January 3.

  The times in Italy are perfect, and Min is a city with its unique charm. It has the power to be called the fashion capital and, for many reasons, is a try that invites exploration and discovery. With its beautiful surroundings, including expansive vineyards, it is a city built for iment.

  Billy was walking through the Italian vineyard. Genoa, Turin, and Livorno are nearby and are known for their wine produ. They produce various types of wine, from sweet and sour to fruity. Less than an hour away, in Novara, a beautiful vil featured an old wooden house with cy, stone, and luxurious gardens. Alongside it was a vineyard and a barrel factory fing wihe beginning of a new busihat wasn’t focused oing rich. That’s why Mónica, with her rge bck eyes and distinguished appearance, couldn’t find any words to express her amazement.

  -So… -

  -It’s ours. It’s my Christmas gift—a vineyard for us. I thought it would be something that could bring us closer to Italy. And just a vineyard. You’ve always hi wanting a pce where you enjoy your wines, so now you have it. We make our wihe previous owner sold me his tacts on the dition that I wouldn’t dismiss his former employees. If we sell 50% of the harvest, the vineyard run on its own. With some iment, we expand the winery and, of course, produce better wines for ourselves, - Billy said to Mónica, who nodded politely but inside felt like a teenager bursting with excitement. A Christmas vineyard, an ued gift that delighted her pletely; now she uood why he had waited so long to give it to her.

  -Oh, Billy, I don’t like being surprised like this, - she murmured, feeling even more touched by the gesture.

  -It’s for both of us. -

  A vineyard is sidered by many Italians as a nd of beauty, art, culture, and nature— idyllic pces tered around the grape. Many traditions, businesses, and products stem from this trated fruit that creates a thread of well-being ay. It’s no ce that this fruit produces the elixir of life: wine.

  -Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, - Mónica whispered, aowledging Billy’s support in strengthening her ercial tracts with fashion brands, her involvement in the car market, and her dedication to high-level modeling. The title of the supermodel was now hers.

  She bit her lip, resting her head on Billy’s chest as she loved to do in the ms, a position she cherished.

  -Don’t worry, we’ll take it step by step. -

  ***

  Steve Jobs was moving bad forth, enjoying the luxury of closing multiple transas—a newly acquired pleasure. The business favored Billy, who was buying various shares that might urgently need iation in the ing weeks. His pertage had grown from 5% to 9%. The expenditure was siderable, and even though his pa was making a lot of mohe pany’s money was still just that: pany money.

  -Apple’s stock is plummeting, but Billy is to buy shares at 1.75. With a 23% stake in his favor, it’s a good deal. The few months and years will be a matter of iment. We o remodel the industry and i varying amounts of money. We have a project, but Billy’s priority is to acquire these properties under his name,- Steve Jobs ented.

  The other party sighed. Apple’s shares, bought ie 80s, had been a good pany, but its ret dee was a plete disaster. He wasn’t fully aware that the news was false. While some panies had mao use Apple’s teology, the issue dide further, but the damage was clear. Therefore, they o work on rebuilding the market, closely reted to the gaming industry, Autodesk, and Jobs’s knack for achieving what seemed impossible. But it wasn’t just about luck; it was about sharp vision and strategic thinking.

  -They expect a bankruptcy, - Tim Michaels ented.

  -We’ll do it. The initial iments will involve substantial sums for acquisitions and other projects that may not seem favorable to a board of directors. If you want to i or buy under a mandatory acquisition agreement, I ’t bme you, - Jobs said.

  -I’ll sell, but I want a preferential repurchase cuse when they make their public acquisition, - Tim Michaels responded.

  -Of course, we’ll do that. I just hope that, at that time, you or your children are willing to rei in the pany, - Steve Jobs said, with his usual gesture of moving his mustache from side to side.

  The signing was fwlessly executed on the page.

  …

  In the first weeks of January 1996, for Jobs and Billy, it was all about acquiring Apple shares, a move sidered one of the rgest they had made retly. A well-devised pn divided the shares among three parties: Billy received 78% of the pany, Jobs 9.5%, and 12% went to a multi-billion-dolr iment fund c various sectors such as oil, metals, mining, coal, energy, teology, and even a minor stake iertai.

  Raimon, another partit, was pletely exhausted and overwhelmed from postponing his vacation, but duty called. He had to oversee the entire process of restructuring and fortifying Apple. They hired Gil Amelio, known as a corporate turnaround specialist. If anyone could cut costs, optimize processes, aalize a stagnating pany, he was the man for the job.

  This decision displeased Jobs, but the orders were clear. In the maings, it was emphasized that Apple's priority was innovation, not quantity. They reduced the number of product models from 78 to 10—products that had not made a strong impression on the market. These would ter be cut down to 5: three puter models, each with its CPU, modem, keyboard, and mouse, but many of these models needed work, along with oop and headphones.

  -Billy expined everything to me! Let’s reduce our products. Our primary colors will be bck, gray, and white, with subtle shades of blue to represent the emblem of Lux Animation and various touches of modernity. Billy wants better graphic processors, improved operating systems, and top-notch developers. We need ge, and the best ge is to switch from inch disks to USB ectors for memory and linking, - Raimon expined, implementing many of Billy’s required practices to meet on delivery standards, with designs created by Billy to improve the overall look.

  -Yes, but why ’t I be the CEO? I believe I’ve tributed signifitly to the pany’s project, - Jobs murmured with displeasure.

  -You’re the Creative Director of the pany with broad authority over its operational dire. We need you to do what you do best. For now, let Gil hahe numbers and the ats. You are the face of Apple, - Raimon said smoothly.

  Jobs narrowed his eyes but uood his role. The tract was also crucial: Gil Amelio would be CEO for only three years, paving the way for a new director in 1999, with the hope that Jobs’s talent would be reized by then.

  The cost of acquiring shares reached 109 million to obtain the remaining pertage and secure 78% of the pany. This expenditure was highly troversial when Apple withdrew from the stock market for corporate health reasons, ultimately being the owner of the teology pany.

  The pany’s finances are as follows: 300 million was ied in Discovery for new dotaries, purchasing, and hirialent, and rec equipment. An additional 60 millio into Lux Kids, a children’s el that geed 72 million. 16 million was ied in edy tral, while 38 million ent on Skylerbox, primarily funded by ic book revenues. ID Software was expao Atnta, with 75 million ied in Microsoft Games as a primary iment and 15 million in DreamWames, paid by ID Software.

  The purchase of Apple shares for 109 million, c an additional 46% for a total of 78%, the acquisition of the Golden State Warriors basketball team for 70 million, and the 100 million ied in DreamWorks brought the total expenditure to 757 million i quarter. The annual total, sidering other expenses, amounts to 1.3 billion.

  Throughout the year, four animated films were released, and there was an iment in three films with distribution colboration.

  Monthly, Lux ics gees 9 to 11 million in ic book sales, half of which is used to sustain the pany, with the remainder for iments. This results in a minimum profit of 54 million from ic book sales, reag a peak of 72 million this year. The television el earns an additional 57 million from advertising, toys, and lising.

  Hotmail was sold for 520 million, and there is a debt of three credits totaling 300 million, 250 million, and 190 million, respectively.

  Iron Giant made a profit of 43 million, Lilo & Stitch 367 million, A Bug’s Life 100 million, and Ice Age 500 million. Excluding credits, total box office, ic book, and television revenue amouo 1.136 billion. The credits are the cash flow needed for their purchases, but they will likely be paid off by April 4, five days after tax filings.

  Tax liabilities are calcuted at 170 million. Even with the rge debt and numerous exemptions, this is the cost of tax decrations.

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