Chapter 788

"What?" Spears was stunned. He was expressing his emotions with his saliva flying everywhere, but he was suddenly interrupted by Adriaan. He couldn't wrap his head around it for a while.

"What if it's not in California?" Adriaan repeated slowly. He looked calm and unruffled, and his expression didn't change at all.

Since Spears had patiently planned for more than a month before coming here, he naturally knew a lot of things. Hence, after a pause, he immediately understood what Adriaan meant. His face turned pale at first, then turned red, and his breathing became rough. He clenched his fists and glared at Adriaan. His body trembled slightly as if he had been greatly insulted.

Adriaan, who had a panoramic view of his situation, smiled slightly. With just one sentence, he had tested how much Spears knew. Britney did a good job. She had kept her mouth shut for more than a month.

"I know, Mr. Adriaan, you are a big shot, and you have a lot of power. But if you think you can make me yield like this, then you are making a big mistake! I am a father. I love my daughter, I love my family, and I will never let her get hurt … "Spears continued to express his emotions passionately. His righteous appearance really made him seem like a hero.

Adriaan curled his lips mockingly and interrupted him unceremoniously again. "Enough, Mr. Spears. We are all decent people. Please don't make a ruckus like low-level hooligans on the street, okay?"

Spears suddenly looked like he was choked, and his face turned even redder. However, Adriaan's voice floated into his ears again. "0.01% of Cisco's shares."

"Wh-what?" This inexplicable words made Spears stunned. He looked at Adriaan with a puzzled expression.

"Cisco was established in 1984. It provides Internet solutions. Its equipment and software products are mainly used to connect computer networks. In the current IT industry, they are ranked at the top. Their current market value has just exceeded 200 billion USD. Therefore, 0.01% of the shares is 20 million USD." Adriaan crossed his hands in front of him and looked at Spears unhurriedly.

Spears' eyes suddenly widened. Although he tried his best to look unmoved, his throat still moved a little.

Seeing this, Adriaan smiled lightly. As early as when he signed Britney, he had people investigate her family situation. After Vincent Price or Martin Mortimer became his subordinate, the investigation became even clearer. Therefore, when Britney came to find him in a panic that day, he didn't take it to heart at all.

James Spears was a construction contractor. According to the more popular words in his previous life, he was a labor contractor, and a small one at that. He also had the shortcomings that all Americans had: arrogance, blindness, self-righteousness, and so on. His wife, Britney's mother, Lynn Spears, was slightly better than him. She was an elementary school teacher and had more brains, but overall, they were about the same.

Although a small contractor could also make a lot of money if he did well, Spears' family's annual income was only about a few hundred thousand USD. They were no different from ordinary middle-class people. Otherwise, they wouldn't have sent Britney to join the Mickey Mouse Club so readily and moved their family from Louisiana to California after she was signed. After Britney released her debut album this year, she became a very popular female celebrity. With this album, she earned millions of USD in less than a year. Spears and his wife earned back their investment in the past few years, and Britney obviously had greater potential. This was equivalent to picking up a gold mine!

Although this income didn't belong to Spears and his wife, they were Britney's parents after all. Therefore, Spears and his wife would never allow Britney to leave their control, let alone let others touch or even share their daughter. This was also a kind of love, wasn't it? Moreover, they might even get more benefits from Adriaan. Human greed was always endless.

"Not only that." Adriaan continued, still so calm, as if nothing could move him. "It is estimated that in the next year, Cisco's market value will triple to quintuple, so …"

At this point, he raised his hands and didn't continue. Spears couldn't help but pull his collar and gulped. His face turned red again, but this time, it was out of excitement and not an act. The previous 20 million had already moved him. When had he ever had so much money? Moreover, it might multiply several times in the next year. Three times would be 60 million, and five times …

"You may have doubts, but as long as you pay attention to Cisco's stock price, you will know if what I said is true." Adriaan spoke again.

Spears was even more certain. Since the other party dared to say so, he must have a certain degree of confidence. Obviously, he was still a little afraid of this matter. Perhaps it could be more … At this moment, he met Adriaan's gaze, and he couldn't help but shrink his neck. The other party looked at him with a faint smile, giving off a condescending feeling, as if he was looking at an ant.

He immediately swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth. Spears was not a fool, and he knew that it was time to stop. He immediately lowered his posture and carefully smiled. "You … are you serious, Mr. Adriaan?"

"In my opinion, your daughter is worth this price." Adriaan spread his hands.

This overly blunt words made Spears a little embarrassed, but his skin was thick enough. He quickly recovered and nodded immediately. "Thank you very much for your generosity, Mr. Adriaan."

"Then, that's it. Tomorrow, I will let the lawyer contact you to discuss the details." Adriaan said casually, "But half of it will be under your wife's name."

Spears was stunned, but he immediately understood his intention. Although he felt a little pained, he didn't raise any objections. After Adriaan made a gesture, he got up and bowed to leave.

"By the way, Mr. Spears, there is one more thing I want to remind you." After he walked to the door, Adriaan stopped him again. Adriaan put his hands on the table, and he still had that arrogant look. "Although our agreement doesn't have anything on paper, since we have made a deal, then we must abide by it. Do you understand?"

"Un … understood." Spears hesitated, and after he reacted, he nodded his head.

This was an obvious warning. Without a specific contract, there was no legal binding force. So as long as the Spears couple wanted, they could completely not abide by today's deal and take advantage of it to make profits when needed. But at the same time, as long as they dared to do that, Adriaan could use all kinds of means to deal with them without any restrictions and make them completely finished.

James? After Spears left, Adriaan continued to sit on the chair leisurely until someone knocked on the door. Then, Charlize appeared at the door. He looked at him and made a gesture with a complicated expression.

"Let her come in." Adriaan said with a smile, and then winked at Charlize. The young lady rolled her eyes, turned around, and waved her hand outside.

"Eide!" Britney ran in worriedly, ignoring the fact that Charlize was still present. She went around the desk and threw herself into his arms. Adriaan informed Britney when he made an appointment with Spears, so during the negotiation, Britney had been waiting in a room outside the office for news.

"Alright, it's fine, Bob." After Charlize closed the office door, Adriaan patted the young lady's back gently.

"Really? Really? " Britney asked twice in a row, and her face was full of worry. "I've been scared in that room. What if … what if … I really don't know what to do."

"I said, trust me, Boo-Boo." Adriaan caressed her hair and kissed her beautiful face. "You did well. You didn't carelessly reveal more information."

"I'm not an idiot!" Britney pouted unhappily, but she quickly grabbed his collar nervously. "What did you guys say, Eide?"

"Nothing. I spent tens of millions to buy you from your father," Adriaan said in a relaxed tone.

"Buy … Buy?" The young lady was a little absent-minded, and then she showed a disappointed expression. Even though her EQ was in the negatives, and she had been brainwashed by Adriaan for years, she still had feelings for her parents. She naively hoped that her parents would allow her to maintain a relationship with Adriaan. Now that she heard this result, it was normal for her to feel disappointed.

This was exactly what Adriaan wanted. He then carried Britney and made her sit on his body. He pinched her chin and kissed her soft red lips. "Alright, don't think about it. Anyway, you don't need to worry about it anymore. You're mine, Bob. No one will hurt you, and no one will make things difficult for you. You just need to focus on your music and strive for a higher goal."

There was no need to mention this matter. The seed had been planted. As time passed, she would slowly erase the importance of her parents in her heart.

"Strive for a higher goal?" Britney finally got rid of her dejected mood. She tilted her head and looked at Adrian for a while.

"Yes, shoulder to shoulder, and even … surpass Madonna." Adrian placed his hand on the girl's forehead and kissed her lips once more. In return, he received a torrent of kisses from the other party. Only after a few wet kisses did he finally give up.

"Thank you …" Britney said while panting. Then, she seemed to have thought of something. She giggled and whispered into Adriaan's ear. "Master!"

Hearing this, Adriaan raised his eyebrows and felt extremely happy. This title alone was worth the 20 million Cisco shares. Although Britney called him this more out of fun and a joke, it was like opening a small hole in a dam that would soon collapse under the flow of water. When she used this title without any hindrance in her life, she would be his from the inside out.

She had just said that she would slowly erase the importance of her parents in her heart as time passed. Now, she had taken a big step forward, which was worth celebrating.

"I like this title." Adriaan looked at the young lady with a smile. "You can move out now, right?"

"No problem. I'll get my agent to find a suitable house soon, Ai …" Britney smiled sweetly. Then, she noticed Adriaan's displeased look and giggled. She wrapped her arms around his neck and lay on his chest. "I'll move out soon, my master."

This matter was settled. Not only did he settle Britney's parents, but he also made her one step closer to becoming his. However, the 20 million dollars was not that easy to get.

"I've already asked people to prepare. Although we've considered many variables, I have to remind you, Eide, the final result may be less," Legt said in the study of Adriaan's mansion.

"It doesn't matter. It won't be less than 10 billion, right?" Adriaan shrugged nonchalantly. "We're snatching food from the tiger's mouth, Uncle Legt."

Then, he looked curious. "Didn't you always say that I don't have much talent in finance? Why did you prepare according to the data I gave you this time? "

"Because you're the Miracle Director." Legt shrugged calmly. Adriaan couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Of course, humor aside, he still had to explain. "You know, Eide, I've worked for your father for many years. I have a very professional team. Although we have different views on the future, it's certain that there will be a bubble. Your suggestion happened to be in the middle of the disagreement, so the accountants decided to prepare according to the data you gave."

"I knew it. It can't be because of the information I got from my uncle." Adriaan sighed and changed the topic. "It's a pity that we don't have the right to use the scissors yet."

In 1992 and 1997, Adriaan could do the shearing because the situation was clear, and the real giants didn't mind sharing the soup with others. But next year was different. No one could predict it. Even the people on Wall Street who could use the scissors were the real giants. They were all part of the country. Although the Kewell family had a long history, it wasn't a big family. Anderson's uncle was quite powerful on Wall Street, but he was nothing compared to the real giants.

So Adriaan started preparing now. The company's assets were managed by Claude, and he had discussed it with him at the beginning. There was no need to worry too much, but Adriaan still had so many investments to deal with. Even a mediocre financial person like him knew that he couldn't cash out immediately. If he didn't want to be harvested, he had to prepare for a rainy day and try his best to snatch food from the tiger's mouth. Although there might be losses, the actual profits would be enough.

Therefore, although the 20 million given to the Spears couple might increase several times in the future, it was not certain whether they would be able to get their hands on it, unless they sold it now. But with their greed, was that possible? Especially after a few weeks, when the stock began to soar, it would be even more impossible for them to lose it.

When that time came, their faces would definitely be very ugly. Adriaan thought maliciously. He didn't have the slightest bit of sympathy. It was already benevolent enough that he didn't instigate the Spears couple to invest all their money in the stock market.

Alright, let's change the topic to the movie. At the end of January in 1999, a movie was quietly released in cinemas. Although it was so low-key, this movie was bound to leave a heavy mark in the history of movies, because its name was "Blair the Witch"!

Ever since Bosworth's Perez and Harmon obtained Adriaan's support, they started to hype up the movie according to their own ideas. They set up related websites and spread rumors on major websites, leading netizens to make all kinds of associations. In the second half of 1998, many people were discussing the witch named Blair in Maryland and the three missing college students.

The local police in Maryland couldn't stand the harassment and issued several statements saying that there was no such case. However, no one believed them, and all kinds of inquiries and emails continued to pour in. In the end, the state government had no choice but to organize people to conduct a small-scale search. Of course, they found nothing.

However, the public still didn't believe them and insisted that the government was hiding the truth. After all, there was no country in the world where people would believe the government. Moreover, the relevant websites also released interviews with the school's parents. After claiming that they had found the film left behind by the college students, they also released a video on the Internet and edited part of it and mailed it to the "Science Discovery" channel.

As a result, the whole matter became even more sensational, especially the video of the female college students crying and talking to herself. It stirred up the emotions of many people. After the commotion continued until the beginning of January in 1999, there was news on the website that a film company had bought the film of the college students. After editing it, they arranged for it to be played in cinemas. Therefore, the attention of countless people who were concerned about this matter was attracted.

Next, it was released at the end of January in 1999. Although it was only shown in 20 cinemas, and these cinemas were all very remote, it still received a box office of 2 million US dollars within five days! Thinking about the number of cinemas and the box office, it was quite rare to see such an astonishing ratio. Moreover, according to the feedback, these cinemas were all filled with people, and almost no one left during the screening!

Faced with this situation, Bosworth immediately operated on all aspects. By the second week, the number of cinemas had increased by 500, and the box office had also jumped to 15 million US dollars! With better publicity, the movie attracted the public to the cinemas faster and better than the original version, and it was inevitable that it would receive a higher box office than the original version.

"Now, do you understand the importance of online publicity?" After summoning the heads of the four major companies to the headquarters to introduce the movie's achievements, Adriaan asked this question.

At the beginning, Bosworth's internal department was not optimistic about "Blair the Witch", even with Adriaan's support. This had always been what Adriaan advocated. Don't be too superstitious about authority, and Bosworth's side did the best. Although the movie's results had proven everything, he still hoped that this style could continue to be maintained and expanded.

Of course, Adriaan also took this opportunity to emphasize the importance of online publicity to everyone. He saw the Internet as a new media that was on the same level as traditional media, and not something that relied on traditional media.