Chasing Stars in Hollywood

Politics has never been a gentle game. Once you join, if you want to be the ultimate winner, you must use every means necessary.

Simon and Paul Spitz talked all morning, had lunch together, and then parted ways. Martin Dinham, one of the heads of the Westeros family's intelligence team, quietly arrived in Greenwich.

Martin Dinham's main task this time was to deliver official investigation data on a series of cases triggered by the initial assassination attempt.

Simon believed that all loose ends had been thoroughly cleaned up. However, out of caution, he did not ignore the investigations into these cases. The internal information of the special investigation teams could be dug up by many media outlets, so it was even easier for the Westeros family's intelligence team to obtain more detailed investigation data.

From April until now, apart from the Woodfield Manor bombing, the other unrelated mass shooting cases across the USA had hit dead ends and were basically shelved due to the lack of leads.

The Woodfield Manor bombing, with its numerous suspicious points and media coverage, continued to be investigated.

The FBI's special task force had conducted routine questioning of hundreds of people related to the case, focusing on the shareholders of Monroeville Mechanical Company, who had suffered huge losses due to George Woodfield's misappropriation of company funds.

There was no evidence pointing to the Westeros family.

However, Simon knew that some people would love to link this case to the Westeros family. If it were exposed, it would hit the Westeros system as hard as the Doris Fletcher murder case hit the Hearst Group.

For this reason, those with a vague understanding of the inside story were hesitant to act rashly.

Accusations of orchestrating a terror-like bombing are too severe. Without substantial evidence, making such claims would backfire.

After all, the Westeros system isn't an easy target.

It's similar to the 9/11 attacks Simon remembered, which were surrounded by numerous doubts and signs that the federal government might have known but didn't act. However, without evidence, these accusations remain conspiracy theories.

Years from now, the Woodfield Manor bombing might also become a conspiracy theory. But the public has a short memory, and by then, interest in the case would have waned, and any investigable leads would be even scarcer, relegating it to conspiracy theory status.

Moreover, unlike the Doris Fletcher murder case, which was an attempt by the Hearst family to mislead the public, the Westeros family had a very plausible motive for the Woodfield Manor bombing. If someone sent a hitman with a gun and grenades to harm your family, most people would consider any form of retaliation justified. Even if the case eventually comes to light as a conspiracy, the Westeros family might not be seen entirely in the wrong.

"Two days ago, we intercepted a phone call between William Hearst III, who resides in Paris, and FBI Director Louis Freeh. William III inquired about the details of the Woodfield Manor bombing, and Freeh did not respond, warning William III not to call him again. Based on their conversation, it seems William III knows something. Additionally, the News-Times from Danbury, Connecticut, has stationed two reporters in Pittsburgh, tirelessly probing the details of the Woodfield Manor bombing. The News-Times is a Hearst Group newspaper."

In the study of the Greenwich Manor, Simon listened to Martin Dinham's report while playing the recording of the call between William III and Louis Freeh.

The US and France have always had a strained relationship, so there is no extradition treaty between them. Famous Hollywood director Roman Polanski has lived in France for years after fleeing the US due to a sexual assault case involving a 13-year-old girl. William Hearst III also fled to Paris.

However, unlike Polanski's case, William Hearst III's murder case is much more severe. Under public pressure, the French government has recently stated that they might expel William Hearst III.

Since the release of the surveillance footage last time, the entire Hearst family has increased their anti-surveillance measures, including William III, who fled to Paris. Despite being heavily guarded, he couldn't escape the pervasive surveillance of the Westeros family's intelligence team.

As for FBI Director Louis Freeh, Simon was also familiar with him.

Louis Freeh is a Republican and was promoted by former President George H.W. Bush.

Bush, having served as CIA director, understood the importance of controlling the intelligence system.

Simon had investigated Freeh's background. Bush had been close to Freeh since the 1980s and had groomed him to be the next FBI director. Unfortunately, Freeh, backed by Republican efforts, defeated Clinton's nominee and became the new FBI director in 1993, but Bush lost his re-election bid.

Due to his background, Freeh, who spanned Clinton's entire presidency, became Clinton's "nightmare," constantly causing trouble for eight years, while Clinton, with his shallow roots, couldn't remove this thorn from his side.

A brief review reveals that federal agents around the Westeros family clearly had traces of the Bush family's influence.

After Bush's defeat, the Bush family spent the 1990s preparing for George W. Bush's ascent to the White House. Clinton's string of scandals maximized the damage to the Democratic Party's credibility.

From the conversation between Freeh and William Hearst III, it seems the FBI director did not intend to drag the Westeros family into the Woodfield bombing case.

However, it's conceivable that if the Westeros system becomes an obstacle to George W. Bush's ascent, some details of this case might be revealed. Clinton's continuous scandals over eight years proved this point, including the most famous Lewinsky scandal. According to Simon's memory, the New York Times had analyzed that the major players behind the Lewinsky scandal were a group of Southern Republican conservatives, coincidentally the Bush family's political base.

Many things in this world are never without reason.

Martin Dinham sat quietly on the study sofa, not interrupting Simon's thoughts. He knew his team were mere monitors. If any action were to be taken based on this intelligence, it wouldn't be up to them.

After listening to the call recording, Simon tapped his fingers silently on the leather armrest of the sofa for five or six minutes before nodding slightly to Martin Dinham and asking, "Have you investigated the News-Times in Danbury?"

Martin Dinham nodded and handed over a file from his briefcase.

Simon didn't rush to open it. "Keep monitoring the Hearst family and do nothing else for now. Also, be careful. If you sense anything wrong, leave the US as soon as possible. If anything happens, notify me immediately."

Martin Dinham nodded again. "Understood, boss."

As the investigators of the original assassination, Dinham's team, although not directly involved in certain actions, were the most knowledgeable.

If the federal government suddenly arrested them, even without constructing a complete evidence chain against the Westeros family, it would still be troublesome.

Martin Dinham understood this well.

In fact, besides monitoring the Hearst family, Dinham's team had cleaned up several loose ends left from the original assassination investigation and even created new identity records for some team members with Simon's permission.

At least on the surface, Martin Dinham and his team's identities were spotless.

If arrested, unless it was a secret operation, Westeros's lawyers could easily get them out quickly.

As for the direct perpetrators of the bombing and the mass shootings, the FBI would have to ask Satan in hell to find them.

After Martin Dinham left, Simon read through the News-Times file and arranged some tasks based on Dinham's intelligence. He then asked Girl A to prepare a helicopter.

Arriving in Manhattan at 2 PM, Simon first visited the construction site of the Westeros Tower in the Upper East Side.

The minor illegal labor issue at the end of last year hadn't affected the construction progress. From its groundbreaking in early 1992, the main structure of Westeros Tower was more than halfway done in just over two years. Even the completed three hundred meters surpassed all buildings in Manhattan except the Twin Towers and the Empire State Building.

The 622-meter-high main structure is expected to be completed by the end of 1996 and will hold the title of the world's tallest skyscraper for many years.

After spending an hour at the construction site, Simon headed to Daenerys Entertainment's East Coast headquarters in Greenwich Village.

The annual US TV presentation season had just ended, and Daenerys Television's two most important projects, "Friends" and "ER," had found their homes: NBC took the former, while CBS got the latter.

Neither project went to ABC, Simon's next acquisition target.

Simon had his reasons.

Most people would instinctively keep good things for themselves.

However, once ABC is acquired, Daenerys Television, currently favored by major networks, will face a problem. As a competitor, the other networks will likely reduce their purchases of Daenerys Entertainment's shows, forcing Daenerys to rely more on self-production.

Simon has no shortage of popular TV projects in mind.

Now, transferring potential phenomenon-level hits "Friends" and "ER" to NBC and CBS can create a parasitic effect similar to DC's film universe on Time Warner.

The real profits from such hit shows come from syndication deals, which are long-term. "Friends," for example, still brings Warner $100 million annually from Netflix years after its finale.

Therefore, airing "Friends" and "ER" on other networks while keeping most of the profits within Daenerys Entertainment allows them to use other networks' platforms and resources to build the shows' reputations and make money.

Additionally, lacking these hits to support ratings and network performance, Daenerys Entertainment's future acquisition of ABC will be easier. With ABC's schedule freed up, Daenerys can produce more quality shows.

Busy in Greenwich Village until after 6 PM, as dusk fell, Girl A

 knocked and reminded, "Boss, the party at the Grand Hotel is ready. Do you want to go now?"

Closing the new season's "New York Housewives" proposal, Simon checked his watch and shook his head. "No, let's have dinner first."

Girl A was slightly surprised but quickly nodded. "How about St. George's Restaurant?"

Simon smiled and nodded. "Sounds good."

After Girl A made a reservation, Simon finished an email to Robert Iger with his comments on "New York Housewives," and the two left the office for St. George's Restaurant in the Upper West Side.

As a married man, dining out with another woman isn't ideal. However, since Girl A is an assistant, it's less of an issue. Moreover, given Simon's current status and the Hearst family's recent troubles, the media wouldn't dare spread rumors about Simon.

After dinner, a contented Girl A said she wouldn't join Simon at the Grand Hotel party, planning instead to visit Girl B to discuss Alphabeta's affairs and stay overnight at Becky's apartment.

Simon dropped Allison at Becky's Upper West Side apartment before heading to the Grand Hotel in Midtown, not far from Daenerys Entertainment's East Coast office.

The party at the Grand Hotel, hosted by Daenerys Entertainment, celebrated the perfect ending of the spring TV season and the successful launch of many new projects. Many company executives and TV stars would attend.

Simon usually had little interest in such gatherings and would only make a brief appearance if necessary.

Tonight was different.

Several "prey" he had been taming would attend tonight's party: the three remaining women of the Grail family, who had been involved in the assassination attempt. Simon had been monitoring Laura Grail and her daughters' every move, manipulating their lives like puppets.

Initially, Simon planned to break them down over several months, but after just over a month, he realized further delay might ruin them completely. So, he decided to harvest early.

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