Hugh Hefner charged ahead alone toward the Hot Spring Cave.
He was fuming with rage.
No one could ruin his party—not even Tom Cruise!
Nicholson and Leonardo followed closely behind.
Leonardo intended to lend a hand, while Nicholson… well, that old scoundrel might help, like holding someone back or something. But more than anything, he was just there to enjoy the drama.
But much to their disappointment, just as the three arrived at the Hot Spring Cave and were about to ring the entrance bell (every cave door had a bronze bell to act as a doorbell), the heavy wooden door suddenly swung open from the inside.
Martin and Tom Cruise emerged, chatting and laughing.
Although Tom Cruise still wore a look of lingering shock on his face.
Hugh Hefner peeked into the cave. All he could see was a mess of undressed bunny girls sprawled everywhere with cum still on their pussy—on the floor, by the edge of the bath, on the tables, on the bed.
Every one of their faces still held the afterglow of having "reached the summit."
"That fucking bastard inside! No way!"
Even though he'd already heard a bit about what happened, witnessing it in person still shocked Hugh Hefner to his core.
This Martin were monsters!!!
Meanwhile, Nicholson and Leonardo, having already seen what happened from across the way, weren't too shaken.
What Nicholson was more curious about was—
"Leo, you've known Martin longer than I have. Did he and Tom Cruise really have a falling out?"
Leonardo glanced oddly at Martin and Tom Cruise, still laughing and chatting as they walked away. He replied instinctively, "They definitely don't get along. I'm sure of that."
"Then what's going on here? Did they patch things up?" Nicholson was even more puzzled.
"How should I know? I'm just as surprised as you," Leonardo said.
...
Martin and Tom Cruise walked to a quiet corner.
Tom Cruise asked again, "Martin, do you really have to buy my Netflix shares?"
Martin smiled warmly. "Of course. How much do you have?"
The company in question was founded in 1997, originally focusing on DVD rentals, and began offering online subscriptions in 1999.
At this time, the company wasn't yet the tech giant with a market cap over $200 billion. It was a struggling enterprise on the verge of collapse.
YouTube was founded in 2005.
The rise of this online video platform was a fatal blow to Netflix. Their business model—renting tapes and CDs—suffered immensely, and subscriber numbers were rapidly declining.
Although Netflix was trying to transition, most of the board didn't take it seriously. Many shareholders were selling off their stock while it still had some value.
Martin, who understood the future, took this opportunity to scoop up Netflix shares at a low price.
Tom Cruise was one of those shareholders.
He owned 7.48% of Netflix.
Since 2005, Netflix's stock had been on a steady decline. The major crash happened this very year due to a mass sell-off from shareholders.
Tom Cruise, not being a pure businessman, was a little slow to react. While others were dumping their shares en masse, he didn't act in time. By the time he tried to sell, the value had already been halved—and no one seemed interested in buying.
He was panicking.
Influenced by other shareholders, he no longer believed in Netflix's future. He thought the era of physical media was over and Netflix was bound to be eliminated.
He didn't want those shares stuck in his hands.
On top of that, several of his recent major projects had flopped. He desperately needed cash to patch up the financial holes in Cruise Pictures.
To him, Cruise Pictures was his lifeline.
Just when he was feeling the heat, his manager, Bryan Kayle, brought him news—
Martin was aggressively buying up Netflix stock.
It was like grabbing a lifeline.
Tom Cruise didn't care about their past grudge anymore. When he saw Martin today, he seized the opportunity and approached him directly.
After all, in the face of profit, everything else was just fluff.
Martin might've been annoyed by the interruption, but since Cruise came offering money, he was happy to let bygones be bygones.
Faced with the question, he smiled affably. "Of course. How much are you holding?"
This guy really wants to buy?!
Tom Cruise's heart settled.
Then he said, "I've got 7.48% of Netflix. You want all of it?"
Martin replied, "Absolutely. I'll take it all."
At this point, Netflix's stock wasn't as spread out as it would be in the future. 7.48% wasn't a huge chunk.
But if it were 2019, that amount would've made him the largest shareholder.
Martin had already bought out the shares of all the minor shareholders and two major shareholders, totaling over 18.33%.
He hadn't expected to get Cruise's shares too—he was preparing to buy the 10.47% held by the investment fund Capital Research Global Investors (CRGI), and his team had already nearly finalized the deal.
So Cruise's portion was an unexpected bonus.
"Tom, since you're willing to sell and I'm willing to buy, consider this a verbal agreement. Let your people negotiate the details with my acquisitions team—how does that sound?"
"Fine by me."
Tom Cruise felt a weight lift from his shoulders. He was dying to finalize the deal and get those shares off his hands.
Inwardly, he was cursing: All those media outlets calling Martin a business genius? What a load of crap. Who in their right mind would invest in a dying DVD rental business? Hah!
As someone who had once been hyped to the heavens by the media, Tom Cruise knew how they worked.
When you're successful, they sing your praises and put you on a pedestal—just like they did with him back in the day.
When you fail, they drag you down and stomp on you with ten thousand feet—just like they're doing now.
He figured Martin would meet the same fate.
...
On the way back.
Leonardo asked curiously, "So, waiter boy, what did Tom Cruise want from you?"
Martin couldn't help but chuckle. "Something good."
"Something good?"
Nicholson, driving, was just as curious. "You patched things up with Tom Cruise?"
"Patched things up? No, no way," Martin said with a grin. "I think he'll end up hating me even more, ha!"