American History 1988
Chapter 154 - 148 Coming Together

Chapter 154: Chapter 148 Coming Together

The lighting in the Blake Hotel could be called the best in California, standing in front of the room’s floor-to-ceiling windows, one could overlook the entire Golden Coast.

Rows of palm trees stood like sentinels on either side of the hotel garden’s path, and now except for the faint sound of the waves, all that remained was the chirping of insects in the grass.

Under the pale blue sky lay Dean, fast asleep in the suite, who should have been continuing his light snoring to the sounds of nature had it not been for the itchy sensation at his nose that quickly roused him from his pleasant dreams.

Groggily opening his eyes, the mischievous Miranda was using her golden hair to tickle his nose.

"Miranda, I’m amazed at how quickly you recover your energy," Dean said, his gaze not even needing to shift to accurately find those slender legs.

"Hey~ don’t you ever feel tired?" Miranda slapped away his wandering hands, but still obediently snuggled into his embrace.

Dean looked at the trophies scattered around the room and said with a smug smile, "Never, only when you wear stockings."

Miranda had come to California fully prepared, of course. Although she wouldn’t wear them outside in the hot weather, a private performance in the hotel was still acceptable.

Just look at the room now; torn stockings were hung on the bed, the carpet, the sofa, and even on the TV directly in front of them.

Even the pair Miranda was wearing on her legs now bore the scratches from Dean’s bull-like ravaging.

The unevenly distributed holes, the loose weave that couldn’t hide the fair allure due to lost threads.

Alright~ Dean felt ready to go again.

Casually tossing aside the balloon that was draped over his legs and already used, Dean prepared to switch to a new one.

But before he could move, Miranda stopped him. "Dear, spare me, if we keep going like this, I won’t be able to walk."

Dean’s gaze drifted downward, oh~ the blush had not yet faded. "Sorry, I was too rough."

"I like it that way," Miranda kissed him on the face, "but we also need to control the pace."

"OK~" Dean rubbed his face against her fair skin greedily, "So why the sudden trip to California?"

It wasn’t even vacation time yet, and with Miranda’s job, she shouldn’t have so much time to spare.

"I’m vacationing in Hawaii with my father, and these few days are my free time." The sunlight outside the floor-to-ceiling window cast a wide swath of gold over Miranda.

With not a single thing to cover her, Miranda was simply breathtaking at this moment, the undulating hills, the winding roads, and Dean felt every part of his body hardening.

"Dean~" Feeling the change in his body, Miranda’s voice trembled.

"I understand~" Dean couldn’t bear to torment her anymore and had to divert his attention, "So you’re on vacation now?"

"Hmm," Miranda nodded lazily, "I’m considering whether to continue with the job at Cleveland State University."

"Why?" Dean remembered she hadn’t been there for very long.

"My father’s term ends next year, and I might also leave Cleveland and switch to a different job."

Miranda had gone to Cleveland State University purely to add a stint of public education to her resume.

Of course, this arrangement came from her father, Mather, who was hesitating between politics and media for her future.

Cleveland was just a transition, and Mather would be moved on after completing a three-year term at the Federal Reserve Bank.

This was a customary practice in the Federal Reserve system’s personnel appointments; the nine directors of the twelve regional Federal Reserve Banks are divided into categories A, B, and C.

Class A consists of career bankers nominated by reserve area member banks, class B consists of non-bank representatives from the reserve area, and class C is appointed by the Federal Reserve Board in Washington D.C.

Mather was one of the three directors in class C, currently serving as the Vice President of the Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank.

But to avoid potential insider trading, the Federal Reserve Board stipulated that the appointment of board members should rotate every three years.

Whether they are from class A, B, or C, all must adhere to this rule.

As Mather’s term in Cleveland was nearing its second year, only a little more than a year to go, he would be reassigned according to the rules.

Whether he would be transferred to another district or return to Washington to join the Federal Reserve Board was still undecided.

But Miranda needed to plan ahead for the future, as Mather had been discussing this matter with her.

"Dean, should I go to Virginia, Washington D.C., or come to California?"

Miranda was torn between the two options, on one hand her family and on the other, the person she was passionately in love with.

One on the East Coast, the other on the West Coast, the distance between them was not much different from the current Ohio to California.

To this question, Dean naturally replied, "Sweetheart, of course you should go to the East Coast."

"Why?" Miranda propped herself up, looking fiercely at Dean, ready to kick him out of bed if he didn’t explain himself properly.

"Come on~" Dean spread his hands frankly, "Could you find a job you like on the West Coast?

Serving coffee for others? Or faking a smile every day while saying pleasantries you don’t even like?

Trust Mr. Mather, your father, he’ll arrange everything for you."

Dean was always so practical when considering issues. Although he could arrange a job for Miranda, that wasn’t the best option.

Whether Miranda would like it or not was one thing, and her family might not agree either. Besides, distance makes the heart grow fonder, and Dean thought their current pace was perfect.

Imagining the life that Dean described, Miranda unconsciously frowned.

"No~ I hate serving coffee for others, except for you and my father."

"Good~" Dean’s small ego was instantly satisfied, "Miranda, after I graduate, I might not necessarily stay on the West Coast. I might also..."

Beep beep beep~ A series of sounds came from the Italian-style bedside table.

Dean turned his head; it was his Motorola.

Ever since he saw that thing at Susie’s, Dean had gotten one for himself after returning to California.

It had to be said, it really was quite convenient.

"Hello~ Dean. Prass~"

"Boss, are you up?" It was Anna’s voice.

Glancing at the bare-skinned Miranda beside him, Dean nonchalantly replied, "Yes, I’m exercising. What’s up?"

"Mr. Valentine and Mr. Durell are here again; they are waiting for you in your office."

"OK, I’ll be right there." Dean said, as he thought about getting out of bed, but then something suddenly occurred to him, "Did they come together?"

"Yeah~ They arrived in a van." Anna’s voice took on a strange tone; it was the first time she had seen investors drive a van.

"Tell them I went for a morning run by the coast and I’m just turning back now."

Snap, he hung up the phone and Dean rose from the enormous palace-style bed.

"Miranda, sorry~ there’s an urgent matter at Byte Company. I have to go there first, and I’ll take you for a tour around California when I’m free."

"Dear, don’t worry about me." Miranda already knew that Dean had started a new company and that it might be facing a lawsuit.

So the obliging girl didn’t cling to Dean. Besides, Miranda also hoped that Dean would achieve success in his career, which might then make her father, Mather, view him in a new light.

"Call me if you need anything." Dean kissed her on the lips and hurried into the bathroom to wash up.

Miranda’s visit, though a pleasant surprise for Dean, didn’t leave him much time to spare. Right now was a critical moment for Byte software.

Handing his credit card to the attendant by his side, Dean signed off and prepared to leave the place.

The presidential suite at the Blake Hotel was over three thousand US dollars a night, with all services managed by a dedicated butler.

After changing into freshly laundered and dried clothes, Dean took the VIP corridor straight to his private parking space.

Five minutes later, a silver Cadillac arrived at the foot of Byte software’s building, and an energetic Dean dashed upstairs.

Before he entered the office, Anna, who was waiting outside, handed him the newspaper she was holding.

Unaware of the scrutinizing looks from his counterpart, Dean was engrossed in the content of the "Mercury News."

After quickly scanning through, Dean nodded calmly, "I’m aware. Have the directors, Morgan Tailer and Miller, been notified?"

"They’re on their way," Anna had already arranged everything in advance.

"Good job~" After nodding at Anna, Dean put on a smile and walked into the office.

"Hey~ Gentlemen, it’s great to see you both sitting together, safe and sound."

"Dean, we’ve discussed it already. Let’s go with John’s last offer, seventy million US dollars.

Byte software will release 20% of its equity, Sequoia Capital will take 15%, and the remaining 5% will go to KeyPoint Ventures."

Valentine was straightforward with the conditions for the second round of financing as soon as Dean entered the door.

And John Duerr, sitting opposite him, didn’t have any objections, indicating that they had come to an agreement privately.

"Gentlemen, Teams 2.0 version has been launched, and it has received rave reviews.

Moreover, the current public sentiment is in our favor, so I think..." Dean spread his hands, the implication clear without words.

"Dean~" Valentine looked seriously at him, "No one in Silicon Valley will offer a higher price.

This is nearly double my initial offer. Additionally, AT&T is not inactive in press relations; ’Mercury News’ has proved this point."

Alright, Dean knew this was the excuse they would use.

He had already seen the ’Mercury News’ report at the entrance; they were accusing Byte software of being a patent thief.

In their words, Byte software made no contributions to the International Wire Union. The principle of fairness without discrimination applies to members of the telecommunications industry.

Byte software is a software company, not part of the telecommunications sector, thus it cannot apply industry rules.

Furthermore, Byte software’s patents are not in the patent pool of the International Telecommunication Union; they are using patent standards for free, truly patent thieves.

It goes without saying who was behind this article.

One has to admit, the PR team of AT&T is skilled in twisting facts.

A blatant act of robbery, after concept-switching and false accusations, was presented by them with a righteous tone.

It seemed this verbal spat was inevitable, but the important thing was to secure the second round of financing.

Byte’s account was running low on funds.

Just as Dean was about to say something, Duerr suddenly added a comment.

"Dean, in addition to the seventy million dollars offer, we will also provide help to Byte software concerning the patent issue.

Whether it’s public opinion or technical problems, you know, KeyPoint Ventures excels as a broker between two tech companies."

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