[Chapter 496: California and Los Angeles Compete to Offer Big Deals]
"Nice shot."
At the Blue Moon Golf Course in Laguna Beach, Linton delivered a flawless birdie, earning applause from California Governor Pete Wilson and Speaker Cruz Bustamante.
Since Linton revealed the development of his revolutionary Beauty Pills and Vitality Pills, many powerful figures had been vying for his attention.
Among them were California's top officials. Rarely had the governor and the speaker united like this, both repeatedly requesting meetings with Linton, only to be turned down due to his busy schedule preparing for the pills' launch.
But after attending the premiere of Police Story 4: First Strike yesterday, and then receiving another meeting request through Li Xiaoran that evening, it was no longer appropriate to decline again.
It wasn't just them -- Los Angeles's mayor and council speaker also sent meeting requests last night via city hall.
After careful consideration, Linton agreed to meet with the two state leaders this morning and with Los Angeles officials in the afternoon.
...
After their round of golf, the three men retired to the course's VIP lounge, dismissing their assistants.
"Linton, congratulations on developing such a groundbreaking miracle drug," Speaker Cruz Bustamante began.
"Thank you for the compliment," Linton replied.
"I hear the exclusive store for your pills have a confirmed opening date?"
"Yes, May 6th is the grand opening."
"Excellent. We have a proposal and hope you'll consider it."
"Oh? What kind of proposal?"
"I understand you have an agreement with the White House to prioritize supplying them with some of your pills."
"That's true," Linton acknowledged. Such a major deal couldn't have escaped the notice of influential local leaders.
"Can California do the same and get priority access from you?"
"My company's production capacity is limited. Normally that wouldn't be possible, but since this is my store, your request is not out of the question."
"That's great. How about this: at White House prices, California will purchase 500 bottles of Vitality Pills and 2,000 bottles of Beauty Pills each year, with priority access."
"That's quite a big appetite. I can agree to the Beauty Pills, but not the Vitality Pills."
"Why not? I heard you supply the White House with 2,000 bottles annually; giving California 500 doesn't seem unreasonable."
"Do you know how many Vitality Pills I can produce yearly?"
"How many?"
"Only 4,000. The White House takes 2,000, and I have just 2,000 left. If I give you 500, plus orders from Los Angeles's city government, how can the exclusive shop even operate?"
"How many can you sell us annually then?"
"At most, 20 bottles."
"That's too little."
"That's already generous. According to my deal with the White House, each customer is limited to one bottle, and their information is recorded with every sale."
"Regardless, 20 bottles are too few. Tell me your conditions."
"Do you know what concessions the White House gave me?"
"Please share."
"During the partnership, my company receives an 80% reduction in federal taxes."
"Then we'll match you with a 50% exemption on your state retail sales tax. How about that?"
This was an unexpected boon: retail sales tax rates were set by states, and California's was historically the highest in the US -- up to 8.8%.
With annual sales expected to hit $20 billion, a 50% sales tax break would save Linton's company over $800 million a year.
"That sounds doable. I'll sell you 50 bottles."
"Still too few. We want at least 200."
...
After detailed negotiations, the final agreement was that Linton would sell California 120 bottles of Vitality Pills each year at $6 million apiece, and 2,000 bottles of Beauty Pills at $100,000 each.
California's government would offer a 50% exemption on retail sales taxes during the contract period.
Payments and delivery terms mirrored those with the White House: California would pay the full $920 million upfront, and Linton would deliver the pills monthly.
Both parties immediately called in lawyers to sign a letter of intent. Given the scale of this deal, it required congressional approval.
...
That afternoon, at the Beverly Business Club, Linton met with Los Angeles's Mayor Richard Riordan and City Council Speaker John Ferraro.
Unsurprisingly, they sought priority access to Vitality and Beauty Pills for their city.
After negotiations, Linton agreed to sell Los Angeles 30 bottles of Vitality Pills annually at $6 million each and 200 bottles of Beauty Pills at $100,000 apiece.
In exchange, the city government promised to build a dedicated police station near the exclusive store, staffed 24/7 to ensure security.
Payment and delivery terms were the same as the White House: Los Angeles would pay $200 million upfront, with monthly deliveries to follow.
They signed a letter of intent pending city council approval for the formal contract.
...
Not only California and Los Angeles, but Montana's leadership also flew thousands of miles to meet with Linton and finalize a similar agreement.
Montana's financial capacity and influence were naturally no match for California.
In the end, Linton agreed to supply Montana with a yearly priority allocation of 60 bottles of Vitality Pills at $6 million each and 200 bottles of Beauty Pills at $100,000 each.
Montana's state government offered to cut the health company's state income tax by 50% during the partnership.
...
Though Linton had been rooted in Los Angeles, he had also acquired sizable properties in Montana.
Outside his connections with the LAPD, he previously had few links with political elites in Los Angeles, California, or Montana.
Now, through the Vitality and Beauty Pills, he had forged meaningful ties with them.
With political allies including the Clintons, Vice President Gore, and Secretary Warren Christopher, as well as allied interests in California, Montana, and Los Angeles, he had extended his influence from entertainment and business into politics.
Having these political backers wouldn't necessarily let him sway American politics directly, but at the very least, they would shield him from underhanded attacks.
After all, with the launch of the Beauty and Vitality Pills, envy and opposition would be inevitable.
...
As for other meeting requests, from New York officials and wealthy investors, Linton declined them all.
One amusing situation involved a particularly persistent fellow who, riding on their past collaborations, showed up unannounced at Linton's office.
After their meeting, Donald Trump requested to open an authorized exclusive store for the pills on New York's Fifth Avenue and proposed all sorts of extravagant terms.
Clearly, he sensed the enormous business potential behind these pills and was a shrewd businessman.
But Linton's current bottleneck wasn't distribution, rather the limited raw materials and the need to control production volume.
With even the Los Angeles store struggling to meet demand, opening branches elsewhere wasn't feasible.
Linton firmly rejected the proposal, leaving Donald disappointed.
*****
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