BXBX NOVEL Chapter 63: Coincidence
"I\'m just a student," Reagan said.
"Trust me, you\'ll like the offer. It won\'t take much time, but you could make money to support yourself. Let me have some of your time."
He agreed to listen to me and we walked to a quiet bench in a shaded corner of the campus.
Once seated, I started, "Mr. Lee, I\'ve read your paper on how exclusivity contracts affect the video game industry. Your model of hardware and software demand and how you simulated what would happen without exclusivity are impressive. The way you addressed how software demand drives hardware sales—and vice versa—was really compelling."
Reagan\'s eyes lit up in pure nerdy joy. "Thanks a ton; I appreciate that." he nodded, clearly impressed that I had actually read his paper. "I really put my all into that paper—there were definitely a few challenges in modeling those interactions."
I continued, "What really stood out to me was the way you tackled the analysis of the sixth-generation consoles—PS2, Xbox, and GameCube. You showed that removing exclusivity could have potentially increased hardware sales by 7 percent and software sales by 58 percent. That would mean a 1.5 billion dollars increase in sales."
Reagan pushed up his glasses and straightened his back, clearly proud. "Yes. it\'s nice to see that someone appreciates the results."
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a sleek business card. The card was designed with a minimalist aesthetic.
I handed it to Reagan, who took it and glanced at it with a certain degree of curiosity.
"Mr. Lee... I\'m here to offer you something that I believe aligns perfectly with your talents and interests. I represent Immortal Investments, a start-up investment company, and we\'re currently looking for exceptional individuals who have a knack for market analysis."
Reagan took his eyes off the card, and it was clear from the look on his face that he was interested.
"We\'d like to offer you a position with us. Here\'s what we\'re proposing: we will provide you with $5,000 every month until you complete your undergraduate program, with no work required on your part during that time. This is essentially a support package to allow you to focus on your studies."
He stared at me, clearly shocked at what he was hearing. "That\'s... quite generous."
I smiled and nodded. "I\'m glad you think so. In return, we would require you to commit to staying with us for two years after you graduate. Of course, the compensation will increase significantly at that point. The minimum salary will rise to $8,000 per month, and there will be opportunities for further growth."
Reagan was clearly astonished. "You\'re offering me this based on my paper?"
"Spot on," I said. "We see potential in you and want to invest in your future."
Reagan\'s looked back and forth between the business card and me, processing the offer. "How would I proceed if I\'m interested?"
"All you need to do is call the number on the business card and say your name. That\'s it. We\'ll take care of the rest and provide more details."
Reagan had the look in his eyes of someone who had just accomplished something great. "Thank you for this opportunity. I\'ll definitely consider it."
"I\'m glad to hear that," I said, standing up and extending my hand. "Feel free to reach out if you have any questions."
I shook his hand, wished him all the best in his studies and then walked away.
Something came to my mind: \'Should I contact that girl, Alice?\'
I could just completely ignore what happened in Miami.
Why would I want to contact her?
But as far as I can tell, all the changes around me had something to do with Asian influence. There is a high chance that her being a lawyer and being called Alice were actually just a coincidence.
There was also another Alice doing her undergrad here at the moment, my "ex-wife" or "future-wife," I could say, that I didn\'t feel like running into at all; I don\'t know what I would end up doing if I saw her.
"Whatever, maybe some other time..." I muttered to myself, trying to push the whole issue to the back of my mind...
"JACK!?" I heard a female voice call out to me.
I glanced to my right.
It was Alice. The Alice I met in Miami.
She wore short jeans and a white tank top, and her long copper hair was flowing loosely.
\'She let her hair grow longer.\' I thought.
"It\'s really you..." she said with disbelief.
I looked into her emerald-green eyes. "Alice. What a coincidence..."
She took a step closer, her eyes wide with excitement. Her delicate features morphed into pure, unfiltered joy. "I mean, what are the odds?" she said, her words tumbling out in an enthusiastic rush. "I was just lying down under that tree over there with my friends, and then—boom! There you were. I almost jumped up and screamed, but I didn\'t want to embarrass myself."
She tried to steady herself, taking a breath. "I\'m sorry if I\'m being a bit all over the place."
"It\'s alright," I said, chuckling. "Do you have classes?"
Her excitement wasn\'t dimming. "Yes, I do have classes, but I\'ve got a bit of a break in between," she said. "What are you doing here, though?"
"Well, as I mentioned when we first met. I had some business at Harvard."
"Being cryptic again... anyway, since you\'re here, why don\'t we catch up? Maybe grab a coffee or something?"
"Why not. But I actually have a flight at 3 p.m. When do you finish classes?"
Alice\'s face briefly flickered with something unreadable, but her smile quickly returned. "That\'s okay," she said, her tone upbeat. "I finish classes at 1 p.m. "
"She DOES NOT finish classes at 1 p.m.!" a young lady said, coming up behind her.
Alice jumped slightly, her eyes widening as she turned to face the woman. "Oh! Hi, Judy."
Judy gave a wry smile and continued, "Alice actually finishes at 3:30 p.m., not 1 p.m." her tone was teasing but friendly.
She was black and a very tall brunette—the kind of girl I would imagine playing on Harvard\'s female basketball team. She must have been in class with Alice. If Alice skipped one year and was 21, she must have been 22.
Alice\'s cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and she gave me a sheepish look. "Well, I was planning to skip the last two classes anyway..."
"You skipped it once already, Alice!" Judy scolded her.
"Could you give me your number, Jack?" Alice asked me, her voice softer than before as she held out her phone. There was a hint of disappointment in her eyes.
Why am I so stressed out about this...
Fuck it.
I took her phone and quickly dialed my number, handing it back to her. "Here you go."
"Thanks, Jack," she said with a grateful smile.