I am Hollywood

[Chapter 1108: Just Like This]

Although Eric had recently flatly rejected Edgar Bronfman's attempt to invest in Firefly Electronics, he had graciously offered a stock incentive plan similar to what Yahoo had done before.

After careful consideration, Eric ultimately decided to sell 12.5 million shares from Firefly Electronics' total of 250 million shares at a discounted price, exclusively to key executives and elite employees.

These 12.5 million shares represented about 5% of Firefly Electronics' total equity. Based on the industry's common valuation of around $30 billion for Firefly Electronics, the value of this equity had reached a staggering $1.5 billion, which was 50% higher than the total value of stocks awarded during Yahoo's initial 20% equity incentive plan.

Firefly Electronics had risen so quickly that they hadn't signed a stock incentive agreement in advance like Yahoo did. To avoid issues like tax implications, this incentive did not involve free shares.

However, Eric offered these stocks at a low price, using a price-to-earnings ratio of about 10 times, with each share priced at only $32 -- roughly a fourth of its market price of $120. Furthermore, the executives and employees granted the subscription could simply apply for an interest-free loan from Firefly Investments to cover the stock purchase, repayable through company dividends in the future, meaning they wouldn't actually have to put any money up front.

Of course, these shares came with very strict restrictive clauses.

During this time, as major electronics manufacturers announced their entry into the digital music player market, Firefly Electronics had begun to see alarming signs of employee turnover. However, with the rollout of this stock incentive plan, this trend could be effectively curbed.

...

Arriving in Palo Alto, San Francisco, by the afternoon, the day had already turned to night by the time the meeting concluded. Caroline had been invited by Melanie to stay at her place, and Eric had even given her a few days off, leaving her free to return to Los Angeles whenever she wished.

After attending a cocktail party hosted by Larry Ellison, Eric returned to his home in Atherton with Merissa Mayer, the clock nearing eleven.

With the NASDAQ booming, the entire Silicon Valley was engulfed in a palpable atmosphere of excitement. The once-quiet Atherton neighborhood now buzzed with energy. Eric's car navigated through the streets, revealing groups of men and women lingering outside, while inside the brightly lit mansions, the parties raged on.

In just the two months since the beginning of 1999, over 100 technology companies had gone public on NASDAQ. Those who hadn't lived through this era would find it hard to believe the frenzy that ensued. Some tech companies managed to secure hundreds of millions of dollars in funding based solely on business plans that existed only in PowerPoint presentations, creating a surge of millionaires and billionaires almost overnight.

As Eric's car pulled into his mansion in Atherton, he unexpectedly heard the faint sounds of a party from a neighboring mansion. There were even raucous female screams. Though the large distance meant the noise wasn't too loud, and he figured he could escape it inside, it still caused him to frown.

Merissa Mayer walked alongside him, noticing his expression. "That's Jean-Louis Gassée next door, the founder of Be, Inc. He was originally an executive at Apple but got ousted by Jobs. A few years back, Apple almost considered using the BeOS operating system that Gassee developed, but he priced it too high, wanting 15% of Apple's shares. At that time, CEO John Sculley vetoed the deal. However, Be has recently gone public, and with Microsoft's antitrust troubles, stocks for other operating system companies are soaring. Be's valuation has also recently surpassed $1 billion."

Eric merely nodded, showing no interest in desktop operating systems that were destined to fail. He entered the villa with Merissa, and the distant noise faded completely. He casually removed his suit and tie, sinking comfortably into the living room sofa.

"Mary, play me a song. See if you can guess what I want to hear," he said.

Merissa hung up the suit, intending to get him a glass of water since he had consumed some wine that night.

Upon hearing his request, she turned to a digital sound system in the corner, developed by Firefly's R&D department. Eric didn't want to distract Firefly from their portable music player line, so he had declined other product lines, but he still kept a beautifully designed prototype in the villa.

Moments later, the soothing notes of Young and Beautiful began to play softly.

♫I've seen the world, done it all, had my cake nowDiamonds, brilliant, and Bel Air nowHot summer nights, mid-JulyWhen you and I were forever wildThe crazy days, city lightsThe way you'd play with me like a child

...♫

Satisfied, Eric shifted slightly on the sofa, resting his head on a cushion, kicked off his shoes, and let his legs lounge draped over the armrest, enjoying the music that filled the air.

A faint hint of a woman's scent wafted past his nose. He opened his eyes to see Merissa nearby, holding out a glass of water, her strands of golden hair cascading down as she leaned in.

Eric didn't reach for the glass; instead, he caught the drifting locks of hair and slowly traced his fingers up to her smooth face.

He enjoyed the sensation of his fingertips gliding over her skin and continued to slide down.

It felt like a long-ago night.

This time, Merissa didn't speak, her eyes narrowing slightly like a cat's, her cheek turned slightly, seeming to invite him to touch her palm more. After a moment, she released the glass she held, kneeling softly beside him on the sofa, allowing him to slide the strap of her deep red dress down inch by inch.

Until he grew impatient and reached to draw her body closer, she murmured softly, "Eric."

Eric paused, gazing at the flushed girl. "Yeah?"

"Nothing," she hesitated before shaking her head. Leaning against the side of the sofa, she added, "Nothing at all."

Eric chuckled. "Why don't we go to your room?"

"No, no need," Merissa Mayer hesitated briefly, but then she stood up, gradually crawling onto Eric, saying, "Just like this."

*****

https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.