King of Hollywood-Chapter 606 - 14: Quagmire

"Thank you, Mr. Ferguson, for your excellent explanation, and for taking time out of your busy schedule to show me around. I really appreciate it," Penelope said as she walked alongside the middle-aged man.

"It’s no problem, Miss Penelope, it was Adrian’s order and it doesn’t interfere with my work," the CEO of MCM Records, Ryan Ferguson, said with a small smile, then he took a casual glance at her prominent chest.

Underneath Penelope’s silk jacket was a low-cut spaghetti-strap dress, her full breasts creating a deep cleavage that no man could resist sneaking a peek at. However, Ferguson quickly diverted his gaze and continued to guide Penelope through the company with a serious demeanor, despite the woman’s seductive allure, for she belonged to his boss.

"Perhaps you’d like to take a look at the recording studio; we have some of the best recording equipment in the United States here," Ryan suggested.

"Now? Is that okay?" Penelope asked, surprised, "Isn’t Ed supposed to be there supervising the recording right now?"

"No, not today, we don’t have any songs that need recording at the moment," Ryan replied with a smile and a wave of his hand, but his brief frown and melancholy didn’t escape Penelope’s notice – in fact, she hadn’t missed even his quick glance at her chest earlier.

After touring the recording studio and personally singing a few Spanish songs, Penelope concluded her visit.

"I must say, thank you very much, Ryan; you are a very attentive man," she complimented him.

"Thank you, I am always attentive at work. Outside of work, not so much; I always tend to lose a lot of money when I’m in Las Vegas," Ryan sighed, the shade of depression crossing his face once again.

He glanced at the time, then with an apologetic tone said, "I’m sorry, Penelope, I have to head to the office now, there’s a meeting I have to attend later." novelbuddy-cσ๓

"It’s okay, I’ll go back to the resting room, Ed should be about done with his work," Penelope responded with understanding.

Back in the resting room, Adrian hadn’t arrived yet, so the Spanish lady casually picked up a magazine to read. However, her face, though directed at the open magazine, had her eyes wandering restlessly, pondering something or other. Finally, she stood up, walked over to the water cooler to pour herself a drink and downed it in one go, then let out a sigh, closing her eyes and frowning with a face full of unease.

Just then, there was a noise at the door, followed by Adrian’s voice: "Sorry, Pene, I was a bit held up."

"It’s okay." Penelope immediately turned around, the traces of abnormality that had lingered on her face vanishing in an instant, leaving only the same charm and sensuality as always. Her acting was indeed very good.

"It was just for a short while," she said with a smile, "Mr. Ferguson showed me around, and I got to see most of the place and even record a few songs. Shame, I didn’t sing well at all."

"Ferguson is indeed great; he could become a tour guide after he retires," Adrian said teasingly, then motioned to her, "Come on, I’ve wrapped up things here. Let’s go for a walk on the street, then have dinner together."

There wasn’t much of importance going on at the record company; Avril’s training was as exceptional as always, and just like in his memories, she was adept with various types of guitars. Although Adrian had suggested she practice with other instruments, and she indeed had practiced some, she still didn’t play them as well as the guitar.

"This is the best instrument! This will be my lifelong companion!" Avril exclaimed as she waved her guitar, her somewhat careless and masculine personality was quite popular at the record company, and thus she had garnered a lot of support.

Regarding this, Adrian could only shrug, after all, he had prepared two songs for her. If things didn’t work out, just releasing one song first would be okay. Of course, now was not the time to tell her.

As for the company’s restructuring, it was also proceeding in an orderly fashion. When the acquisition of Universal Music was announced, Ferguson, Norton, and others began working on this aspect, and his visit was just to check in. The most major issue was still Britney and Christina’s rivalry, which had almost gone public, both internally and in front of the public.

The most classic example was when Britney had just signed a record-breaking endorsement deal with Pepsi for 8 million US Dollars at the beginning of the year, and Christina immediately accepted Coca-Cola’s invitation afterward. Although her endorsement fee was not as much as Britney’s, it was telling enough. Moreover, the two often exchanged barbs in front of the media, giving entertainment reporters plenty of scoops to the point where an interview with one inevitably led to questions about the other.

Indeed, Britney and Christina had not gotten along since their MMC days. From their training to their record releases, their journey had been full of competition. Now that they had become famous, how could they resist the urge to suppress each other? The difference "now" from "then" was that both were with the same record company, so no matter how much they ridiculed each other, there was a limit. Even when expressing dissatisfaction in front of reporters, they always maintained the line of "we are in healthy competition."

Of course, all of this was Adrian’s doing. The relationship between Britney and Christina was orchestrated by him, and their ability to control their tongues was largely his doing; hence, they only calmed down in his presence. However, once it was only the three of them, the ladies competed even more fiercely in certain respects.

"Ed, how about going to a nightclub? There’s a new one in the West Forest District; the atmosphere is great, and nobody recognizes us," Christina said, kneeling on the sofa and entwining Adrian’s arm.

"Master... Ed, let’s go to the movies instead. I want... I want to watch your directed ’Malena.’ The critics have been really positive," Britney said as she straddled his thighs, almost throwing herself on top of him, though her speech was somewhat stammering. She had completely adapted to calling him "Master," but under circumstances with others around, she couldn’t use that title, hence her speech was inevitably a bit choppy.

The two exchanged glances from time to time, sparking invisible currents in the air. However, Britney always subconsciously exhibited a sense of superiority, after all, she was the only one who called Adrian "Master." This was what Christina despised most, but she did not know how to outdo her and so resorted to pleasing Adrian even more.

Adrian was essentially impartial towards them, of course, and never readily took sides. Watching them vie for his favor was just amusement for him, and as for calming words, they were reserved for private moments.

If there were any regrets, it was about Britney’s 8 million dollar Pepsi endorsement fee. Due to his intervention, the first album’s 18 million and the second album’s 22 million sales had Pepsi offering an extra million in endorsement fees—this number had once surpassed what MJ earned for endorsing Pepsi, so Adrian remembered it very clearly.

But, it was a pity because if Pepsi had waited another year to make the offer, they would have had to pay 10 million, as Adrian had a big plan for Britney this year, a reward for his little pet.

Besides that, there was a little unexpected gain—Jessica Simpson "encountered" Adrian and made a good impression.

"It’s such an honor to finally meet you, Mr. Adrian," she said enthusiastically upon "recognizing" Adrian.

Having shot to fame last year with her rendition of the "Pokemon" movie theme song, Jessica Simpson subsequently released her debut album at the end of the year. Though not as explosively popular as Britney and Christina, she had so far surpassed double platinum worldwide, which was quite an achievement for a female singer. Naturally, Simpson aspired to climb another rung, and naturally, Adrian became her target.

Despite the fierce competition between Britney and Christina, they still maintained a certain distance from Adrian in front of many people, and only a few executives clearly understood their actual relationship. But with Adrian’s prominent reputation, many speculated, and even if Britney and Christina kept their distance from him, they couldn’t ignore him like a stranger. A certain level of affection was always there, so a little inquiry and analysis could lead to conclusions.

Even if it wasn’t something to discuss openly, rumors spread privately within the company. Moreover, several of the most popular songs by the two pop idol singers involved Adrian’s participation. It was not unusual for Simpson to seek his approval.

If it weren’t for Penelope waiting for him, Adrian would definitely have chatted with her for dozens of minutes, made her happy, and then taken her out for dinner. Britney and Christina wouldn’t mind; they currently only had eyes for each other. However, now he could only exchange a few words to suffice, which was not a problem. In conversation, Adrian left some hints for Simpson to ponder, and as long as she stayed around, she would obediently open her legs for him.

Adrian quickly returned to Kansas to continue the specific shooting of "Winter’s Bone." Natalie’s condition was slightly fluctuating, but it didn’t affect the shooting too much; the progress was still very smooth. Then, before the 72nd Academy Awards ceremony began, he received some very bad news from Claude.

"Sony Records publicly issued an acquisition invitation to MCM Records?" Adrian, who hurried back from Kansas upon receiving the message, confirmed again after arriving at Claude’s office.

"Yes, their target is our record company. A very brilliant strategy, isn’t it?" Claude wasn’t panicked, but he inevitably furrowed his brows, "First, they block our acquisition, then they raise stock prices to trap our liquid assets, and while hiding behind Disney and Warner, they secretly gather shares of MCM Records. When the time is right, they’ll counterattack, and taking over the record company means getting the copyrights, and there’s more they want."

"Sony Group tacitly approved their actions, but it was only tacit approval, so my probing in Japan was unsuccessful. However, Sony America and Sony Pictures have support; otherwise, they wouldn’t dare to speak about Disney, Warner, and News Corporation." Adrian, however, was thinking about another aspect of the situation.

"News Corporation can be disregarded to a large extent; they’re mostly just bystanders looking for an opportunity. It’s a pity that Warner is burdened by AOL; if they, rather than Disney, had issued the acquisition invitation, we might have to exert more energy dealing with them and further neglect this side of things," Claude shrugged his shoulders, "As for Viacom, I don’t know what Redstone is up to—he has always been a spectator."

"We’ll find out soon. They could stand by before, but now with this event, they must take a stand. I still believe Redstone will make the right choice," Adrian said, shaking his head.

"But we have to show our strength first," Claude spread his hands, "The only good news right now is that they underestimated the funds we have on hand. The way we initially covered up the profits from the burst of the IT bubble was correct. Also, if Disney and Warner knew they were being used as stepping stones by Sony, what would their reaction be?"

"People on the board of the record company have been persuaded; otherwise, Sony couldn’t have gained control," Adrian thought and added, "Who could it be?"

"We need time, and we don’t have much of it," Claude looked at him, "And don’t you find it strange, Ed? Their actions are too targeted, sometimes as if they already know what we are going to do."

"Are you certain?" Adrian raised an eyebrow; he knew what Claude was implying.

"Not severe, but definitely not to be underestimated. Besides, I’ve already had an internal investigation initiated," Claude gestured, "There is indeed such an individual, but he can’t access anything too high-level, so for now, we’ve not acted."

"Any others? And more than one..." Adrian stroked his chin, "This could be troublesome; what if we can’t find them out in a short time?"

"The safest method is still to increase the investment. This is the key to the success of the acquisition. However, this means we must adjust our upcoming strategies unless you’re willing to finance more," Claude analyzed, "I can give an additional 0.5%."

"2%, no more, unless in another two years," Adrian shook his head, "Let’s leave it at that for now. The priority is to talk with the directors of MCM Records."

Unexpectedly, the board of MCM Records unanimously expressed their support for AC Media. Eric Norton, the artistic director, even called Adrian immediately after Sony issued the invitation, excitedly stating his intention to move forward or retreat together with the company. This wasn’t a good sign; considering the current situation, someone must have been swayed, or else Sony’s acquisition would have been just an investment. If not everyone had been swayed, then the adversary was clever, hiding among the directors. Finding them out in a short time wouldn’t be easy.

Comfortingly, as the two current superstar idols of the record company, Britney and Christina made an unequivocal choice to support, a sign that Adrian had trained them quite well.

"Who do you think it could be, Charli?" Sitting in the high-backed chair, legs crossed on the office desk, Adrian gazed out the window and spoke to his female secretary, not hiding any of these matters from her.

"This is the kind of question you should ask Martin Modimmer, not me," Charlize said with a shrug as she arranged the documents in order in front of him.

"Martin is looking into it, but it’ll take at least two to three weeks. Sony Records is pressing hard, and we don’t have much time," Adrian stood up, wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, and took a deep breath on the back of her neck, "Your intelligence is unmatched, and you’re meticulous and cautious, Charli. Maybe you’ll notice something Claude or I have overlooked."

"Do you really want to know what I think?" Charlize stopped what she was doing and then slapped away his hand that was on her soft form, looking at him as she asked this.

"Of course." Adrian raised his other hand from her perky rear to show his sincerity.

"Wait for me." Charlize left with those words and returned with a document in her hand.

"What’s this?" Adrian took it and looked at her in surprise.

"This is your itinerary for the past month and a half," Charlize said.

Adrian frowned slightly and continued to read, which took more than ten minutes. Then he closed his eyes, thought for a while, and finally spoke again, "No wonder I’ve been feeling strange. There are indeed suspects, but... well, confirming it is actually quite simple."

Sony Records made a high-profile announcement of their acquisition of MCM Records, especially at a time when AC Media was acquiring Universal Music, which immediately caused a big stir in the industry and attracted many eyeballs. Surprisingly, in this showdown, Sony Records pressed step-by-step, hardly giving AC Media a chance, while AC Media retreated continuously, yet clung to Universal Music, appearing totally at a loss.

"I am very sincere and very confident. I don’t see this as a bad thing, do you?" Sony Records CEO Thomas Mottola said somewhat smugly to Adrian and Claude during the second round of negotiations.

Joseph Wodell, the COO of MCM Records sitting beside him, was clearly one of the directors who had sold his shares to Sony, and it was evident that Mottola had promised him plenty of benefits.

"Don’t rush, Mr. Mottola. The game isn’t over until the last minute, and we won’t know who the winner is," Adrian said to Mottola as they left after the fruitless negotiation.

"Of course. Though, I’m confident it will be me," Mottola replied.

"Not only Joseph, there are others. Joseph’s shares aren’t enough to give Sony an absolute advantage." Claude said to Adrian in the ride back.

"Mottola’s assistant, that Japanese guy, Sam Tanaka, he looked to our left twice during the whole process. Maybe he’s involved?" Adrian recalled.

Neither of them expressed any surprise at Wodell’s betrayal—such things were all too common. For someone like him, it was perfectly normal to side with whoever offered more.

"Ivan Morina, Ryan Ferguson, Eric Norton... at least one can be trusted," Claude said suddenly.

"Yes," Adrian nodded and then smiled, "And now that we’ve confirmed, why not..."

Although AC Media is currently stuck in a bit of a quagmire, it doesn’t affect the operation of certain things, such as the 72nd Oscar Awards ceremony. (To be continued. If you like this novel, you are welcome to vote for it on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

This chapter is updated by freew(e)bnovel.(c)om