Capítulo 126: Chapter 126: Caribbean
With the arrival of 2005, the total box office results of Hollywood in 2004 had increased compared to 2003, surpassing $9.3 billion.
The awards season was also the busiest time in Hollywood. Brokeback Mountain had swept the Best Picture awards in the Writers Guild, Screen Actors Guild, and Producers Guild with its delicate and bold approach and theme right after the start of the year.
At the upcoming Golden Globe Awards, the most direct competitors were Brokeback Mountain and The Aviator, while the inspirational American film Million Dollar Baby wasn't favored by the Foreign Press Association.
While Hollywood was bustling, Charles Capet was vacationing near Paradise Island in Nassau, Bahamas.
In a luxurious beachside villa, Charles was lying in bed holding Britney Spears, kissing her.
The sudden ringing of a cell phone interrupted the tranquility. Charles picked up the phone, and Britney Spears complained, "Charles, you get too many calls. We've been here for only a week, and you haven't spent quality time with me!"
Britney Spears had arranged this place for a vacation with Charles. She had planned everything three days after New Year's Eve in Las Vegas.
"Honey, this is really important!" Charles said while embracing the girl, looking at the caller ID which showed Dona Williams.
Britney didn't feel like speaking anymore and just leaned her head on Charles's shoulder.
"Dona, you finally called back!" Charles answered the phone.
"Boss, two things. First, Facebook was founded last February, and angel investment came in September. It's now valued at $5 million!"
"Do you mean they don't want investment now?" Charles was puzzled. His memory was unreliable; who remembers exactly when Facebook was founded? If he hadn't overheard Camille mentioning it, he'd have forgotten.
"I found the angel investor, and he's willing to sell 5% of Facebook shares for $2 million!"
"Buy it, buy it immediately!" Charles didn't hesitate. The valuation was $5 million, 5% was $250,000; this guy's asking price of $2 million was definitely business sense.
"Okay, I'll have someone arrange it immediately," Dona now had a team around her with lawyers, accountants, and risk assessors.
"What's the second thing? Did you find those engineers who quit eBay?" Charles had asked Dona to look for YouTube's founders.
Eventually, they created YouTube, which Google acquired in a little over a year for more than $1.6 billion!
"Yes, that's the second thing. I found them, and they indeed have the idea of creating a video-sharing website!"
"Do they have a name for it?"
"Yes, they're planning to call it YouTube. They will soon form a company. Boss, you want me to join them and provide funding to help them start the company; is that really what you want?"
"Of course, that counts as angel investment for us, right? How are negotiations going?"
"Boss, they set a high price. Dawn Investments will invest $1 million in YouTube, but our maximum stake can only be 40%!" Dona Williams reminded over the phone.
"Oh, that's good, not bad!" Charles was quite pleased.
"Boss, they haven't even launched; it's just an idea. Are you sure you want to invest?" Dona asked once more.
"Yes, we must invest!" Charles, anyway, just talked with confidence; venture capital has no charm without risks.
"Okay, boss. Our shares will also be diluted in future funding rounds!"
"Understood, no problem. Get everything done as quickly as possible, and then you can take a long vacation to spend time with your family!" Charles had to ensure Dona could take a good break.
After putting down the phone, Charles excitedly leaned over Britney Spears.
"Finished with the work?" Britney Spears, beneath him, asked while holding Charles's neck.
"Yes, it's done!" Charles finished speaking and kissed the girl on her lips.
An hour later, Charles and Britney Spears lay exhausted, cuddling on the bed, admiring the ocean view through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Blue skies and clear waters, seagulls perched on the palm trees occasionally spread their wings to fly high, and yachts and sailboats dotted the distant sea.
"Happy, Charles?" Britney Spears opened her eyes and asked.
Charles nodded, "Happy. The Caribbean is indeed perfect for a winter vacation. We could buy a private island here later, build a dock, a villa, and other needed buildings."
Britney's eyes lit up, and she smiled, "That's a marvelous idea!"
"Should we head back home? The Golden Globes and Oscars are coming up soon, right?"
Charles nodded, "The Golden Globes are soon, and the Oscars are at the end of next month. What about you? I remember the Grammys are at the end of this month, right?"
Britney Spears nodded, "I need to attend the Grammys. Time to head back to Los Angeles and start preparing!"
...
In Los Angeles, at the headquarters of ETA, in Evelyn Capet's office.
"Charles isn't back in Los Angeles yet?" Evelyn asked her assistant.
The assistant shook her head, "Phyllis said not yet; probably the day before the Golden Globes."
Evelyn shook her head and smiled, "This year, his Brokeback Mountain is doing so well, it could win the Best Picture Oscar. He doesn't seem to care much."
"Recently, the promotion of Brokeback Mountain has been considerable, and the cast members are appearing frequently. It seems Capet Pictures has made arrangements," the assistant reminded.
Evelyn nodded in agreement. Brokeback Mountain was now showing in over 1,200 theaters, and its North American box office had surpassed $40 million!
"Well, never mind, let him enjoy his vacation. His company is on track now," Evelyn was just a bit worried her son might be moving too fast. Capet Pictures had initiated several projects.
The production and distribution budgets needed were substantial. Evelyn didn't know how Charles planned to solve it?
"Notify Naomi that I'm inviting her for dinner tonight at the Capa restaurant in Beverly Hills," Evelyn now had a lot more people and businesses to manage, but she needed to maintain good relationships with the artists under her.
Naomi Watts had just shot Universal's sci-fi monster film King Kong, a big special effects film with a $200 million budget; it was very commercial!
*****
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