King of Hollywood
Chapter 319 - Chapter 319 Chapter 46 Countermeasures

Chapter 319: Chapter 46 Countermeasures Chapter 319: Chapter 46 Countermeasures “I didn’t think it would be so soon; I thought you might wait until next month to announce it,” Adrian said from his armchair, lifting his coffee cup. “The coffee is pretty good, almost as good as Charli’s.”

“I don’t have the habit of flirting with my own secretary,” Claude said with an eye-roll, knowing what Adrian’s last comment meant.

Adrian just smiled and raised his hand without following up; Claude then continued, “Now is just the right time to announce it. Any later and there might be complications with ABC. According to the intelligence collected, some people are already getting restless. Besides, they don’t have many shares left for us to secretly acquire, so I chose this moment.”

“Have you figured out how to deal with Michael Eisner?” Adrian asked, not very familiar with these matters, and threw out the question he was most eager to ask. “Their counterattack will probably not be easy.”

“Of course, I’ve made all the necessary preparations. Financial confrontations are basically a few tricks at the core. Although I can’t say there’s a hundred percent certainty, I believe the outcome won’t be too bad,” Claude explained.

“What about Ted?” Adrian followed up immediately. “He doesn’t seem thrilled about the acquisition of ABC.”

“Of course, you did promise him to make TBS the fifth major broadcasting company,” Claude chuckled.

“I didn’t go back on my word; after acquiring ABC, we will definitely merge their assets with TBS’s existing resources,” Adrian said in all seriousness, spreading out his hands. “Don’t tell me you plan to leave things as they are.”

“How could I,” Claude adjusted his posture and sat up straight, adopting an ‘I’ve got everything under control’ expression, “This is a great opportunity, and we can make deeper adjustments and arrangements to TBS.”

Adrian understood him because they had been hesitant to radically alter TBS out of consideration for Ted Turner, especially since it had only been a little over a year since the acquisition. Now, though the acquisition of ABC might cause some unfavorable internal reactions, it also provided a good opportunity to speed up certain processes.

“However, this means we will need more time,” Claude then said.

“That’s okay; dragging things out is often a good thing to a certain extent,” Adrian was unconcerned.

“Anyway, all I have to do is make sure the variety shows and TV dramas maintain their current ratings,” he said, spreading his hands and then standing up to stretch leisurely.

“You don’t look very fresh. Who did you play with all night yesterday?” Claude asked jokingly.

“Who else could it be…the Queen of Pop,” Adrian shrugged.

It took Claude half a minute to catch on, then he looked surprised, “Madonna?”

“As far as I know, she’s the only one deserving that title right now,” Adrian chuckled.

“God, how did you suddenly become interested in that old lady,” Claude said, amused.

“You said it, ‘old lady.’ Should I wait until she’s even older? Madonna is already 36, but her figure’s still decent, and more importantly, she’s a lot of fun,” Adrian said, spreading his hands, “Although Madonna is already 36, she’s still got a good figure and, more importantly, she’s quite the handful to play with.”

“It looks like you had a wild night yesterday,” Claude shook his head in resignation.

“It was alright, just ball gags, whips, bondage, you know. I was very careful,” Adrian said nonchalantly, “But I probably made a lasting impression on Madonna.”

“Ed, I shouldn’t have to say much, but I still want to remind you, you’re going to be a father. Play is play, but you should consider being more discreet, right?” Claude looked at him earnestly.

“Don’t worry, I know where to draw the line. When have you ever seen me make a mistake in these matters?” Adrian smiled and gave him a reassuring pat. Claude seemed poised to speak more but shook his head and stood up instead, “Alright, let’s head to the meeting room.”

“You go ahead; I’ve got things to take care of,” Adrian predictably declined, “After all, whatever you say, I’ll agree with, and going would just be a show of support.”

“It’s fine once or twice, but it’s probably not good to do this often,” Claude laughed, “You know what people are saying? They’re saying the CEO is keeping the chairman in the dark, hence the monopoly on power.”

“The first part is foolish, but the latter is the truth,” Adrian hit Claude playfully, “Well, if I can’t trust you, Claude, who can I?”

At this, his face suddenly turned serious: “Moreover, that’s exactly the result I want to see. Let them think I’m oblivious to these matters. You know, sometimes staying in the shadows is what causes people to overlook you, and being overlooked can surprise them, even for just a moment. And at many times, that can change the course of the battle.”

“I got it,” Claude countered with a resigned punch, “What are your plans lately?”

“Nothing special. There’s a movie that needs to be released at the end of the season, and by the end of the month, I’ll be off to London. This year’s new movie has been in pre-production for nearly half a year; it’s about time to start filming,” Adrian answered briefly.

“New movie this year?” Claude looked at him surprisingly, “The hype for ‘Forrest Gump’ hasn’t even died down, and you’re already planning a new film? I don’t even know what to say. But ‘Forrest Gump’ is indeed fascinating, Dad loved it too, and many people say you’re the undeniable choice for Best Director at the Oscars this year.”

“Of course, if ‘Forrest Gump’ can’t get me the Best Director award, then the Film Academy judges might as well pack up and leave,” Adrian said unapologetically.

“Well, then, here’s an early congrats on winning Best Director,” Claude clapped him on the shoulder, laughing.

Driving away from the AC Media building, Adrian took to the highway in his car, a rare occasion without taking Charli or having a driver. However, there was a bodyguard in a car following behind him. Until now, he had never bothered hiring any professional bodyguards since his personal driver, Glover, was quite proficient in combat.

But things were different now. Kate was pregnant, and just a few days ago, they went in disguise to the hospital for a comprehensive checkup, where they learned the baby was developing well. Therefore, better protection was necessary. Adrian had since employed several top-notch bodyguards. Of course, just like the maids in Kate’s villa, they were bound by a high-paying and high-benefits contract, which was very strict about confidentiality.

“Oh right, next week I need to shop for some baby stuff…” Adrian murmured to himself, remembering something. The thought of Kate’s eager anticipation made him shake his head and smile.

Having secured his promise and lost her illusions about certain things, Kate suddenly developed an intense enthusiasm for the child–an enthusiasm that had actually existed all along but had been suppressed due to various insecurities. Once those worries were no longer there, her enthusiasm erupted like a wellspring. In any case, she was constantly concerned about how to take care of the child, how to dress him (her?), how to make him (her?) happy, and she began to be somewhat naggy, to the point that she didn’t even go to school and abandoned a role that was almost confirmed. God knows, she had only been pregnant for a little over a month.

However, Adrian didn’t take it too much to heart. Although at times he did feel a hint of dissatisfaction with Kate constantly talking about the child, it soon dissipated. He wasn’t one of those petty men–of course, this also had a lot to do with him having no shortage of women. The only regret was that during the first three and the last three months of pregnancy, one couldn’t have sex because it might cause a miscarriage or premature birth.

Thus, during the long stretches of time Adrian spent by Kate’s side, he refrained from any sexual activity, whether it be anal or oral, out of concern that an orgasm might trigger a chain reaction. In terms of sexual life… there just wasn’t any. Although there was still time to spend with other women, it was no longer as carefree and uninhibited as before. Accumulating all these frustrations, he went straight to Madonna’s house yesterday after she deliberately seduced him again at a party.

Adrian’s thoughts unconsciously drifted to Madonna, or more precisely, to last night’s Madonna, as a playful smirk appeared at the corner of his mouth. The woman kept herself in not-too-bad shape. Initially, she thought she could take control, but Adrian had her tamed and obedient after messing around a bit. Recalling how she looked bound up in leather with a ball-gag, it invigorated him. Adrian unleashed all the practices he couldn’t use on his own woman on her. That kind of brutal release was intoxicatingly easy to indulge in, as it was an enjoyment derived from the destruction of something beautiful. When engaged in moderation, it was one thing; to regularly indulge meant one was a fool stuck in his own negative emotions, unable to extricate himself.

So, Adrian played with Madonna like that after encountering her, partly because she herself had some predilections for that, with all those gadgets found in her room, and partly because one session was enough for him. She wasn’t like Drew, Cameron, or Cindy, who were still young, full of vitality, and had tempting figures. Adrian wouldn’t mind having a few more “friendly matches” with them if given the chance, but not with Madonna.

Shaking his head to clear these thoughts, Adrian turned the steering wheel onto another street. Though there were many things to take care of, he had to go to the house rented by Blanchett. She had moved in over half a month ago, and he hadn’t yet visited.

After screening for nearly six weeks, “Forrest Gump” finally fell from the top of the North American box office chart. It didn’t fall far, though–just from first to second place, which showed how popular the movie was. The media, which began Oscar predictions in January, listed it as a favorite for many awards. They even regretted that it missed the Golden Globe nominations due to its release schedule; otherwise, “Forrest Gump” was sure to sweep this often-controversial award. As for other association awards, it already pocketed a bunch early on.

Adrian, well aware of all this, turned his focus to other areas. He routinely delegated the task of public relations for the Oscars to Laverne, who had done well several times in the past and would likely not disappoint this time either. Moreover, he had checked in with the Weinstein brothers; they would help if necessary, so there shouldn’t be any problems.

Therefore, Adrian dealt with his own woman with peace of mind. Having spent quite a lot more time with Kate, his other women, especially Monica, Julia, Sarah, and Liv, all sensed something was up.

But Adrian hadn’t let anything slip. He had a good reputation in this regard and always responded to their inquiries–so once he indicated that a question was off-limits, they did not press further.

The women’s reactions were also quite amusing. Monica did her best to please him in bed with her tempting red lips, full breasts, snake-like waist, and plump buttocks, letting Adrian enjoy himself to the fullest; while Julia seemed somewhat angry. Had it not been for his previous techniques, perhaps she might have left him, but now it was simply a sign of her dissatisfaction; Sarah, too, tried to please Adrian in bed, yet her approach was different from Monica’s, fully showcasing a young girl’s cuteness, shyness, and helplessness; as for Liv, every date she asked dozens of times, “How do I look?”, her eagerness for approval very much matched her personality.

Beyond that, on the work front, apart from preparing for the release of “Sleepy Hollow,” he was supervising the production of “Sex and the City” for TNT. So far, only five episodes of “Sex and the City” had been produced. Although each episode was around thirty minutes, it felt slow compared to the total production time.

Yet Adrian was quite satisfied with it as the quality was good, reaching the level he remembered. The overall style of the first season of “Sex and the City” wasn’t especially outstanding, and it seemed somewhat discordant with the entire series until it aired to acclaim and absorbed feedback to adjust the style and settle down–this was characteristic of American TV series.

But now, with Adrian as the executive producer, those shortcomings were corrected, and that’s why the production speed had slowed down greatly–but no matter, as the first season would only have twelve or thirteen episodes at most, so as long as the quality was good, that’s all that mattered. Worth noting is that paying a hefty sum to have Cindy Crawford play the lead role was extremely worthwhile; she offered many valuable suggestions on fashion and makeup and loved the character.

“Flaunting oneself while making fun of men, can there be a better role than this?” she said.

Anyway, if we don’t count the production time, “Sex and the City” basically achieved its intended tone, and Adrian was very pleased. He decided that after two more episodes, they could start promoting and broadcasting. He had said before, during the acquisition of ABC, that what he needed to do was to maintain TBS’s ratings with variety shows and dramas.

“Hey, Ed, how’s it feeling?” Amidst the noisy music, Cindy Crawford, dressed simply, approached Adrian. Her white undershirt and pink jacket, combined with tight jeans, outlined her curves beautifully, and the beauty mark on the corner of her mouth added a flavorful touch.

“Great party, it’s exhilarating,” Adrian said with a smile as he raised his glass, “and of course, the beautiful you.”

“Thank you, you always say such nice things,” Cindy replied with a sultry smile. “Sorry I still have others to greet, but we’ll chat later, okay, Ed? I’ve always liked our last conversation.”

With that, her gaze became meaningful, and she pressed her finger onto his chest.

“The honor is mine,” Adrian replied, slightly bowing with a deep voice.

She truly was one of the first supermodels. Watching Cindy sway away, Adrian half-teased and half-praised in his mind, not sure whether he was referring to her figure or the unabashed flirtation just now.

This was a party held at Cindy Crawford’s home, celebrating her… well… return to single life. Just a few days ago, she finally divorced Richard Gere after a lengthy process, so she invited quite a few friends to celebrate. As the man who “gave her the most wonderful taste” and invited her to play the lead actress in his TV series, Adrian was naturally on the guest list.

It’s a pity it was only a taste of being with a married woman, twice. Adrian reminisced about Cindy’s figure while sighing to himself. Aside from that night, he and Cindy had another passionate encounter while supervising “Sex and the City,” but it was also just for fun.

Quickly, Adrian put that bit of regret behind him. Beautiful women were always around, such as the one now.

“Sorry, I thought it was mine.” The lady apologized with a smile and retracted her hand. She wore a black spaghetti strap mini dress and a matching jacket, her decent legs sheathed in black transparent stockings, and heels around five inches tall. Her figure was graceful, and if one word had to describe her, it would be–glamorous!

Yes, glamorous, with her long, shiny black hair, which, although slightly disheveled, added a romantic air to her; a pair of amber eyes, slightly hazy, which seemed very enticing; and lips slightly parted, both sexy and classical, a perfect ten.

“No problem.” Adrian smiled and pushed his glass towards her and then snapped his fingers towards the bartender at the other end, signaling for another drink to be made.

“Thank you.” The glamorous lady didn’t hesitate, picking up the glass and swaying it before taking a light sip, then closing her eyes and tilting her head back slightly, savoring it before showing a contented expression.

“You like a Martini with olive?” Adrian asked with a smile.

“Soft, sweet, not too strong, but very mellow, worth savoring,” she said softly.

“Indeed, it is,” Adrian said, accepting a newly prepared Martini from the bartender, then raised his glass to the lady with a smile, “Pleased to meet you, beautiful lady, I’m Adrian Cowell.”

Upon hearing that name, a subtle gleam flashed in the lady’s eyes, then she raised her glass too, “Katherine, Katherine Zetajones, Mr. Cowell.” (To be continued. If you like this story, you are welcome to support it by voting for it with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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