Singh Bandung Golf Course.
The sun was blazing. The grass was annoyingly green.
Zane Blackwood stood on the tee box, holding a metal stick that cost more than a car. He swung.
Thwack.
The ball sailed into the distance. It landed... somewhere.
'I hate this sport,' Zane thought, wiping sweat from his forehead. 'It's just walking with interruptions. Back in Scotland, shepherds played this to kill boredom. Now? Rich guys play it to pretend they are exercising.'
He looked at the manicured lawn.
'It's a scam,' Zane decided.
But he was here. Because when Jeff Bezos calls, you answer. Even if it means wearing polo shirts.
"Hi, Zane."
Zane turned around. There was Jeff. The man was bald, shiny, and grinning.
"Hi, Jeff," Zane replied, forcing a smile.
Next to Zane stood Jessica Chastain. She looked stunning in a white tennis skirt, shielding her eyes from the sun. She was the star of Wald Pictures' recent hit, Juno.
"Jeff," Zane said, gesturing to her. "You know Jessica."
"Of course!" Jeff laughed. "I saw Juno. Great movie."
Jeff leaned in close to Zane, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper.
"So," Jeff teased, winking. "Is this a... Hollywood thing? The casting couch?"
Zane rolled his eyes.
"Nonsense," Zane shot back, loud enough for Jessica to hear. "I am a gentleman, Jeff. Don't project your dirty mind onto me."
Zane looked at Jeff, a mischievous glint in his eye.
'You have some nerve,' Zane thought, suppressing a smirk. 'Just wait until 2019, buddy. You're going to leave your wife for a woman who looks like... well, let's just say your taste is "unique."'
He remembered the future headlines. Lauren Sánchez. The scandal. The heart-shaped diamond ring.
'Tech billionaires are weird,' Zane mused. 'Zuckerberg wears the same shirt every day. Tim Cook likes men. And Bezos? He likes... drama.'
"What are you whispering about?" Jessica asked, suspicious.
"Nothing!" Zane waved his hand innocently. "Just discussing Jeff's terrible fashion sense."
The Real Game.
They played a few holes. Zane pretended to care about his score. Jeff pretended to be relaxed.
But the air was thick with tension.
Finally, on the 9th hole, Jeff stopped pretending.
"Zane," Jeff said, leaning on his club. "I didn't fly from Seattle just to watch you hit the ball into the sand trap."
"I know," Zane said, taking a sip of water. "You want ICQ."
Jeff nodded seriously. "Your instant messaging app is exploding. The IPO valuation is huge. I want your shares."
"No problem," Zane said breezily.
Jeff blinked. "Really?"
"Sure," Zane smiled, a shark-like grin. "I'll trade you."
"Trade?"
"My ICQ shares," Zane said clearly, "for your Amazon shares."
Jeff froze.
This wasn't a sale. This was a hostage exchange.
'Cash is trash,' Zane thought, watching Jeff's face. 'You think I want dollars? I want Amazon. I know where you are going, Jeff. I know you will be a trillion-dollar company. If I don't get a piece of that pie now, I'm an idiot.'
"Zane," Jeff said, his voice dropping. "I can pay you cash. A lot of cash. A premium price."
"I don't want cash," Zane said firmly. "I want stock. If it's not a swap, we are done here."
The silence stretched out. The birds chirped. The sun beat down.
It was a standoff.
Jeff Bezos was stingy with his equity. He fought off Goldman Sachs. He fought off Citigroup. No one got Amazon shares easily.
'Come on,' Zane urged silently. 'Do it. You need ICQ to control the internet traffic. You need this.'
Jeff sighed. He looked at the horizon.
"A share swap..." Jeff muttered. "It isn't... impossible."
Zane's heart skipped a beat.
'He's cracking,' Zane realized. 'He's actually considering it.'
"I need to think about it," Jeff said finally. "Give me a few days."
"Take your time," Zane said, trying to sound casual, even though he wanted to do a backflip. "I'll wait for your good news."
They finished the game. Zane lost by ten strokes.
But as he walked back to the clubhouse, Zane knew he had won the only game that mattered.
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