America: Child stars start with The Shining

"What exactly is going on now?"

Charles practically burst through the door to the CAA conference room, rushing back from the Hollywood film set, looking disheveled.

He didn't even have time to take off his coat before he looked at Ovitz, who was sitting in his seat, busy and overwhelmed with work. Ovitz's expression wasn't good either.

After hearing what the other person said on the phone, he wanted to ask a few more questions, but Ovitz didn't give him the chance at all. He told him to come over and talk about it offline and then hung up the phone.

Obviously, this is something that's not convenient to discuss directly over the phone.

Ovitz pushed a freshly printed fax in front of him and said:

"Your bank card has been frozen, but the specific reason is not yet clear."

"I checked for you. Not only these, but also your personal account, the official account for receiving your salary, and the backup account you asked me to set up last week have all been restricted."

Charles took it and looked at it carefully. It was written on the document that the reason for the temporary freeze was "suspicious transaction review".

He stared at the line of text and asked:

"Fuck, why would a little kid like me have this problem?"

Ovitz rested his hands on the edge of the table, shrugged, and said:

"That's the problem. I just asked the bank briefly, and they only said that your cash flow is abnormal and you need to cooperate with the investigation. But a freeze of this scale cannot be just a routine investigation procedure."

"I think there's a high probability that someone is targeting you, but we'll have to go to the bank in person to find out the specific details."

"But you should have a better idea of ​​what's going on by now, right?"

The two exchanged a glance, neither speaking immediately, but the answer was already obvious.

Charles took a deep breath. The only company that could so blatantly manipulate the banking system from within without any concern for the consequences was probably that company.

Sinclair Oil Company.

He just didn't expect the other party to act so quickly, and to freeze all his bank accounts right away, clearly trying to drive him to his doom.

Without hesitation, Charles immediately had Ovitz drive him to the bank.

Once he arrived there, after some investigation, he realized that the other party had frozen his bank account directly through the guardian's authority.

Furthermore, not only that, the deposits inside have also been transferred to another account.

Charles slammed his fist on the table, the loud noise startling the bank teller.

"Fuck, that bastard Trevor!"

At this moment, Charles finally understood everything.

The other party had obviously investigated his family background and then chose to start directly with Trevor.

After all, legally speaking, Trevor is still his guardian.

As long as he uses this identity, the other party has enough room to freeze his account or even transfer the money out of the account.

The entire process is laid out on paper, and there is almost nothing wrong with it; it is legal and compliant.

Sinclair Oil Company didn't need to get involved in person; through this method, they could avoid all risks and then manipulate him at will.

What's even more disgusting is that even if he knew that the other party was doing this, he still had no way to resist.

This is the power of old money family businesses in America. They don't even need to lift a finger; they can easily get rid of someone simply by manipulating the rules.

Moreover, Ciel is still just a minor.

He turned to Ovitz and asked:

"Given the way they're doing things, is there any way for me to apply to the court now to remove Trevor's guardianship rights?"

Ovitz shook his head and said:

"It's difficult. If this kind of lawsuit drags on for too long, even if you win, the freezing process on your bank account won't stop immediately, and doing so will be very disadvantageous for you."

He paused, then continued:

"If you file a lawsuit now to revoke guardianship, the other side will definitely steer the narrative towards a family dispute and a property dispute involving a minor. Once the media finds out about this, you won't have an easy time."

Why do most of Hollywood child stars go astray after growing up?

On the one hand, they became famous too early and lost themselves in the glitz and glamour; on the other hand, some people like to target these immature but wealthy children and exploit them for profit.

Charles was silent for a moment. Ovitz's meaning was clear: since the other party dared to do this, they were not afraid of him seeking a solution in court.

Because once a lawsuit begins, the other party will obviously not allow the matter to be resolved so easily. Hearings, evidence collection, postponements, appeals—any one of these steps can drag on for months, or even longer.

For Charles, what he lacks most right now is precisely time.

He slowly exhaled, gradually suppressing the anger in his chest. Especially in times like these, he must not be impatient.

He turned and followed Ovitz back to the apartment, then made a phone call.

"Hey, Judy, I want to ask you something..."

"The Act to Liberate Minors?"

This was the first time Charles had ever heard of such a thing.

Judy's voice came through the phone calmly and slowly:

"That's right, as you know, there are many child stars in Hollywood here in California, and they encounter the same problems as you."

"In a normal legal process, even if you win the case, the court will only allow you to change your guardian. But the Juvenile Liberation Act is different; it can directly help you obtain legal independence."

Charles continued to investigate and quickly figured it out.

Simply put, this bill was created to address similar situations.

Minors can legally break free from the control of their guardians as long as they can prove that they have the ability to live independently and have financial independence.

"Drew Barrymore tried this method a while ago and even made the news. However, her situation is a little different from yours. It seems she had a big fight with her mother."

Charles twitched the corner of his mouth. It had been a long time since he and Drew had last seen each other, as had Judy.

"Also, if you want the court to be more efficient, you could try using the media. I think they'd be very interested in this kind of gossip."

"Wait a minute, will the media really help me?"

In Charles's original mind, the thing he feared most was being exposed. Once it reached the media, the trouble would only get worse. But in Judy's mouth, it became a new idea.

Judy smiled and said:

"That's all I can tell you. The rest is up to you. The media is a double-edged sword; it all depends on how you guide them."

Charles thanked the other party, hung up the phone, and then turned to ask Ovitz:

Do I have any TV show appearances scheduled for me recently?

Now that Judy has shown him the way, the rest is up to him.

Now that Sinclair Oil Company has decided to break ties with him, he should retaliate.