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It was just a matter of providing a different dessert supplier. Musk easily agreed to Ron's request, and under Andy's supervision, the equity transfer was quickly completed.
Ron received a total of 8.8% of Tesla's stock. Andy said that if he had been present during the initial negotiations, he could have secured more for Ron, but he didn't believe that some glorified golf cart had the potential to be a major success.
"A flimsy car with a range of less than 200 miles, basic motor technology, and questionable safety features being sold at luxury car prices. Do you think everyone else is an idiot? I strongly suggest you cash out now and take your profits.
Otherwise, in my experience, this company's stock price will only continue to tank, and you might not even make as much money as if you had just sold the technology patent directly."
That's what Andy told him. If Ron didn't know what the future held, he probably would have agreed completely.
But unfortunately, Ron came from the future and knew that tomorrow's market game was very different from Andy's era.
A company's stock price was no longer determined simply by technology and profits—those had become secondary considerations. The ability to craft a compelling narrative was the real driver of stock valuations.
And Ron knew there was no better storyteller in the world than Elon Musk, the master manipulator who could even convince people that every product failure was somehow the customer's fault. It was absolutely genius.
Ron figured this guy would eventually crash and burn, but he'd arrived too early in the timeline to witness that spectacular failure. He could only plan to cash out at the peak and maybe ride along with Musk's cryptocurrency schemes.
"Andy, if you're interested, I can transfer 1% of Tesla to you, provided you work for me without a salary. Deal?"
Ron made a rare generous offer, but Andy looked at him like he'd lost his mind before silently walking away. "I may be getting old, but I'm not senile yet."
While his financial ventures were going smoothly, his official career wasn't progressing as quickly. After Ron reported his staffing needs to his patron Francis, he received some funding and logistical support, and moved his office from his apartment to a space near Caltech.
But Ron's team remained essentially nonexistent—just him and Andy.
Ron didn't want to hire mediocre talent, and top-tier people were hard to come by, so he essentially went on an extended break. Besides occasionally interviewing candidates recommended from other agencies, he spent most of his time shuttling between Max and Caroline—both teetering on the edge of financial ruin—and playing World of Warcraft with Sheldon's crew of genius nerds.
At Sheldon's apartment, four scientists and one IRS agent embarked on epic digital quests.
"Excellent, move forward carefully. Prepare yourselves, gentlemen. We've reached the gates of the Black Temple," Howard announced dramatically.
"Holy shit!"
Everyone gasped in unison. For four straight days of their vacation, the five of them had been holed up playing this game nonstop, building toward this climactic moment. Leonard frantically adjusted his setup to ensure optimal performance.
"Stay calm. We've been grinding for 97 hours just for this moment." With that, Rajesh pulled out his inhaler and took a deep puff of his asthma medication, afraid he might hyperventilate from excitement and pass out.
Raj cautiously opened the instance door, and Illidan's iconic voice immediately boomed through everyone's headsets: "I have been banished for ten thousand years, exiled from my homeland. You dare enter my domain..."
Ron couldn't help but feel nostalgic for his college gaming days in his previous life, but now he had more pressing concerns—namely, stealing the Warglaives before Sheldon could get them!
Before the raid began, Ron, the scheming bastard, had already maneuvered himself into the leadership position and secured loot distribution rights. Then...
Ron held up his laptop screen and cackled maniacally: "Ha! The Warglaives of Azzinoth are mine!"
Sheldon slammed his laptop shut in frustration. "I told you guys Ron should never be raid leader. Look, he always keeps the best gear for himself. I motion for a vote of no confidence in Captain Ron."
However, Howard and Raj remained unmoved by Sheldon's protest. Just as Sheldon was about to launch into another complaint, sudden noise from across the hall diverted everyone's attention back to Leonard.
"It's Penny! Penny's home!" Leonard jumped up excitedly, preparing to orchestrate another "casual" hallway encounter.
"Don't forget to grab that mail the postman 'accidentally' delivered to your box," Ron said helplessly. He was completely exasperated by Leonard's pathetic simping.
As Sheldon followed Leonard to eavesdrop at the door, Howard and Raj quickly cornered Ron. "Ron! You promised you'd introduce us to some of your girls."
"Sure thing. Actually, Hector's throwing a party tonight. You guys can tag along. Just say you're friends with me or Dom."
"No way, we're not going to another one of his parties!" Raj said with genuine horror.
"What's wrong? Aren't there tons of girls there? You could actually get some action," Ron asked, confused.
"Tons of girls—for you maybe. For us, there's only Big Bertha." Even Howard, who wasn't particularly picky, struggled to find diplomatic words. "Look, even if we're talking about plus-size ladies, we'd like some variety once in a while, you know what I mean?" Howard gave Ron a crude wink.
"Alright, I promised you guys, and I keep my word, but tonight's not going to work. I have to make some rounds and gather intel tonight. You know, it's part of the job. Bringing you along would be dangerous, and your combat skills are... well, let's just say they're non-existent."
The dynamic duo looked crushed and resigned themselves to waiting for another opportunity. Soon, Leonard returned looking even more dejected than usual.
"Leonard, how'd it go out there?"
"I'm fine, Penny's fine," Leonard collapsed onto the couch dejectedly, then added, "The guy making out with Penny seemed pretty fine too."
"Making out? What kind of making out? Tongue action? Full contact?" Howard asked with disturbing enthusiasm.
"Dude, you seriously need therapy," Ron said, rolling his eyes at Howard. "Leonard, I think you should keep asking Penny out and use that legendary persistence of yours."
A spark of hope flickered in Leonard's eyes. "You really think I still have a shot?"
"Not really. I just think Penny will probably have a complete mental breakdown one day and give up all resistance and settle for you out of sheer exhaustion."
"Hey, hey!" Howard clapped his hands impatiently, drawing everyone's attention back to himself. "Like Ron said, maybe Leonard should start practicing on some easier targets. How about we all go meet some girls tonight?"
(End of Chapter)
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