Hollywood Zenith

" I will look into it. Thanks." Samuel didn't mind his attitude.

Andrew Walker, the person he hired to secure all his employees and company building, was best described as weird by others. He was very young for that position, but his resume was so impressive that Samuel didn't even blink before signing him.

An extremely anti-social individual, Andrew was hardly seen talking with others. No one knew if Andrew was his real name, but they couldn't critique his work. He was flawless and even cultivated a highly skilled set of individuals.

They were right in their assessment, as Samuel was the only one who knew about his past. He still remembered when Aunt Ludivine arranged their meeting, best described as two people entering a staring contest.

" How have you been? It seems my suggestion fell on deaf ears; you still haven't taken a single day's leave." Samuel followed up with a rare question.

" I am good, thanks."

" Our offices are adjacent, right? I could show you around if you like?" Marilyn asked, which made everyone look at her with suspicion. She had never been an easygoing person herself, which begs the question; Was she interested in him?

One had to know Marilyn was like an idol for every employee here; some of them even secretly joined her fan club. On the other hand, Andrew was not a bad-looking person, but his appearance was best described as intense.

Military-style cut for his hair with chiselled jaw was one thing, but with a few scars on his face and a massive one across his nose, it was like a fine painting ruined by new-age modern art enthusiasts. 

" I am fine, thank you for asking." Andrew politely rejected her invitation.

" Ah, okay." She sounded a little disappointed, but it was hardly her first try. She was persistent like that.

" Okay, moving on, Mary, please start first." Samuel skillfully veered the conversation.

Mary Reed was responsible for Verdant Foundation operations; it was on the behest of Abigail pestering him for years for a replacement. She was forcefully given a position when he founded it, but it was hard to manage the investment firm, so Samuel hired Mary.

What Samuel needed was a clean individual with solid morals who was also not very timid with handling business. People didn't know, but charity organizations were some of the most corrupt entities in the world.

From heinous human trafficking to money laundering, there was no shortage of examples of how the wealthy used this practice. Still, the most popular was to avoid taxes which sounded almost harmless, but if enough of it could lend said government into serious trouble.

Mary was a middle-aged woman essentially from humble beginnings; she was primarily focused on her studies when Samuel found her. An excellent economist and holder of two Phds, she didn't lack any knowledge but only had experience when she first started.

Samuel hired her on the premise that he would show her a new world, and she would be one of the few people who would make a clear contribution to changing it.

After which, a few hours of conversation were enough to convince her she had never seen someone with this wealth of knowledge. It was her conclusion that he was a visionary with no peers!

" Our shelters are working at total capacity with no end in sight. With the recession ravaging the world, I suggest increasing our efforts.

Some of the most affected countries where we have branches are Ukraine which has already seen a currency depreciation of fifty per cent, Argentina, with twenty per cent and Hungary, with eighteen. The numbers are projected to rise in coming months." 

" Hmm, okay, deploy the emergency funds from the foundation but be mindful of any unexpected surprises." It was not time to dilly-dally. It was an excellent chance to gain some foothold in these regions by cultivating some goodwill.

" As you wish. I am also developing a rigorous vetting process for some volunteers for our upcoming African expansion. I could use your help; it's all in those papers."

" I will go through it as soon as possible. Keep up the good work."

" Seth?" Samuel turned toward Seth Kotwan, the person responsible for his tech industry endeavours.

" R-right, firstly, it's G-googl-"

" Calm down first! It's been years; I can't believe you are still a nervous wreck!" Alastair interrupted him. He was responsible for training Seth, but the results were dismal as best. Seth was an excellent programmer, maybe even top five in the world, but he was also a hardcore introvert.

Alastair had tried everything, but after seven years of teaching, he had given up on him. It was so bad that they had to hire a different person to act as his replacement when it came to public speaking. As they knew it, Seth had never really been in charge of the operation from the get-go.

" Y-yes, Our market share in media companies have taken some hit these past few months, but it's not at a dangerous level. The second prototype of the Android operating system is fully functional; we have started talks with mobile companies for cooperation."

" Good; what about the social media sites that I recommended."

" We have gained large shares in them too, one for people connecting globally while another that focused more on photos. We are trying to strike a deal to buy them, but they are not very keen on that aspect."

  " What about our competitors?"

" Nothing so far. They are still maintaining their distance."

" Very well."

" While we are talking about entertainment ventures, I want to say that Warner has resumed the talks on our proposal," Frederick interjected, seeing Seth was done. Fredrick Allen Wagler was an American businessman and the Chief Executive Officer of a medium size media company whom Samuel employed when he started Alphabet.

Now, he oversaw everything pertaining to the Alphabet group. Essentially he was running the company in Samuel's absence. It took him some time, but being in the business for decades, it came easy for him. He just had to maximize his expertise on a bigger scale.

" Oh?"

" They didn't mention why, but it's not hard to guess when I imagine it directly coincided with your meeting with them."

" They were already looking for a buyer. I just gave them a little nudge." Samuel shrugged to downplay his involvement. He couldn't possibly tell them that he had uncovered the big man behind the scene, the Newhouse family and this was their way of 'bribing' him to keep quiet.

Abigail chuckled when she heard it. She was well aware of his shenanigans at the Warner Bros HQ.

" The price they are asking is three billion dollars; I made a counteroffer of over two and a half. I am confident I can close the deal."

" If you run into trouble, you could always contact me."

" I will. On the other hand, I was also informed that Glory Media and its subsidiaries are being sold to us." Frederick asked. Everyone also got curious when he uttered that name; it's been on the news lately. Was their boss really responsible for what they were claiming?

" There is not much to talk about. Alastair would be responsible for settling the deal as soon as possible. And if you still feel like asking why, it's like a price that one had to pay sometime in life." Samuel was cryptic with his message. They also noticed Abigail, Alastair and Marilyn nodding along with him; they must know something!

" Gladly."

" Remember, it is a priority. I want a working label by the end of this year. Also, a few upgrades for Glory's subsidiary ZY Recordings."

" Alright," Alastair said with a smug smile. Wasn't Adele under their contract? Was it official? He looked at Samuel curiously.

" Moving on, Marilyn?" Samuel suppressed the urge to punch the old man in the face before asking.

" As the ground zero for the recession, everything is bleak. Many industries are struggling, hoping for a government bailout; the biggest is the banking industry." She gave a thorough outlook on current-day markets. She was responsible for domestic industries after learning under Abigail for a decade.

" Lastly, I have recently been contracted by Amazon headquarters. They had been asking about Webvan logistics we acquired during the dot-com bubble. It seems like they are interested."

" Webvan?" Abigail was confused. It's been a long time since she heard about this company. She still remembered when Samuel insisted on buying it, she was firmly against it, but it was the boss' orders she went along with it.

Now all of a sudden, the shopping giant was interested in that? What were the chances of that happening? She looked toward Samuel, who was slightly smiling, hearing the news. Suffice it to say, he was waiting years to cash in on his investments.

" Finally, it's time. Marilyn, I want you to spearhead the deal. Take Alastair with you, Andrew too."

" Me?"

" I am going too?"