MassaHJ
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Chapter 149: Birthday party
🕑 Added 2025-07-02 11:31:05 +0000 UTCAfter greeting a few more guests, the seven of us—Paige, me, Regina, Henry, Thomas Siebel, Ralph Lauren, and John Doerr—regrouped near the garden lounge. The afternoon sun cast long shadows over the perfectly trimmed lawn, and the soft hum of conversation floated through the air.
I made a small joke, glancing between the group. “So, do I need a billion to stay here in this circle?”
That drew a few small chuckles from the group.
John Doerr raised an eyebrow. "You know about us?"
"To be fair, I only know Ralph Lauren, and that Siebel is a CRM." I replied. "By the way, I like your clothes, Ralph." I added.
That drew more laughter.
Regina shot me a brief glare, unimpressed by my overly casual charm.
We exchanged a few more words with the group, then Regina, Paige, and I drifted off to another corner of the garden to chat in a more relaxed setting.
Looking at the two of them glaring at me, I said, "What?"
"You treat them like they’re just average Joes," Paige said.
"No way. I treat them normally. And one of them is Regina's dad," I retorted.
"And why are you all starstruck, Paige?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
"I'm not, but they are like... billionaires?!" Paige replied, still sounding slightly overwhelmed.
"No, Jake is correct," Regina chimed in. "We sometimes forget that Jake is basically the most famous singer in the world! Like I forget that my dad is a billionaire."
Paige and I exchanged puzzled looks.
"It’s true. He didn’t let me spend that much in the past," Regina explained.
I still looked at her.
"Remember last end of year party? I couldn't even spend ten thousand like you did. And I knew I was richer than you, Jake," she said, sounding wronged.
"And what changed? Because I know you don’t exactly hold back at the mall," I replied.
"We do. Cher, Paige, and I only spend a lot when we’re with you," Regina said with a smirk.
"Yeah," Paige agreed. "We all know you get bored easily in stores, and you just tell us to buy everything. And then you pay for it."
"Aye, you three b*tches. I'm the daddy without the good part," I said, making us all laugh.
The truth is, Cher and Regina also give me expensive gifts. Paige held back at first, but after I told her she could do like Cher and Regina, she loosened up. Among my friends, the only one completely shameless about money is Sam. But she never liked anything fancy, so I let it go. And they’re all about clothes and shoes—nothing with jewels or anything over four digits.
"And my dad probably only started letting me spend more when I began putting real effort into acting classes," Regina added. "Showing him I was serious about something made the difference.”
"Oh yeah, Paige, you talk about them being billionaires. What makes you think I'm not richer than them?" I inquired with a smirk.
Regina and Paige’s eyes almost popped out. "What??" they exclaimed in unison.
"I'm kidding, you two are so gullible," I said with a grin.
Paige narrowed her eyes. “You know, the scary part is... I’m not totally sure you are kidding.”
Regina crossed her arms. “Same."
Tasha, Cher, Carly, Freddie, and Sam arrived, followed soon after by more people from school, including Pippa and her usual group.
I was talking with Freddie, Sam, and Paige, while Carly, Cher, Tasha, and Regina stood a bit off to the side, engaged in their own conversation. They seemed to be laughing at something only they understood, occasionally glancing in our direction.
"They are talking bad about you for sure," Sam said to me, amused.
"Nah, they’re all talking about how good I look in a blazer, and Tasha’s probably saying how lucky she is," I replied with a grin.
The three of them glared at me.
"Gibby is still mad at you," Freddie added.
"He could be mad all he wants. Tasha is a girl, not a restaurant—first come, first serve. So what he saw her first?” I replied
Sam crossed her arms. "What world is Gibby living in? He never had the slightest chance with Tasha."
"Yeah," Paige chimed in. "I'd say she's even out of your league, Jake."
"Heyy, there is not a single girl out of my league in this world," I retorted.
"I'm starting to believe him, Paige," Sam said. "Cher, Regina, Laura, Scarlett, Tasha..."
After talking with everyone for a while, Tasha and I snuck away for a few make-out sessions. Eventually, we returned—Tasha rejoined the girls to chat, and I wandered over to a trio. I knew two of them, and I had a rough idea of who the third was.
"Rupert, this is Jake Harper, a friend of my daughter's," Henry said, introducing me.
"Mr. Murdoch, nice to meet you," I said, looking eyes with him before turning to greet Pepper.
"Ah, the promising young lad. Paranormal Activity, Lost in Translation, and The Conjuring. Half a billion in gross revenue for someone so young. Boy, if you’ve got another film, Fox has its doors wide open," he said.
"Rupert, my dear, stop trying to steal my golden goose," Pepper said jokingly.
We all laughed—a proper corporate laugh.
After exchanging a few more words, Pepper and I excused ourselves, leaving the two to continue their conversation.
Already in a quieter corner, I muttered to Pepper, "Aye, what a scary old MF."
She gave me a glare.
"A MF we need to maintain a cordial relationship with. No need to cross his line—unless it's strictly necessary," she said.
Huh, even Pepper calling him MF…
She continued, "And he made an offer for JD Company."
I snorted. "Of course he did. How much?"
"1.2 billion."
"A daylight robbery," I said.
"It’s not a bad offer if you don’t know any core information (30% Amazon, 100 million shares short position Eron…). He’s assuming we made something like 500 million on the movies plus Marshmello. Of the five films—Paranormal Activity, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Brokeback Mountain, Lost in Translation, The Conjuring—he believes only one or two have real sequel potential. And the movies we’re producing now are still too early to predict success." Pepper explained
Comments
ShadowKnight
Heh, that’s normal, pull the rug from under them before they know their worth
