BXBX NOVEL Chapter 94 - Humility
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The various city lights illuminated the City of Austin while a Flyga and FAV-1 escort flew towards a middle-class neighborhood.
Due to Austin\'s recent prosperity, the district government improved the residential area with better roads and brighter street lamps. However, it remained almost the same since Vince last visited.
The Flyga landed in front of Leah\'s old house where Vince grew up. The FAV-1 stayed hovering in the sky while monitoring Vince\'s safety from above.
"What are we doing here, Vince?" Hailee asked curiously.
"I wanted to show you my roots, so you know what to expect from me. I never claimed to be wealthy or born of high status. Just a regular joe who lived and went to school in this very neighborhood only two years ago. Plenty has changed in my life, but I didn\'t change much." Vince explained as they entered his old home.
Vince kept the tiny house as a reminder of his roots. One of the biggest reasons Future Tech has to succeed is to help people in different ways, attempting to solve a wicked problem with Vince\'s complex solutions.
They walked around the house, and it only took a few minutes because of how small it was.
"Thanks for showing me your childhood, Vince. You\'ve been honest with me since we met, and I understand your situation. I\'m sorry if I was too hard on you over the phone last night." Haiz said genuinely.
"No worries. I deserved it. The others should be at the house for dinner, so let\'s bounce and eat some Texas BBQ!" Vince replied with passion.
The Flyga took off a few minutes after and flew towards Vince\'s residence at Barton Creek.
They arrived ten minutes later and landed at the mansion\'s AV pad after descending slowly.
The mansion\'s yard was so large that it took ten garden staff to care for the sprawling hedge maze daily, courtesy of Future Tech.
Vince lived mainly at the headquarters penthouse, but as his personal property, he spent some of his yearly budget as the CEO to further improve the manor.
Vince had wholly remodeled the structure based on Leah\'s designs which started in 2012 and only recently finished.
Adjacent to the neo-modern primary structure was a decently sized vehicle glass showroom where the Agera R, Agera SVF, and Klassen Phantom were parked and maintained.
Two-seater hypercars weren\'t too practical for Future Tech executives, with their security escorts preferring a more controlled environment to operate like in AVs.
"Vince, why do you have three of the same car but in different colors?" Hailee asked after checking out the beautiful glass-laden garage.
"The orange SFV is Randall\'s. He\'s busy flying around the world to race for Future Tech F1 while the black SFV is Director Price\'s ride. He keeps it parked here while working in Afghanistan. I still can\'t believe how he fits in the thing." Vince said jokingly.
"It\'s still kinda crazy how your company produces video games and music videos while part of it fights conflicts abroad," Haiz commented honestly.
"I feel the same way sometimes, trust me. We can walk around the property after dinner, Haiz. Shall we?" Vince asked as he offered his left arm to Hailee.
"Lead the way," Hailee replied while wrapping her right arm around him.
The house\'s interior was its most remarkable and stunning feature, conceptualized by Leah.
High ceilings contrasted by enormous dangling chandeliers that formed a symmetrical pattern welcomed the couple as they entered the foyer. Leah obviously spared no expense for her and her son\'s residence.
Leah, Sera, Heidi, Alexis, BTS, and Vince\'s crew were sitting together in the living room watching Hailee\'s new music video on the projector.
The Future Studios production staff spent a total of six hours of recording and post-processing to finish the music video, a testament to their continuous training and the power of Infinity Unreal Engine.
"These are some fairly naughty lyrics you\'re singing, young lady," Sera commented halfway through listening to the chorus.
"Dr. Sera, please stop. It\'s embarrassing." Haiz said with her cheeks red as a tomato.
"Sera, give her a break. You should pay attention to Alexis instead. Look how flustered she\'s acting sitting next to Jin." Leah remarked playfully.
"I\'m not the one who invited all these handsome young men over, so don\'t blame me." Alexis defended herself while suffering the same blushing cheeks.
"Thank you for having us, by the way. You have such a wonderful home, Ms. Dalton." Pdogg stated on behalf of BTS.
"Just Leah, and thank you. I designed it myself. You boys must have talent if my son pays you this much attention. His attention is quite hard to receive, as Hailee could attest." Leah replied graciously.
"I have high expectations for BTS, and I feel they have what it takes to make it big internationally," Vince explained.
"Do you really mean it, Mr. Dalton?" Jungkook, the youngest member, inquired.
"With our support, your success is inevitable" Vince replied while pondering [I\'m only sure of myself cause you guys were the most famous artists in the world in 2021.]
"Yeah!" "Nice." the boys replied as they pumped each other up with all the positive vibes.
The music video continued playing until Vince appeared and started dancing with Hailee.
Vince was quite tall for his age at around 5 feet and 10 inches and towered over most BTS members dancing in the background.
"Who\'s idea was it to show off Vince\'s six-pack abs?" Leah asked the room.
"Who else would it be other than Hailee, our little minx" Sera replied, continuing her teasing from earlier.
"Fact," Rick added.
"That indeed happened," Jessica interjected.
"True," Sarah remarked.
"Honestly, I thought Vince wouldn\'t do it," Kyle commented.
All of a sudden, half the living room was teasing Haiz until she went completely red.
"I thought it would look entertaining for the potential viewers out there. Vince always tries to avoid the limelight, so it\'s another outlet for him to connect with his loving fans." Hailee explained, attempting to defend herself.
"Okay, stop. We get it. Sex joke here, there, everywhere. Can we start eating? The smell of brisket and ribs is making me go crazy." Vince begged his friends.
Usually working at the penthouse, Vince\'s cooking staff were transported to the mansion via CAV to serve his guests.
Chef Tony, a local in his 40s who has served Vince and Leah the past year, prepared the Texas BBQ classics like brisket, ribs, and a varied choice of sides with his cooking staff.
He was a diligent chef, so he immediately updated the dinner menu with a few popular Korean dishes such as bibimbap, bulgogi, and kimchi when he learned of the new guests arriving.
Fortunately, the young Korean men appreciated both courses and were delighted to eat authentic local cuisine.
Leah, Heidi, Sera, and Alexis caught up with Hailee in conversation as they were eating while the others on the opposite side of the table were discussing War Online.
"My dream is to perform live during a big show like an APL Finals. I still remember watching the match in the arena filled with more than 50,000 people, cheering on Clear Sky to win in South Korea." Jungkook mentioned after enjoying a piece of tender brisket. As the youngest member of BTS, he had high aspirations for himself.
"That event was crazy. I recall Vince being there watching from the VIP box with former President Lee." Pdogg commented.
"Charlatan carried his team to a close victory. Fortis was devastated after losing game seven, but Clear Sky was the better team that day." Vince replied.
"Have you guys played our new game, Everlife?" Rick inquired as he finished another side of potato salad.
"Who hasn\'t? The boys and I play Everlife Online during our downtime, and I\'ve even replayed the campaign twice already." Pdogg replied.
"Future Studios will require more original tracks for Everlife and War Online\'s expansions, so we can probably feature BTS and Hailee\'s music in the new updates," Sarah interjected.
"The boys and I can add that to our to-do list while we\'re here in Austin. Do you mind if we shoot the next music videos outside HQ, like at the Tech Campus or downtown?" Pdogg inquired.
"Definitely! More people need to see what Future Tech fosters and builds here in Austin. You can even record a few scenes in my hedge maze." Vince replied in approval of the Korean producer\'s request.
While Vince and his guest enjoyed dinner at his opulent mansion, Future Studios\' social media sub-director received confirmation to publish Hailee Steinfeld\'s new music video on YouTube, Instagram, and other platforms.
Stats last time checked:
Future Tech current valuation - $300 billion
15 million BTC (currently trades at $25,000)
$15 Billion cash in Future Tech
105,000+ employees (FT AI, Future Studios, Hive Mind Manufacturing, FT Micro Devices, BitCash, FT VR, Future Tech F1, FT Investments, Future Arms, Future Med, Future Tech Robotics, Future Education, Epic Games, 60% of SpaceX, 10% of Tesla, 10% of Koenigsegg)
20,000+ operators under Future Security
Personal Vehicles: Klassen Phantom, Agera R, Agera SFV, Boeing Luxury 787 Dreamliner, The Longhorn, Flyga
Five company collaborators (Epic, Koenegisegg, SpaceX, Tesla, Hyundai C&E)
Numerous subsidiaries under Future Tech Holdings (i..e., Instagram, Twitch, Big Hit Entertainment)