8:30 pm, Winona's apartment.

  The three girls were in a frenzy, going bad forth. Eae hoped to wear something suitable for a high-css party. The card handed by James Cameron made the eyes of the three women sparkle. Eager for the party, they decided to ge, ae the insistence of the three girls, Billy stayed in the living room, holding a small book borrowed from Julie to distract himself.

  -You look stunning in bck, - Julie said aloud.

  -Lehose high heels, the ones from Prada you wore retly, - Gwyh requested.

  -Use the green ones; I left the Prada ones in Los Angeles, - Winona suggested.

  The shower was running, and Billy could only sigh as he observed the New York City skylihe view was good, but the tall building in front blocked the view of the sea and bays, occasional features of New York. But there were also beautiful skyscrapers with views that only locals could sider a luxury.

  -I have makeup itom drawer, - Winoioned.

  Billy decided to take a nap. Smartphones were indeed a boon for men in waiting rooms; they could catch up on work, anize emails, and pn future meetings. The allure of a cellphone was as captivating as a book, although Simone Beauvoir's "The Sed Sex" wasly typical reading for a man.

  He fell asleep on Winona's spacious couch while the girls rushed around, fixing their hair, taking showers, and taking their time getting ready for the grand ga, starting at 9:00 PM and sting past 2:00 AM.

  *****************************************************************************

  9:55 PM, The Bowery Hotel.

  Silence hung over the table until Tom Hanks broke it. Curiosity alpable; Rita Wilson, his spouse since 1988, was equally intrigued but maintained her sileom's closeo some members of the table was more evident than his closeo Rita.

  -Curiously, you ask, - Steven said, sounding knowing. -You've made a movie for his pany, - he added.

  Steven found it amusing how the kid had a knack for stating the obvious, making the evident in something simple. Tom k too, but the kid was austere, not very keen on on ways young people try to stand out. He didn't give many interviews and was rather reserved.

  -I've made so many movies; I have no clue whie it could be, - Tom replied.

  Steven had no iion of saying it out loud; he knew well that the mystery was better left for moments like these. Robert Zemeckis had no idea either, but Francis Coppo did. In his long versations with Gee Lucas,

  -I think, Tom, we just want to see the surprise on your face. Five these old folks for having fun with their colleagues. Soon, you'll know, and you'll say, 'How naive was I!' - Francis Coppo said.

  -But he's young! - Tom excimed.

  -Very young, and you know him, - Francis said, much to the amusement of Steven and David Geffen.

  ****************************************************************************

  10:00 PM, Winona's apartment.

  -He fell asleep with his suit on, and now it's all wrinkled, - Julie Delpy said, removing the cushion from Billy's head. -e on, cowboy, we have a party to attend, and we're right on time, - Julie added.

  Billy tried to wake up, but ziness enveloped him.

  -Your suit is all wrinkled, - Julie pointed out.

  -We stop by my hotel; it's just a few blocks away. Besides, it's... 10:00 PM already. We're an hour te, - Billy said, wiping his mouth, his eyes red and tired.

  -I have an iron in my room. Although I'm not an expert, I press your bzer and that shirt, - Winona offered from the hallway, wearing a tight bck dress that atuated her curves. Her short bck hair revealed her white neck adorned with a silver neckce.

  -You should do; you 't attend with a wrinkled suit. After all, it's an important party, - Julie said, taking Billy's suit off, which surprised him as he ehe room.

  -Julie, pay attention; I take it off myself, - Billy said, removing his wool jacket and blue shirt, revealing a white undershirt. He was skinny, but not as much as two years ago; he was starting to gain muscle mass in his arms and shoulders.

  -I'll be ba a sed, - Winona said, entering the room where Gwyh was filing her nails and fixing her feet.

  Billy followed Winona into the room. - I iron the suit; I usually do it, and it's already a habit, - Billy said.

  -No, this iron is tricky; I hardly use it. I e to New York very rarely, but I know well that it burn clothes in a split sed. Just wait for me in the living room, and don't make any noise; we're already running te, - Winona said, ushering Billy out of the room. No one could pete with a determined woman, especially when she had already made up her mind, and more so if that person was a woman in a hurry.

  Billy raised his hands ao his chosen armchair; the pants were somewhat wrinkled, but nothing too serious. Now, the weight of the week fell upon his mind; several meetings, dots to read, and projects to attend to wore down the young man's party spirit.

  Julie wore a light blue, floor-length dress made of shiny material with sandals, while Gwyh wore a white dress, more like a spring dress than a ga one, with bear-shaped earrings that emphasized her childish features.

  -e try it on; it's a bit hot, - Winona said, handing him the shirt, whiow had fewer wrinkles, although it needed a good ironing on the back.

  -It fits perfectly. I think it's time to go, - Billy said.

  -I'll call a cab, - Winona said.

  -No need; Jim sent us a vehicle; it's been waiting downstairs for about forty-five minutes. I'm sure he must be getting anxious, - Billy said, recalling the call he received some time ago.

  The three girls left cheerfully and ready to enjoy the party, although they didn't kly which party they were heading to. They all looked beautiful, from makeup to dress to accessories. The journey was short; the hotel was only a few streets away, and the night only saw a few pedestrians and young people enjoying their st summer days.

  The hotel had a lorance, and the invitation poio a special lounge for meetings oop floor. What were they celebrating? Nothing in particur; it was more of a gathering of the upper css of the industry, aodated by the festivities. Business was discussed, and some iors were sulted about certain projects. Deals were even closed in the meantime, with a few gsses of whiskey.

  Oh floor, the top floor, the three wome ahead, leaving Billy behind. He felt nervous for some reason; his heart ounding from the moment they ehe hotel. The elevator provided a view of twe rooms and a small dance floor reserved. A piano could be heard in the distance, and some young women were dang, but everyone was engaged in versation.

  Julie spotted Harrison Ford and t Eastwood chatting fortably not far away. For the girls, it was a slightly elevated party, unlike Winona, whnized some faces that, although unknown, were people deeply rooted in the industry, like Martin Sheen, mnized for his politid sociability.

  A young man no more than thirty, in a buttoned suit, approached them. - You follow me this way, - the young man said monotonously, followed by an i seriousness befitting his position. Two necessary rules for these types of parties: don't ask questions and follow the rules. If the rules dictate tet everything one sees or hears, he ehat it's fotten.

  The young man's gaze went to Billy; he subtly uood the design. There were many familiar faces, thanks to a study Anne ducted about the importance of knowing who the important people in the industry are—iors, producers, directors, administrators, executives, and presidents. In his mind, there were about three hundred photos, if necessary. He knew most of the people only in passing, and some he couldn't recall their names, but he had a feeling they were important.

  -Well, let's not keep them waiting, shall we? - Billy said, taking the entrao the elder's lounge. He could see his aremies, giving them a quick s, an overview, of Billy's entrance, which was already known, obvious, and expected for some time.

  Billy k; this wasn't a dance party or a silly gathering where people mingled; everyone here had some relevance, major or minor, iricacies of the industry. Some were merely wealthy and only checked on their iments, the pertages that came to light only wheock prices surged or plummeted.

  -Mr. Carson, I haven't had the pleasure of introdug myself, - Michael Eisner said from a table. -This is my friend, Ron Meyer, - he finished.

  -Mr. Meyer, Mr. Eisner. Indeed, we hadn't had the fortune of meeting. Our thoughts are not far apart, - Billy greeted both bosses warmly. The three girls followed the bellboy's lead to the table, expeg Billy to join them in the few minutes.

  Only Winona's doe eyes lingered on Billy, who knew Ron Meyer. This geed more mystery; Julie and Gwyh shared thoughts trary to Winona's, but they didn't pinpoint the significe of the two presidents.

  -I heard you've been dabbling in ag, - Michael Eisner remarked.

  -Indeed, I have, - Billy replied.

  -I suppose you know Ron Meyer; he's the president of Universal. A very intelligent and capable person, who I've e to sider as an occasional friend in business, - Michael Eisner said.

  -I knew him as the president; a pleasure, Mr. Meyer, Billy Carson, - Billy said.

  -Who are you? - Meyer asked.

  -Owner of Lux Animation, Id Software, and Autodesk, - Billy replied.

  -Ah, how gratifying to see a young man like you; America is in good hands. Retly, you made several transas, pulling strings in cable television. You acquired a distribution lise for Woody Woodpecker, - Ron Meyer said.

  -In fact, we did. We're pushing for the el to air in October, and Woody Woodpecker is indeed part of our programming. Iure, we hope to discuss a remake; it's a series with potential, - Billy said.

  -ABs most of the rights; we only have a few, and the lise you have was granted because we didn't use it. Let's call it a cession, much better than wasting the remaining four years of the lise, - Ron Meyer expined.

  -And we'll make the most of it, - Billy affirmed.

  Not breaking the silence, disregarding that this wasn't a regur versation, the business uone was alresent, making it somewhat difficult for entrepreneurs to detach themselves from work ohey got into it.

  -Well, Billy, we retly had a passionate discussion about the new Disney era and business dires. You also vinced me, of course, to leave the path clear, which I'll value in the ing years. We have petition; however, my curiosity lies in what our apparent rival would think about the future of Disney, in the hypothetical realm of ercial strategies, - Michael Eisner asked.

  -We were discussing the business future, - Billy said.

  -We believe that strengthening the tent and distribution of the pany is the strong point of Hollywood panies. With enough space, to improve teical aertai tent, Universal will hold the baton as the house that gees the best movies, with a solid group w on said creation, and of course, improving the delivery of our tent. The success of Universal i years is just that, strengthening our tent and improving its distribution to broader levels, - Ron Meyer said.

  -We follow a more 'create eai tent for children of all ages' idea. However, the eai experience ot only be mahrough movies and must be grouped into differeors to help achieve these goals, such as a strong tent pany, televisirams, television parks, sports, theater, and shows. Reform must be more than just expanding tent; it's about eaining from all areas, - Michael Eisner added.

  -Now it's your turn, young man, - Michael Eisner said.

  -Although both panies have simir destinies, I uand you want to create a theme park on the occasion of Jurassic Park, - Billy said.

  Ron Meyer shifted unfortably. -You're right; since Jurassic Park, we'll improve the designs, but it's only part of our business creation and not our strategy. We want to join forces with many panies and focus on produg good television series and movies, - Ron Meyer said.

  Billy the words. Beyond a mere meeting, it was a discussion. What he would say now would have obvious sequences for the future of his pany. Universal was clear; they were ready to iate with Lux Animation in terms of creation and distribution. While Michael advocated for all eai tent, subtly present was the acquisition, a recurring topic. It wasn't a threat by any means, but Disney sought to be a glomerate.

  Their a pn was franchises; however, beyond a franchise, it's about geing quality tent in general. Telling long and prosperous linear stories is logical, but it's also reasoo say that Billy advocated for quality as well as proposals closer to flix-like streaming ptforms.

  Lux Animation is based on - animation for all ages, - among many other ideas, such as perfeg blockbusters and anizing grand narratives. This leads to its sed purpose: - telling stories that resoh present, past, and future geions. -

  -Following both ideas, I believe both are valid. Fighting on two fronts is a daunting task in terms of iment, money, and of course, perspective. It's not advisable to approach both with all the capital or assets of a pany. Choosing one is correct while developing in other areas, such as growth, expansion, and affiliations, -- Billy said, p his words without itting. -- At Lux Animation, we believe that innovation is our area of work, along with established teological adva, while maintaining the esseny ics, - Billy added.

  -So, it's teology, - Ron Meyer cluded.

  -It is. ema tells stories, as do books, ics, and video games. Teology will allow us to tell these stories from different angles, such as 3D. Imagine a hologram or projector spanning the entire Empire State Building. My pany wants to narrate stories from the future, - Billy said.

  -Very fttering, but somewhat imaginative. Perhaps the proposal is aimed at 100 years iure. For the 10 years, where do you want to go? - Michael Eisner asked.

  -Graphics, special effects, 3D animation, - Billy replied.

  -Would you share such teology? - Michael Eisner inquired.

  -Of course, progress es only through sharing. My pany 't do everything alone; however, I must make moo do so, - Billy responded.

  -From a business standpoint, not a visionary one, what goals would you have? - Michael ented.

  -Well, it's more private; however, I say that my focus is on 'animated programs for all ideas.' For a long time, it's been about raw, dark stories, stories that attract people so much. I have a sideratioions are what lead people to face art, attempting to delve into those emotions, more thaing fear or momentary ughter. What makes Shakespeare exceptional, or what makes Molière exceptional? Luck? These are abstract matters; I want to try to tou those issues for my fans, from moral dilemmas, great tragedies, passionate romances, and fantastic stories that explore more than mere human obsessions, like fate, time, love, and the end, among so many things, - Billy said.

  -Iing, - Michael said, settling in.

  A serious question was about to be asked, but it was interrupted by Winona approag Billy, allowing for ample spad time for the patience of a directerly wanting to have a business chat with Billy.

  ...