America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 146. Sounding the Horn of Counterattack

Squeak!

First came the sound of a door opening and closing, then a man said, "You're here, Janet. Petty, make a cup of coffee."

"Add more sugar. Things have been bothering me lately, and I need something sweet," a woman said.

Dan Jones paused the recording, looked at Eric, and asked, "Doesn't this woman's voice sound familiar?"

"Is this Janet Avizo?"

Dan Jones nodded: "That's right, it's her. I've been following her for a few days and finally locked onto my target."

"This man is Larry Feldman, the lawyer Janet Avizo hired, and also the lawyer for Evan Chandler in the 1993 child molestation case."

"I sent someone to his office under the pretense of consulting him, and after a lot of effort, I finally got my hands on this recording."

"Boss, you'll soon find out why I'm worth this price!"

She pressed a button on the recorder, and the interrupted conversation resumed.

Larry Feldman chuckled, "Are you still upset? A bright future beckons, Janet."

Then came Janet Avicoe's laughter: "Of course I'm worried, and the closer it gets to the trial, the more worried I get. What if I don't get the money? That's what I'm worried about."

Larry Feldman: "Whether we get the money or not depends on whether we work together. As long as you listen to me, I guarantee I can help you get a large sum of compensation."

"You know, I helped Evan Chandler get $2300 million ten years ago, back in 1993."

"But now it's 2003, everyone's lives have improved, and prices have gone up. $2300 million is clearly not enough. Our goal is $5000 million."

Janet Avicoe was somewhat surprised: "When we last met, didn't you say that $3000 million would be enough? Why is there an extra $2000 million?"

"Besides, would Michael Jackson really pay that much money? He's not a fool!"

Larry Feldman chuckled. "He's certainly not a fool, but Jackson was a big star, he always was, and he still is."

"I know these big stars too well. They value their reputation because it's equivalent to money to them."

"He definitely doesn't want to escalate things further, as that would be even more disadvantageous for this guy."

"Back in 1993, I was able to force Jackson to pay, and it will be the same this time."

Janet nodded. "Then I'll leave it to you, Attorney Larry. No matter what means you have to use, I must get this money."

Larry Feldman: "Of course, your payment is equivalent to my payment. Now let me teach you how to say and do things."

"First, we must make sure that your son Gavin Avicio stands firmly with us."

"Theoretically speaking, he should be the plaintiff, but since he's a minor, you're exercising those rights on his behalf. Therefore, everything Gavin says must be in our favor, understand?"

Janet replied confidently, "Don't worry, lawyer, Gavin is my son. Of course he'll stand with me. Would he side with Jackson instead of his own mother?"

"That's not necessarily true. Never underestimate Janet. Ten years ago, we spent a lot of time persuading that kid, Jody Chandler, to sue Jackson for sexual assault. You have no idea how much effort we put in behind the scenes."

"Fortunately, we eventually succeeded in changing Jody's mind and getting the child to stand on our side."

"I later heard that Jody was very upset and was suffering. After all, Jackson had been very good to him. It takes a lot of psychological strength for a child to lie and slander his idol."

"He also has a terrible relationship with his father, Evan, and the two have almost completely lost contact, which may well be one of the reasons."

"Your son had cancer, and he was cured thanks to Jackson's financial assistance. Such a huge favor. If he softens his heart at the last minute, all your efforts will be in vain."

"Not only that, we'll also be vilified. You'd better prepare to move. I'll have no choice but to go abroad to avoid trouble."

Upon hearing this, Janet's tone was somewhat worried: "It seems we need to train Gavin. Attorney Larry, you'd better write down a clear statement telling him what to say, and I'll have the boy memorize it."

"Yes, that's best. I'll also write one down for you; you must memorize it no matter what method you use."

"Do I have to memorize this too? Damn it, I'm terrible at this kind of thing, I didn't even graduate from high school."

"Hehe. As long as you silently recite in your mind that this explanatory paper is worth 5000 million US dollars, you will definitely be able to memorize it."

"Okay, I'll do it for the money."

Larry Feldman added, "There's one more important thing; we need to take Gavin to Dr. Mathis."

"Who is he? What is he doing here?"

"A psychologist will provide us with a psychiatric evaluation report, which is an important basis for filing a lawsuit and seeking compensation."

"Back then, Jody Chandler was unwilling to sue Jackson. His father, Evan Chandler, and I tried to persuade him for a long time, but to no avail. In the end, Mathis made the final decision and convinced the kid. Mathis is a professional."

"Okay, everything will be done as you say, we will definitely get the money."

"Don't worry, there are many people who will be willing to help us, including Santa Barbara City District Attorney Tom Schneider, who has always been very hostile to Michael Jackson."

"Back in 1993, it was his unwavering insistence that Jackson was guilty that gave us great confidence."

"Uh, should we give him another share of the money?" Janet asked hesitantly, her tone clearly revealing her reluctance.

"We can talk about the money later, when we get it."

The recording continues up to this point; there's not much more to it than that.

Dan Jones pushed the lipstick in front of Eric: "Boss, are you satisfied with the value of this recording?"

Eric let out a heavy sigh, his fists clenched tightly. These bastards are heartless ingrates.

Damn it, they're all a bunch of vampires trying to suck MJ dry.

He really wanted to release the recording right now, find a TV station, spread it online, and tear off the masks of these bastards.

However, we need to be patient for now and meet with Mike to discuss things in detail. If we announce it prematurely, it might give the other party something to prepare for, which would be detrimental to the trial.

A sudden, decisive strike is the only way to kill!

With a forced smile, Eric praised, "Ms. Jones, you certainly haven't disappointed me. No wonder everyone says you're top-notch in the industry."

Dan Jones wagged his finger: "Don't jump to conclusions, take a look at this one too."

As she spoke, she took out a file folder from her bag, opened the seal, and pulled out a stack of documents.

"This is Janet Avicoe's criminal record. This woman is indeed a repeat offender. Although it cannot be used as direct evidence in the child molestation case, it can still prove her character."

"Judges will take all factors into consideration. Even if a woman with a long criminal record cries her heart out, her credibility will be questionable. People will think those are crocodile tears."

Eric flipped through the records and discovered that this woman had done quite a few dirty things.

This includes theft, extortion, public nudity, urinating in public, and insulting or verbally abusing others.

The most recent record is from over two years ago, when she was caught red-handed stealing from a supermarket.

A conflict broke out between her and a supermarket security guard, who then called the police to have her arrested.

However, a few weeks later, Janet turned the tables and sued the supermarket security guard for sexually abusing her, claiming that she was pinched on the chest 25 times and beaten.

But this behavior is strange. What woman, when being sexually abused, has the leisure to count how many times she was pinched?

The security guard stated that she was not abused at all, and that the bruises on Janet's body were self-inflicted, with the aim of extortion.

In the end, due to a lack of direct evidence and Janet's continued harassment, the supermarket paid her $150,000 in an out-of-court settlement.

Eric put the documents away and wrote a check, handing it to Dan Jones.

"Ms. Jones, I am very satisfied with your work performance. I'll pay you the remaining balance in advance."

"If you can obtain more evidence, I'm willing to double the reward."

Dan Jones took the check, kissed it, and said, "I'll do my best! To be honest, before accepting your commission, I wasn't a fan of Michael Jackson, and I even believed some of the media reports."

"However, after obtaining these recordings, reality has shown me just how disgusting some people can be. My next step is to investigate the evidence from back then and see if I can get bank statements or something."

"I also have a suggestion. I'm in charge of the covert investigation, but you, being a wealthy man, can do something more public."

"For example, regarding Janet's criminal record, the supermarket found the owner and persuaded him to sue Janet for extortion, although it was likely to be ineffective, since the case had already been closed."

"But our goal is not to overturn the verdict, but to generate buzz and draw the judge's and the public's attention away from just Jackson."

"We need to take the initiative and shift our focus. We can go find the victims in these records and cause those guys more trouble."

"And then there's Jody Chandler, who's 23 now. The recording mentions that he doesn't have a good relationship with his father, which might be a breakthrough."

Eric nodded slightly: "That makes sense. I would have done it even if you hadn't said so."

"Okay, that's enough of that. I hope I can get that bonus when we meet next time."

Eric stood up and saw Dan Jones to the door, whereupon the man suddenly turned back and said, "By the way, I have another question for you."

"explain."

"I absolutely love Jackson's new song 'Rolling in the Deep.' During the interview, he said you were involved in writing the lyrics and composing the music. Is that true?"

"Of course it's true. It's normal for a tycoon like me to have some hobbies. I just occasionally show off a little." Eric boasted matter-of-factly.

Dan Jones pulled out a record: "That's great! Please sign this for me, and then get Jackson's autograph too, okay?"

"No problem. I hope that next time we meet, this album and the prize money will be handed to you."

After seeing Dan Jones off, Eric picked up his phone and dialed Mike's number. The phone rang for several seconds, but no one answered.

Thinking something was wrong, Eric didn't call again and went straight into the editing room to start editing "Blue Is the Warmest Color".

The filming time was shorter than that of "Transformers", but the amount of footage shot was actually more.

Because when filming "Transformers", a lot of time was wasted on getting to the location, setting up the set, scouting locations, and props. A scene involving closing off a road would take several hours to film before it even started.

Blues of Adele has absolutely no pressure in this regard.

Referring to the script, Eric began to cut, and with a reference, he worked very quickly.

In just one afternoon, he had cut out one-tenth of the content.

If nothing else comes up, I estimate I can finish the rough cut within a week, and then I'll have to decide what to cut or add.

There's no rush for this movie. It doesn't have special effects; we're just focusing on getting the music and dubbing done. It'll probably have to go through some censorship, but a December release is no problem at all.

Just as I was about to leave work, the phone rang. It was Mike calling me back.

"Sorry Eric, I was working on an event and didn't notice the phone. I just realized it. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Eric took a deep breath: "Michael, about that thing I told you about a while ago, I've now gathered some evidence that will be very helpful to your case. You must take a look."

Upon hearing this, Michael's voice was clearly excited: "Really? That's wonderful! Thank you, Eric. I'll come find you as soon as I get back."

"Huh? You're not home?"

"No, I'm in Africa right now, participating in a charity event for children and AIDS. I still have a few countries to go to, and I estimate I won't be able to return home for another four or five days."

Upon hearing this, Eric was somewhat moved, noting that Michael's own situation was not optimistic, yet he still had the mind to do charity work.

At times like these, most people either study how to defend themselves and get acquitted, or they go out to promote their new songs.

You might say he's stupid, but he's not stupid either; otherwise, how could he have become the king of pop culture worldwide?

It can only be said that he is too kind, such a good person by nature, but unfortunately the world may not treat kind people kindly.

A kind and principled person like Michael needs to be protected by someone like me who doesn't follow the rules.

"Alright then, tell me when you get back, and I'll come find you at Dream Manor."

After leaving the company and getting into the car, Eric asked, "Peter, where is the best shop? I need to buy a gift."

"Boss, who are you buying this for? A man? A woman? A friend? An elderly person? Or a child?"

"Woman, intimate woman."

Peter looked at him knowingly: "For women, Beverly Hills Shopping Center is fine. It's a shopping paradise for wealthy women, and it's not far from your home."

"Beverly Hills Shopping Center? That sounds familiar. Wait, I suddenly remember, isn't that where Winona Ryder got caught stealing?"

"That's right, many big stars like to shop there. It's full of jewelry, cosmetics, clothes, all the things women love most."

"Okay, then take me there."

Thank you to reader 20200510022929734 for the 1000 coin reward! Thank you, boss!

(End of this chapter)