Claire Lee's exit from the London Winter Fashion Show went smoothly, thanks to beefed-up security and the fact that Leonardo DiCaprio showed up to pick up his girlfriend.
In the car, Claire gazed out the window at Leo and sighed, "Man, that guy's ridiculously handsome!"
Costa Mayall, sitting in the passenger seat, shrugged nonchalantly. "If every song you dropped was a hit, you'd be just as big. He's only where he is because every movie he makes is a blockbuster!"
Claire's eyes lit up as if he'd just remembered something. "Oh, right—did my song sell? I'm broke, man."
Costa rolled his eyes. "Dude, you just got paid for the Jack Jones endorsement, and you're already broke? You've got two major brand deals—Royal Bank of Scotland and Jack Jones. Where's all that money going?"
Claire's face soured. "My uncle spent it! The second it hit my account, he bought a player. I swear, if Castle doesn't make it to League Two in two years, I'm getting every penny back!"
"What about Claire Tickets? Didn't you start Series A funding?" Costa asked.
"Not till January. First revenue hasn't even come in yet—just expenses, no income. Puts me in a weak spot for negotiations," Claire grumbled.
Costa suddenly shifted gears. "You can't let Megan stay over tonight. She's got a fiancé!"
Claire's heart skipped a beat, but he played it cool, keeping his reaction under wraps. If Costa had seen him flinch, he might've shut down any chance of Claire and Megan's relationship going further.
Seeing Claire clam up, Costa handed him a business card and an invitation. "Tom Hardy heard about Simon's thing and wants to meet. He's invited you to his family dinner the day after tomorrow. Probably a pitch for Inception funding. You might even run into Leo and his girlfriends there."
Costa's teasing tone didn't faze Claire, who was more focused on the other card Costa handed him.
"Hermès? What's this about?" Claire asked.
"They want a song. Something like The Nights—a track that screams Hermès the second it plays."
"You think I'm some hit factory? Two viral songs don't prove anything, okay?" Claire said, exasperated. But Costa wasn't having it. "Oh, come on. Unstoppable got Beyoncé, Taylor, and a ton of other singers hooked. If that's not talent, what is?"
Claire sat quietly in the backseat for a long moment before muttering, "Is that why Megan came to see me?"
Costa, who'd been lounging smugly, froze. His face twitched awkwardly.
"Alright, I get it," Claire said, picking up on Costa's silence. The joy of seeing Megan Fox earlier fizzled out.
---
Chen Shijun sat in a small second-floor office at Claire Tickets, his face grim as he eyed the four people around him. Truth be told, while selling YouTube had made him a fortune, Chen considered it a fluke. He wasn't sure he'd have the guts to start over again.
But as his personal ties with Claire Lee deepened, and Claire Tickets began to take shape with clear rules, structure, and a path to profitability, Chen felt a spark reignite in him.
Still, meetings with Series A investors were souring his mood by the day.
Sitting across from him were Nezar Lawrence from Merrill Lynch's foreign investment division, Mandy Wenger from Google's investment arm, and Maggie Petitt, Goldman Sachs' project lead for this deal—all looking equally serious.
Google's rep, despite their success with YouTube, was blunt about Claire Tickets. "We're interested in the UK sports market's traffic. If Claire's overseas tour project could tie into that, we'd be on board. But you pivoted to ticket sales as your main business, which makes this less appealing to Google."
Maggie Petitt from Goldman Sachs, however, perked up. "Your first cash flow was impressive, and your tourism business turning a profit so quickly while gaining a foothold in the UK? I'm impressed. But what happens if Claire cashes out later? How do you keep the custom tour project running?"
Chen didn't miss a beat. "Dennis Erwin, our PR manager, is in talks with Manchester United, Manchester City, Wolves, Chelsea, and UEFA. If things move fast, we could have a sports club investing by the end of the month. Our business is about redeveloping tourism around Premier League clubs—plenty of people will see the value in that."
Maggie nodded thoughtfully, then pulled a document from her bag. Chen's face relaxed when he saw it: Goldman Sachs' Shareholder Subscription Agreement. If Claire signed it, Goldman would be their first Series A investor.
Nezar Lawrence from Merrill Lynch leaned in with a serious question. "Tickets and tourism involve forex transactions. Do you have a cross-border custodial account in China?"
Chen instantly saw through Nezar's angle. They were banking on Claire Tickets growing big enough for Merrill Lynch to take over its UK forex custodial account. After all, forex was Merrill's bread and butter. A custodial account for an internet company could mean massive profits.
But Claire Tickets was desperate for cash. If funding could fast-track their IPO, Chen didn't care if they handed their entire cash flow to Merrill Lynch.
"We'll take the European and American custodial accounts," Chen said through gritted teeth, agreeing to Merrill's terms.
Nezar left satisfied, but Google's rep walked out without another word, clearly disappointed.
When Chen saw the combined £110 million investment from Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs, relief washed over him. In just two months, a company valued at $700 million was born!