the left, three doors down, - the blonde replied from her desk.

  With his experience, he could detect two important things: he o iate quickly, but he couldn't point out Ronald Perelman's mistakes. He could buy shares from the New York Stock Exge; meanwhile, he could acquire 35% to 40% of the pany. Additionally, the shares, which had dropped to two dolrs, had started to rise again and stabilize at eight dolrs.

  However, they were certain that the price would drop as soon as the greed of some began to affect the employees. If you take a brief view of what Ronald Perelman wants or doesn't want, it's to create a rge corporation through Marvel. He has bought video games, stamps, trading cards, and toys. They have ahusiasti to acquire numerous reted panies, which may result in a good iment. However, they have distorted the parent pany, creativity, and characters, with the many ics that have created endearing series.

  -Mr. Carson, e in, e in. Don't worry about my friend here; this gentleman, Mr. Oswald, is a respected person, a t of mine, - Ronald Perelman replied.

  -Mr. Oswald, Billy Carson, a pleasure to meet you, - the young man replied, deeply aware that if he was esteemed by one of these sharks, he should be part of a very rge pany or another shark.

  He wasn't wrong; it was Oswald Mars.

  -I'll leave you gentlemen to sort out your business, but young man, would you be up for a meal? - Oswald asked.

  This caught Billy off guard, and with much to do; he debated whether to dee or accept. - Mr. Oswald, I wouldn't want to disrespect you, but I have a workday until the evening. I'm staying at Pza; if you could e there, I'd be pleased to dih you, - Billy replied.

  -Oh, unfortunately, my helicopter leaves in two hours. I see it'll have to be aime, young man, - Oswald Mars, the first son of Forest Jr., one of the owners of the world's rgest chocote pany, responded.

  -I regret not being avaible, sir. I'll e to New York on some occasions. I don't think I'll go unnoticed, - Billy ented with a smile after the maed, without a sed gnce. Ronald then ented aloud, -You dodged a bullet, girl. -

  -So, let's schedule a meeting to discuss something relevant. I 't help but want to guess why you want to talk to me, - Ronald Perelman replied, who also had a thh list of Billy's status. As a wholly private pany, it jealously guarded its pany. No s iock exge and the purchase of 2% of shares was enough to add that the kid was buying shares here and there.

  To the point; he would throw out the hook.

  -You already know, I've produced television series. I believe the Marvel market has a lot of potential. If we tinue produg television series, we earn a lot of moV ratings soar, but it requires iment. That's what I'm looking for; only outstanding series caters' attention, - Billy replied, spouting nonsense. He wanted Ronald Perelman to spend money, whether it was with him or with others. Even if they made a movie, given how mediocre the superhero film industries were in the early years, they would likely make a grave mistake.

  Ronald Perelman smiled like an idiot. A child; he was a child who came without advisors. He robably only good with character design, ics, and cartoons. Youth-led them to make many mistakes.

  -Television series, young man? - Ronald Perelman asked, with feigned surprise. - I don't think they make much money. Produg some series, and distribution is just a meager detail; often, distribution paake all the money. I don't think Marvel would embark on su enterprise. -

  -Of course, of course, sir, but thanks to the series, we revitalize old ics, the stamp industries revive fotten characters, and eveer, toy designs vary. I have a el, and my ic series has increased in sales. Kids love seeing their superheroes on the s, - Billy ented, using his ag skills to create an aura of ay. All Ronald would see was what he wanted.

  -I uand, but we're not ied in shoant to focus on our toy sector, - Ronald Perelman replied.

  ...