America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 230 Identifying Spies

On the twelfth floor of the hotel, Martin and Bruce exited the elevator, where FBI Director Neves, who was waiting there, came over to shake hands with them.

"The other side has placed some key items in your room," he told Martin. "We need to get into your room."

Martin was prepared and said, "Sure, but my manager and I will need to accompany you the whole time."

Bruce, who was in sync with Martin, interjected, "Because of the Russians, I set up some simple security measures in the room to ensure Martin's safety, which may have allowed them to be photographed."

Neves glanced at Bruce and said, "This way, please."

Martin took a few steps closer and asked, "What exactly happened? Are the Russians really going to attack me?"

Neves was at a loss for words.

His men rushed in, and a stun grenade knocked out three suspects, bringing the situation under control in the most brutal way. As a result, they found three press cards from the World News newspaper.

Through the FBI, they immediately confirmed that the three individuals were indeed an overseas news team under the News of the World.

More details are still under investigation.

"If it doesn't involve state secrets, could you give me something to say?" Martin patted his chest, where the Presidential Medal of Freedom still hung. "I'm involved, and my life is at stake. You need to give me some information so I can be prepared."

Neves immediately snapped out of his daze and said, "Don't worry, they're not Russians. They're three journalists from the World News newspaper. They bribed two hotel employees to install eavesdropping and hidden camera devices in your room."

Martin was utterly shocked: "My God! They're insane!" He reacted accordingly: "Bruce, call my lawyer and agent. I'm suing this newspaper until it goes out of business!"

After saying that, he added with a hint of relief, "Luckily, they weren't Russians."

Neves smiled and said, "We're lucky." He then reassured Martin, "Don't worry, we'll handle this together later."

Upon arriving at the room door, Martin had just taken out his room key when Bruce took it and swiped it to open the door.

Martin invited, "Please come in."

Neves led several FBI agents into the suite.

Bruce found his laptop and webcam, placed them on the coffee table, and pressed play.

Neves glanced at Martin: "You're very careful."

Martin smiled helplessly: "I used to be quite brave, but that time at Burbank High School, I was really on the verge of death. I still feel scared when I think about it now. I'm getting more and more timid."

"Same here." Neves agreed with Martin's statement: "The more experiences you have, the less timid you become."

Bruce sped up the video appropriately and soon saw two waiters enter the room.

Neves gestured for his men to get to work, then asked Martin, "Can I make a copy of the video?"

Martin replied, "Of course."

Bruce took the memory card handed to him and copied the video.

FBI agents found three sets of hidden cameras and eavesdropping devices in the living room, master bedroom, and bathroom.

Martin's face was quite pale, but his mind was constantly racing, recalling and thinking.

Neves received a phone call and returned to say, "Mr. Davis, don't spread this news for now. Keep it within a certain scope. This is also what the White House wants."

The chief of staff made a special phone call to him about this.

Martin, recalling the previous wiretapping scandal, had some suspicions in his mind and said, "I can cooperate with you, but I need an explanation—from the hotel, the newspaper, and so on."

He then pointed to the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Although it wasn't particularly prestigious, it still served a purpose: "On the day I received the medal, someone tried to secretly film and eavesdrop on me. Their goal was very clear: to ruin my reputation. I received the medal from the White House, from the President!"

Neves said, "Someone will give you an explanation today."

Martin sat on the sofa: "I'll wait."

He didn't sit idle either; he called WMA and Coca-Cola separately. Although he didn't go into details, both sides would send someone over.

The Coca-Cola Group, in particular, had an event planned in Washington, but it was disrupted by this incident, and relevant personnel are actively contacting relevant parties.

…………

In New York, a business jet took off urgently, bound for Washington, D.C.

Mokrich, the North American editor of the World News, and Tom, the lawyer who rushed to the scene, were the only two passengers besides the crew.

"My latest news..." Mokrich quickly recounted the details of the incident.

Tom considered for a moment and offered his advice: "Three options: refuse to admit that they are employees of the newspaper, or that it was the personal behavior of temporary workers."

"That's one way." Mokrich thought more comprehensively: "If it were just Martin Davis alone, it wouldn't matter what we did, but this involves the White House. Bush just awarded him a medal... We can say in the newspapers that he's stupid as a pig, but that won't work in real negotiations. Even a pig has its pride."

Tom added, "If we take legal action against him, with News Corporation behind us, we can drag it out until he's worn out." He further stated, "And force him to reach a settlement with us."

Mokrich continued to shake his head; he had far more information than Tom, the lawyer, knew.

In London, an investigation is underway into the News of the World regarding the leak of William's knee injury.

As for eavesdropping and secret filming, these have always been the tacitly accepted methods of news gathering by newspapers and even corporations.

It's obvious that Tom didn't mention a third option.

Mokrich made his decision: "Two points: those three were just peripheral informants for the News of the World; and we need to reach a settlement with Martin Davis as soon as possible."

The employer made the decision, and Tom, the lawyer, naturally wouldn't object.

Mokrich took out his phone and made a call to Washington.

After receiving feedback on the case, Bush simply delegated this minor matter to his subordinates at the White House.

The chief of staff approached Cohen, the staff member in charge of monitoring the progress, and simply said, "The president needs media support."

Cohen replied, "I understand."

The chief of staff added, "The president is also very annoyed."

Cohen said, "I will facilitate a settlement between the two sides as soon as possible."

The chief of staff said, "The people from the News of the World are on their way. Go to the Hilton Hotel." He added, "The Coca-Cola people are at the Hilton Hotel; they've contacted me as well."

Cohen knew that Martin Davis should not be underestimated; he also had a powerful force behind him.

If Martin gets smeared by the News of the World, Coca-Cola will definitely drop him.

But right now, Martin is riding high on his popularity.

…………

At the Hilton Hotel, the hotel manager, Brown, who is of Asian descent, entered Martin's suite.

Martin glanced at him.

Brown first introduced himself, then said, "Mr. Davis, the hotel is extremely sorry for the disturbance you have suffered. On behalf of Hilton Hotels, I sincerely apologize to you."

He gave a perfect 90-degree bow.

Martin immediately realized that this was either a Korean or a Japanese.

Brown straightened up and bowed again: "Please forgive me, Mr. Davis."

Martin did not speak.

Brown stood there bent over, seemingly unwilling to get up unless Martin understood.

Martin thought to himself, "From now on, big companies will all need to hire a Korean or Japanese person specifically to apologize to people."

This talent skill is maxed out.

Martin raised his hand slightly: "No need for that."

Brown quickly straightened up, as if he could hear his spine creaking, and said hastily, "Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Davis."

Martin was speechless. Isn't the spirit of craftsmanship just the spirit of scoundrels?

They kept apologizing, but never actually said a word about it.

Martin cursed Fuck under his breath and said directly, "I've already entrusted this matter to a lawyer. The lawyer will discuss the specifics with you. If you can't reach an agreement, we'll go through legal proceedings."

Brown rubbed his waist, having previously considered having a third one, but upon hearing this, he realized it wasn't necessary: ​​"Mr. Davis, the hotel is also a victim."

Martin chuckled and said two names: "Wolf and Bellerin."

"During the Independence Day holiday, there were many tourists, and the hotel hired a group of temporary workers, including them." Brown took out a card and placed it on the coffee table: "It's a Hilton VIP membership card, which allows you to enjoy a 20% discount on room bookings at all Hilton hotels."

Martin just looked at him without saying a word.

Bruce added, "When Martin signed with Coca-Cola, they provided him with a VIP card offering a 40% discount at all Hyatt hotels."

This isn't about what kind of discount it is.

Martin got up and went to the bedroom: "I'm tired and need to rest. Old Brooks, you talk to Mr. Brown for a while. The lawyer Coca-Cola arranged for me should be here in a little while."

Martin will not reach any agreement with Hilton Hotels until the people from the News of the World or News Corporation arrive.

Bruce's approach was to stall for time.

More than an hour later, Martin received a call from White House staffer Cohn, who wanted to invite him down for a chat.

Martin used being startled as an excuse to tell them to come up and talk.

From the moment he received concrete information about the wiretapping and filming, Martin had been considering this matter. The Sun and the News of the World were not the key issues, but the News Corporation behind them had to take it into account.

This could become very troublesome if not handled properly.

As for seeking fairness and justice under American law, he's not that naive.

Martin had been trying to recall the wiretapping scandal, and seemed to recall seeing a related news report that the journalist who exposed the incident had committed suicide.

Suicide...

I just received the Presidential Medal of Freedom today. It's useful in some ways, but useless in others.

Furthermore, he is merely a spokesperson for Coca-Cola, not a "son" of Nike like Knight is to Nike.

Even if we were to do something, now wouldn't be the time.

Martin, with his self-awareness, quickly determined how to respond.

There was a knock on the door, and Neves came over with three other people.

After entering, he first introduced the two parties.

Cohen, a White House staffer.

Mokrich, the North American editor-in-chief of the News of the World, and his lawyer Tom.

For now, Martin only has himself and Bruce on his side.

The suite door closed, and the parties began their discussions. They quickly reached a consensus that the three-person journalist team, led by Alex, all had Slavic ancestry and were spies from Russia.

(End of this chapter)