SF Chapter 126: Money Talks
Just like with the previous film, Daniel had a meeting with Paramount to go over all the analyses of the movie.
It was clear that their attitude toward him had become even more respectful.
Now, he and his father were waiting for Richard Keller, their banker.
"Hey, Dad, you still haven't picked your wish," Dani complained.
Jay was reading the new script his son had handed him - Knocked Up. He replied little grumpy, "I wish someone would take over Pritchett's Closets & Blinds… and H&P."
"Ayo, what is it with you and Alan making unreasonable wishes?" Daniel scoffed.
[Jay Commentary]
The patriarch was sitting in his executive chair, inside his office at the company.
"Since I got older, I've always wanted a son I could nurture… someone who could become a fitting heir to my baby - Pritchett's Closets & Blinds," he revealed.
"But…" he sighed. "Claire chose to be a housewife and a stay-at-home mom. I don't judge that - she gave me three beautiful grandkids."
He continued, "Mitchell never showed any interest in working at my company. Besides, he's a bit of a pushover to be the CEO."
"Daniel…" he paused for a moment. "I never had high hopes for him when he was younger. He was a troublemaker."
"But strangely enough, whenever I brought him here as a kid, he'd stay quiet… just scribbling drawings on sheets of paper, like a normal child."
Jay made a face as if he didn't quite believe what he was saying himself - it sounded that unreal.
(Flashback when Daniel was a kid)
In one of the rooms, little Dani was sitting with several crayons, scribbling more drawings on a sheet of paper.
Margaret, the oldest employee at Pritchett's Closets & Blinds, walked in carrying a glass of juice and some cookies.
"Dani, I brought you some snacks," she said, placing them on the table.
"Thank you, Margaret," he grinned.
She gently patted his head. "Dani, you're so well-behaved here - how come I only hear complaints about you from your father?"
"Is he slandering you?" she joked.
Jay, who was standing near the door, heard what she said and stopped, deciding not to walk in just yet.
Little Dani looked at her. "I can't cause trouble here. People have to spend the whole day here, working in an office. That's already bad enough - I wouldn't make it worse for them."
"It's not funny if I'm the only one laughing," he added with the wisdom of a teacher, making her laugh.
"But at home, it's all good. My parents or my sister - they're family!" Dani said, as if that justified any mischief.
(Flashback ends)
"When I heard that, I thought there was still a chance. But then he started writing his books and making a lot of money..."
Jay spread his arms. "There's zero chance he'd want to take over anything."
[Commentary ends]
Melissa, the secretary, brought Richard into the meeting room. She still looked a bit embarrassed when she saw Dani.
"I told you, it was one of Monica's friends," he defended himself, noticing his father's look.
"Jay, Daniel," Richard said as he walked in, greeting both of them.
They exchanged a few words, with Richard treating Daniel just the same as always.
Dani glanced over the expenses listed in the analysis that had been handed to him.
"I increased spending across the board. Especially on gifts, travel, personal stuff, and household expenses."
"Even so, my expenses are even lower compared to my earnings," he turned to Jay. "Dad, I'm becoming like Financial Buddha!"
Jay ignored him, and Richard looked at the boy.
"I came here for three things. First, I want to know if you're planning to buy anything expensive."
Dani thought for a moment. "Not really. I might buy a Hummer, since sometimes I need a car with more seats."
"Some renovations and a few extra things for the house..." he pointed out, "but I think half a million is more than enough for everything."
"I don't feel like buying the big toys right now, like boats or planes."
Dani even joked, "A boat would be the worst. Dad would probably ask me to do something very boring like fishing."
"Daniel!" Jay said grumpily.
Richard nodded. "The second is more informational, since I probably already know your answer."
He handed over another document. "This is an analysis in case you decide to take H&P public. The bank estimates the valuation could be in the range of $500 million."
"Since Easy A and Juno are relatively low-budget films, there's no expectation that their profits will come anywhere near the first two."
"Even so, Easy A is expected to generate solid profit, riding the momentum of the first film," the banker concluded.
"Yeah, I have zero interest in selling," Dani denied promptly. "Being publicly traded means people bothering you, telling you what to do, or even trying to change things. Pass."
"Besides, having $350 million or $190 million in net worth doesn't make much difference to me right now." He shrugged.
Dani turned to his dad and gave him a friendly punch. "Dad, you're the CEO of a half-a-billion-dollar company. That's awesome!"
Jay shook his head, but couldn't hide a smile.
Richard didn't seem surprised - he had more or less expected that kind of answer from the boy.
"Finally," he said, "we need to decide where to invest this amount of money that will be coming in for you."
"Buy Apple!" Dani proposed.
"They're doing great, but can I ask why?" the banker raised an eyebrow.
"Phil said so."
Jay made a strange face. "Since when does Phil know anything about stocks?"
"He doesn't. Or at least, I think he doesn't," Dani remarked.
But he raised a finger. "But he did say Apple is the best electronics company. And Phil is a true enthusiast in that field."
"And I agree with him. The iPod is such an amazing product," he pulled his out of his pocket, "and iTunes just makes everything easier when it comes to music."
"Daniel, you can't invest like that," Jay groaned.
"Why not?" Dani countered. "Not just Phil - I talked to Howard. He's an MIT engineer, and he praised Apple's quality."
And he added more, "The iPod and Apple are becoming widely popular among young people."
Jay made a gesture to end the discussion. "Fine. Do whatever you want."
"Really?"
"You're almost eighteen - you need to learn how to handle your own finances."
[Jay commentary]
"Did I agree with Daniel's investment idea?" Jay asked rhetorically.
"Absolutely not. But it's a good lesson for him," he remarked.
"He's getting used to just making a lot of money. Losing some now wouldn't be a bad thing for him."
[Commentary ends]
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