America 1982-Chapter 391 - 45: Stand Up for Justice
Tommy leisurely rested his head on the legs of his lawyer, a guest professor from Stanford Law School, a partner at the law firm Davis Polk, and his old flame, Delia Case.
"So, right after Ottelia left, you couldn’t wait to have me come over for some motherly care. Is it because of your fitness routine that your strength has improved?" Dressed in a ladies’ suit, Delia gently played with Tommy’s hair with her hand, smiling as she asked, "Speaking of which, I’ve always wondered if it’s because your mother left, you prefer to be around women slightly older than you? Ottelia, Sophia, Susan... It seems all the girls around you are older than you."
"Maybe, after all, you long for what you’re missing inside," Tommy’s palm lifted, gently caressing Delia’s cheek, "So, what are you missing inside, what do you long for?"
Delia pushed away the hand that was tickling her cheek, "If you had put even half the resources you’ve been supporting Hillary with over the past two years into it, I would have already become a senior partner at Davis Polk."
"That woman has tried at least four times to persuade Ottelia to convince me to replace you as the legal head of EFF, all of which I rejected without any hesitation. And now you actually doubt that I support her more than you? Remember, I said we’re family, and she’s not."
Hearing Tommy’s words, Delia laughed. She remembered the day she took the initiative to return the fee this guy had paid her and was subsequently sold to Stanford, forced to become part of the Stanford family. Now, thinking back on it, the Clintons naturally enjoyed Tommy’s contributions for so long that if one day he decided to settle accounts...
Tommy was never generous; this guy always remembered his life mentor Benjamin Benson’s words that every piece of gold has a price tag on it, only hidden until the gold’s owner needs to reveal it.
Nobody could guess what this guy was thinking, no one knew when he would show the price tag of the gold, not even Delia, who thought she knew Tommy very well and whom Tommy jokingly called family.
Perhaps the only ones who could know his thoughts were Jim Manzi and Benjamin Benson, Delia knew these two men truly had Tommy’s trust and reliance.
"But why make me prepare to hand over my work at EFF?" Delia followed up with another question.
"Benjamin and Jason have had nothing but praise for your work at EFF over the years," Tommy said, enjoying Delia’s scalp massage for a while longer before sitting up from the sofa to pick a cherry from the fruit plate on the coffee table and pop it into his mouth. "They say they tried to create opportunities for you, but because those big companies all have their own family members, they’ve so far been unable to help you find a sufficient opportunity to ascend to a senior partner position at your firm."
"So I thought, it’s not right to have you always laboring for Jason and Benjamin without reasonable rewards for their laziness or apathy, and besides, you’re ultimately going to come back to your family, back to my side."
Delia crossed her legs clad in silk stockings and adjusted her sitting posture, exercising her somewhat sore leg muscles, "The Lotus case made me an expert in computer industry-related law. If I leave EFF, leave my field of expertise, Tommy, I might not be that important to you. Of course, I’m not refusing you. I just want to clarify beforehand."
That Delia could navigate the California computer industry so effortlessly and even move her private office from Washington to Silicon Valley primarily stemmed from her deep involvement in the Actor vs. Lotus case and subsequent related legislation. If Tommy had called her over without any plan, perhaps he might have been better served by finding a lawyer with deeper expertise in television-related legal matters.
"I know that once you leave a comfortable environment, people tend to get anxious subconsciously," Tommy swallowed the cherry and picked up a grape:
"Actually, Benjamin helped VOX bring in some newcomers from New York, and now that the preliminary preparations are over, VOX’s subsequent operations and management, the petty work, are not Wolfe’s strong suit, lacking the vision and skills of a large company executive, so he can’t handle it. Therefore, VOX will undergo a personnel adjustment. Jim and Benjamin originally hoped you would join the VOX board as a director, but after much thought, I rejected their suggestion and wanted to hear their plans for your future career. Would you like to hear it?"
"Benjamin and Jim have their own legal consultants, and we rarely discuss things unrelated to work," Delia said.
Tommy leisurely peeled the grape skin, "They hope you’ll join VOX and, as VOX grows, naturally rise to a senior partner position. Then, leveraging VOX’s high visibility to attract politicians for collaboration, gradually looking for opportunities—ideally to help you seek a position related to computer and internet industry legislation in a future administration. Once you assume office, you’d be in the perfect position to shield and protect the companies we’ve positioned in the computer industry in the digital age, and by then, you’d be the newest member of the American revolving-door club in the network industry."
Delia instinctively opened her mouth slightly; just listening to Tommy’s casual mention, she found Jim and Benjamin’s proposal too alluring, leaving her with no grounds for refusal.
Isn’t the ultimate goal of every lawyer in America, aspiring to become a senior partner at a prominent firm, to gain access to that revolving door?
Inside the door, one stands above all; outside, wealth rivals nations.
Tommy seized the moment to place the peeled grape into Delia’s slightly open mouth, his fingers gently spreading the juice on her luscious lips:
"Benjamin and Jim’s suggestion is undeniably sound, the natural course of action, but I disagree; it’s too blatant, not suited for a woman of your strong sense of justice. I want you to continue back at the firm, to immerse yourself in your essential work."
"Are you preparing to assign someone else? Earl Rash? That black lawyer?" Hearing Tommy reject Jim and Benjamin’s proposal and having just licked off the liquid from her lips, Delia’s pupils slightly contracted, her voice tinged with dissatisfaction.
The two had laid out a career path that she considered perfect, and yet this guy had the nerve to reject it? Not only pulling her from EFF but also expecting her to return to the firm and dive back into intense litigation work?
"Of course not, Earl isn’t family, he’s black, his role is to wait for the most glorious moment of his life, only to be promptly extinguished." Tommy’s fingers trailed slowly from Delia’s lips, gliding over her smooth chin:
"You’re different. I want everyone to see your sense of justice."
Delia sighed, "Just spit it out, Tommy. Did you find some weakness in the opponent again, and you want me to seize the opportunity to tear it apart? I help you take down the other side, and then you’ll agree with Benjamin and Jim’s proposal."
"Susan needs righteous lawyers like you. Several actresses signed under her, who’ve previously worked for the Fox Film Corporation, were harassed by Fox’s executives. You know, Susan came up from the bottom, she empathizes with those girls, which is why she decided to cover all their legal expenses to fight Fox to the end. She once told me very seriously that between her agency and Fox Film, only one can survive in Hollywood," Tommy said with a righteous demeanor to Delia:
"And I, as an American man, cannot sit idly by after hearing about this. I must undoubtedly stand with justice! After all, I can’t just watch an old Australian’s film company brazenly treat our American sweethearts like cheap prostitutes! I pay seven hundred thousand to sleep with a movie star, and they—never mind, I digress. Back to the main point."
Speaking of Fox, Tommy was furious, even unable to resist revealing more grievous issues. Why could Fox Film Corporation’s executives sleep with female stars for free while he had to spend a whopping seven hundred thousand like a sucker?
Gathering his emotions, Tommy continued, "Coming back to Fox’s issue, it’s not just the film company; FOX TV has lots of fake news. I’ll have Earl provide you with a large amount of victim data later on; he’s been silently collecting it. In short, Murdoch is veritably a malignant tumor entrenched in America, and we cannot stand by and watch as he tarnishes the grand image of America. We must drive him out of America; it’s what every just-hearted and patriotic American ought to do."
When Delia heard Tommy’s mouthful of justice for America, she knew this guy was up to something dirty again. She made a facepalm gesture:
"Waving the banner of justice again? Can’t you switch up your tactics?"
"The United States Government told me, if a tactic works, there’s no need to change. It always does this, and as one of its citizens, why should I change my approach?" Tommy said, patting Delia on the shoulder with a stern expression:
"Moreover, I can swear to God before everyone that I really am doing this for America, for justice, and certainly not because I have my eye on Fox’s assets."
"You said the same thing when you took on Lotus." Delia looked at Tommy speechlessly, and eventually, she lowered her head and spoke with a hint of resignation.
Tommy took out a coin, "With the serious business out of the way, guess whether it’s your turn or mine next. I’m hoping it’s you since I just parted with Ottelia two hours ago; I hope you can show me some understanding and tolerance."
"Seeing as I’m about to fight for justice again, if you dare make me take the initiative, I will break your cue stick," Delia said, not amused.
Tommy grudgingly pocketed the coin, "Alright, this time no flipping coins, you win. I’m willing to step up for justice."
"You scoundrel, Tommy," Delia cursed with a smile, "So, when does your act of justice begin? By the way, I should ask something that’s not my concern—I think, mere mudslinging won’t be enough to bring down FOX."
"I’m well aware that justice alone isn’t enough to defeat evil, so we also need to unite all justice-minded Americans. Therefore, when to start depends on Wolfe’s preparation speed. But don’t worry, Wolfe is skilled at this; he has vast experience in early television network preparations. After I’ve finished with you, I’ll call him to coordinate the handover of work with the personnel Benjamin Benson arranged and dive into the new preparations," Tommy said as he unhurriedly unbuttoned Delia’s suit jacket:
"Even if Wolfe weren’t around, I would swear to God in all sincerity that, this round of preliminary work will absolutely be the last for my poor black friend blessed with all the good traits of his ancestors."
