Night.
A nightclub somewhere in Los Angeles.
Neon lights and wine, luxury and dissipation. Young men and women with restless hearts indulged themselves here as the high-decibel DJ music echoed through the air.
At a bar in the corner sat three young men.
They were Kyle, Nolan, and Todd Phillips.
"Cheers~"
Kyle held up his glass and shouted, "Today we won't talk about business. We'll only drink and talk about men, women, and romance."
"To Mr. Page!" Nolan shouted.
"To Mr. Page!" Phillips shouted.
Kyle immediately waved his hand. "Today, there is no Mr. Page here, no business, and certainly no movies. There is only Kyle, who wants to party!"
The three of them drained their drinks in one go.
Logically speaking, given Kyle's net worth, he would rarely appear in such a place. Even if he were at a nightclub, it would be in a private VIP room. But who could blame Kyle for liking the main hall of a nightclub?
It's lively here!
"Mr. Page, it's boring for just the three of us to drink. I'll go call some girls over," Phillips said with a smile.
"That works," Nolan responded immediately.
Kyle also smiled. "You directors really are something."
When drinking and seeking pleasure at a nightclub, women were naturally necessary. Otherwise, why come here?
Moreover, all three were people who hung around Hollywood. The girls they called over were naturally not nightclub girls, but Hollywood actresses.
Following Phillips' arrangements, it wasn't long before three young and beautiful girls, harboring dreams of acting and longing for fame, arrived before Kyle and the others.
Phillips immediately stood up and introduced them, "Mr. Page, Nolan, take a good look at these three girls with dreams."
Kyle's eyes froze for a moment.
Kyle didn't recognize any of the three Hollywood actresses standing before him, but... their beauty was unquestionable.
What man doesn't love beauty? Although the three were not lustful demons, they were certainly no saints of self-restraint either.
Nolan said with some concern, "Mr. Page, aren't you worried about being in the news tomorrow?"
Kyle immediately spread his hands and laughed. "If it happens, it happens. Have I been in the news any less lately? Besides, these three young and beautiful girls beside us want recognition and exposure! Don't you want to give these three girls with dreams a hand?"
"Exactly, we're just being helpful!"
Phillips laughed loudly. "Moreover, the movie 'The Butterfly Effect' that we two co-directed will be released nationwide soon. Isn't this also publicity? It helps our movie and helps these hardworking girls. Why shouldn't we do it?!"
Listen to that!
Utterly high-sounding and hypocritical!
But... these words spoke exactly to Kyle's heart.
Nolan could only nod in agreement.
Kyle added, "Phillips, when the preparations for 'the devil wears prada' begin, remember to notify me."
"Eh? No problem!" Phillips agreed immediately.
Kyle explained, "My girlfriend Lima retired from the modeling industry at the end of last year, didn't she? She is currently studying fashion design. In the future, I plan to help her start a fashion brand. Since our 'the devil wears prada' involves a lot of fashion and luxury goods, I was thinking of letting her join the production crew to get some experience."
How could Phillips refuse?
Besides, in a production crew, the producer is the boss, and Kyle was the owner of the film company. It was entirely his call. Mentioning it now was merely notifying him.
Ring ring ring~
Just then, Kyle's phone rang.
"What?"
"You're in Los Angeles right now, just out of the airport."
"You want me to pick you up personally? I say, Jeff, you've got quite the nerve!"
"You're asking what I'm doing? Drinking happily, of course. Fine, you come over too. I'll send you the address now."
After a few simple words, Kyle hung up the phone.
"Mr. Page, who is coming over?" asked Karilan, the girl next to Kyle.
"Jeff Bezos!" Kyle laughed.
As soon as Jeff's name came out, everyone around was stunned for a few seconds.
Jeff's name was naturally very famous in America as the boss of Amazon Marketplace. Even though Amazon was heavily affected by this Dot-com Bubble and its stock price had dropped to $9.70 today, Bezos himself was still a "much-loved" billionaire.
Karilan said in shock, "I heard Mr. Bezos is famous for doting on his wife and is meticulous and hardworking in his job. I didn't expect a man so strict with himself would come to a nightclub."
"Heh!"
Kyle's laughter was full of playfulness.
Indeed, in early 2000, the impression Jeff Bezos left on the World was that of a very rigorous man.
However... all of this would change in the future!
Divorce, frequent changes of girlfriends;
Selling stocks to buy luxury mansions, yachts, planes, and art in a big way;
The name "Playboy" Jeff—how could that title be for nothing?
But for now, Jeff was indeed a very hardworking man!
Not long after... the future richest man in the World, Jeff, arrived!
...After a night of revelry, Kyle was dragged out of bed at the hotel.
Jeff looked at Kyle and said flatly, "Kyle, it's time to get up and do some real work."
"Buddy, you're in too much of a hurry. Don't worry, with me, you, and California Standard Bank, using a bridge loan, I'll lend you $500 million. I'm a man of my word."
The reason Jeff flew hurriedly from Seattle to Los Angeles was to borrow money from Kyle so he could buy back Amazon stock from the market and other shareholders while the stock price was currently low.
Bezos wanted to increase his equity in Amazon;
Kyle wanted the same.
Since he had already been dragged up, Kyle didn't linger in bed. The two of them rushed to California Standard Bank, intending to complete the bridge loan in the shortest time possible.
However... as soon as they arrived at California Standard Bank, Kyle received big news.
"Boss, we received a fax this morning. A fax from Wells Fargo Bank," the bank's general manager said.
"Wells Fargo Bank? What do they want?" Kyle asked, puzzled.
Kyle naturally knew about Wells Fargo Bank. It was already a well-known bank in America and would grow into a World-class bank in the future. Even now, it was not to be underestimated.
The bank's general manager said solemnly, "They want to acquire our California Standard Bank in its entirety for a price of $500 million."
Kyle: "..."