Years hence, as the valuation of Coinbase swelled to proportions both staggering and absurd, a certain Bradford Stephens, co-founder of Blockchain Capital, emerged from the shadows. In a missive both terse and tantalizing, he proposed to acquire half of Epstein’s stake, valuing it at a sum that would make Croesus himself raise an eyebrow. Fifteen million dollars, forsooth, compared to the paltry $3 million originally laid out. The correspondence, alas, dwells on the arcane mechanics of valuation, bereft of the color and drama one might hope for.