In the evening, after the party ended, everyone went their separate ways.
Richard and Anthony got into the car.
"Richard, there's something I forgot to tell you. We didn't manage to negotiate the role for Tomb Raider. We asked for $2.5 million, but they were only willing to offer $500,000," Anthony said, leaning against the car window.
"Then forget it. $500,000 is too low. It's not worth spending a month of my time," Richard replied with a smile.
"But something about this feels off. The production team was quite enthusiastic at first, willing to negotiate on the fee, but then suddenly they only offered $500,000, without any sincerity. It's very strange," Anthony frowned.
"Is that so?" Richard thought for a moment, made a phone call, and after a while, received a message. "Jolie told me that someone deliberately intervened, not wanting me to be part of the film."
"Who?" Anthony asked.
"Who do you think?" Richard smirked.
"Weinstein?" Anthony guessed.
"Close enough. But it doesn't matter. It's just $2.5 million. I'm not short on money," Richard chuckled.
"Alright. By the way, I've heard that the stock market has been quite volatile these past few days. How are your stocks doing?" Anthony inquired.
"Haha, I was originally planning to hold on until March, but Ellie insisted on selling off in mid-February, so I agreed. Over the past half month, my shares have been sold off, just in time to avoid the fifth interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve. I made quite a profit," Richard laughed.
"How much did you make?" Anthony asked curiously.
"Haha, take a guess," Richard teased.
"Well... You mentioned before that you were making $2 million a week, so with ten weeks, you must have made $20 million?" Anthony estimated.
Richard shook his head with a smile. "Think bigger."
"More than $20 million?" Anthony scratched his head. "How about $50 million?"
Richard shook his head again. "Think even bigger!"
"Oh, fuck, don't tell me you made $100 million!" Anthony clenched his fists, trembling with anticipation.
Richard adjusted his collar with a smile. "Ahem, that's right. The person you're talking to right now is the newly minted billionaire, Mr. Richard Brad. Applause, please!"
"..." Anthony was speechless, his eyes wide open.
"Hey, it's just a billion dollars. No need to be so shocked," Richard said, waving his hand dismissively.
Anthony, still in shock, shook his head slowly. "Oh my God, you're 22 years old and you've become a self-made billionaire. Oh, fuck, are you the son of God? Adding another digit to your bank account every year... even God wouldn't treat His son this well, right?"
"Haha, don't get too worked up. This is nothing compared to Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and those new internet tycoons. They're the real sons of God. At best, I'm just a handsome guy blessed by Lady Luck," Richard grinned.
At the end of January, Ellie called and said it was time to cash out. Richard initially suggested holding on until the end of February. But on February 8th, Ellie received news that the Federal Reserve was going to raise interest rates again. This kind of policy has a direct impact on the stock market. Even if the market would rise in the future, it wouldn't happen by the end of February, so she insisted on selling immediately.
Richard followed her advice and gave her full control.
Starting from February 8th, Ellie gradually sold off his various internet and tech stocks—Amazon, Yahoo, Microsoft, AOL, eBay, etc.
Most of these stocks were purchased at the beginning of their partnership in early 1998, a time when tech stock prices were relatively low.
Over two years, through the ups and downs of the market and continuous interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve, expectations for the economy changed. Capital further flowed into the booming tech sector, and by early 2000, the tech bubble had reached its peak.
During this period, the Nasdaq index rose by 84.8%, and valuations increased by 74.4% from 39.8 times to 69.4 times, while the S&P 500 index rose by only 11.8%.
Take Amazon as an example. In early 1998, Amazon's stock was only $12. By October 1999, it had risen to $88. In December, due to policy impacts, it dropped to $40, but by early February, it had risen again to $90, nearly a tenfold increase.
Amazon's stock price was relatively moderate due to CEO Jeff Bezos's management style, while AOL's stock price rose 14 times, eBay's by 20 times, and Yahoo's by an astounding 37 times.
Initially, Richard's weekly profits were around $2 million, but later they reached tens of millions.
The most important factor was Ellie, an excellent partner who made the right decision at the most critical moment. Currently, Amazon's stock has dropped to $32 and is still plummeting. If they had waited until early March, who knows if it would have dropped to single digits.
Too risky.
As of today, 98% of his stocks have been sold, and his profits have reached over $150 million. His initial investment, dating back to 1998, was around $20 million, so his money has multiplied more than seven times—a decent profit.
"A billionaire... You actually became a billionaire..." Anthony shook his head in disbelief.
"Shh... keep it low-key!"
When Richard first saw the numbers, he was so excited that he couldn't sleep for three days. Now, he takes it all in stride.
"Low-key, my ass! You bastard, you became a billionaire, and you're not even throwing a party?" Anthony cursed.
"Uh, well, throwing a party costs a lot of money. I think it's better to keep things low-key," Richard said.
"Fuck, you're the stingiest billionaire I've ever met," Anthony swore.
"Alright, alright. I'll make it up later with the most luxurious party... Wait, I already threw a party after my boxing match, and there was another one for New Year's. I've thrown two parties this year already. Isn't that frequent enough? How does that make me stingy?" Richard argued.
"F*ck you!" Anthony cursed again.Anthony flipped him the middle finger and angrily started the car.
"Hey, Anthony, don't be too envious. If you need money, just ask," Richard said generously.
"Hmph, don't worry, I won't be polite. You lucky bastard, blessed by Lady Luck. How did I end up knowing someone like you? It's enough to make anyone jealous," Anthony grumbled, cursing a few more times before driving off.
Richard laughed heartily and started his own car.
Ring ring~
Just as Richard arrived in Beverly Hills, his phone rang.
He slowed down the car and answered the call.
"Hey, Ellie~"
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"
As soon as the call connected, he was met with a barrage of hysterical cursing.
He checked the caller ID to confirm that it was indeed his CFO, Ellie. But how could the usually cultured and composed Ms. Adler be cursing like this?
"Ellie, what's wrong?" Richard asked.
"Richard, do you know what just happened to me?" Ellie panted, trying to catch her breath.
"What? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I had just finished work and was heading home when, as I was driving past the Caterpillar building, a person suddenly fell from the sky and exploded right in front of me. It was less than a hundred meters from my car. I was nearly scared to death," Ellie said, her voice still shaky.
"Someone jumped off the building?"
"Yes. Someone jumped the day before yesterday too. The stock market has been crashing hard these past few days, turning a lot of people's shares into worthless paper. More people are going to take desperate measures," Ellie sighed.
"Yeah, the stock market is incredibly risky," Richard said, feeling a sense of relief, while also questioning his earlier confidence in his financial knowledge.
"Richard, if we had waited until March to sell like you originally wanted, would you have jumped off a building?" Ellie asked with a laugh.
"No way. Don't forget, I'm a world champion boxer. Even when someone offered me $10 million to lose a match, I didn't take it. So, what's losing $20 million? But Ellie, I should thank you. Thank you for saving my hard-earned money and for helping me make a fortune. It's been a pleasure working with you," Richard said sincerely.
"Haha, thank you too. If you hadn't insisted on waiting those extra two months before cashing out, we wouldn't have made nearly as much. So, it's been a pleasure working with you as well," Ellie laughed.
As Richard's manager and in charge of his personal financial investments, Ellie and Stralem's firm stood to earn a commission of 15-20% based on the profits and the project contributions. With this latest deal yielding $150 million, Ellie herself was looking at over $20 million in earnings—a hefty sum indeed.
"Richard, today I sold off the last of the stocks. We got about $6 million, which is $8 million less than expected. The market has just been dropping too fast lately, catching everyone off guard," Ellie sighed.
"$6 million is still pretty good. I thought it might all turn into worthless paper. Ellie, I have to say, you're really something. I'm very lucky to have found you."
"Haha, I feel lucky to have met you too. I've worked in investment banking for five years, and I've never made money as easily as I have now. Haha, with all this money, what's your next move?"
"Make movies!"
"And the rest?"
"Of course, I'll leave that to you. What do you suggest?"
"Well, I'm still optimistic about the internet, but tech stocks are unstable right now. We should invest in industrial stocks—energy, supermarkets, real estate, and so on. This is also the company's recommendation."
"Alright, let's do it your way."
Bang!
Just as they were talking, his car suddenly hit something, and he immediately slammed on the brakes.
(End of Chapter)