BXBX NOVEL Chapter 145 Orbital Space Station
Skylight Clarkson Square, September 7, 2013.
The JP Morgan Chase CEO was unamused but took the disrespect on the chin before replying, "James Dimon, but most people in Wall Street call me Jamie. I see you like playing hard to get though I\'d like to continue our conversation somewhere private."
Vince looked toward his beautiful companion and said, "Hailee and I have a prior arrangement, but you could wait or join us until we introduce ourselves to a few of the event\'s guests."
Hailee observed the dignified middle-aged man and worriedly interjected, "I\'m fine waiting for you, babe. It looks like Jamie wants to discuss something important, and I don\'t want to be a bother."
Jamie smiled at the young lady for knowing her place but heard Vince say, "You\'re no bother, Haiz. He can make himself comfortable in the VIP section while we speak with the Kardashians. Right, Jamie?"
The influential and powerful CEO dejectedly yielded and amicably said with a fake smile, "Thank you for the invitation, Vince. I won\'t interrupt your fun any longer."
Vince nodded to one of the FS operators to escort Jamie and his two bodyguards to the VIP section. Though his security was high-class and fit for a CEO, they were incomparable to the intimidating FS veteran.
Hailee remained silent as Vince held her by the waist and led her towards the pop culture celebrities enjoying free Champagne courtesy of Future Couture.
Vince decided to take two glasses from a server to share with Hailee before attracting the attention of Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, and Kylie Jenner.
It was the hip-hop artist that began the conversation and said, "Well, if it isn\'t the cutest young couple on the planet, Vince Dalton and Hailee Steinfeld. Future Tech always puts on a great event!"
Vince accepted the praise graciously and replied, "My mother, Leah, did most of the work for this fashion show. I\'m glad y\'all find it entertaining."
Kim Kardashian joined in and stated, "Your mother has great taste in models too."
Hailee amicably said, "Yes, your sister, Kendall, looked wonderful on the runway earlier."
Kylie smiled and stated, "She\'ll be thrilled to hear praise coming from you. Kendall loves your movies and music."
The three celebrities and the young couple discussed random topics like fashion and entertainment after their introductions until a blonde woman in her early 30s joined in the conversation by greeting Kim Kardashian.
Kim exchanged a few words with her before saying, "Paris, meet our new friends. This is Hailee and Vince, but I\'m sure you\'ve heard of them."
Paris Hilton shook their hands and said, "I\'m pleased to meet both your acquaintances. I\'ve definitely heard much about Vince Dalton and Future Tech, especially from my father and our business friends."
The Hilton\'s owned the second-largest Hotel empire in the world and didn\'t slouch in terms of wealth and influence.
Vince respected the heiress socialite as she was an entrepreneur herself and recently began independently investing in real estate projects in the Philippines and other foreign countries with money earned from her fashion and cologne businesses.
The young CEO had been interested in entering the Hotel & Resort industry for a while now and excitedly discussed the topic with Paris while Hailee conversed with the others.
A few minutes passed until Paris asked Vince if he was willing to do business with her family by contracting Future Tech\'s civil engineers, then he said, "My corporation can definitely provide Hilton the highest-quality services, but I have more ambitious plans for a partnership if you\'re interested in hearing them."
There were still ten minutes until the show break ended, so Paris nodded in agreement and remained silent as Vince explained, "I\'ve received good news from Kandahar recently that opened a few possibilities in the high-class and luxury hotel industry. The project would be extremely costly, but I feel the target clientele won\'t mind paying millions to experience a view of Earth from orbit."
Paris had heard rumors of SpaceX and its extensive partnership with Future Tech to dominate low-earth orbit and eventually reach Mars, but this was the first time she\'d even considered a hotel in space.
The concept of ambition was a matter of perspective and the young man in front of her seemed to operate on a completely different level compared to other entrepreneurs.
Vince noticed her subtle shock while Hailee and the others stopped conversing after overhearing their discussion to listen to what the young CEO was explaining.
He continued by saying, "The SpaceX Lunar Missions will be underway immediately after NASA reviews and approves manned operations in the coming weeks. The initiative\'s first phase is the construction of a new-generation Orbital Space Station for servicing missions further into space and research. I assume our scientists, engineers, and potential guests would appreciate the living amenities Hilton Hotels could provide with its extensive experience in the business. I\'ll send you my NetServ business account over proximity data drop if you own an Infinity device so that we can discuss franchising at a later time."
A look of disbelief could be seen on the faces of Paris, Kim, Kanye, and Kylie, as they heard Vince\'s proposition, though Hailee was already accustomed to his lofty ambition.
The hotel heiress quickly realized the amazing opportunity she stumbled upon to elevate her family\'s business to new heights and beat out their rival, Marriott, to be the first hotel in space.
Paris would never have guessed receiving a proposal as an outlandish and extravagant from a 15-year-old and said, "The idea is quite compelling, but I may have to discuss the offer with my father. I\'m sure we can reach a mutually beneficial agreement soon."
They spoke for a few more minutes while the rest of the group was dumbfounded until the runway show resumed.
Vince graciously invited his new acquaintances to the VIP section as it had a much better view to watch Kendall at her first high-profile modeling event.
The group happily accepted the invitation, considering the young CEO\'s mindful and respectable demeanor during their first encounter.
Vince knew it was a controversial bunch of celebrities but didn\'t mind as they seemed like kind and genuine human beings. Hailee was also a big fan, so extra boyfriend points were in the bag.
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Jamie Dimon sat impatiently in the corner of the VIP section after introducing himself to Leah and others present in the area.
He had much better things to do with his time as JP Morgan Chase\'s CEO, but Vince Dalton had forced him to run around like a headless chicken.
The irritation slowly subsided when he noticed an entourage arrived at the guarded entrance and decided to garner Vince\'s attention and finally discuss a potential deal.
Jamie walked toward them and asked, "Vince, would now be a good time for our private conversation?"
Hailee and the others who were talking so animatedly stopped when the middle-aged gentleman interrupted and waited until their host, Vince, replied, "Fine. Hailee, please introduce our wonderful guests to my mother and the others."
The young actor kissed him on the cheek and complied with his request before Vince and Jamie found a seat in the corner to discuss business.
The new group of people sat down near the railing that overlooked the runway after their introductions and found the drinks only available in the VIP section to their liking.
Kylie Jenner was around the same age as Hailee and naturally got along well. However, she was curious who the middle-aged man Vince was speaking with and asked, "Do any of you know that guy?"
Hailee honestly answered, "He introduced himself to us as Jamie earlier. Some bank executive from Wall Street."
Paris was familiar with the name and interjected, "Based on his age, he\'s probably Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JP Morgan Chase. From what I\'ve heard from dad and our family friends in New York, he\'s bad news. Last year, he misled investors by abusing credit default swaps and market positioning and claimed only $2 billion worth of losses when the Feds began investigating. Still, it turned out they lost $6 billion of their investors\' money."
Kanye overheard their conversation and curiously asked, "Then why isn\'t he in prison?"
Paris shook her head and explained, "He\'s an executive-level Wall Street banker, so the Feds only slapped him on the wrist with a fine. Though the investors came out of the situation without compensation for JP Morgan Chase\'s ineptitude and neglect."
Six billion dollars could make a massive difference in many social initiatives like healthcare, education, and construction, but that amount of money was nothing to banks on Wall Street.
They would rather risk everyone\'s savings and retirement plans for the sake of maintaining market positions.
Kanye meant well in saying, "Hailee, aren\'t you worried he\'ll scam your boyfriend too? I\'ve heard Vince was a rich man and might be too juicy for that shark."
Hailee calmly replied, "There\'s no problem. Vince is the most brilliant man I\'ve ever met, and it would take more than a Wall Street suit to get the better of him."
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