Chapter 56 – The Proposal
Monday – Jake's Home Office – 6:42 a.m.
The voice on the phone was calm, rehearsed, and unmistakably polished—the kind of voice you'd expect from a Fortune 500 boardroom.
"We're offering forty-two billion dollars. Twenty-two in cash. Twenty in Microsoft stock, vested over five years. You'd retain a creative executive title. We'd handle legal, compliance, global expansion—so you can focus on doing what you do best: inventing."
Jake sat in silence, elbows on the desk, his fingers steepled in front of his chin. Outside, the first light of morning pushed through the curtains. His FacePhone buzzed gently—more server updates, trending metrics, and growth alerts.
"We're not here to take it away from you," the voice continued. "FaceWorld is changing everything. We want to help scale it… not smother it."
The call ended with a polite, "Think about it."
Jake didn't respond. Instead, he opened a new browser tab and started typing.
Subject: Strategic Acquisition Inquiry
To: Reed Hastings, CEO, Netflix
Dear Mr. Hastings,
I'd like to discuss a potential acquisition opportunity. I believe our respective visions for the future of digital media may be more aligned than they initially appear...
---
Tuesday – Caltech – Doctoral Submission Day
Jake walked into the physics building with a leather satchel and a thick stack of paper: his final thesis. Despite everything—FaceWorld, the FacePhone, the headlines—he was still a student.
Inside Dr. Kass's office, he laid the bound document gently on her desk. The title was printed in crisp silver letters:
"Foundations of Distributed Intelligence and Quantum-Linked Communication Protocols"
Kass raised a brow. "You never go for short titles, huh?"
Jake smirked. "Scares off the lazy readers."
She flipped to the abstract, her brow furrowing as she read.
"You're proposing a real-time entangled mesh network with decentralized AI routing?"
Jake nodded. "With predictive self-healing and device-specific optimization."
Kass closed the document. "Defense is in eight weeks. I'll notify the committee."
He turned to leave, then paused. "Thanks, Kass. For treating me like a scholar—not a sideshow."
She gave him a warm look. "You earned that the hard way, Dr. Harper—almost."
---
Wednesday – FaceWorld HQ – Downtown LA
Jake and Callum stood in the center of their conference suite, staring at the numbers glowing on the wall-mounted screen.
Acquisition Proposal – Microsoft: $42 Billion
Callum leaned back, arms crossed. "We could retire tomorrow. You could buy your own island. Or Mars."
Jake just kept staring. "We're not selling."
Callum raised an eyebrow. "You sure? That's not chump change. They want to integrate FaceWorld into Microsoft's cloud and gaming ecosystem. There's no bigger infrastructure in the world."
Jake pulled up another slide.
Netflix – Q1 2007 Snapshot
DVD rentals: Primary revenue
Streaming: Early testing phase
Market Cap: ~$2.5 billion
He pointed. "They're too slow. They don't see what's coming."
Callum exhaled. "So… you want to buy Netflix?"
Jake nodded. "It's the next piece. Social, video, hardware… and now, entertainment."
Callum grinned. "Let's get to work."
---
Thursday – Dunphy Residence – Cheviot Hills
Jake stood outside the Dunphys' front door, holding a sleek black velvet box. Inside was a completely custom FacePhone.
Soft lavender casing. Matte finish. Etched on the back:
H + J
"Offline is overrated."
Haley answered in a baggy T-shirt and shorts, hair messy and eyes wide with curiosity.
"You brought me something?"
Jake handed her the box. "Not jewelry. But I think you'll like it."
She opened it, jaw dropping. "No way. This is just for me?"
Jake smiled. "One of one."
She launched herself at him, laughing. "I'm naming her Lila."
Jake blinked. "You're naming the phone?"
"Obviously."
They were mid-laugh when Claire walked in. Her expression dropped when she saw the engraved phone in Haley's hands.
Jake's smile dimmed.
---
Friday – Claire's Kitchen – 8:13 p.m.
Claire paced while Judith watched from across the counter, calm as ever.
"He gave her a phone—custom-made. She's thirteen!"
Judith didn't blink. "It's sweet. Not dangerous."
It's intense, Judith. It's symbolic. It's serious."
Judith sipped her tea. "So is the way they feel about each other."
Claire huffed. "She's a kid. I just don't want her vanishing into his world."
Judith leaned forward. "She won't. Your daughter is strong. She grounds him. He needs that."
Claire exhaled, quieter now. "Maybe. I just… don't want to lose her."
"You're not. She's just growing up faster than you expected."
---
Saturday – Brentwood – Jake's Room – 10:14 p.m.
Jake sat near his window, FacePhone in hand. It buzzed softly.
Email Received – Office of Reed Hastings
Subject: RE: Acquisition Inquiry
Mr. Hastings would be open to a discreet conversation. Are you available next Thursday in Los Gatos?
Jake smiled.
He opened a message thread with Callum.
> Jake:
Book two tickets to San Jose. We've got a meeting.
> Callum:
Jet?
> Jake:
Not yet. Let's buy Netflix first.
Then we'll buy the jet.