America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 414 Selling Off Assets

The following morning, Martin rubbed his face as he came downstairs, got into the car Bruce had driven through the hotel entrance, leaned back in the thick seat, and let out a sigh of relief.

Bruce asked at just the right moment, "You can't handle it. You can't even handle two people."

Martin held up two fingers, emphasizing, "They're two women over 30, and both are incredibly vigorous."

Seeing that Bruce was about to make another sarcastic remark, he simply used his trump card: "When Kim and Kohler are a bit older, both over thirty, you can get them together and you'll understand."

Bruce, that scoundrel, stopped talking.

Martin's eyes widened as if he'd witnessed something unbelievable: "No way, you flew with them?"

Bruce remained silent, clearly not wanting to acknowledge this bastard who always slapped people in the face.

Martin shook his head: "They're sisters."

"That's enough." Bruce abruptly changed the subject: "Ivan instigated Jody of TMZ, and together they persuaded the victims' lawyers to double the compensation amount for all the victims who had not signed settlement agreements, citing the immense mental stress and harm they had suffered over the past year."

Martin nodded and said, "It's said that Pete has several illegitimate children."

Aniston will find a few.

Bruce was initially surprised, then he understood: "Did Jennifer Aniston say that?"

Martin nodded slightly, glanced at the time, and said, "Let's go to the studio. Training will proceed as usual today."

Bruce thought to himself, "Ex-wives are truly terrifying creatures."

What's the best way to avoid being tormented by his ex-wife? Bruce quickly came up with an answer: don't get married!

The production team had been using the code name "Dog," but after another conference call, it was officially confirmed as "John Wick."

This was the original Chinese movie title. The American title was simple and direct: John Wick, the male lead's name. This is a common feature of Hollywood movie titles, where the main character's name is used directly, such as Forrest Gump and Nemo.

Martin, Chad, and Louise all voted in favor of "John Wick," finding the name more appealing than simply naming it after the main character.

…………

In Los Angeles District Court, another out-of-court mediation attempt ended in failure.

Camille, the victim's lawyer, was the first to leave the mediation room.

Calderon, the senior lawyer acting as mediator, looked at Pete and his lawyers and advised, "The longer this drags on, the worse it will be for you."

His lawyer, Blatt, shook his hand: "We'll resolve this as quickly as possible."

Pitt also got up and shook hands with Calderon, then left the mediation room and walked towards the parking lot, with Blatt following behind while making a phone call.

"Something's not right. Someone's targeting you. Hurry up and spend the money to settle things with these women." He hung up the phone and emphasized to Pete, "The law firm just called me. Breitling and Cadillac's lawyer's letters have been delivered one after the other."

Pete was furious: "These bastards, they only care about their own interests and don't care about anyone else's life or death."

Blatt sincerely advised, "You'd better talk to them..."

Just as the two entered the parking lot, a dozen or so women, including white, black, Latino, and mixed-race women, suddenly ran off a bus.

They pointed at Pitt and yelled, "Murderer!"

"Rape!"

"Pervert!"

Just as these people started hurling insults, six or seven reporters recorded it all with video cameras or still cameras.

Pete's face was particularly grim, and he couldn't help but want to speak.

Blatt quickly pulled him aside, reminding him, "Don't say anything more, let's go."

But it was too late.

Three women carrying children of different ages emerged from behind a car, blocking Pete's path.

One of the blonde women put the girl down, pointed at Pete in front of them, and said, "Call him Daddy, call him Daddy now, that's your daddy."

Pete was stunned for a moment.

The little girl called out in her childish voice, "Daddy."

The black woman slapped the black child on the head hard: "You stupid pig, hurry up and call me daddy."

Another woman, holding a girl who was not yet three years old, looked at Pete with tears in her eyes and said, "This is your child, Pete, this is your child, look at her."

Brad pulled a bewildered Pete towards the space between the two cars: "Ignore them, don't say anything, just go."

"Pete, she's your child!"

Shouts came from behind.

"Don't even think about shirking your responsibilities as a father!"

"Go after your dad!"

The oldest child actually caught up from behind.

Pete was so frightened that he jumped into the car, slammed the door shut, and didn't dare to peek out.

This move was simply too powerful. No matter how Pete dealt with a six or seven-year-old child, it would be difficult.

As soon as Brad got into the car, he shouted to Pete, "Whether they're real or fake, remember, they're all fake!"

Pete nodded repeatedly: "Impossible."

Blatt couldn't help but ask, "Did you take precautions every time?"

Pete paused for a moment, then shook his head: "Most of the time, it's just a spontaneous idea."

"Damn it!" Blatt cursed, feeling that he might be facing the toughest lawsuit of his career.

Pitt got into the car, but the reporters wouldn't let him go.

The three mothers with their children immediately became the center of attention.

TMZ's Jody Williams personally stepped in, pointing at the children and asking, "Excuse me, what are you doing here?"

Her question was meant to allow women to express themselves freely without restrictions.

The blonde white woman pulled the child over and cried, saying, "This is my child with Pete. Pete and I had sex many times back then. After I got pregnant once, I believed Pete's sweet talk. In order not to implicate Pete, I took the child to Canada."

She tearfully recounted, "It's so hard for me as a single mother raising a child. For the sake of my child's education and future, I have no choice but to bring him to find his father. As long as Pete acknowledges the child, I will leave Los Angeles immediately and not cause them any trouble."

Jody wiped away her tears, saying, "You are a strong mother."

The blonde white woman even produced a keepsake given to her by Pitt: "This is something Pitt gave me when I left because I was pregnant. It even has his autograph on it."

Jody told her assistant to move forward and film it with a camera.

Even though Jennifer Aniston has thrown away many similar items, you can always find a few if you look carefully.

The assistant took a picture and said, "Boss, I recognize this. Brad Pitt wore it when he was filming The Heist. It's exactly the same."

Right next to them, the Black woman was speaking animatedly to another media reporter's camera, describing every detail vividly.

The security guards finally arrived and managed to clear a path for Pete's car so they could leave quickly.

While her colleagues were still focused on the three mothers and their supposed illegitimate child, Jody was thinking about things further ahead.

It's not uncommon for women to come forward with their children and seek out a so-called father in Hollywood and celebrity circles.

Nicholson, one of the trio of scoundrels, had a similar experience, which ended in an out-of-court settlement to avoid legal proceedings.

This is indeed big news, but what truly grabs attention isn't how many illegitimate children Pitt has, but how these children are actually connected to him.

It doesn't even matter if it's real or fake.

If it doesn't go down to that legal process, given the usual behavior of Hollywood stars, even Pitt himself might not be sure if it's true or not.

Ivan came over carrying a handheld camera and asked, "Are you coming or not?"

Jody snapped out of her daze: "What are you going to do?"

Ivan had already made plans, saying, "We'll interview Pitt's ex-wife Aniston, as well as Pitt's ex-girlfriends and others. I believe they'll know something about whether Pitt has any illegitimate children."

Jody slapped her forehead: "How could I forget Aniston and the others? Let's go! Hurry up, we have to get ahead of everyone else."

That afternoon, a video of Aniston's interview appeared on the TMZ homepage, right next to Pitt's news.

"I believe a man should have a basic sense of responsibility. Making mistakes is not terrible, but one should actively face and take responsibility. I haven't seen these qualities in Pitt. More than a year has passed since the incident, and there are still so many victims who haven't received a fair and just outcome. They are still enduring various forms of harm this past year..."

As a key opinion leader for #MeToo, Aniston's words carry considerable weight. She then went on to discuss the alleged illegitimate children.

She gave a vague answer: "I was married to Pitt, and a lot happened during that time. I tolerated a lot, including the various things that happened during the divorce. Even though he blamed everything on me, I still chose to tolerate and remain silent. As for the illegitimate child, you should ask him."

It wasn't explicitly stated, but everyone who saw the news video believed that Pitt had it.

Angelina Jolie, another major opinion leader, also gave an interview, stating in a manner consistent with her public image: "Why did I break up with Pitt? The reason is very simple! But no matter what, the children should not be hurt."

After Breitling and Cadillac announced their lawsuits against Pitt for breach of contract and to pursue his related liabilities, the three mothers invited Camille to serve as their lawyer and filed a lawsuit against Pitt in Los Angeles court, seeking various forms of financial compensation.

Most remarkably, Pitt's ex-girlfriend Gwyneth Paltrow saw the value of this movement and proactively jumped on the bandwagon to capitalize on its popularity.

"The reason I broke up with Pitt was because I couldn't stand him anymore. He cheated on me with the housekeeper and verbally and physically abused and threatened me."

Pepper Potts' character is as steadfast as steel: "When I found out that Pitt had an illegitimate child, I broke up with him immediately. I didn't want to be with him for even a second longer."

A new round of the campaign to beat a drowning dog has begun.

Driven by the victims and public opinion, the LAPD was forced to summon Pitt once again.

Faced with overwhelming public opinion and a series of lawsuits, Pitt had no choice but to deal with the potential criminal charges.

Money is the best solution.

Pitt is a rich man, but being rich and having cash flow are two different things; too much of his money is tied up in assets.

When asked to claim their share of the Plan B dividends, the board of directors, controlled by Aniston, used a plausible excuse to postpone last year's dividends until the end of the year.

Pitt could only learn from many of his Hollywood predecessors and raise funds by selling off fixed assets.

(End of this chapter)