Chasing Stars in Hollywood

Outside Greenwich City, in the Hearst family mansion.

It was around eight o'clock in the evening.

William Hearst III quickly finished dinner with his family and went to his study, accompanied by his personal assistant, Roger Hawes.

"Nike informed us this afternoon that they plan to cancel all advertising contracts with the Hearst Group for the second half of the year," Roger reported, cautiously watching William's reaction. "Cersei Capital's BlackRock Asset Management recently increased its stake in Nike to 5.6% and gained a board seat. Additionally, Nike is negotiating with the Igrette portal to expand their internet advertising."

As Roger spoke, William Hearst III abruptly swept his coffee cup off the desk, smashing it to the floor. He glared at Roger furiously. "Can't you ever bring me good news?"

Recently, it wasn't just the comprehensive blockade by the Westeros system; many other advertisers had also canceled their contracts with the Hearst Group for various reasons. Even if the situation didn't worsen further, the Hearst Group's annual revenue for 1994 could see a severe negative growth of over 20%. For a company, stopping revenue growth already signaled decline. A 20% drop, leading to layoffs, insolvency, and business shrinkage, could drive a large company to bankruptcy in a few years.

William's only consolation was that the Hearst Group was not a publicly traded company. Otherwise, their stock price might have plummeted by more than half.

Despite this, an article in last week's Wall Street Journal claimed that the Hearst family's total wealth had shrunk by about $1 billion, leaving them with only around $1.5 billion. The Hearst Group's spokesperson promptly dismissed the Wall Street Journal's claim as sensationalist. However, William, knowing the situation, realized the estimate was not far off.

The Hearst family's main assets were still in their various newspapers and magazines, with minimal television assets. Only 30% of print media revenue came from sales; 70% was from advertising. With the Westeros system and other advertisers halting cooperation, the resulting revenue decline would devalue the print media and possibly lead to bankruptcy.

Roger summoned a maid to clean up the broken cup and, seeing his boss still fuming, couldn't help but think ironically that there was some good news. 

Last week, the grand re-release of Citizen Kane in North American theaters grossed $17.36 million on just 1,271 screens, with an average of over $13,000 per screen, outperforming many new releases. The film's re-release could earn $60 million domestically. This indicated that the Hearst family remained 'legendary' in the USA.

After his outburst, William quickly calmed down. The most important thing now was to find a way out of the predicament.

Reconciliation seemed impossible. His recent trip to Washington, where he even asked the White House for help, proved futile. William doubted if Clinton had even made the promised call, knowing that the Hearst Group's media had been critical of the president since his unexpected rise to power.

Clinton, embroiled in the Paula Jones sexual harassment scandal, was being targeted by the Republicans ahead of the midterm elections. The Hearst media had not hesitated to jump on the bandwagon, contributing to the public outrage. Overall, traditional media had rarely given Clinton any positive coverage since he took office.

Given the choice between traditional media that had criticized him for over a year and supportive emerging internet media, it was clear which side the White House would favor.

Moreover, the Igrette portal, which almost monopolized internet access, had amassed over 100 million users worldwide, rivaling the influence of any established media conglomerate. While Washington was wary, it understood the potentially destructive power of such media when it targeted someone.

As a result, William's efforts to curb the Westeros system's expansion through political connections found little support. Though many responded, few were willing to take substantial action.

Recalling the UN General Assembly broadcast this morning, where Simon Westeros's attractive spokeswoman defended against sudden attacks from various representatives, William realized they needed to shift public focus back from Africa.

Drawing public attention back to the USA was crucial for the Hearst Group to regain control of the narrative and prompt intervention from competitors and federal regulators against Simon Westeros's actions.

Thinking this over, William suddenly had a revelation.

Exactly. The first step was to divert public attention from those African matters.

By regaining enough public attention, the Hearst Group could manipulate public opinion and draw industry peers and federal regulators into action against Simon Westeros.

After contemplating, William asked Roger, "What was the name of the maid we bribed to get close to Westeros?"

"Doris Fletcher," Roger replied.

"That's right," William nodded. "Have we contacted her recently?"

Roger shook his head. Since Doris Fletcher faced a $12 million lawsuit from the Westeros family, she had been abandoned. The Hearst family had no habit of spending a fortune on legal battles for others, and her fate was of no concern to them.

William reconsidered and said, "Contact her immediately. Convince her to stage a suicide attempt. We need a sensational story to draw public attention back."

Roger hesitated and asked, "Sir, how exactly should this be done?"

William explained, "A pitiful young girl driven to suicide by Simon Westeros's malicious lawsuit would be explosive news, enough to make Westeros a public enemy and give us control over the narrative."

Roger fully grasped William's intentions but still didn't agree immediately, looking at his boss.

Understanding Roger's hesitation and knowing his assistant was aware of the deeper intent, William clarified, "Use sleeping pills. Oversee it personally and delay the hospital visit as much as possible."

With his boss's explicit instructions, Roger finally nodded. "I'll arrange it as soon as possible."

A few hundred meters away, in another villa, two agents from the Westeros family's intelligence team monitored the entire conversation between William and Roger. One agent picked up a phone. "Boss, you might want to come over."

After a brief conversation, Chris Venden hung up and lit a cigarette, glancing at his partner, Terry Scars, who nodded in agreement.

"The thoughts of these big shots are much darker than ours," Chris remarked.

Terry, an unremarkable-looking man, nodded while watching the monitor screen, his eyes flickering.

Martin Denham soon arrived with his assistant. After reviewing the recording, Martin called Simon to report and arranged a meeting for the next day.

After the call, Martin unlocked a secure monitoring unit, inputting the second layer of the password while Chris and Terry turned away. Martin's assistant, Chris Lamont, didn't look away.

The surveillance team often handled sensitive information, so strict procedures were in place to prevent misuse. With at least two agents always on duty and only the team leader accessing sensitive evidence, the system minimized risks.

Removing the hard drive containing the conversation, Martin replaced it with a new one, locked the unit, and left with his assistant after instructing Chris and Terry.

Chris and Terry continued their work until midnight when the next shift arrived.

In a monitored bedroom, Terry, lying on the bed, was still wide awake. Holding a small recorder, he listened repeatedly to the conversation between William and his assistant, the clear audio playing softly in his ears.

On duty for six hours at a time, surveillance agents were not fully aware of all information, a deliberate safety measure. Terry knew this recording was the most valuable piece of information he had encountered.

A former Australian national security agent, Terry had initially been content with his job's benefits. But over time, he realized the immense profits he could gain from manipulating certain information.

For instance, he could foresee that if William executed his plan under the Westeros system's watch, it could destroy the Hearst family.

Staging a suicide and letting the victim die was essentially murder. If exposed, William would be imprisoned, and the scandal would devastate the Hearst Group. So, how much should he charge for this life-saving information?

Five million dollars? Not enough.

The benefits his boss provided, including salary, benefits, and family perks, were already worth millions. Less than five million wouldn't be worth the risk.

At least ten million dollars.

But even if he got ten million, would he live to spend it?

He knew his boss's ruthlessness. Despite no concrete evidence, everyone knew who orchestrated recent massacres and bombings, and the young man who overthrew a country in a week wouldn't spare a traitor.

His family might also be at risk.

All core agents in the Westeros family intelligence team had seemingly perfect families. Terry's wife and two children lived in Melbourne, enjoying top-tier medical and educational benefits provided by the Westeros system.

Despite spending up to six months a year with his family, Terry was increasingly dissatisfied with his life, especially after witnessing the lavish lifestyles of the elite.

Envisioning his future, Terry saw a way out. With at least ten million dollars, aided by plastic surgery and a new identity, he could retire to a beautiful island in the Caribbean.

No longer would he work like a rat in the shadows for a big shot. As for his family, Simon Westeros likely wouldn't harm them to avoid alienating his agents.

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