Re: Life - Business & Technology

Chapter 96 - Meeting The Family

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The following day after celebrating at the Digital Den with his friends and BTS, Vince woke up naked in his penthouse bedroom with Hailee in his arms to his left.

She woke up after noticing Vince getting up from bed and said, "Can we sleep in a bit more? It's a Friday after all."

"I'm sorry, Haiz, but I have a meeting at Marvel Studios at noon. So you can continue sleeping in the 787 on the way." Vince replied.

"Fine. I'll get ready. Oh, I almost forgot about brunch with my family." Hailee said.

"Luckily. I didn't. And Feel free to join me in the shower whenever you're ready." Vince replied with a wide grin.

"How about right now?" Haiz asked in reply.

Half an hour later, the two lovebirds met Leah in the living room before leaving for Los Angeles.

Future Couture boxes containing the newest designs were waiting on the table to be carried into the Flyga.

"Thank you for hosting me for the entire week, Leah. I appreciate the new outfits you've given me as well. I hope we can do this again soon." Haiz said sincerely.

"The pleasure was all ours, Hailee. You're always welcome in my homes whenever you're in the city recording music or otherwise." Leah replied honestly.

"Why don't you join us for brunch in LA, Leah? I think Vince will have an easier time with my parents if you're around." Haiz suggested.

"That's a great idea, Haiz." Vince chipped in.

Leah took a few moments to think about her responsibilities for the day and decided Aiya could reschedule her morning activities.

"Alright, give me fifteen minutes to get ready. I'll take the 787 back home after we eat." Leah replied before heading to her room.

[Nice! The brunch won't be as awkward now.] Vince pondered while he and Hailee waited for Leah.

The Flyga took off the penthouse AV pad and landed at Future Tech's private hangar after a short flight.

David Henderson, one of the highest-ranking senior partners at Kemp-Jacobs who's been with Future Tech since the beginning, was sitting inside the 787 waiting for the rest of the passengers.

The 30-year-old caucasian Texan owed much of his recent success to Future Tech. However, he found himself reminiscing about his time helping Vince's small company, which involved plenty of leg work.

David opened his eyes as he heard Vince, Leah, and Hailee board the jet.

"I trust you have all the necessary documents, David," Vince said to him as he sat down on a comfortable seat.

"Indeed. I believe we have everything we need to close the deal with Marvel and Disney." David replied dutifully.

"Good to hear. I'll be eating brunch with Leah and Hailee, so you can have the morning off until our meeting." Vince explained.

"Alright. I'll visit the LA branch to see how our lawyers are doing while you're busy." David replied.

The 787 didn't take long before landing on the private strip in LAX and taxied towards Future Tech's hangar.

As usual, the local branch dispatched CAVs for the executives and a FAV-1 for the FS operators who traveled from Austin.

In the meantime, they went their separate ways as Vince, Leah, and Hailee took a CAV north of LA, in Tarzana, to pick up Hailee's family while his escort followed.

The casual flight only took fifteen minutes, thanks to bypassing the atrocious LA traffic.

The CAV's AI flight control system slowly landed itself in an open area next to a country home in the suburbs, being careful not to disturb the neighbors too much.

[This is it. Meeting the parents was always the most difficult part of dating for me.] Vince pondered as the CAV's large door sliding door opened to welcome its three new passengers.

Hailee excitedly introduced Vince and Leah to her parents, Peter and Cheri, and her older brother, Griffin.

Leah got on well with the parents while on the way to Republique, a new French restaurant located in a building built by Charlie Chaplin in 1929, adding a certain ambiance to the dining experience.

Vince had the rest of his security detail standby in the FAV-1 outside while only allowing one to accompany him inside the fairly small restaurant.

They talked about random things to get to know each other better in a rather short amount of time, and Vince got on well with the 19-year-old gearhead who loved motor racing.

"I was never really into video games or consumer tech so I didn't really know much about you until I watched you on the F1 broadcast walking around the paddock and garages with Elon Musk and the Swedish bald guy," Griffin said honestly.

"You mean Christian. He's one of the most brilliant engineers I've met and I've met plenty. He's actually the person who made me consider buying an F1 team last year." Vince replied amicably.

"I've seen all the races this season and the only team that comes close to Future Tech F1 is Redbull Racing and Petronas Mercedes. The Koenigsegg engines are too much to handle for the rest of the grid." Griffin stated.

"You know your F1, Griffin. I bet you're planning to watch the race in Austin in November. If so, I can get you a special paddock pass with FT F1 motorhome access." Vince offered graciously.

"That would be sweet, dude. Thanks! You're a good guy in my books, Vince." Griffin replied excitedly.

[Well, that was easy. Bribery works in mysterious ways.] Vince thought while eating the third dish of the four-course brunch.

"And if you're careful, I'll let you drive my Agera R or SFV in Circuit of the Americas. A few of my executives and I rent track time there from time to time." Vince added the cherry on top.

"That would be so amazing! Hailee, you better be careful or I might steal away your boyfriend while you aren't looking." Griffin replied jokingly.

"I dare you to try!" Hailee bantered back.

While the younger ones mingled, Leah handled the parents well by sharing her stories of Vince when he was younger and how much a loving and respectful son she had.

"Thank you all for joining us for brunch and acquainting ourselves with each other. Don't be strangers and stop by our place in Austin when you get the chance." Vince stated as they exited the restaurant.

After an hour of fine dining, Vince gained the approval of Hailee's parents to much of his relief before parting ways with her family and sending them back home on a separate CAV.

Vince dropped Leah off at the private LAX hangar before heading to Burbank and meeting up with David, his legal counsel.

The Walt Disney Studios headquarters was fairly old, being built in 1940, but the massive office still exuded the same ambiance one would feel visiting the newer Disney World.

The HQ serviced the richest executives of Disney, so the parking lot naturally had its own AV pad for Vince's CAV to land on without compromise.

A secretary could be seen waiting by the AV pad to welcome Vince and his party as a courtesy.

Bob Iger, a Caucasian-American gentleman in his late 60s was waiting in the meeting room accompanied by Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige and the Russo brothers.

The secretary opened the double door to allow Disney's important guests to enter, two of the most influential men in the rapidly growing multi-national corporation, Future Tech.

The older Texan man who entered wore his style of Future Couture suit with a cowboy flair like a wide brim hat and bolo tie while the younger but taller man was dressed in a custom three-piece suit and a graphene-weaved black overcoat that protects against small to medium caliber rounds.

Each of the gentlemen introduced each other before commencing negotiations of a potentially massive deal between the two media giants.

[The young man is more intimidating than I expected. This won't be an easy day in the office.] Bob Iger pondered as he sat down at the head of the meeting table.

"Before we begin, I was skeptical about this meeting because of the rumors I've heard recently about Future Tech's deal with Universal Parks, our number one competitor in the theme park industry. Vince, could you please explain the nature of your partnership?" Bog stated seriously.

[Oh, come on. That was just a random deal I made with the park manager to get VIP access for my friends.] so Vince thought.

Stats last time checked: 

Future Tech current valuation - $300 billion 

15 million BTC (currently trades at $25,000) 

$15 Billion cash in Future Tech 

105,000+ employees (FT AI, Future Studios, Hive Mind Manufacturing, FT Micro Devices, BitCash, FT VR, Future Tech F1, FT Investments, Future Arms, Future Med, Future Tech Robotics, Future Education, Epic Games, 60% of SpaceX, 10% of Tesla, 10% of Koenigsegg) 

20,000+ operators under Future Security 

Personal Vehicles: Klassen Phantom, Agera R, Agera SFV, Boeing Luxury 787 Dreamliner, The Longhorn, Flyga

Five company collaborators (Epic, Koenegisegg, SpaceX, Tesla, Hyundai C&E) 

Numerous subsidiaries under Future Tech Holdings (i..e., Instagram, Twitch, Big Hit Entertainment)