[Chapter 148: Making a Quick Buck]
Wendy's expression grew increasingly surprised. By the end, it had completely transformed into ecstasy. She had originally come for the skin-improving effects, but to her surprise, the other benefits gave her an even greater thrill.
When the spiritual energy finally wore off, Wendy remained immersed in joy, unable to snap out of it immediately. It wasn't until Daniel and Amanda finished breakfast and loaded the dishes into the dishwasher that Wendy finally came back to her senses.
"This, this... this is truly incredible." Wendy's face was alight with joy, her eyes shining. "Mr. Cross, you're amazing. This is the most magical thing I've ever experienced in my life."
She was so excited she even managed to say "amazing" with genuine admiration.
"This is definitely the best money I've ever spent," Wendy added.
Daniel smiled. "You should get to the set."
Amanda gently pulled the still-joyful Wendy toward the door and didn't forget to ask Daniel, "Are you coming back tonight?"
Daniel shook his head. "I'm moving into my new home today, so I won't be coming over."
"Moving?" Amanda sounded surprised. "You didn't mention that yesterday."
Daniel shrugged. "You were so tired yesterday, I didn't get a chance to say anything."
Amanda asked, "Where are you moving to?"
"I'll show you after I'm done," Daniel replied.
"Okay." Amanda readily agreed, clearly looking forward to it.
...
Not long after Amanda and her agent left, Daniel locked the door behind them and drove away.
Daniel spent three days settling in and moving into his new home. He checked on the stone box -- inside, the Moth Monster was resting just fine; everything was normal.
Lying in the mansion that so many people would envy, Daniel realized he wasn't actually that excited. Since arriving in this world, he had never really felt a sense of belonging. If it weren't for his steadily improving exorcism skills and the women who seemed to appear around him, he might have suspected this world was all a dream.
Still, having this house was a good thing. And of course, there was that $20 million.
Daniel didn't plan on using that money to buy stocks. The stock market's cycle was too slow, and now wasn't the right time for those particular stocks to take off. Instead, he planned to use it to make a quick buck.
Though he called it a "quick buck," the cycle wasn't exactly short -- it was just faster than stocks.
Daniel called Frank Douglas. "Frank, do you know Marvel's CEO Avi and major shareholder Perlmutter?"
Frank Douglas answered, "I live in Beverly Hills, but I don't keep up with Hollywood much. Still, I have a few friends. If you want to meet them, I can invite them on your behalf."
"That works," Daniel said.
Frank paused, then asked, "Mr. Cross, I'm curious -- why are you suddenly interested in Marvel? Isn't that just a comic book company?"
Daniel thought it over. He didn't have that much free money right now. Though Marvel was struggling, $20 million was still a very little sum for the company. But that was just the reality of their scale.
Marvel's market value was around $1 billion. They were ambitious -- preparing to go "All in" and produce their own movies -- but lacking funds, so they were still in planning stages. Not until next year would they mortgage characters like Thor and Captain America to Merrill Lynch for a $525 million loan. That was when their true rise would begin.
Right now, they hadn't even started their big push. If a large injection of capital came, they would likely welcome it.
Previously, Daniel hadn't had the financial strength to participate -- just knowing this wasn't enough. But now, he could sit at the table and seize the opportunity.
Yet his money alone wasn't enough.
If he got Frank Douglas involved, things could be different.
Daniel asked directly, "Frank, how much liquid capital do you have right now?"
Frank was stunned for a moment. After a few seconds, he said, "My liquid assets are around $1 billion."
Daniel was taken aback.
He knew Frank Douglas was rich -- after all, he had gifted a $30 million house outright and handed out a $20 million check without hesitation -- but he hadn't expected this level of wealth.
Though a billion dollars wasn't astronomical, it was liquid capital. Conservatively, Frank Douglas's total assets were likely around $5 billion -- after already suffering losses in the past.
Daniel asked, "Frank, do you want to make a quick buck?"
As soon as Frank heard "make money," his tone changed. "What kind of quick buck? What's the cycle? The return rate? How high is the risk?"
Daniel said, "Let's talk in person."
...
Since they were both in Beverly Hills, meeting was convenient.
Soon Daniel was sitting in Frank Douglas's parlor.
After a long talk, Frank understood the plan.
"You mean Marvel is getting ready to produce their own movies and you're optimistic about them. So you want to buy shares now and sell when the movies become blockbusters, and the stock price soars?"
"That's the idea. The return cycle..."
Daniel thought about when Disney acquired Marvel -- it seemed to be in 2009.
"About five years," he said.
Frank asked, "How much can I expect to make?"
Daniel replied, "If you invest $500 million now, in five years, you'd conservatively make $200 million."
Frank Douglas smiled but shook his head. "Mr. Cross, when it comes to exorcism, I trust you one hundred percent. But when it comes to investments, forgive me -- I just can't believe it. Five years is too long. If those $200 million were guaranteed, I'd be all in. But the film industry is one of the riskiest. I'm not taking part in this."
Daniel was stunned for a moment, then felt relieved. To him, this was a no-brainer money-making opportunity. But Frank didn't have that knowledge; as an exorcist, he'd never shown any commercial savvy.
It was unrealistic to expect him to pull hundreds of millions of dollars out of thin air just because Daniel said so.
Frank added, "Mr. Cross, here's what I'll do -- if you're really optimistic about this, I can lend you $100 million, interest-free. You just have to pay it back within three years. If you can't, use that magical Elixir of yours to settle the debt."
Daniel smiled. "No need. Help me organize a small auction among your wealthy friends. I want to put my Elixirs up for auction."
"Up for auction?" Frank nodded thoughtfully. "That's actually a great idea. Plenty of people would be interested in your Elixirs."
Daniel smiled again. "Mine aren't limited to just a few types."
"What?" Frank Douglas was shocked. "You have even better ones?"
Daniel nodded slightly. "Before, I worried that if you took them, your appearance might change drastically, which could affect your business and company. That's why I didn't offer them."
Frank hurriedly asked, "What kind of effects do these Elixirs have?"
*****
https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.
https://discord.gg/HjHHhUXPn7.