Chapter 247: Purchasing Property 1

Chapter 247: Chapter 247: Purchasing Property 1

Over at Fox, Adelaide called Irene as soon as she received the signing news, her voice full of gratitude:

"Irene, thank you for trusting me so much. With the price at 40 million, you really gave up too much. Pirates of the Caribbean has entered its final stages, and I will personally keep an eye on it to ensure we pick a great release window!"

"It’s a pleasure working with you," Irene responded with a smile. "Pirates of the Caribbean is the top priority and indeed requires more of your attention. I have many things to deal with recently and can’t invest too much time into it, so please look after it."

Hanging up the phone, Irene opened her email and looked at the payment notification sent by Jean. The full 40 million from Fox had already arrived, two days earlier than the agreed time. Adelaide’s efficiency was always reassuring.

She immediately dialed Jean’s number and said decisively, "Jean, first transfer 10 million from the received funds to Chen Shiyu’s company account with the note ’Facebook first-phase operation and expansion funds.’ Tell him to complete the server procurement and team expansion as soon as possible so as not to delay the launch at the end of the month."

"Alright, I’ll arrange the transfer now. It’s expected to arrive within two hours," Jean’s voice remained professional and efficient.

"Also," Irene paused, thinking of the "no fixed assets" note on the previous financial report, a thought suddenly occurred to her.

"Recommend a reliable real estate manager to me. I want to buy a house before Facebook officially launches."

Jean was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said,

"Finally decided to invest in property? I know a manager who specializes in high-end Los Angeles real estate named Martha Perez. She has many high-quality listings in Beverly Hills and Malibu with a great reputation. I’ll send you her number right now."

Not long after hanging up, Jean sent over the real estate manager’s contact information, and she immediately dialed it.

"Hello, is this Ms. Martha Perez? I am Irene Coppola, contacting you through Jean Williams’s recommendation."

"Director Irene Coppola?" Martha’s tone on the other end of the phone instantly became enthusiastic.

"I’ve heard so much about you! Jean already mentioned you to me, saying you wanted to look at property in Los Angeles. Do you have any requirements for the area or layout? I have several high-quality listings that just came out that would suit you well."

"Not many restrictions on the area, though closer to the studio is best—around Beverly Hills or Santa Monica would be fine." Irene thought for a moment and added,

"The layout doesn’t need to be too large, but privacy must be good, and there should be plenty of sunlight. Also, I prefer a modern style, so there’s no need to recommend those antique manors to me. As for the budget, not exceeding 10 million dollars will do."

Irene was alone now. If the layout was too large, she’d be too lazy to walk around. When she visited Nicholas’s antique villa before, although the magnificent appearance amazed her, she would never choose to live in it. Such an old house needed renovations everywhere, and who knows if anything supernatural might happen inside.

"Understood! Good privacy, plenty of light, modern style, near the studio, and a budget within 10 million. I’ll filter the listings for you right away."

Martha’s voice was full of energy. "Are you free in the next couple of days? I can take you to see two that best meet your requirements. One is in a quiet alley in Beverly Hills, with a private pool and garden, only a ten-minute drive from your studio. The other is on a hillside in Santa Monica, with a sea view and excellent privacy."

Irene checked her schedule and saw there were no urgent matters for the next few days, so she replied, "Sure, let’s meet downstairs at the studio tomorrow at 2 PM."

"Great! Tomorrow at 2 PM! I’ll be there on time!"

After hanging up, Irene leaned back in her chair, a sense of stability suddenly arising in her heart. She suddenly understood her parents’ obsession with buying a house in her previous life. It really felt great to be on the verge of owning a home that belonged only to her.

At 2 PM the next day, sunlight filtered through the tree-lined avenues of Beverly Hills, spilling onto a white detached villa.

Irene arrived as scheduled with Vivian and Britney. The real estate agent Martha was already waiting outside the carved iron gate, holding a thick file of property listings.

"Irene, Vivian, Ms. Britney, welcome." Martha smiled politely and pushed open the iron gate.

"This listing is the rarest layout in Beverly Hills in the last six months. Leonardo’s team came specifically to see it before, but unfortunately, he chose a sea-view house in Malibu in the end. Otherwise, you would have almost been neighbors with Little Li Zi."

Britney raised an eyebrow, a flash of interest in her eyes behind her sunglasses. Vivian looked around curiously. The streets were lined with tall California laurel trees, their dark green leaves glistening in the sun, and tiny white petals fell onto the clean asphalt road, filling the air with a faint fragrance.

"Leonardo also came to see it? This house really has some prestige," she whispered to Irene, her gaze sweeping over the ball-shaped shrubs by the roadside and the vintage streetlights hidden behind the greenery. Small light strips were wrapped around the lamp posts, likely making them look exceptionally cozy when lit at night.

Irene smiled and didn’t respond. She wasn’t going to go out of her way to verify such professional sales talk with Leonardo.

Following Martha into the garden, the courtyard wasn’t very spacious but was exquisitely laid out. Neatly trimmed rose bushes surrounded a small central swimming pool with light-colored stone slabs along the edge, and lavender in the corner released a faint scent in the breeze.

"The garden was personally tended by the original owner, who is a well-known floral artist and previously did the floral design for the Oscar gala," Martha introduced.

"The neighbors are also low-key industry elites. For example, a producer of The Lord of the Rings lives across the street, and Julia Roberts’s vacation home is diagonally behind.

This street has 24-hour security patrols and hidden surveillance at the entrance. Usually, few media or strangers break in, and even deliveries are sent directly to the security office at the community entrance. Privacy is absolutely guaranteed."

The 24-hour security patrols and street-wide surveillance were very necessary. After all, security in Beverly Hills had always been a major issue. In her previous life, she had seen many news reports of celebrities’ houses in Beverly Hills being burglarized.

Many burglary rings specifically targeted the residences of famous people, striking as soon as they confirmed no one was home. 24-hour security patrols could at least deter some criminals, not to mention she was just a behind-the-scenes worker and far less likely to attract envy than those stars.

"Five hundred meters ahead is the community’s exclusive small supermarket, making daily shopping very convenient. A ten-minute drive takes you to the Beverly Center for shopping and dining, and the route is lined with tree-shaded paths away from the hustle and bustle of the main roads, making morning and evening walks very pleasant."

Opening the door, the open-plan living room came into view, with a light gray leather sofa paired with a log-colored coffee table and two abstract paintings hanging on the wall.

"The living room has a ceiling height of 3.2 meters and a lighting width of 8 meters. All the furniture is custom-made in Italy, and since the original owner is moving to Europe, it’s all included."

Martha walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and pushed open the glass door. "From here, you can directly see the garden and the pool, perfect for hosting small parties in the summer. And look over there," she pointed to the fence at the end of the garden,

"beyond the fence is a patch of native shrubs, not a neighbor’s house, so you don’t have to worry about your privacy being disturbed, and you can even hear the birds singing."