Chương 999: Chapter 1001: Rare Occasion
[Chapter 1001: Rare Occasion]
Mayer was someone who really disliked rainy days. So, when she sensed the faint earthy smell that often accompanied the rain, she quickly opened her eyes from her slumber.
The floor-to-ceiling windows leading to the terrace were drawn with curtains, but she could still feel the gloomy weather outside -- it was clearly raining. After a moment of daze, Mayer suddenly sat up in her big bed and glanced at the watch on her bedside table. It was already seven forty-five. Although Eric had said there was nothing particularly important happening today, she knew she had overslept.
Walking barefoot into the bathroom, Mayer squeezed some toothpaste, standing by the sink. She rinsed her mouth with some water and noticed her reflection in the mirror -- the blonde woman with cheeks slightly flushed from sleep. She found herself momentarily entranced.
Last night, after having dinner at the restaurant with Eric and returning to the villa, Mayer had thought something might happen. After all, Eric had clearly enjoyed how she looked in that fiery red dress. But in the end, nothing happened.
It was hard to say whether she was relieved or disappointed.
Mayer was a very ambitious person. She hoped to secure her desired career path completely based on her abilities. However, the fact that her handsome boss showed no romantic interest in her inevitably led to a small feeling of defeat. Deep down, she wouldn't have minded if something did happen with Eric after all. How many women in this world could resist someone like him, capable of making all admirers feel despair?
That little inner conflict kept her tossing and turning in bed last night; otherwise, she wouldn't have overslept.
After washing up, she changed into a black business suit for the day. She contemplated adding a necklace with a silver diamond pendant and then stepped out of her room.
...
Eric had already woken up and was sitting in the living room downstairs on the phone. When he saw Mayer, he simply nodded and spoke a few more words before hanging up. He then stood up and said, "You woke up just in time. Let's go; Steve Case is waiting for me at the cafe on the corner. We can grab breakfast too."
Before Mayer could react, she nodded and followed Eric outside.
As they stepped out of the villa, fine rain was falling. Eric opened an umbrella and said, "It's not pouring; one umbrella will do."
Mayer raised her hand, wanting to take the umbrella from him, saying, "Eric, let me handle it."
Eric shook his head with a grin, "No need. It's London, after all. I don't want to be criticized for not being a gentleman."
Mayer had to obediently shelter under Eric's umbrella, still maintaining a slight distance out of modesty.
Flanking Garden Street were rows of lush trees, most of the raindrops held at bay. But occasionally, large droplets would fall from the leaves. After being hit by a few, Mayer scooted closer to Eric and occasionally brushed against his arm. The scent coming from Eric was faint, yet Mayer felt her cheeks warming gradually.
...
To the south of Kensington Gardens Street was Kensington Avenue, and the north led to Bayswater Road. Steve Case had mentioned he was at the Diana Cafe on the corner. They left the mansion, walked north along Garden Street, and within a few minutes, they exited the area.
Maybe it was the weekend morning and the rain, but there were hardly any cars or pedestrians on Bayswater Road. Eric led Mayer across the street, easily spotting a cafe decorated with red doors.
When Steve Case mentioned the name of the cafe, Eric felt something was off. As they entered the cafe and saw numerous photos of Princess Diana hanging on the walls, Eric finally pieced together why it was called the "Diana Cafe."
Princess Diana was still alive and active in charity work all over the world, but he had no idea what connection she had to this cafe.
Inside, there were only four patrons -- a middle-aged couple, an elderly man, and of course, Steve Case. Other than Steve, who stood to greet Eric, the other patrons merely glanced up at him before continuing with their meals. The elderly man flashed Eric a slightly strange smile, leaving Eric feeling puzzled.
Steve shook Eric's hand, speaking politely, "Good morning, Eric."
"Morning, Steve," Eric released his hand and added, "This is Mayer."
Steve reached out to shake Mayer's hand, saying, "Hello, Miss Mayer; we've spoken on the phone."
Mayer greeted Steve politely as the three of them took a seat. There were no dedicated waitstaff; the owner, a portly middle-aged man, recognized Eric but only offered a reserved greeting, then asked what Eric would like to eat.
After they ordered breakfast, the atmosphere dipped into an awkward silence.
During this time, even though Eric was seemingly detached, the internal struggles within AOL had intensified. On one side was Firefly Investments, which held a significant amount of AOL shares, and on the other was the management team that had contributed heavily to AOL's success. Although both parties tried to keep this dispute under wraps, the sharp-eyed media had already begun to report on it more frequently.
At that moment, AOL had confirmed it would hold an emergency shareholders' meeting at the end of the month -- that meeting would be the moment of reckoning.
After a moment of silence, Steve finally broke the ice, saying, "Eric, you need to understand that the internet can't have just one media company. AOL diversifying into media won't interfere with our identity as an internet service provider. If we can acquire Time Warner, AOL could also become a cable operator, which would greatly benefit Firefly, MGM, and even Fox's television business. I really don't understand why you keep opposing this."
Eric took a cup of hot coffee from the owner, thanked him, and once the owner passed Mayer a cup of coffee, he stirred his drink and replied, "Steve, you might think I'm doing this to let Yahoo dominate, but in reality, I have no intention of turning any Firefly Investments company into an internet media company -- neither Yahoo nor AOL. I've never thought that. A pure internet media company has no future. The internet is an extremely open platform, and as the number of internet users continues to multiply, any media company won't be able to provide enough diverse content to billions of users. So, I've always wished for Yahoo and AOL to evolve into tech companies offering service and platforms to users, not media companies."
Steve countered, "While you say this, it is undeniable that both Yahoo and AOL are enjoying the benefits of the internet media concept, aren't they? Wall Street recognizes internet media stocks more than ever, and typically, Wall Street's judgment isn't wrong."
"Wall Street is chasing the high stock prices generated by the internet media concept; once the bubble bursts, they will steer clear of it," Eric shook his head and replied, "So if you follow Wall Street's approach, the outcome will be terrible."
"It seems we are absolutely unable to persuade each other," Steve sighed and turned to gaze earnestly at Eric, "Eric, I want to know -- if Firefly loses at the end of the month's shareholders' meeting, what do you plan to do?"
"That's why you really came to London, isn't it?" Eric smiled, saying, "You want to find out if I'd opt for mutual destruction?"
Stocks actually represent two things: 'shares' of capital and 'votes' of attitude. Investors declare their stance through buying and selling. Therefore, the more shares of a company one holds, the greater the impact one has during buying and selling. That is the fundamental power of shareholders.
As the largest shareholder, Firefly Investments held enough AOL stock to determine the company's survival, which was why Steve was taking this so seriously.
"If Firefly chooses to disregard the consequences, it wouldn't benefit any of us, would it?"
Eric shook his head, "Not necessarily. If AOL collapses, I could continue to support a company that aligns with Firefly's vision."
Even if Firefly were to fail, Eric would never choose mutual destruction. But sincerely admitting this to Steve would have been foolish.
Sure enough, hearing Eric's words, Steve's expression turned unreadable.
At that moment, the owner brought over their breakfast in succession.
Steve lost interest in staying for breakfast with Eric and told the owner, "Could you pack my breakfast to-go?"
"Of course," the chubby owner nodded and took Steve's order back to the kitchen.
Eric didn't stop Steve's actions, but after pondering for a moment, he said, "Regardless, Steve, thank you for bringing AOL to its current standing in the industry."
Steve objected softly, "AOL is also mine; it's like my child."
Eric nodded and replied, "Yes, many fathers hope their children grow according to their wishes, whether or not those wishes are indeed correct."
...
The owner quickly packed Steve's breakfast and carried a bag out of the cafe. The weather outside remained gloomy, and the raindrops seemed to be falling even more densely. Steve didn't bother with an umbrella, quickly walking to a Lincoln parked by the roadside. It was the car provided by his hotel.
The driver courteously opened the door for him. Once Steve was in, the car started and he pulled out his phone to dial a number, saying, "It's me, Bob... Yes, so you should implement the plan we discussed as soon as possible."
...
Back in the cafe, after Steve left, Eric ordered a glass of milk and looked over at Mayer, who had been distracted. He asked with concern, "Didn't you sleep well last night?"
Mayer thought that Eric had seen through her, and startled, she quickly shook her head, "No, no! I slept very well."
Eric chuckled and said, "It seems you didn't sleep well. You can take a nap when we go back; we won't be heading to Virgin Records until the afternoon."
Mayer didn't say anything more, just nodded.
Eric was preoccupied with thoughts of AOL and didn't pay much attention to Mayer's expression.
The two quietly enjoyed their breakfast. As they were finishing up, the glass door of the cafe was pushed open, and a soft female voice called out behind Eric.
...
"I often have breakfast here, Maddie. The food is really good, and the coffee is even better."
The tone was so distinctive Eric recognized the owner of the voice without turning around. Suddenly, he understood why there were so many photos of Princess Diana in the cafe.
As the woman approached, Eric shifted slightly and saw Princess Diana, elegantly dressed in a light blue suit, and smiled, "I didn't expect you would prefer dining in a place filled with your own photos; that's quite an unusual quirk."
Celebrities often gave their photos to friendly establishments as mementos, and Eric's remark was naturally just playful banter.
However, the sudden appearance startled Princess Diana, and she instinctively covered her mouth. After realizing it was Eric, her eyes widened, staring at him in a huff without saying a word.
Beside Princess Diana, a woman dressed in a black long-sleeved dress stepped forward warmly, greeting, "Hey, Eric! What a surprise!"
Eric was somewhat surprised to see Madonna too, quickly rising to hug her. He noted her formal attire, complete with an English lady's hat, and jokingly said, "Maddie, I didn't think you'd have a time for serious dressing; this is quite rare."
"You're such a jerk," Madonna playfully hit Eric, laughing, "The princess is here, so don't be too rude. But what are you doing here?"
Eric pointed to Kensington Gardens Street across from them and grinned, "Princess and I should consider each other neighbors."
At this point, Princess Diana finally reacted, still huffy, saying, "I don't want to be neighbors with someone like you!"
Feeling innocent, Eric shrugged, "Well, it may just be a misunderstanding."
"Ha ha," Madonna chuckled and shifted the focus to Mayer, prompting Eric to hurriedly introduce them.
Observing Princess Diana throwing frequent glances at him, Eric didn't want to continue this awkward encounter. Breakfast had nearly ended, so he planned to leave.
Just as he reached the door, Madonna struck a thought and came rushing back, asking, "Eric, you'll definitely be attending the party at Virgin Records tonight, right?"
Eric nodded, responding, "Of course, I'm mainly here for that."
"That's good, then we'll see each other tonight," Madonna said, signaling toward the door, "There are some things I'm really curious about."
"Don't worry, I won't tell you anything."
"In that case, there are a few things I won't be sharing with you either," Madonna replied with a playful warning look, saying, "Looks like trouble is coming your way."
*****
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