America: My Time

Chapter 582 Changes in the United States

Chapter 572 Changes in the United States
"John, do you know how much I miss you?" When they were alone, Sophie Marceau gazed at John with her beautiful eyes, as if expressing the longing in her heart.

“I miss you too. Don’t you have work? Why are you in Paris?” As he spoke, John reached out and pulled Sophie Marceau into his arms, and the two began a passionate kiss.

The two hadn't been together for so long, and being young, they couldn't control themselves. A passionate kiss wouldn't do, so they satisfied their pent-up desire on the sofa. Then, without a word, they embraced and enjoyed the peace within.

"Are you coming with me to Bordeaux this time?" John asked after a long while.

This was not a casual inquiry, but an invitation and a test, because the beautiful woman in front of him was too independent and did not like others interfering in her affairs, so John did not choose to interfere and gave her enough space.

"Is it appropriate?" Sophie Marceau looked up at John and asked softly.

"It's up to you to decide. If you think it's suitable, then it's fine!" John gave the choice to Sophie Marceau, without forcing anything. After all, forcing things wouldn't last long, and French beauties are often very passionate.

“Okay, I’ll go!” After a moment, Sophie Marceau agreed to John’s invitation.

John chuckled softly, then leaned down and gently kissed Sophie Marceau. "That's good. Now you should make some preparations. I need to find out about some things in Paris these next few days! But, are you staying in France this time, or coming back to the US with me? Also, you haven't said why you're here."

At this moment, John remembered that Sophie Marceau hadn't answered his question earlier. It was already early November, and without work, a beauty like Sophie Marceau would choose to rest. Now that Sophie Marceau had achieved considerable fame, she didn't need to frantically take on roles; her agency would handle the arrangements.
"I have to stay. I came back to Paris this time because I got an advertising job, which I just finished a few days ago!"

"Oh, what kind of advertisements? Clothing and cosmetics? Don't you have any such endorsements? You became an overnight sensation with Top Gun, there's no way you wouldn't have some advertisements with you, right?" At this moment, John was a little doubtful. It was unlikely that a Hollywood actress wouldn't have such endorsements.

"It's not clothing or cosmetics. Why do you always think of those kinds of advertisements? This time, I'm doing a car advertisement!"

"Cars, French car brands want you to shoot commercials? You're not kidding?" John was a little surprised at this point. What kind of car company would make such a choice?

"When did I say it was a French car brand? It's Ferrari!"

“It’s the F40!” John immediately thought of Ferrari’s classic model, which was released this year. He just didn’t expect it to become an advertisement featuring this beautiful woman. Luxury car and beautiful woman, Ferrari really knows how to please people.

Thinking about this, John quickly realized that the old man was passing away next year, and perhaps there was an opportunity to acquire the Ferrari sports car brand. However, John soon shook his head and gave up. His automotive industry was based in England, and acquiring the British brand Lotus would be easier to control and manage than acquiring Ferrari.

However, Bentley Motors probably doesn't have the resources right now. Dealing with South Korea requires considerable effort, and the Bentley Group is already quite powerful; he shouldn't interfere recklessly. It was precisely because of this that John abandoned the acquisition idea. Although the opportunity was excellent, it didn't mean he could acquire anything at will!
Knowing when to stop is a decision that cannot be made lightly. John quickly spoke up, urging everyone to control their greed. Excessive greed will only lead to destruction. So many people have been ruined by greed. If one cannot control their greed and expand without restraint, they will only find themselves in crisis. Not every acquisition will bring profit or gain.

Over two days, John learned about the situation in Greater Paris and the status of their assets there. Although there were reports, nothing beats a firsthand look. It must be said that things aren't going well in France right now; many companies are laying off staff or downsizing, and there are hardly any companies expanding, because this time it all happened so suddenly.

However, when John arrived at the elite agency, he was surprised to find an unexpected beauty, Claudia Schiffer, a German beauty known as the "Snowflake Queen." John was astonished. However, John didn't have time to interact with this beauty; he merely learned a little about the agency before leaving.

John did not stay in France for long before returning directly to the United States. By then, the situation in the United States had been resolved, and the expansion issue that the American public had been concerned about was gradually coming to the forefront. The Mandarin Oriental Group launched a full-scale acquisition and expansion, and four shopping malls had been signed.

However, news of the British acquisition had already reached the United States, causing shock. Fortunately, because the US investment was on track, it didn't have much of an impact. However, this acquisition made those who had been warned uneasy; they naturally understood what it meant. In the future, it would be much less effective for them to use US power to suppress Gulfstream Aerospace, as the latter could utilize the British factories for production.

"What is he trying to do, ignoring us like this? And those bastards Rockefeller, how dare they treat us like this!"

"Enough! Shut up, all of you. What's the point of saying all this now? No matter how angry you are, it won't change the facts. Gulfstream Aerospace has already signed a contract with the British side and will soon have complete control of these companies. Your actions have repeatedly provoked their dissatisfaction, leading to this situation. Look around, who is still willing to stand with us? This is a stock market crash, and everyone is doing their best to revive the economy, but what have you done? You've been targeting the Cultural Oriental Group, making these foolish moves. Do you know what Rockefeller told me? This is America; no one can act recklessly. That was a warning to us. Now, I don't care what you think or how you see it, you all need to shut up. At least we can't afford to provoke those guys any further, or you'll face the consequences!"

This situation is playing out all over the United States. Many people are dissatisfied with Gulfstream Aerospace's overseas acquisitions and expansions, but unfortunately they are powerless to do anything about it. The initiative is not in their hands. With the current situation, not only are those who have been opposing John uneasy, but even Donald feels immense pressure. They understand even more clearly what this behavior means, and if things continue to escalate, things will get out of control.

Gulfstream Space is no longer something they can suppress. Their previous success was due to the cooperation of conglomerates. Those old guys didn't want to see Gulfstream Space take a share of Star Wars, but things are different now. Gulfstream Space has extended its reach to Britain, which has broken many deadlocks. No one is willing to bear the consequences of Gulfstream Space's power shifting overseas.

The donkey had originally intended to use some tricks to continue to annoy John, but that idea vanished instantly. The donkey somewhat understood the reason for this situation, so they dared not act rashly or ruin everyone's plans. They had already vaguely seen a clue behind this.

Yes, the members of the clever donkey team had already sensed something, but none of them dared to speak up, because they all understood how much pressure was behind this. If they ruined the other party's plan because of a momentary slip of the tongue, the consequences would be severe.

In an instant, no more environmental or animal rights organizations caused trouble, and even the situation in Hollywood eased slightly. Of course, this wasn't something that could be resolved simply by the donkey backing down. Hollywood's problem wasn't entirely the donkey's fault; it was more of a conflict of interest, and they wouldn't give up just because the donkey retreated.

The conflict between Hollywood screenwriters and producers is growing. Those guys want more profits, so they keep challenging the producers, demanding more benefits and a larger share of the profits. In their view, this is their legitimate right, and they will persist even without the support of Donald Trump and will not be affected in any way!
Hollywood is producer-centric, so how could production companies possibly agree to such crazy demands? It would only increase their own burden. Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media have made it clear that they will not accept any of their demands. No matter how much you threaten them, it will be useless because they have already made preparations, and they made preparations from the very beginning.

With Hollywood's two giants directly opposing the strike, other film companies naturally wouldn't agree either, leading to this conflict. Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media held a significant advantage because their editors had signed contracts guaranteeing their jobs and receiving the highest salaries in the industry, making strikes unacceptable. If a strike was initiated, the consequences would be severe—losing work would be a common occurrence. Most importantly, it would be difficult to disrupt the operations of these two multinational corporations, who could readily bring in replacements from outside to take over the work of any screenwriter!

(End of this chapter)