Chapter 36: Buying Property in Silicon Valley
[Chapter 36: Buying Property in Silicon Valley]
Daniel called Linton to Universal Music's office.
"Linton, the American Music Awards on January 18 have confirmed your nomination for Best New Artist in the Soul/R&B category. The company has also secured a slot for your halftime performance."
The AMA would be broadcast on ABC, and based on past viewership, it usually attracted no less than 10 million viewers -- an excellent promotional platform.
"Prepare well. Quickly choose your song. The company will arrange choreography and organize a band and backup dancers for rehearsals to ensure the best possible performance," Daniel instructed.
...
A man in his thirties, a Caucasian, knocked on the door.
"Linton, let me introduce you to Jimmy Odys from Universal Studios' Performance Department. Their unit mainly handles concerts and live performances for Universal's artists and major events. Your AMA halftime show planning and rehearsals are his responsibility.
Since you've been nominated for Best New Artist in Soul/R&B, I suggest you go with That's the Way Love Goes.
Alright, I'll arrange for Anne to choreograph. Do you think Anne can handle the dance instructions? Also, confirm the band and backup dancers. Take a few days to rest. Rehearsals start on the 11th. Okay?"
"Yes, no problem. It's almost quitting time, so I'll take my leave," Linton replied.
...
Linton and Mira arrived at the office. Mira informed him about contacting real estate agents for viewings. Through agents, she had already arranged three high-end properties.
Mira had checked all three -- no issues with quality or ownership. The first was a villa on the hillside of Beverly Hills, priced at 12 million USD.
The second was a luxury house on Malibu Beach, costing 16 million USD.
The third was an estate on top of Beverly Hills, but it was over budget at 24 million USD.
Linton was satisfied and asked Mira to contact the agent to set up a viewing for the day after tomorrow.
Excitedly, Mira also told him that, following his Vogue magazine feature and his recent album sales, she had received numerous endorsement offers. Several luxury brands had extended high quotes, generally over 3.5 million USD annually.
"Do you want to take a few?" Mira asked.
"Yes, start filtering. Focus on brands matching my current status and business value. Aim for high-end brands. A few days later, after I finish rehearsals, we'll discuss specifics," Linton replied.
---
Cameron Diaz was in Los Angeles, after arriving from Brazil, Linton had promised to spend the evening together.
It had been over four months since they last saw each other, back in late August.
After leaving Universal, they went to the restaurant prepared earlier, where Cameron was already waiting.
Today, Cameron was dressed meticulously, wearing a red low-cut dress with black heels, her face lit up with a sweet smile, extremely sexy and radiant.
Upon seeing each other, they shared a deep French kiss to ease their longing. Linton presented Cameron with a gift bought in France -- a Gucci handbag -- and she responded by giving him a passionate kiss.
They talked about their careers over dinner. Cameron had been doing well, landing her latest movie after The Town, then filming a new project called Sunshine Journey as the second lead, just finished.
In her past life, Cameron's first film was in 1993, when she starred in The Mask, before that, she was primarily a model.
It seemed his appearance had completely changed her career trajectory, significantly accelerating her path to Hollywood stardom.
However, Linton reminded her not to miss her first big break in The Mask.
As they sat at the table, Linton was enjoying a large steak while Cameron had only a light salad. He couldn't help but marvel: good figure truly came from discipline.
"You're eating too little, Michelle. Try some vegetarian bacon; it's low in calories," he suggested.
Seeing that she only ate half of the vegetable salad and put down the cutlery in her hand, Linton couldn't help but say something. "I am finished. I calculate daily calorie intake, which is enough for my body to consume."
She watched him devour his steak, feeling the urge to indulge, but restrained herself to keep her figure.
"Are you sure you're going to have enough energy tonight?" she asked.
"No worries, I'm in top shape," he assured her with a shrug.
...
After finishing their meal, they returned to Linton's small villa. Fortunately, while Linton was away, Mira had arranged for a housekeeping service to keep everything spotless.
As the saying goes, a small home feels like new marriage. As soon as they entered, the fireworks began.
Perhaps it had been too long, because Cameron was unusually passionate and uninhibited, trying all sorts of positions -- a wild, no-holds-barred experience.
During their intimacy, Linton confirmed that Cameron's popularity was higher than last time, though she still lagged behind Winona.
...
Early the next morning, Cameron had to rush to a shoot. Before she left, Linton asked her to be his date to tonight's celebration party -- a great opportunity to boost her contacts.
He arranged for Danny to drive Cameron back to her apartment, where her manager would pick her up.
Later, they went to Linton's studio.
...
Henry Zhou was already waiting, updating him on the stock purchases: Microsoft with $3 million, Cisco with $5 million, Dell and Compaq with $2.5 million each.
"Any progress on the Silicon Valley office buildings?"
"Almost done. Both buildings checked out -- no issues with ownership or structure. Both are under a real estate broker's name.
The prices are pretty much settled. One is an 8-story office building, covering four acres, 160,000 square feet, with an asking price of $6 million, now negotiated down to $5.7 million.
The other has two 5-story buildings on six acres, 210,000 square feet, with an asking price of $8.5 million, now down to $8 million.
Boss, want to see the site?" Henry asked.
"Sure, let's go. Contact the agent. If everything looks good, let's buy it today," Linton responded.
...
Once in Silicon Valley, Linton was surprised to find the area just a short drive from Apple's headquarters. The buildings were nearby, and he was quite satisfied.
It was currently on the outskirts, but in a few years, this would be central Silicon Valley. The area was poised to expand rapidly.
He carefully examined the buildings. They were new and well-suited for tech companies, mostly related to the computer industry.
There was ample parking, good green spaces, and extremely low density -- covering only about 20,000 square feet on four acres, and about 40,000 square feet on six acres for the two buildings.
Seeing this, Linton decided to go ahead with the purchase. No need to wait. Investing in Silicon Valley commercial real estate was a low-risk, high-return strategy, especially at this low point in property prices.
Prices here were much cheaper than in downtown San Francisco.
With the rapid growth of the internet, Silicon Valley was destined to create wealth legends. Property values would skyrocket, rents would go up naturally, and the investment would only become more lucrative.
...
After arranging financing, Linton brought Goodman to complete the paperwork, officially signing the contract. The total was about $13.7 million, with a 30% down payment of $4.11 million. The remaining amount would be paid over ten years, easily covered by rental income, leaving no financial strain.
"From now on, this 8-story office building will be called Linton Tower, and the two 5-story buildings will be known as Linton Tech Park," Linton decided.
He finalized the naming, firmly branding the properties to strengthen his presence in the area.
*****
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