Zane's head snapped toward the sound of the girl's voice. It was Charlize, talking to another young employee.
"Charlize," Zane said, walking over. His voice was sharp and intense. He was so focused he didn't even realize he'd grabbed her arm.
"Boss, easy!" she said, startled. "You're kind of grabbing my arm."
"Oh! Sorry!" Zane let go instantly, his expression softening. He gave her a charming, apologetic smile, though his eyes were still laser-focused. "My apologies, I just got excited. What were you saying about Yahoo?"
Soon, he had the whole story. Yahoo, the internet's favorite search engine, was rumored to be going public. Maybe in just a few weeks.
That's it, Zane thought, a jolt of pure, happy energy surging through him. That's the one I forgot!
He knew that in the late 90s, Yahoo was the undisputed king of the internet. He remembered its price being low when it started, and then... whoosh! It exploded, going way, way up. The chance to make twenty times his money was staring him right in the face.
He had found it. He had found his gusher of cash.
Just as his mind began racing with happy plans, the store's phone rang. James answered it.
"Boss, it's for you," James said, holding out the phone. "It's Victor."
Zane took the phone, puzzled. "Victor? What's up? Do we have a release date for our movie, Static?"
"The date's set, but that's not why I'm calling," Victor said, and his voice was full of excitement. "Boss, I just got off the phone with the BBC. The big TV company in the United Kingdom. They want to talk about making your Teletubbies show with us."
Zane felt like he'd been struck by lightning twice in the same minute. When it rains, it pours gold, he thought, a huge, happy grin spreading across his face.
"Victor, I'm on my way to the studio right now," he said. "We'll talk there."
He hung up, his mind a happy whirlwind of good news.
"James," he said, turning to his friend. "I'm heading to the studio. I want you to come with me. I have a new, important project just for you." He then glanced at Charlize, who was watching him curiously. "You too, Charlize. I need to talk to you about your future with the company."
A short drive later, the three of them were in Victor's office at Wald Pictures. Zane turned to Charlize first, his expression kind.
"Charlize, I understand you're planning to leave us in a week to follow your acting dream full-time," he said gently. "Is that right?"
She nodded, her face determined. "Yes, boss. I'm so grateful for this job, but acting is my dream. My classes are done, and it's time for me to really try."
"I understand," Zane said with a warm smile. "And I would never stand in the way of someone's dream. In fact... I want to invest in your dream."
She looked at him, completely confused. "What do you mean?"
"Charlize, I truly believe you have the talent and the drive to be a major star," he said, his voice full of sincerity. "And I want 'SpongeBob's Secret Chest' to be linked with that success from the very beginning. I'm offering you a new job: our official brand ambassador. Our spokesperson."
It was a smart move. He was spotting a future star and making her a friend of the company, cheap.
"You... you really think I'm going to be famous?" she asked, a wave of surprised happiness washing over her face.
"I'm certain of it," he said with his most confident, charming smile. He then slid a contract across the desk. "And to show you I'm serious, I'm prepared to offer you a one-time payment of $100,000 for a lifetime endorsement deal."
She was stunned. It was more money than she had ever seen. After a few more minutes of Zane telling her how her "timeless beauty" and "star quality" were perfect for the brand, she signed the paper, barely even reading the part about a huge penalty for breaking the contract.
With one future superstar happy and on his team, Zane turned to James.
He handed his friend a single sheet of paper.
"James," he said, his voice now serious and proud. "This is your new main job. This is a list of movies coming out this year. I want you to take our lawyer, go to every studio on this list, and get the merchandise rights for every single movie. Be tough, be smart, and get it done cheap."
James looked down at the list, his eyes widening. This was a huge step up. This was real, serious work. "You can count on me, boss," he said, his voice filled with pride.
The list looked simple, but it was a secret treasure map.
Independence Day
Twister
Mission: Impossible
The Rock
...and eleven other movies that Zane knew were going to be the biggest hits of 1996. While all the other studios were gambling on which movies would win, Zane was just giving his new manager a shopping list of guaranteed winners.
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