My Life in Hollywood C55 Attention (Patreon)

Days passed, and the negotiations between Netflicks and Blockbuster dragged on. The original $500 million offer climbed to a staggering $550 million.

It was a stunning number, and the media ate it up. Even major outlets like WNN were covering the story.

"Billion-dollar entertainment giant Blockbuster Cinema is now offering $550 million to acquire a startup called 'Netflicks.' So why's this such a big deal? What does this company even do? Well, Netflicks streams shows and movies online, and it's been gaining serious traction recently, especially in California..."

The segment went on to explain what Netflicks was and why it warranted such a massive valuation.

Viewers at home weren't really hooked by the acquisition drama itself; they were curious about Netflicks. Search traffic for "Netflicks" on Poodle spiked.

"Netflicks, huh? Never heard of this site before, but I can rent DVDs and watch shows online at the same time?"

"I had no idea this existed. But I'm glad I found it—just discovered this hilarious show called Modern Family."

Subscriber count jumped by thousands during the days of free marketing from the "acquisition hype."

---◖⁠⚆⁠ᴥ⁠⚆⁠◗---

At Chesterfield Media Group headquarters, in the chairman's office, sixty-year-old Richard Chesterfield sat behind his desk, expression contemplative. His dark hair showed only hints of gray at the temples, his features still sharp.

His secretary—a sharp-looking man in his forties—stood across from him, keeping him updated on the Netflicks acquisition news.

"Your instincts were spot-on, sir. The value of that company's clearly high enough for Blockbuster to throw that kind of money at it." The secretary's tone was measured. "Seems like your son's mistake—agreeing to 3% for $20 million—might not be as terrible as we thought."

Richard's jaw tightened. "That stupid kid's still incompetent. I set this up to test his negotiation skills, see if he could work a decent deal out of some seventeen-year-old. Instead, he got played and agreed to a measly 3% for $20 million."

Sure, $20 million was pocket change to him, and no deal had been finalized yet. But it still pissed him off.

His spoiled son had been outsmarted by a teenager.

Alexander didn't know it, but Richard had arranged someone to observe that birthday meeting—to see how his son would handle the young owner named Marcus. And Alexander had chosen pride over pragmatism.

Just thinking about it made his blood pressure spike.

"That said, I can't deny this Marcus Crown kid's interesting. He read the situation perfectly and pushed Alexander right where he wanted him." His secretary allowed himself a slight smile.

"He does." Richard drummed his fingers on the mahogany desk. "Reminds me of myself at that age. But whether he's got the same level of ambition... that I can't tell yet."

"You thinking about the acquisition? Think Marcus'll actually take Blockbuster's deal?"

Richard leaned back in his chair. "It's a fortune. He could do whatever the hell he wants with $550 million." He paused. "Anyone would be tempted by that kind of money..."

The secretary went quiet for a moment. 'That's true. If I were Marcus, could I even resist? I'd probably cave at the first $500 million offer. And this kid's only seventeen.'

"If Blockbuster succeeds, then we've got nothing left to look at." Richard stood abruptly, his expression hardening. "Set up a meeting with Marcus Crown. I think Netflicks has serious potential, so we should consider acquiring it ourselves."

His secretary's eyebrows shot up. "You're joining the bidding war?"

"Yeah." Richard grabbed his coat from where it hung beside his desk. "I've always believed the internet's gonna be the future of entertainment, and Netflicks has the kind of potential you don't see every day. If I need to spend big now to secure that future, I'll do it."

His secretary smiled wryly. "Alright, I'll set up the meeting with Marcus ASAP." Deep down, he couldn't help feeling a twinge of envy toward Marcus.

To have giants competing for your attention like this—anyone would be jealous.

---◖⁠⚆⁠ᴥ⁠⚆⁠◗---

It was late May 2011, and Netflicks' estimated monthly revenue had broken through to a whopping $2 million. Thanks to the free marketing from Blockbuster Cinema's very public acquisition attempt, people were finally hearing about the company. Every day, more subscribers signed up to watch shows and movies.

The website was pulling tens of thousands of visits per week, probably more.

Sure, the acquisition hype helped. But the real driver was the content itself: the shows and licensed movies available on the platform.

The benefits of stringing Christopher along were immense. However, not everyone was thrilled about the situation.

At the café across from Crown Entertainment Studios, Marcus sat with the Modern Family main cast and Nathan.

The acquisition had dominated conversation lately. The cast kept circling back to it, clearly worried about some massive corporation buying Netflicks and turning everything upside down.

Lana was the most anxious of all.

"So, are you seriously thinking about selling?" Nathan finally asked, breaking the tension. The cast leaned in, waiting for Marcus's answer.

"It's a hell of a lot of money..." Nathan trailed off. "With that kind of cash, you'd be set for life. Can't say I wouldn't be tempted."

The cast murmured in agreement.

Marcus just sipped his drink, studying their expressions. He couldn't help but smile, especially when he caught the desperate look in Lana's eyes.

"Yeah, half a billion's no joke. I've been thinking about where I'd buy a place in Beverly Hills, maybe get a yacht, some luxury cars." Marcus chuckled like the money was already sitting in his account. And honestly, it practically was—all he had to do was say yes.

Nathan's eyes went distant, probably imagining the same luxuries. Then he shook his head. 'Damn. Can't believe my kid's about to surpass me like this.'

"Hell, I could probably buy my own island with that kind of money," Marcus continued. "And, you know, all the women that come with it."

"Okay, okay. You're just making me jealous now." Nathan sighed heavily.

Lana spoke up, her voice strained. "So if Blockbuster offers you even more, would you actually take it? Would you sell?" Her face looked pale, almost stricken.

The thought of Christopher Doyle owning the company that had given her a second chance in Hollywood made her sick.

"You want my honest answer?" Marcus felt like teasing her just a bit.

"Of-of course..." Lana's hesitation was clear.

Her co-stars tensed up with her. They'd all heard about Christopher Doyle's reputation, and none of it was good. Nobody wanted to work for a company run by him and his cronies—not if it meant dealing with power-tripping executives and who knows what else.

They were happy with how things were now. Netflicks treated them fairly.

"Well, my honest answer is..." Marcus paused for effect. "No. I'm not selling Netflicks."

"Re-really?" Lana's eyes went wide.

Timothy looked just as shocked. After all, who could actually resist that kind of offer? "You're sure about this?"

"That's a fortune, and you're just gonna walk away from it?" Pia asked, disbelief written all over her face.

Marcus nodded. "Yeah. Even if they offered more money, I wouldn't sell. I'm keeping the company and growing it myself."

"Then why's the bidding still going on if you're not planning to sell?" Julia asked, genuinely confused.

Marcus answered matter-of-factly. "Marketing, obviously."

"Marketing?"

Marcus chuckled and explained his strategy—how he was using Blockbuster's very public offer to generate massive free publicity for Netflicks. Even Nathan looked impressed.

"You're definitely my son. Sneaky as hell." Nathan shook his head with grudging admiration.

Lana and the others visibly relaxed, like someone had lifted a boulder off their chests.

"But wait," Timothy said, brow furrowing. "Isn't it illegal to let companies bid on something you're not actually gonna sell? Like, couldn't they sue you for wasting their time or something?"

Marcus shook his head. "Nah, it's not illegal. I never signed any binding agreement saying I'd sell. They made an unsolicited offer, and I'm allowed to consider it—which is exactly what I'm doing. Considering. The fact that I'm leaning toward 'no' doesn't change that." He added. "Blockbuster went public with this without even getting a commitment from me first. That's on them. If anything, they're the ones trying to pressure me into a deal by making it so public. I can back out whenever I want."

"So you're basically just... letting them dig their own grave," Pia said slowly.

"Pretty much." Marcus grinned. "They wanted to make noise? I'm letting them make noise. But that doesn't mean I owe them a damn thing."

They had to admit, Marcus was sharp as hell for his age. Seventeen years old, and he was already thinking three moves ahead? At that age, most of them had only cared about fooling around with their girlfriends or boyfriends.

---…⁠ᘛ⁠⁐̤⁠ᕐ⁠ᐷ---

Summer vacation was approaching, which meant more time for Marcus. It also meant Ryan officially moved into his rented house.

The three friends now lived under the same roof. Arya wasn't exactly thrilled about Ryan moving in; she'd been hoping to have Marcus more to herself.

Fortunately for her, Ryan stayed holed up in his room most of the time, which gave her plenty of chances to steal kisses with Marcus.

Sometimes they'd kiss in the living room, sometimes in his bedroom. She'd definitely chosen to move in to get closer to him.

Though beyond the romantic angle, both she and Ryan had moved in for practical reasons too: cheaper rent split three ways, more independence from their families, and honestly, it just made sense. They were all working now—Arya at Netflicks, Ryan freelancing on tech projects. Living together cut costs and gave them the freedom they wanted.

At Netflicks HQ, Diana constantly cornered Marcus to interrogate him about her younger sister—was he treating Arya right, was he doing anything inappropriate, the usual overprotective big sister routine. He never quite knew how to respond. Fortunately, Jefferson usually showed up to rescue him.

"Marcus, got news," Jefferson said, walking up just as Diana opened her mouth to start another interrogation. "Chesterfield Media Group just made a move. They announced they're entering the bidding war for Netflicks."

Marcus had been about to use Jefferson as an escape route, but those words stopped him cold. Even Diana froze beside him.

"Wait, seriously?" Marcus asked, eyebrows shooting up.

"Yeah, just hit the news." Jefferson nodded, scratching the back of his head. "And the chairman himself—Richard Chesterfield—wants to meet with you personally."

Marcus went quiet, thinking it over. Diana looked genuinely shocked. Of course she'd heard of Richard Chesterfield. The man was a billionaire.

Marcus, meanwhile, was thinking: 'What's with all these high-profile people wanting to meet me?' Not that he could complain. It meant he was doing something right if guys like Christopher and Richard were lining up back-to-back to sit down with him.

This would've been unthinkable in his previous life. But here, thanks to the system, it was actually happening.

"Alright, I'll meet him," Marcus said simply, his tone completely calm.

'How's he so collected about meeting a billionaire?' Diana thought, watching his unfazed expression. At the same time, she couldn't help but admit this was another one of Marcus's better qualities—besides the whole "playboy" thing she still hadn't forgiven him for.

---…⁠ᘛ⁠⁐̤⁠ᕐ⁠ᐷ---

An hour later, Marcus found himself sitting in Richard Chesterfield's office.

The space was nothing like his own rented setup. This was wide, polished, and deceptively simple—the kind of minimalist design that screamed money. Everything about it felt expensive, from the leather furniture to the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city.

Richard sat behind his desk, quiet and composed. He had sharp features softened by an amicable expression, the kind of face that made people underestimate him. But Marcus could feel the weight of the man's confidence.

'This guy's nothing like his son Alexander,' Marcus thought.

Richard stood, his coat draped casually over his shoulders. "Please, have a seat." He gestured to the chair across from him.

"Thanks." Marcus nodded and sat down. The seat was plush, expensive.

"I should be thanking you for making the trip out here just to meet an old man like me," Richard said with a light chuckle, playing humble.

"It's an honor to meet someone like you," Marcus replied, keeping his expression reserved and respectful. Inside, though, he was already strategizing what to say next.

"Ha, you flatter me." Richard laughed softly, but his eyes never stopped studying Marcus. He knew what this kid was capable of—especially after hearing how Marcus had played Alexander like a fiddle during their negotiations.