King of Hollywood-Chapter 214 - Its a Pity
Chapter 214: Chapter 214: It’s a Pity
Chapter 214 -214: It’s a Pity
“Poor Victor,” Claude lamented after a long while.
“Yes, poor Victor,” Adrian sighed, “though I’m not close to my cousin, I still don’t want him to bear a grudge against me.”
“Well, even so, that’s not a reason for you not to attend the party,” Claude quickly changed the subject, “Come on, Ed, it’s just a party, nothing to be scared of.”
Noncommittally, Adrian raised his hands, then after wiping his face, he deftly changed the topic again, “How about we discuss something else? Like how to acquire TBS?”
“The acquisition has already begun, Ed,” Claude said with a smile, shaking his head.
“It has? How come I didn’t know?” Adrian expressed surprise.
“It’s just started. We’ve acquired two 4.99% blocks of shares through proxy,” Claude explained, shrugging his shoulders.
“Proxy? Two 4.99% blocks of shares?” Adrian looked at him puzzled, “Could you be more specific?”
“Okay, put simply, if you own more than 5% of the shares, you have to notify the other party and the securities exchange, which is like telling them outright that we’re going to take them over,” Claude explained, “So we have proxies continuously hold 4.99% of the shares, then we negotiate with some independent shareholders, proceed with consolidation after exceeding 50%, and finally announce and make a tender offer—actually, 30% is already enough.”
“Still, 50% is better,” Adrian suddenly remarked, “We must secure the greatest chance of success.”
Claude smiled noncommittally, “Even with just 30%, we can vote in the board of directors. Besides, we can still win over a few allies. Ted isn’t without enemies.”
With that, he waved off any further discussion from Adrian, “Enough, Ed, stop fussing. It’s nothing like when you first encouraged me to start a business with you.”
Adrian raised his hands as if still pondering an excuse, then casually asked, “Who’s hosting?”
“Sidney Harmon, CEO of Harman Industrial Group,” Claude promptly replied.
“Sidney Harmon? The old man who deals in electronics?” Adrian’s expression shifted as if he remembered something, “How many people have been invited? I mean, will Jobs be there?”
Claude raised his brows in slight surprise, “You’re interested in Jobs again? I thought you’d grown tired of his sermon-like pitches.”
“Yes, that kind of preaching might stir up ordinary people, but it’s not suitable for us,” Adrian settled back into his seat, “but I’ve always been good at handling him, because…”
He placed his arms on the wooden chair back and blew at a bead of sweat that had rolled down to his nose before looking earnestly at Claude, “Jobs has something I want!”
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In the dazzling, spacious hall, well-dressed gentlemen and graceful ladies were smiling and chatting in small groups. Exquisite food filled the tables lined against the walls, and white-clad waiters bustled about, ready to serve any guest in need. The band in the front was playing melodious and entrancing music, while couples danced gracefully on the dance floor.
“You dance well. It’s hard to believe, considering that just four hours ago I was still teaching you the steps,” Adrian said, holding Charlize’s waist and hand, guiding her through the rhythm of the dance.
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“The steps are easy to learn, plus, it’s not like I haven’t danced before,” Charlize hummed in response. She wore a black, shoulder-strapped evening gown and long gloves, her blond hair swept up, and a string of pearls graced her slender neck while a pair of delicate earrings adorned her ears, enhancing her stunning beauty.
“I didn’t know there was something common between ballet and ballroom,” Adrian feigned surprise.
“Besides ballet, I’ve also learned other dances. Having a foundation means I pick up things quickly,” Charlize dismissed the urge to argue.
As the music ended, Adrian released her, but then turned slightly, arm bent, and Charlize naturally looped hers through his, walking with him out of the dance area.
“The scallops are nice, but they’re a bit too fishy,” Adrian commented after sampling the food from the table, wiping his hands. Charlize, who had also tasted them, disagreed, “I think they’re just right.”
“Alright, alright, let’s say you’re right,” Adrian said good-naturedly, shrugging his shoulders.
Charlize rolled her eyes discreetly and then sighed, “Now I have another job to do, attending parties with you.”
“You know, Charli,” Adrian suddenly laughed, “you talk like a resentful wife.”
The lady instantly wore a choked expression, glaring at Adrian with some annoyance.
“Isn’t that right? This isn’t the first time you’ve said that, just short of asking for a raise.” Adrian looked at her, laughing even more happily, until he felt the hand in his arm move and then he tightened his grip, switching his tone, “You’re an assistant and a secretary, Charli, so you have to agree to do whatever the boss asks you to do.”
“Including sleeping with you?” Charlize retorted angrily.
“I think I need to clarify something, Charli, right now it’s me accompanying you to bed,” Adrian said with a smirk.
She displayed another choked expression, wanting to burst out but unable to, only managing to pinch his arm fiercely before retaliating with a different topic, “Aren’t you the one who dislikes parties, claiming you want to leave after just a few minutes?”
“Of course, but today at the party I’m supposed to meet an important person, so I’ve waited until now.” Adrian said, looking around until Charlize showed a curious look, “An important person? Who could be more important than the CEO of Harman Industrial Group or the CEO of American Bank?”
“He’s not as influential as Sidney or Ecas, but there’s something I’ve been observing for a long time that I want to obtain from him.” Adrian said, patting her hand, “Look, there he is, let’s go over.”
A tall man was enthusiastically chatting with several guests, and Adrian knew from past encounters what he was likely talking about. Compared to the last time they met, there was noticeably less hair on his forehead, and although he was dressed in a sharp suit, Adrian still thought he looked more charming in a wool sweater and jeans.
“The internet is taking shape, and computers are going to develop even faster. The future is an era of information, and I have no doubt about that,” Steve Jobs was giving his spiel with great confidence, his face displaying nothing but self-assurance.
“I have no doubt either, it’s just that it takes time.” Adrian immediately interjected.
“Hey, Ed, I’m really glad to see you.” Jobs’ face lit up with surprise as he reached out, seemingly unfazed by Adrian’s previous dismissive attitude, no wonder the guy could fall and still stand up taller.
“I’m glad to see you too.” Adrian shook his hand and then, as his gaze fell on Charlize, made the introductions, “This is my girlfriend, Charlize Theron; Charli, this is the personal computer inventor, Steve Jobs.”
“Hello, Steve.” Charlize offered her hand graciously, her demeanor very elegant and poised, and with her beautiful appearance, she truly looked stunning.
“Hello, Charlize.” Steve smiled as he shook her hand, then turned to Adrian, “Has no one ever told you, Ed, that your girlfriend is quite beautiful?”
“Everybody says that. Many people have come up to chat with her tonight, so she had to stay by my side,” Adrian shrugged in a joking tone, while giving Charlize a meaningful glance.
Charlize said nothing, maintaining her composure, but the hand holding Adrian’s arm gripped a little tighter.
Jobs laughed heartily and patted Adrian’s arm before asking, “I haven’t seen you around much lately, are you working on a new movie?”
“Yes, in New York. We’ve been shooting for over a month now. But I had to come back to Los Angeles to deal with some things before heading back to continue,” Adrian explained and then glanced at the men and women beside Jobs, “Aren’t you going to introduce them?”
“Oh, sorry, my mistake,” Jobs replied and started the introductions.
The people who could attend Sidney Harman’s parties were mostly executives from major companies, so at the beginning, when they heard Adrian was a director, they showed somewhat condescending attitudes. It wasn’t until Jobs mentioned that Adrian was the Chairman of AC Media that they displayed surprise and greeted him warmly.
Having acquired Paramount and having had a good contest with Redstone and Diller, AC Media had attracted a lot of attention and was no longer as low-key as it was two years ago. To these executives, however high-ranked they might be, they weren’t as prestigious as the chairman of a major company, so their initial hubris followed by deference was quite expected.
Adrian exchanged a few friendly words with them but didn’t take it to heart. It was just human nature. Besides, who knew if they might cross paths again in the future? Showing off one’s status and capability over trivial matters – that was something only fools did.
Besides, his target was Jobs; there was no need to get entangled in these minor issues, so Adrian quickly refocused his attention on the middle-aged man in front of him. With deliberate guidance, the two soon started to debate computer technology. Of course, in this field, Adrian was certainly no match for Jobs, so he simply picked topics related to applications to talk about.
“As we all know, last year’s ‘Jurassic Park’ combined special effects with computer CG technology to create realistic dinosaurs on the screen. I believe that with time’s development, in a few years we might only need CG to create such dinosaurs,” Adrian said.
“So, our views are actually consistent, it’s just that we disagree on the timing,” Jobs shrugged.
“That’s how it is, but you’ve always wanted to contradict me and have ignored that,” Adrian laughed and then steered the conversation toward his intended direction, “Perhaps before long, we’ll be able to see movies made entirely of CG that are as realistic as live-action. However, before that, computer animation needs to develop first.” (To be continued. If you want to find out what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. More chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)
