Chapter 283: Ultimatum
Chapter 283: Ultimatum
“Robert, speaking of it, it’s been almost half a year since we first met, hasn’t it?”
Robert Shaye put down his coffee cup, looked at Eric, and nodded. “Almost.”
“Do you still remember what we talked about the first time we met?”
Robert raised his head. “We said quite a lot back then. Which part are you referring to?”
Eric did not mind Robert Shaye pretending not to understand and reminded him, “I told you that we didn’t have much time left.”
Robert Shaye looked out at the sea view beyond the window and fell silent, then lowered his head and picked up his coffee cup again.
Eric continued, “I said at the time that the wave of mergers between media groups and film companies had already begun. If we didn’t seize the last few years of opportunity, then once this merger wave passed, we would completely lose the chance to develop and grow. We would only become vassals of the major media groups in the future.”
Robert Shaye remained silent.
Eric sighed softly. There were some things he could not tell Robert Shaye. In his memory, twenty years later, more than ninety percent of North America’s media channels would be controlled by six major media giants. If this incident happened twenty years later, Eric would basically have no room to resist and could only compromise.
But things were different now. The American media was not yet highly monopolized. It was still in the hands of more than fifty media companies of varying sizes. Therefore, even if all the media resources held by the major film companies were gathered together, the public opinion channels they controlled could not exceed one-third. Although this storm seemed fierce, aside from the media outlets guiding the direction of public opinion, most of the others were merely following the tide and adapting to the wind.
Therefore, Eric was not completely powerless to fight back. It was just that he had been waiting, waiting for his enemies to reveal their true intentions and expose their final weapon. Only then could he counterattack. These four lawsuits, although they would once again damage his reputation, were just like the scandal at the beginning. They would not cause him fundamental harm. After all, although he was now a public figure, he was not a public figure who relied purely on fame to earn a living. Even if this storm prevented him from picking up the director’s megaphone for a short time, he could still guide film production through other means.
Therefore, everything he was doing now was to preserve Firefly.
Firefly was like a city that belonged to him personally. As long as this foundation remained, he could develop his strength and capture territory. But once he lost Firefly, then even if he had all his abilities, he would have no way to use them. At most, he could only manage affairs for someone else’s city and never become the master.
The two were silent for a while before Robert Shaye spoke first. “Eric, I heard that to settle this matter, you may need quite a lot of money?”
“It’s alright,” Eric nodded, roughly guessing Robert Shaye’s intention.
Robert Shaye did not keep Eric waiting long and said, “The sixty million dollars you paid me last time, plus New Line’s year-end dividends. Although I spent part of it on investments, I can still take out around sixty million dollars right now.”
This time, it was Eric’s turn to fall silent.
Sixty million. Not too much, and not too little.
“Eric, fifteen percent is too little. It doesn’t give me much sense of security. I think it should be at least twenty-five percent.”
Eric lowered his head and silently looked at the three lines in his palm.
Which one was the career line again?
It must be the longest one.
After thinking for a while, Eric finally raised his head and said to Robert Shaye, “I agree.”
The two discussed the specific details for a while, and Robert Shaye left satisfied.
After Robert Shaye left, Eric sighed in disappointment. He had originally wanted to merge Pixar Studios and Flower Films, which held the adaptation rights to many blockbuster films from his previous life, into Firefly. But now, it seemed better not to do that.
Because John Barrymore was injured, the hearing for that case could only be postponed until a week later. As for the other three lawsuits, Eric did not need to appear in court personally at all and left everything to his legal team.
However, although he tried his best to avoid appearing in public at this time, there was one event he had no choice but to attend.
On January 20, the 47th Golden Globe Awards for American television and film were held at the Hollywood Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.
Firefly received a total of eleven nominations through Pretty Woman, Sleuth, Steel Magnolias, The Others, and the television series Friends. The ones involving Eric personally were two Best Screenplay nominations for Sleuth and The Others. The Golden Globes did not have a Best Director award; otherwise, Eric would have received at least one more nomination.
If not for this storm, Eric, who had received two nominations at the same ceremony before he was even twenty years old, would undoubtedly have become the most dazzling person on the red carpet. Although Eric considered skipping this Golden Globes ceremony, doing so would be equivalent to showing weakness to the enemies behind the scenes. In the end, Eric still braced himself and stepped onto the red carpet.
This time, Eric did not bring any female companion. He came alone.
When he passed through the media interview area, Eric stopped and cooperatively showed a confident smile, letting the flashbulbs go wild.
“Eric, Eric, can you say a few words?” a reporter shouted at that moment.
Eric smiled noncommittally, neither agreeing nor refusing. If the other party asked a question that was difficult to answer, Eric had already decided he would simply leave.
“Eric, you haven’t appeared for some time. So what have you been doing in your Malibu estate? Are you preparing a new script?”
Eric froze slightly. He had not expected the other party to ask such a question. Under the current circumstances, how could he still be in the mood to think about scripts? However, since the question was not too sharp, Eric answered, “I just registered a music company. I may release a single after some time.”
“Eric, can you reveal the theme of the single in advance?”
“Mr. Williams, what is the music company called?”
“Eric, are you planning to give up directing films and switch careers to music?”
Eric originally had no intention of answering any more questions and was about to leave, but after hearing the last question, he still rolled his eyes and said, “It’s just for fun. My main focus will always remain on film.”
After saying this, Eric ignored the reporters and walked straight toward the end of the red carpet.
Compared with last year, Eric had achieved even more this year, but there were clearly far fewer people who came over to greet him. Most of them were men he knew well. As for the female stars present, aside from Julia, Virginia, and Nicole, who only nodded at him according to Eric’s prior instructions, none of the other actresses dared come forward and speak with Eric because of his current reputation.
Eric did not mind. Seeking benefit and avoiding harm was everyone’s instinct.
During the waiting period, stars continued appearing on the red carpet one after another.
About ten minutes later, amid a burst of cheers from fans, Eric saw Aniston walking over in a white strapless evening gown. After posing for a while in the media area, she arrived at the lounge area.
Their eyes inevitably met. The reporters paying attention to the situation also raised their cameras, looking forward to seeing this broken-up couple do something newsworthy.
“Jennie…” Eric did not move his feet and called softly.
Since that day, Eric had tried to contact Aniston more than once. But this time, the girl seemed determined. She never answered any of his calls. The letters he sent received no response. Even the flowers he sent were returned.
Aniston’s gaze stayed on Eric’s face for less than two seconds before quickly turning away. As though nothing had happened, she walked in the opposite direction from Eric.
Eric sighed and did not dare approach her in such an occasion. It was not that he cared too much about his own reputation, but that he was thinking of Aniston.
During this time, because Aniston had “cut ties” with him on the very day the incident broke out, among the women close to him, only Aniston had basically not suffered any attacks. If he approached her now and news spread that the two seemed to have reconciled, it would definitely cause trouble for the girl.
“Eric, are you alright?” Seeing Eric’s low mood, Jonathan Demme, who stood beside him, spoke to comfort him.
Eric shook his head. “I’m fine.”
Tom Hanks, on the other side, also said, “Eric, I believe everything will pass.”
“Of course.” Eric smiled confidently.
…
Inside the ceremony hall, Eric sat at The Others table. Because this table was arranged relatively far back, Eric felt more at ease and would not draw too much attention.
Of course, the world never revolved around any one person. Therefore, the storm Eric was currently facing did not affect the lively atmosphere of this Golden Globes ceremony at all. Perhaps because he had received some prior instruction, this year’s host did not tease Eric. Throughout the entire awards ceremony, Eric’s name was barely mentioned, and the camera rarely swept over the table where Eric was sitting.
Eric gradually realized that someone intended to handle him coldly. In that case, although Firefly-related films and television series had received eleven nominations tonight, they definitely would not win any important awards.
Things turned out exactly as Eric expected. Because Scent of a Woman missed the Golden Globe nomination window due to its release date, important awards such as Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for Pretty Woman and Best Motion Picture – Drama for Steel Magnolias all went to other films without exception. The two Best Screenplay nominations involving Eric also both fell through. Even the two nominations that had originally seemed the most likely, the ones Julia had won in his previous life, came up empty. As for Virginia’s nomination for Best Actress – Drama for The Others, it unsurprisingly went to Michelle Pfeiffer, the lead actress of The Fabulous Baker Boys, a film Eric had no memory of.
By the end, Eric had already lost all hope and thought all eleven nominations would come to nothing. However, when it came to the television category for Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy, Aniston unexpectedly won Best Actress.
Looking at the girl on the stage, who spoke an acceptance speech that carried a faint surprise but did not mention him at all, a cold smile appeared at the corner of Eric’s mouth. What was this supposed to be? A warning to the women close to him that as long as they broke with Eric Williams, they could receive awards?
After the two-hour awards ceremony ended, Eric did not plan to attend the party afterward. Just as he was about to leave, an unfamiliar waiter handed him an envelope.
Only after Eric got into the car returning to the Malibu estate did he open the envelope.
There was only a single sheet of paper inside. On it was a string of numbers: 19900201.
It was easy to recognize. It meant February 1, 1990.
Without needing to think much, Eric knew this was the ultimatum given to him by the people manipulating this storm from behind the scenes.
They really couldn’t keep their composure, Eric thought. In his previous life, Michael Jackson had endured all kinds of media attacks like a dragnet for three full months. For him, it had only been one month, and his spirit had not even collapsed yet, but they were already going to use their “killing move”?
Thinking of Michael Jackson, Eric could not help discovering that his current situation had many similarities with Michael Jackson’s in his previous life.
The reason Michael Jackson suffered such large-scale attacks in 1993 was not only because of his Black identity, but also because he had leapt from being a signed singer to becoming one of the owners of Sony Music. Not only did he hold fifty percent of Sony Music’s shares, but he also possessed the highly coveted song copyrights of famous superstars such as the Beatles and Elvis Presley.
In the 1990s, the record industry was still prosperous. The value of those song copyrights alone exceeded one billion dollars, let alone the fifty percent stake in Sony Music.
All of this was unbearable to the record industry giants and the white-dominated Western world.
Thus, after an overwhelming storm, Michael Jackson fell silent.
More than ten years later, in 2009, Michael Jackson turned fifty and planned to hold fifty world tour concerts as a commemoration. Many people originally thought that this fifty-year-old pop singer would definitely no longer be as glorious as before. But things did not turn out as many imagined. More than 750,000 concert tickets were swept up by fans from all over the world within only a few hours after reservations opened. The facts proved that the King of Pop was still the King of Pop.
Then, only a few days before the highly anticipated fifty concerts began, a generation’s King of Pop inexplicably died.
Thinking of this, Eric could not help shivering. He was glad he had not been reborn as a Black man. Therefore, although he was now being jointly pushed aside by several giants, he had not suffered the kind of discrimination that came from the public’s hearts.
After the Golden Globes, Eric and Robert Shaye quickly signed the contract to transfer another ten percent of Firefly’s shares. At the same time, he directly transferred the sixty million dollars in cash Robert Shaye paid into the account of the investment company in New York.
Although Jeffrey and Chris both objected to this, hoping Eric would keep some cash on hand in case of emergency, Eric’s attitude was firm. He demanded that Chris use this sixty million dollars plus the ten million dollars already deposited earlier, a total of seventy million dollars in cash, to seize as many Cisco shares as possible.
Before this storm, Eric had never valued money too heavily. He felt that as long as he developed steadily, he would eventually reach the peak step by step.
But after the storm happened, Eric realized that in this capital-driven world, money was the most important thing. It was like a protective talisman. If Eric had already been a billionaire with several billion dollars in assets, then no matter how young he was, these people would not dare attack him so recklessly now.
Time passed day by day. While enduring the bombardment from newspapers and media every day, Eric also heard good news from time to time. Because most investment institutions were not very optimistic about Cisco’s prospects, and because Cisco’s current market value was only 225 million dollars, under Chris’s price offensive, several investment institutions that had originally decided to purchase Cisco stock transferred their subscription quotas.
The stock share in hand increased transaction by transaction from the initial seven percent. By the end of January, the entire seventy million dollars had been spent, obtaining a total of twenty-three percent of Cisco’s shares. Although judging by Cisco’s market value of 225 million dollars, spending seventy million for twenty-three percent was simply a terrible loss, if calculated according to Cisco’s peak market value of 500 billion dollars, this stake would be worth an astronomical amount.
Of course, Eric also knew that as Cisco developed and expanded, this stake would definitely be gradually diluted. But as long as he could retain around ten percent in the end, it would still be an enormous fortune.
At the same time Chris spent all seventy million dollars, February 1 finally arrived. While the four lawsuits were still tangled and unresolved, the Los Angeles branch of the Federal Trade Commission, the American antitrust investigation agency, held a press conference, declaring that it would investigate suspected monopolistic conduct involving Firefly and United Talent Agency.
As soon as the news came out, public opinion was once again in an uproar. All kinds of analyses quickly appeared in the newspapers.
Inside the Malibu estate, Edward Lewis hurried into the living room and sat down across from Eric. At this moment, several people were already in the living room: Jeffrey, Robert Shaye, and UTA CEO Kapoor Sid were all present.
“Edward, tell us the situation first,” Eric said after personally pouring Edward Lewis a cup of coffee.
Edward drank the coffee in one gulp, then took out a thick stack of documents and placed them on the coffee table. Taking one of them out, he said, “Eric, roughly speaking, the Federal Trade Commission has already begun investigating and collecting evidence against Firefly and UTA. Once the charge is established, aside from having to sell all of your UTA shares, you may also face a huge fine.”
“How much would this fine be?” Eric asked the question he cared about most. When Columbia and Fox joined hands and simultaneously delayed paying Firefly’s huge revenue shares, Eric had realized the final killing move would definitely involve money.
Edward Lewis found another document and said, “According to antitrust law, under ordinary circumstances, penalties are based on twenty percent of the revenue generated by the violating company due to monopolistic behavior. But this amount is not fixed and has considerable flexibility. If handled well, you may not even need to pay a single cent in fines. You would only need to transfer away your UTA shares. But if…”
“Edward, sorry to interrupt. You know that none of us understand the relevant law very well, so just tell me directly how much I might have to pay because of this.”
“Uh, alright,” Edward Lewis said. “Based on the violations involving Firefly and UTA, you may have to pay a maximum fine of 160 million dollars.”
Eric was startled. “How could it be that much? UTA’s profit this year was only a few million.”
Edward explained, “Eric, that isn’t how this matter is calculated. You should calculate UTA and Firefly together. Because UTA and Firefly were both previously your personal businesses. And from some materials I obtained from Ms. Carolyn Elliott, your total booked income this year reached more than 400 million dollars. Add in the revenue that the five films still in release may bring. Because the violations between UTA and Firefly are not serious, there is no possibility that the twenty percent base amount will be increased. Therefore, after adding everything together, the maximum fine you may have to pay is 160 million.”
Eric froze for a moment and asked, “What is the deadline for collecting the fine?”
Edward knew what Eric was asking and said, “Under the current situation, this lawsuit will not exceed three months. After that, you’ll have three more months to pay the fine. Also, Eric, I just emphasized this to you: 160 million dollars is only the worst-case possibility. In fact, under ordinary circumstances, this fine would be far lower than that number, or even not need to be paid at all.”
“Half a year,” Eric murmured softly to himself.
He did not ask Edward what would happen if the fine was not paid by the deadline. It was obvious: nothing more than asset freezing followed by auction. And what were his assets? Only Firefly.
Moreover, although the profits from the films released at the end of the year might far exceed 160 million dollars, Eric was certain that after these films left theaters, he would not be able to get the money except through lawsuits. And by the time he won those lawsuits, half a year would probably have long passed.
Since the matter could not be reversed, Eric no longer worried over gains and losses. He said to the people around him, “Since things have reached this point, it’s time for us to counterattack.”
Jeffrey had long been full of pent-up anger. Because Eric lacked trust in others, so far, only Jeffrey among those present knew about the videotape Eric had left behind earlier.
“Eric, tell us what you need us to do.”