Over on lane 11, Erika Ying was celebrating the deal of a lifetime. During her final year of a Business and IT degree in 2019, she had created an app called Click Clock - a beautiful yet simple platform revolving around clicking a different selfie for each hour around the clock. The app had taken off, launching the careers of a thousand tween influencers, and had recently been bought out by tech conglomerate Googlassian for an eight-figure sum.

In the opposite lane, Tyler Tagler had two reasons to celebrate. It was his twentieth birthday, which meant that in just one year he would come into his inheritance; a stake in the family business. Tyler's mother Clementine, a shrewd investor and businesswoman, had worked hard throughout her life and over the years she had amassed a sizeable portfolio of properties and entertainment venues across Sydney, including PinStrike itself, which she had promised to give to Tyler when he turned twenty-one. "Yeah, you heard right", Tyler said, to everybody and nobody in particular. "All of you lot will be working for me soon, so pour me another one!"

Overhearing Tyler, Erika immediately saw an opportunity to network with another successful young entrepreneur. She approached Tyler and introduced herself. Tyler, who had never been much of an influencer himself, jumped at the opportunity to post a midnight Click Clock with the app's own founder. However, over the next hour or so, their conversation was all business, as they discussed growth hacking, cryptocurrencies, viral marketing strategies, and disruptive technologies. Each was just a little bit jealous of the other. Tyler, it seemed, had a real business, with real people coming through the door to buy a tangible service - something which Erika would never have no matter how viral the app. Erika, on the other hand, was everything Tyler was not - self-made, not tied down to the family empire, and with some hard cash to burn.

Though, later on, neither Erika nor Tyler would recall just who exactly made the offer first. The proposed terms, however, were undisputed: that Erika would purchase PinStrike in six instalments of $100,000 to be paid each month, which would give Tyler the capital to start his own side pursuits away from the family business. Erika's Click Clock channel proudly documented the moment it all happened:

"SO PUMPED to be taking over #pinstrike from @tylertagler + fam Just waiting on our lawyers to make it #legit LMAO"

Erika transfers to Tyler the first instalment of her purchase of PinStrike the next day after being assured by Tyler that Clementine will be supportive of their arrangement. Although both Erika and Tyler make appointments to see their respective solicitors to formalise the deal, life seems to get in the way. Erika pays a second instalment in February. Both times, Erika receives an email from 'Tyler and Clementine Tagler' acknowledging receipt of the payment soon afterwards. Everything changes, however, in March 2020. The global outbreak of COVID-19 forces PinStrike to close and lay off all its workers. Erika approaches Tyler and Clementine to try to get out of their deal but her pleas fall on deaf ears. "A deal is a deal - the proof is all over the Internet!", Tyler says, pointing to Erika's Click Clock post.