Chasing Stars in Hollywood

Terry Scars knew the timeliness of the chips in his hand. Once William Hearst III's plan was put into action, there would be no turning back. He had to make contact before that time.

The next day was Saturday, the last day of April.

After the shift change, Terry Scars invited his partner Chris Wenden to go shopping in Manhattan to buy gifts for their families. He wanted to go alone, but during missions, solo actions were not allowed. The Westeros family's intelligence team was stricter than professional national intelligence agencies and showed no mercy.

They drove to Manhattan and spent several hours shopping at some well-known malls. Near noon, Terry Scars finally found an opportunity. In a quiet corner of Hell's Kitchen, he took advantage of his partner going to a nearby Starbucks restroom to quickly walk to a public phone booth, insert a coin, and dial a number.

It was the number of an executive under the Hearst Group who had a good personal relationship with William III and was not under the Westeros family's surveillance. Terry Scars confirmed this from previously collected intelligence, ensuring he could quickly contact William III.

As the dial tone rang, Terry Scars felt his heartbeat inexplicably quicken and a sudden sense of panic.

Professional agents often have a very keen sixth sense, and Terry Scars was no exception. He quickly judged that this panic did not come from his betrayal of the Westeros family, but from danger! He instinctively looked behind him and his eyes widened.

Unnoticed, two ordinary-dressed white men had approached. Upon seeing Terry Scars turn around, they suddenly accelerated. One skillfully subdued Scars, and the other injected a syringe into his neck.

A black van drove by, and its door was opened from inside.

The two men carried the unconscious Terry Scars into the van, which quickly drove away.

At the street entrance, a young couple out shopping witnessed the whole thing. The girl instinctively clutched her boyfriend's arm, and he, without hesitation, put his arm around her waist, pretending they had seen nothing and walked in the opposite direction.

Near the phone booth, a middle-aged shop owner of a second-hand store suddenly felt it wasn't a good day for business. He flipped the 'OPEN' sign to 'CLOSED', locked the door, and leisurely walked to the back of his shop.

Across the street, a young man who had been exercising picked up his phone and dialed 911, keeping his eyes on the quickly departing black Ford van and relaying its license plate number to the police.

The van turned a corner, accelerated, went through several streets, and entered an alley where a rolling door opened. The van entered, and the group transferred to a white Chevrolet SUV.

Police cars patrolled the area but did not find the black van, naturally dismissing the report as another false alarm.

At the phone booth, a middle-aged man picked up the dangling receiver, heard the busy tone, and hung it up. He sat on a nearby bench, feeling a bit lost, took out a cigarette, hesitated, and put it back.

Chris Wenden came out of Starbucks with two coffees, sat next to the middle-aged man, and handed him a cup. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Boss, what will happen to Terry?"

Martin Dinham, not in the mood for coffee, set it aside and said, "If he didn't make that call, he would only be expelled."

Chris Wenden paused, then asked, "What about his family?"

Martin Dinham replied, "We discovered this ourselves. As long as his family can forget him, they won't be harmed. Once this is over, I'll personally go to Melbourne and talk to them. Terry will be declared dead in the line of duty. Also, each of us will have a part of our annual salary deducted to raise a million dollars as compensation for them."

Martin Dinham looked at Chris Wenden and said, "The boss said this is a one-time thing. So, I don't want any more issues from you all, because next time, it won't be this simple."

Chris Wenden took a sip of coffee and shook his head, "I don't understand why Terry did this. We have generous salaries, the best benefits, and our kids are in elite private schools. Why ruin all that?"

Martin Dinham said, "There's even better ahead. Our children will become the core Westerosians, getting the top priority in the Westeros system, becoming the true aristocrats controlling the political, economic, and cultural directions of this era."

Though hearing 'Westerosian' for the first time, Chris Wenden immediately understood its meaning. He looked at Martin Dinham, confirming, "Westerosians, is that the boss's promise?"

Martin Dinham nodded, "Of course. Haven't you noticed? The boss has been making many similar arrangements. The Westeros system, as it stands, is a commercial empire rivaling many nations. Such a vast economic system needs many core members to control it. Our children, as long as they're not too mediocre, will get top priority in the Westeros system because of us."

Chris Wenden understood the unspoken condition: absolute loyalty to the Westeros system.

After a moment, Chris Wenden said, "I wonder if Terry will regret it."

Martin Dinham didn't respond, instead saying, "The boss asked me to tell everyone this: if anyone finds the job unbearable, they can apply for retirement anytime. The Westeros system will arrange a legitimate job, and their children's advancement channels won't be cut off. The only thing not to do is betrayal."

Chris Wenden nodded solemnly.

Martin Dinham looked at the noon sky and said, "Let's go, we still have a lot to do today."

Chris Wenden followed, glancing at the phone booth one last time before getting into a car with Martin Dinham. He sighed.

If Terry Scars hadn't completely lost his mind, with his professional skills, he should have easily noticed something wrong. For example, why choose such a deserted street to use a Starbucks restroom when there were many chances in the mall?

A call that led nowhere didn't change the outcome.

As a Westeros family intelligence team traitor quietly vanished, Roger Holes, William Hearst III's assistant, approached Doris Fetcher, who was nearly crushed by the $12 million lawsuit from the Westeros family.

After hearing Roger Holes' plan to gain public sympathy through a "bitter meat" strategy, Doris Fetcher, seeing no other way out, agreed decisively.

Unaware of Roger Holes' deeper intentions, Doris Fetcher only had her lawyer present as a precaution. Around 8 PM on Saturday, she swallowed an entire bottle of sleeping pills.

The ambulance arrived late.

Unbeknownst to some, the entire process was captured by hidden cameras installed by the Westeros family intelligence team. The next day, multiple major newspapers under the Hearst family reported that Doris Fetcher had committed suicide due to the malicious lawsuit by the Westeros family.

The public tends to sympathize with the weak.

Moreover, the next day was May 1st, International Labor Day.

Though not a federal holiday in the USA, labor unions still held some activities.

Incited by Hearst Group's media, many union members protested at the headquarters of several Westeros system subsidiaries, condemning Simon Westeros's cruelty. Some even petitioned for federal authorities to investigate Simon Westeros for murder, refusing to believe Doris Fetcher's death was a suicide and suspecting a hidden conspiracy.

The sudden wave of public opinion did divert attention from the Rwandan genocide, as William III had intended.

When the Hearst Group planned to escalate its media campaign to force the Westeros system to drop its comprehensive blockade and lawsuit blitz, on May 2, Monday morning, Egret Portal suddenly posted a headline news: "The Truth Behind 'Citizen Kane'."

The core of the news was a video showing William Hearst III instructing his assistant Roger Holes to arrange Doris Fetcher's "suicide."

The article concluded with a revised quote from the re-released "Citizen Kane": "You create death, I fool the public."

The sudden revelation sparked a massive outcry.

Additionally, Egret Portal released another video of William Hearst III planning to pressure the Westeros system by closing three newspapers, causing mass unemployment.

These two videos were like public opinion bombs.

Feeling deceived, the public quickly turned against the Hearst family. By noon, thousands surrounded the Hearst Group headquarters in Manhattan.

Due to the murder implication and severe public impact, the FBI quickly arrested William Hearst III and his assistant Roger Holes. William Hearst III posted a $10 million bail and fled to Europe, shocking everyone.

The news of his escape further inflamed public outrage.

Initially skeptical media couldn't defend him after his flight.

Facing the comprehensive blockade and lawsuits, the Hearst Group managed to hold on. But this scandal, revealing an attempt to manipulate public opinion through murder, pushed them to the brink.

Over the following days, many unaffected advertisers terminated their cooperation with Hearst Group, and the public, led by some, began a wave of cancellations of Hearst Group's publications.

While the FBI formally launched an investigation into Doris Fetcher's murder, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) also began investigating Hearst Group for fabricating news and misleading public opinion.

The 1,100 employees of the three newspapers closed in April, supported by various newspaper industry unions, also filed a collective lawsuit against Hearst Group, seeking huge compensation.

Amidst the turmoil, the Hearst family, starting with William Randolph Hearst, was in its fourth generation. William Hearst III's generation alone had over a dozen direct descendants.

Internal family strife had already begun when facing the Westeros system's pressure, with some demanding William Hearst III relinquish control.

With William Hearst III fleeing to Europe, the control of Hearst Group became a

 burden. After much deliberation, the family placed the responsibility on the 79-year-old Randolph Hearst, the fourth son of William Randolph Hearst and the only surviving second-generation member.

Unaccustomed to managing the company, Randolph Hearst faced a chaotic situation of a murder scandal, six lawsuits totaling $370 million, family strife, a collective worker lawsuit supported by unions, the strong blockade from the Westeros system, and overwhelming public cancellations.

Yet, after discussions, the Hearst family accurately identified the key: Simon Westeros.

To seek a chance of survival, they needed to reconcile with Simon Westeros.

On May 5, Randolph Hearst personally flew from New York to Los Angeles, hoping to meet Simon.

To ease the tension, Randolph Hearst brought his daughter Patty Hearst and granddaughter Lydia Hearst, whom Simon Westeros reportedly liked and had invited to star in a Daenerys Entertainment film.

Despite some suggesting Simon might be more interested in Patty Hearst, they had no choice.

With some connections, Simon Westeros finally responded on May 7, inviting Patty and Lydia Hearst for lunch at Daenerys Studios, ignoring Randolph Hearst.

Though not outright rejected, it was a hopeful sign. Randolph Hearst personally instructed his daughter, and at noon, had them sent to Daenerys Studios.

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