It hadn't been that long ago, it seemed, that Jon had talked to Lelah about buying out Alain's shares, but at the time, it had seemed impossible. 300,000 gold, the equivalent of $750,000 cash, was a lot of money to come up with, even for a Granger.
As fate would have it, a few months ago, Alain had approached Jon to buy out his shares, telling him he'd sell them at par and donate the money to a charity of Jon's choice, and Jon had accepted his offer, secretly buying Alain out and becoming a silent owner in 21Twelve. Not even Lelah knew about it yet, but the money had been a problem.
Jon certainly wasn't poor, by any means. He had managed to make a few good investments, and he had his half of his father's inheritance, not to mention the stipend he received from Granger Conglomerate and his paycheck from the Shanachie. Katt had repaid the money she owed him for his investment in the Bon Bon before she'd died, but it still left him short.
He didn't want to ask the Old Man for a loan. He didn't want to use him in that way, but once he'd proposed the idea, Humphrey had seen the wisdom in it. It was a simple matter of business. Crowes had done even better than predicted, garnering critical support on both Rhy'Din and Earth and even an Oscar nomination or two. He couldn't argue with the numbers. It was simply a good investment and an opportunity that was too good to pass up.
And so, the contract had been drawn up, and with Humphrey's help, Jon had bought out Alain's shares, which amounted to 16% of the studio, telling Alain to donate the money to any charity of his own choosing and asking him to keep his identity secret, at least until after the fervor over Crowes had died down. After all, Jon had starred in the picture, and he didn't want anyone thinking he'd bought the role. The truth was quite the contrary, in fact. He had been part of Crowes because he believed in Lelah and her dream and wanted to help make it a reality. Nothing more, nothing less.
It seemed somehow ironic to Jon that nearly a year after discussing with Lelah the possibility of investing in the studio, he had suddenly and unexpectedly become one of the major investors in the company. He couldn't help but wonder what Lelah would think when she found out. It was only a matter of time.
As fate would have it, a few months ago, Alain had approached Jon to buy out his shares, telling him he'd sell them at par and donate the money to a charity of Jon's choice, and Jon had accepted his offer, secretly buying Alain out and becoming a silent owner in 21Twelve. Not even Lelah knew about it yet, but the money had been a problem.
Jon certainly wasn't poor, by any means. He had managed to make a few good investments, and he had his half of his father's inheritance, not to mention the stipend he received from Granger Conglomerate and his paycheck from the Shanachie. Katt had repaid the money she owed him for his investment in the Bon Bon before she'd died, but it still left him short.
He didn't want to ask the Old Man for a loan. He didn't want to use him in that way, but once he'd proposed the idea, Humphrey had seen the wisdom in it. It was a simple matter of business. Crowes had done even better than predicted, garnering critical support on both Rhy'Din and Earth and even an Oscar nomination or two. He couldn't argue with the numbers. It was simply a good investment and an opportunity that was too good to pass up.
And so, the contract had been drawn up, and with Humphrey's help, Jon had bought out Alain's shares, which amounted to 16% of the studio, telling Alain to donate the money to any charity of his own choosing and asking him to keep his identity secret, at least until after the fervor over Crowes had died down. After all, Jon had starred in the picture, and he didn't want anyone thinking he'd bought the role. The truth was quite the contrary, in fact. He had been part of Crowes because he believed in Lelah and her dream and wanted to help make it a reality. Nothing more, nothing less.
It seemed somehow ironic to Jon that nearly a year after discussing with Lelah the possibility of investing in the studio, he had suddenly and unexpectedly become one of the major investors in the company. He couldn't help but wonder what Lelah would think when she found out. It was only a matter of time.