The morning sun shone in the yard, and the automatic sprinkler was spinning and spraying water. The water droplets looked crystal clear in the sun. This Monday was another good day. Thomas Mottola tightened his tie in front of the mirror and carefully looked up and down. After making sure there was no problem, he gave a few orders to the servants and then walked out of the villa with his briefcase.
A car just happened to come in slowly at this time. After stopping in front of him, Sam Tanaka, who was driving, immediately got out of the car and went around to open the door for Mottola.
"Thank you, Sam. I'm sorry to let you pick me up." Mottola straightened his clothes and sat in the car with a smile.
"It's what I should do. It's my honor to work with Mr. Mottola for the acquisition of MCM Records for more than a month." Tanaka bowed humbly.
"Me too, Sam. You've done a great job. Without you, we might have to spend more time and energy." Mottola laughed and then made a gesture to start the car. "Let's go and enjoy the victory."
He was so complacent. He narrowed his eyes and looked out the window at the constantly retreating street view. The smile on his face couldn't stop overflowing. Last Friday, Erik Norton, the artistic director of MCM Records, finally secretly sided with them. In this way, even if AC Media could get enough funds, it would be powerless. After today's contract was signed, they would completely hand over MCM Records. This was perfect.
Mottola's mood was getting better and better. After going around in circles, the record copyright in MJ's hands finally returned to his hands, and at the same time, the entire MCM Records. Norton said that although the two popular female idols admired Adriaan very much, it was not impossible to pull them over. This was really great. This was probably the first time that AC Media had encountered such a major setback. At the thought of seeing Adriaan and Claude's ugly faces in a few minutes, the CEO of Sony Records could not help but want to hum a little tune.
Soon, they arrived outside MCM Records. After parking the car, they met up with several people in charge on their side and gave a few instructions. Mottola then led the group into the building and came to the conference room under the guidance of the receptionist.
Stepping into the spacious conference room, Mottola was stunned for a moment because there were only three people sitting inside, Claude Lohenriques, Adrian Kewell, and … Penelope Cruz?!
Even Mottola could not help but feel a flash of surprise on his face when he saw Penelope. Did they find him?! However, he quickly relaxed. It didn't matter even if they found out. Emails couldn't be used as evidence. At worst, he would just sell Penelope to them, and it would save him some money.
"You're right on time, Thomas." Adriaan was the first to greet them with a smile. Claude, who was sitting at the head of the table, also had a smile on his face. Only Penelope had no expression on his face.
"Punctuality is a virtue, Mr. Adriaan." Although he still felt that something was wrong, Mottola remained polite.
"Then let's get started. You know, wasting other people's time for no reason is equivalent to murder." Adriaan made an inviting gesture, and then Claude pushed two folders over.
"That is a very philosophical statement, Mr. Adriaan." Mottola revealed a puzzled expression once again. Even the people around him, including Tanaka, were the same. This was too strange. There were only three people from the other side, and one of them had nothing to do with this matter. What were they thinking? It doesn't look like he's admitting defeat?
"We've already signed, Mr. Thomas. Now, you're the only one left." Claude made an inviting gesture at this time.
Mottola frowned, and then began to flip through the folder in front of him, not even bothering to sit down. After flipping a few pages, his face became gloomy. He glanced at Adriaan and Claude, who were still smiling, and sped up the speed of flipping. Even so, it still took him a few minutes to finish reading, and then he slammed the folder angrily.
"Are you guys kidding me? Or do you want to use this method to satisfy your pitiful self-esteem that doesn't want to admit defeat? " Mottola said bluntly. "If you still have a little bit of manners, take out the real contract and sign your names, not this inexplicable thing!"
"I think you must have misunderstood something, Mr. Thomas. This is indeed today's contract," Claude said seriously.
"Do you think I'm a child?!" Mottola finally couldn't help but roar. "Or do you think that Sony Records is your own thing? Do you think you can decide my company's affairs at will?!"
"Don't get excited, Mr. Thomas. How about this, let me explain." Claude knocked on the table, still wearing that hateful smile in Mottola's eyes.
"Everyone thought that we were at our wits' end about the whole situation. In fact, they were wrong. The countermeasures have long been in place. It's very easy to solve these problems, but they and you don't know it." Claude's tone was very relaxed. "Do you think that by joining forces with Warner, Disneyland, NBC, Fox, and persuading Viacom to stand aside, you can cause trouble for our acquisition? Well, I admit that it did cause a little trouble, but only a little. "
"Lei Shidong is smarter than you think, Thomas. Murdoch is also more cunning than you think," Adriaan interrupted with a little disdain and cynicism.
"Before we started, Lei Shidong, who smelled the news, contacted us." Claude made a gesture. "Then, he made the right decision."
"A TV series, 'The Interns', is expected to be watched by more than 10 million people in its first season. The same is true for NBC. 'The Office' is also expected to be watched by more than 10 million people in its first season. "Adriaan interrupted again, pointing at himself." I said it all. "
"Here's the thing." Claude glanced at his best friend. "Of course, I won't go into the details."
"It's fine for me to show off, Krau. This is a rare opportunity." Adriaan laughed.
The muscles on Mottola's face twitched, and he stared at them without saying a word.
"Fox is just a bystander from the beginning to the end. In this kind of situation, they will only extend their claws when they are 100% confident. If you want to use them as a weapon, you have to be strong enough. So, it's very easy to make them stop." Claude continued, "Then, Warner may be a little more troublesome. Unfortunately, they are constantly involved with AOL, and they really don't have the energy to deal with other situations. Although they are competing with us in many areas, a little benefit is enough to make them stop."
He spread out his hands and said, "So, only Disneyland is left. Are they really interested in Universal Music? Or is this just Michael Eisner's personal grudge? Besides, they are not at peace internally. Roy Disneyland publicly announced not long ago that if Michael Eisner insisted on buying Universal Music, he would resign from the board of directors. As the only member of the Disneyland family who still serves on the board of directors, once he resigns, it is only a matter of time before Eisner falls. So, last Friday afternoon, we officially acquired Universal Music, but we delayed the announcement until today, just a few hours later. "
"So what?" Mottola squeezed these words out of his mouth. He had a bad feeling about this. "This has nothing to do with what we are going to talk about today!"
"Yes, yes." Claude smiled good-naturedly. "I just want to say that some things seem complicated, but they are very simple to solve. In the end, it is just a matter of interests. We can bring far more benefits to Sony than a record company, even if the record company owns the music rights of Elvis Presley and The Beatles.
"Sony Pictures has lost Spider-Man, but they still have other comic book heroes. Besides, we are preparing to make a big series of X-Men, and we intend to invite them to participate." After a pause of two seconds, he continued, "As for the entire Sony Group, we also have a lot of things to exchange, such as …"
Claude looked at Adriaan, and the latter shrugged. "We will support them in the new generation of high-definition DVD format. You know, we have tens of thousands of movies, and the profits of our four major film and television production companies are also very good. At the same time, we are also a major shareholder of Apple."
He showed a slightly sarcastic smile. "Sony's main business is electronic manufacturing, and the profits of movies and records are at least in the top three — do you really think that I went to discuss the music rights with Sony on a whim? We put you in the plan from the beginning! Of course, your strategy was indeed effective. It was a diversion, and it was surprising, but you should not have been stupid enough to buy my woman, Thomas. "
Adriaan laughed and put his arm around Penelope's shoulder. "At the beginning, Pepe told me the whole thing, and then I asked her to use the time of our public invitation to win your trust. Then, I used some vague information to deepen this impression, and finally misled you. More than a week ago, the news that we were completely in trouble, and even Eric Norton began to waver must have been fresh in your memory, Thomas."
Mottola's face became more and more ugly. He looked at the expressionless Penelope, and his eyes seemed to be about to burst into flames. His hands clenched into fists, and he swallowed the word "bitch" that was already at the tip of his tongue.
"Of course, Eric also helped a lot. If it wasn't for him dealing with you, we would at most get all the shares back and then cross-hold the shares, and not have a seat on the board of Sony Records as it is now." Adriaan continued with a smile, "As for the funds, don't worry. I called my uncle and it was settled. He is a very responsible and decent person, and I moved him with just one sentence: Do you want these treasures, which have an important place in American culture, to be in our hands? Or to be given to a group controlled by Japanese funds? "
At this time, the people who followed him had already finished reading the contract. As Thomas Mottola's cronies, their faces were all pale. Especially Sam Tanaka, who had planned and implemented most of this plan. Once Mottola signed it, he would definitely leave. However, Mottola seemed to be unwilling. He gritted his teeth and looked at Claude and Adriaan. "I won't sign it. I will bring it up to the board …"
But they didn't give him a chance at all. Claude interrupted him directly. "Well, Thomas, it's useless. You know very well that you have lost. The person you are waiting for will never come. And the people behind you have just secretly called Sony Records to ask for confirmation. If you sign it, at least you can step down with dignity. If you don't sign it, not only will you be directly dismissed by the board of directors, but all your benefits will be greatly reduced. We and Sony will not give you a chance. "
"The board of directors is not only hiding the news from you because of our request. You have to understand, Thomas." Adriaan also put away his smile at this moment, and his tone became impolite. "So, please sign this contract and then leave here with a good attitude."
The corner of Mottola's mouth trembled twice. He no longer looked angry. He seemed to have aged several years in an instant. After a few minutes of silence, he finally opened the contract in front of him, took out a pen, and signed his name on it with trembling hands. Then, he dropped the pen, turned around, and staggered out of the meeting room without saying a word. The remaining people looked at each other and finally followed him out dejectedly. Tanaka's face was even more ashen.
"You are too mean, Eide." After they left, Claude laughed. "Leave here with a good attitude? Oh, I think this may be the most popular way of cursing without profanities this year. "
"Why are you so polite to him, Krau. Although we won in the end, this guy still caused us a certain loss. To be honest, I would prefer to throw this contract in his face at the board of directors of Sony Records." Adriaan said lazily.
"You have to consider the face of Sony Records. After all, Thomas Mottola is their CEO, and he has been doing a good job. If we didn't have enough backup and trump cards, he would definitely be treated as a hero." Claude shrugged, then glanced at Penelope, who had begun to sit on pins and needles beside Adriaan, and then stood up. "Well, you still have things to deal with. I won't hold you up."
Watching Claude leave the meeting room, Adriaan stood up and let out a long sigh. Before he could speak, Penelope, who was next to him, had already knelt down with a thump. His face was pale and trembling violently. "I'm sorry, Eide! I'm sorry! I was wrong. I was bewitched by them. I just … I just … "
"You just think that I can't give you more, right, Pepe?" Adriaan didn't even look at her. He went to the small table in the meeting room and poured himself a cup of coffee.
"Listen to me, Eide! Listen to me! " Penelope's knees rubbed against the ground, making a dull sound. When she passed a chair, she accidentally tore a big hole in the stockings on her legs, but she didn't care at all. She just looked at Adriaan with pleading eyes. "Please forgive me, Eide! I beg you! I don't know why I agreed at that time. I shouldn't have been involved in this … I really don't know why … "
The pair of once charming eyes were filled with fear and panic. Tears began to flow, and her face was full of remorse. She knelt on the ground with her arms crossed and her head raised, shivering.
"I understand you, Pepe. Everyone has ambitions and desires. Everyone wants to achieve their ambitions and desires. This is normal." Adriaan took a sip of coffee and finally turned around. He looked at Penelope condescendingly. "However, there are many ways to achieve ambitions and desires. Some have little risk and little reward, while some have high risk and high reward. But why did you choose the stupidest method with high risk and uncertain reward?"
"I know, I'm too stupid. Eide, please, I'm an idiot. Please, forgive me." Penelope said tearfully.
"You don't have to be like this, Pepe." Adriaan sighed and put down the cup in his hand. "No matter what, we've been getting along very well these past few months."
"If … if … you want to …" Penelope quickly squeezed out a smile.
"I've always been clear about kindness and hatred, so …" Adriaan ignored her. He took out a checkbook from his pocket, wrote a few strokes, tore it off, and waved it in the air. "This three million is my compensation to you."
With that, he smiled and walked to Penelope, who was kneeling on the ground. He leaned over and put the check into her neckline. He also pinched her firm and smooth breasts.
Penelope, who thought she had received a hint, was overjoyed. She immediately reached out to hug Adriaan's thigh to show her goodwill. Unexpectedly, he turned around and walked away. She hugged nothing.
"And …" Adriaan, who was leaning against the long table, put away his smile, and his condescending gaze became cold. "Go back to Spain. Don't ever let me see you in Hollywood again!"
Penelope Cruz, who was known as Spain's national treasure, suddenly returned to Spain after a few years of intermittent development in Hollywood. For a while, there were many opinions. Some people thought that she was not used to the style of Hollywood, so she chose to come back. Others guessed that she seemed to be involved in some big incident and had to come back. The Spanish director, Pedro Almodóvar, who had discovered her, held the former opinion.
Penelope did not say anything. She just low-key announced that she would not go to Hollywood again. Then, she took on a small production in Spain and worked with Almodóvar again. But what was strange was that this time, for some reason, she had a big fight with Almodóvar on the set. In the end, she announced that she would quit the crew. Almodóvar publicly announced that she had become an unreasonable shrew and swore that he would never work with her again.
But then, Penelope announced that she would quit the entertainment industry. The excited people immediately began to speculate again. A large number of reporters also wanted to interview her, wanting to know what had happened. But she seemed to have expected it. A few days after making the statement, she disappeared without a trace with her family. No one had seen Penelope since then.
Later, as certain things in Hollywood spread, all kinds of gossip and rumors began to spread again. Some people said that they saw an escort girl in Barcelona who looked like her, others said that she became a prostitute in Amsterdam, and others said that she opened an erotic website and became an adult film actress. However, these gossip and rumors did not take long to calm down. After the speed of change in the entertainment industry, it did not take long for the former Latin Wild Rose to be completely forgotten.
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