บท 13: Chapter 13: Size is Power!
Wayne, filled with excitement, took Mia to the car dealership to pick up a brand-new Ferrari F360 that had just been released this year.
From his perspective, as someone from a parallel future, the other cars of this era seemed too outdated. Only the newly revamped F360 looked stylish and appealing to him.
Driving his sleek black F360, Wayne and Mia headed to Beverly Hills, where they had an appointment with a real estate agent to look at properties.
If it were ten years later, Wayne might have hesitated between Beverly Hills, Malibu, and Santa Monica when choosing a wealthy neighborhood. After all, Malibu's ocean views were pretty enticing.
But in 2000, Beverly Hills was the clear choice for him.
Although it's often overused in time-travel novels, the reality is that Beverly Hills offers the best environment in Los Angeles. Plus, the high concentration of wealthy residents means police presence is many times stronger than in other areas, ensuring far better security.
This is crucial in a place like America, where shootings happen every day! Especially now, with less political correctness. If an unfamiliar Black person entered the area, the patrolling police would immediately question them, and any suspicious movement might get them an emptied clip—making the place much safer than elsewhere.
"Hello, are you Mr. Anderson? Wow, you're so handsome!"
The real estate agent, a man in his thirties named Kyle Smith, was sharply dressed in a neat suit and displayed great enthusiasm upon meeting Wayne.
With a brand-new Ferrari and plans to buy a house in Beverly Hills, with a budget between $10 million and $15 million, Wayne was undoubtedly a VIP client for Kyle.
"I've already selected seven properties based on your requirements. Please follow me."
Fifteen minutes later, Wayne followed Kyle to a 6,000-square-meter estate with a 2,700-square-meter modern-style mansion, featuring 14 bedrooms and 19 bathrooms.
That's right—more bathrooms than bedrooms, a unique phenomenon due to American party culture.
"The former owner of this villa was a Wall Street financier. After an investment failure last year, it was listed for $26 million. If you can pay in cash, I'm confident I can negotiate the price down to under $15 million. From here, the infinity pool extends outward, offering a view of the Los Angeles skyline. Whether during the day or at night, the view from here is stunning."
As Kyle described the villa, Wayne toured the property, nodding in approval.
A 6,000-square-meter estate with over 2,000 square meters of living space for just $15 million was incredibly cheap, especially for Beverly Hills.
According to historical trends, U.S. real estate prices would soar soon, and at their peak, a villa like this would sell for at least $70-80 million. Even if the real estate bubble burst, it wouldn't drop below the current price, making it a great deal.
The only downside was that the "Los Angeles view" only offered a partial view of the city. The scenery was nice, but not exceptional.
Wayne viewed several other mansions after this, but the one he liked most was a hilltop mansion north of Sunset Boulevard.
Although this mansion had a smaller 2,100-square-meter plot and only 1,200 square meters of living space, its location closer to the city and its hilltop position provided a fantastic 270-degree panoramic view, truly overlooking all of Los Angeles.
However, after much deliberation, Wayne decided on the first estate.
While the hilltop mansion had great views, its privacy was compromised. Several other hilltop houses nearby meant that with good eyesight, neighbors could easily see into each other's outdoor pools without even using binoculars.
And, as a man, size is power.
The next morning, thanks to Kyle's efforts, Wayne successfully purchased the estate, renamed "Wayne Manor," for $14.7 million.
The former owner had only taken a few valuable artworks and some expensive wines from the cellar. All other furniture and decorations were left behind, so with just a bit of cleaning and replacing some unappealing items, the place was ready to move into.
Through Kyle, Wayne hired a cleaning company for $20,000 to give the entire villa and garden a thorough cleaning.
Unfortunately, having such a large house comes with its downsides.
In addition, a villa this size needed maids and a chef, all of whom were recommended by the cleaning company.
After a brief interview, Wayne hired three maids in their twenties, all with good looks and figures, as well as a chef with over 20 years of experience, who specialized in French, Italian, and Spanish cuisine.
The maids' monthly salary was $6,000 each, while the chef's was $30,000, making for a monthly expense of almost $50,000.
Adding in costs for food, maintenance, and other expenses, the monthly cost came to around $120,000 to $150,000—a total of about $1.8 million a year.
Including property tax, that came to $2 million annually.
"Two million dollars to live here for a year?!"
"That's insane! No wonder only top-tier celebrities, directors, and producers live in places like this. Most people live in regular homes south of Sunset Boulevard. Even if you can afford to buy it, maintaining it is a whole different story!"
Wayne couldn't help but complain.
Even though he was now wealthy, the number still shocked him.
"What are you thinking about, honey?"
A soft fragrance wafted toward him. Mia, who had been busy all day, had just showered and sat on his lap, dressed in a silk robe that left little to the imagination.
"Nothing, just thinking about the new script," Wayne replied.
Over the past few days, he had received more than 40 new scripts from Sierra, a few of which seemed promising even though he hadn't seen them in his previous life.
He had also shortlisted a few films based on his past knowledge, such as *Gifted*, *The Butterfly Effect*, and *Happy Death Day*.
These were all successful in terms of both critical reception and box office, with low production costs and filming challenges.
So, he was currently debating his options.
"Stop worrying about that for now. You've been thinking too much these past few days. You should focus on planning our housewarming party instead," Mia said playfully.
Housewarming parties were an American tradition.
Wayne chuckled, "You know I don't have many friends here, so I'll leave it to a professional party planning company."
Thanks to the party culture in the U.S., there were many companies that offered one-stop services for events, so the host didn't have to worry about anything.
"Fine," Mia smiled, "I'll invite Emily and Kate. Those bitches will be shocked and totally regret it~"
Wayne was momentarily taken aback, a strange expression crossing his face.
If he remembered correctly, Emily was his ex-girlfriend who had dumped him. Although she was beautiful—by American standards even more so than Mia—she wasn't very smart.
Over the past year, she'd reportedly slept with dozens of people, yet she still only landed small roles with a few lines in indie films with budgets under a million dollars.
She hadn't gained fame or wealth, and her income was even lower than some adult film actresses in San Fernando Valley. Wayne wasn't sure how to feel about that.
"Forget about Emily. I don't want to see her," Wayne said.
"Still not over her, honey? If you want her back, I wouldn't mind," Mia teased.
Wayne gave her a look and said flatly, "I just think she's dirty."
Mia froze for a moment, her icy blue eyes reflecting a thoughtful expression. She instinctively wrapped her slender, pale arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder.
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