American History 1988
Chapter 227 - 221: Additional Issue

Chapter 227: Chapter 221: Additional Issue

In early June, the weather on the East Coast had gradually become hot.

But to Dean and his company, who had flown in from the West Coast, New York’s climate felt pleasantly cool and refreshing.

California’s summer was too hot, and even in June, Silicon Valley and New York offered completely different experiences.

"Honey, are you sure you don’t want to come with me to Brooklyn Heights?"

Jennifer Connelly, wearing sunglasses, clung to Dean’s arm, reluctant to part.

"I need to finish up the business in Manhattan first, you know, it’s the top priority of the year," he said.

This trip to the East Coast, Jennifer Connelly also made the excuse of visiting family to tag along.

She even took a two-day leave from the crew, because, in her words, she wasn’t needed for filming these days.

But Dean knew what this Hollywood beauty was thinking; she wanted to take him to see her family in Brooklyn Heights.

A girl bringing a boy home to meet her family? Come on, the underlying significance is the same all over the world.

However, Dean felt he was still naive; he needed guidance from more women to grow into a man.

So using the excuse of Byte Company’s IPO, he sidestepped the issue.

Jennifer Connelly was faintly disappointed, but she also knew that now was a critical time for Byte Company.

As its founder, Dean couldn’t afford to be distracted, which was understandable.

"Honey, let me know when you’re ready, my parents will definitely like you," she said.

"I promise," Dean said, wrapping his arms around her slender waist and kissing her goodbye.

After personally putting her into a taxi, Dean turned and rejoined Valentine and the rest of their group.

"Done saying goodbye to your little girlfriend?" Valentine, dressed in a suit, teased him like an old gentleman.

"Where’s your tie?" Dean asked with curiosity, noticing Valentine’s open collar.

Even when wearing a symbol of formality like a suit, Valentine still seemed irreverently casual.

"Mother F*cker, I can’t even remember the last time I wore a suit," Valentine grumbled, tugging at his collar, "Between breakfast and a tie, I chose the former."

"Wise choice," Dean said, his face betraying no surprise, "Alright gentlemen, it’s time to go."

They were at Kennedy International Airport on Long Island, from where getting to Manhattan involved traveling across Long Island and crossing the Brooklyn Bridge.

Although everyone there had been to the East Coast on business more than once, their casual demeanor still clashed with the serious bustle of New York’s streets.

But that’s Silicon Valley for you; it has its own cultural core.

The counterculture of the hippie era was still evident in this group of visitors from the West Coast.

Their destination was Wall Street, but Dean and his party first headed to the Plaza Hotel near Central Park, where they checked in.

This trip to New York might take a few extra days, as the many details of the IPO couldn’t be settled in a single day.

"The environment here seems really nice," Dean commented, enjoying the freshness in the air from his proximity to Central Park at the Plaza Hotel.

"What do you think, considering picking up a property here?" Durell winked at him, "The area around South Central Park is known for being a wealthy neighborhood."

"Like the Pacific Heights in San Francisco?" Dean said, sitting down at a dining table in the lobby with a plate of chicken salad and a dessert pudding.

Despite eating Western food for so long, he still wasn’t accustomed to the strange tastes of dishes like red wine pheasant and pasta, and syrup pancakes were too sweet.

The relatively light pudding was his favorite, especially in summer—a single bite could make him feel utterly cool.

Durell unceremoniously forked several pieces of chicken from Dean’s plate, "Hmm~, the Plaza Hotel’s chicken bites are still delicious."

"That’s my food!" Dean protested, annoyed. These slackers were all sitting around waiting to be fed.

"Every time I come to New York, I feel like a clock that’s been unwound," Durell remarked, a rare confession for the workaholic.

"You should learn to enjoy life," Valentine said, pouring himself a glass of wine, "By the way, what were we just talking about?"

"The wealthy area of Central Park," Dean brought the conversation back while scooping up his pudding.

"Exactly!" Durell said, putting down his cutlery and wiping his mouth contentedly, "This is the essence of Manhattan.

It’s hard to find another park with such an extensive green area, theaters, sports fields, museums... you name it.

Your neighbors would be either a high executive from Wall Street or some entertainment star."

Durell’s fondness for New York stemmed entirely from Central Park, and if not for work, he might have considered buying an apartment nearby.

"Let’s talk about that after we close this deal," Dean said, prompting knowing laughter from everyone.

Real estate in New York was even pricier than in San Francisco, especially near 57th Street South of Central Park.

But as Dean had said, if they closed the deal, it wouldn’t be a problem.

Drip, drip, drip...

As they were talking, Dean’s phone rang.

"Let’s guess who it is?" Valentine gestured for Dean not to rush to answer the call, opting to tease the others instead.

"Arthur Locke," Durell said with a shrug, continuing to savor his wine.

"I agree," David Morgentaler chimed in, joining their playful speculation for once.

"How about you, Dean?" Valentine turned to Dean, holding his phone, "If you guess right, I’ll give you a few bottles of Romanee-Conti."

Dean didn’t respond; instead, he simply picked up the phone.

"Locke, we’ve arrived in New York," Dean said.

"Oh my God, you finally made it," Arthur Locke’s anxious voice was clear enough for Valentine and the others a few steps away to hear plainly.

Everyone exchanged smiles, the answer to their silent question had been obvious.

"We’ve just got off the plane and need to refuel a bit," Dean continued.

It wasn’t Dean’s first time receiving a call from Arthur Locke, especially since Morgan Stanley had given a firm response, prompting him to sometimes make six to eight calls a day.

"Dean, in the past five hours, I’ve called you 33 times.

I almost... I almost called the police, I was worried that your plane might have crashed."

Dean shrugged, "We’re safe and sound, sitting in the Plaza Hotel, enjoying delicious pudding."

"You should have called me, Dean, the Morgan Stanley folks are waiting for you."

Arthur Locke was both anxious and excited because he was about to be part of the biggest IPO of the past decade.

Without a signed contract, he couldn’t calm down for even a second.

To Arthur Locke, it was only with Dean’s signature on that piece of paper that he could find peace of mind.

"Locke, at least let us get over the jet lag; the people from Morgan Stanley can wait until tomorrow," Dean bargained.

"My God, there’s only a three-hour difference between the East Coast and West Coast.

So, for God’s sake, please come over now, I beg you."

When Arthur Locke heard Dean mention jet lag, he nearly passed out from frustration.

But he didn’t dare to lash out; he was afraid Dean might actually follow through with such a delay tactic.

Arthur Locke had seen it all when it came to young people who suddenly came into wealth; nothing they did would surprise him.

"Alright, I’ll come once I finish this pudding in my hands," Dean said, and then he hung up the phone.

"You can deliver the Romanée-Conti you owe me directly to my house," Dean told Valentine with a wink, pleased to have successfully freeloaded a few bottles of wine again.

"I’ll save it for Byte Company’s listing on Nasdaq as a celebration champagne," Valentine declared.

"Yeah~"

The group unanimously approved of Valentine’s plan.

After finishing the last bit of pudding in his cup, Dean clapped his hands and stood up.

"Alright, guys, time to get to work," Dean announced.

To prevent Arthur Locke from reporting them as missing and also to get Byte Company’s pre-IPO work done as quickly as possible,

Dean and the others gave up their plan to rest at the Plaza Hotel for the night. At that moment, Wall Street was buzzing with excitement.

...

At the headquarters of Morgan Stanley on Wall Street, when Dean and his group got out of the car, Arthur Locke was already waiting for them.

"Dean, Richard has found us a block trade buyer," Locke greeted them.

"Good, that’s exactly what we were hoping for," Dean responded.

Dean had already known this news, otherwise he wouldn’t have flown all the way to the East Coast.

"Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, Citibank, they’re all interested in getting involved with the deal. I saw them visiting Richard’s office one after another," Locke said excitedly, having not seen a company’s stock this popular on Wall Street for a long time.

"Did Merrill Lynch’s people come too?" Dean had previously reached a verbal agreement with them.

"Of course," Locke said proudly, "they’ve formed a syndicate with Morgan Stanley, and I’ve even been to their headquarters."

As previously stated, a large-scale listing initiative like Byte Company’s would typically involve several investment banks.

And there was no doubt that Morgan Stanley, the first to reach an agreement with Dean and his group, was the lead underwriter.

Byte Company’s financing target of a hundred million US dollars would be internally distributed among these investment banks, with Dean and his group staying out of this process.

"OK, let’s go meet the financial titans of Wall Street, shall we?" Dean suggested.

Only the veteran investment banks could handle a company valued at several billion dollars like Byte Company in a joint effort.

The enormous scale of the fundraising also attracted a lot of attention on Wall Street.

Dean and his entourage entered the Morgan Stanley headquarters, and under the guidance of the staff, they headed straight for a conference room upstairs.

Unexpectedly, before the meeting could officially start, the CEOs of both Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch, Richard Fairman and Daniel Thalli, sought them out separately.

"Dean, there’s a piece of news that I’m not sure if it’s good or not, but you need to be informed," Richard began.

Richard glanced at Daniel Thalli, the CEO of Merrill Lynch, "Dan, you tell them."

"Here’s the thing, Dean," Daniel approached, putting his arm around Dean’s shoulder.

"Byte Company’s stock is more popular than we anticipated, and customer demand might exceed our initial estimates."

"What do you mean?" This was somewhat beyond Dean’s expectations.

"I mean, Byte Company might want to consider the option of issuing more shares," Daniel Thalli explained, spreading his hands.