America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 154, Section 153: Tango in the Moulin Rouge

Late at night, the clear, tinkling sound of silver bells rang out in the bedroom.

Nico's face was flushed, and she was completely naked.

She was wearing only a bracelet and anklet, with a beautiful navel ring on her lower abdomen, and a love knot necklace that Eric had given her when he returned from China.

Her body danced gracefully to the music, which was her famous song "Moulin Rouge" playing in the background.

Under the dim, ambiguous light, the trinkets sparkled with the sound of bells.

Graceful dance movements traced across her smooth body, appearing and disappearing, beautiful and exquisite.

Suddenly, Nicole danced up to Eric, her long legs outstretched, her red-painted toes lightly touching Eric's chin.

Eric's gaze naturally fell on the opening between his legs, where it was already slightly damp.

Nicole's eyes were alluring, her breath sweet as orchids: "My love, would you like to dance with me?"

Eric gently kissed the back of her foot, grabbed her thigh with one hand, stood up abruptly, and wrapped his other arm around Nicole's slender waist.

His eyes gleamed in the dim light, filled with desire and power.

"As you wish, my beauty, let us dance that classic tango together!"

Nicole tapped her fingers slightly behind her head, as if a galaxy were falling from the heavens, and her long hair cascaded down like a waterfall.

At the same time, the gramophone played the classic opera "El Tango de Roxanne".

"Rosanna, why does my heart weep?"

"Rosanna, I feel completely weak."

"Rosanna, you can leave me!"

"But never be insincere!"

Accompanied by passionate singing, Eric and Nicole danced the famous tango.

Nicole seemed to have returned to "Moulin Rouge," her eyes becoming sharp and melancholic, her movements graceful yet powerful.

She hooked one leg around Eric's waist, her hands brushing across his chest before slipping inside his shirt, her arms moving like serpents.

Eric felt a soft, flexible movement on the surface of his skin, and his white shirt had vanished.

Her lips touched Nicole's neck, and the woman raised her head high, like a beautiful swan.

On the phonograph, the magnificent opera became even more stirring.

"Rosanna, please believe in my sincerity."

"When I say I love you!"

Even if I suffer all kinds of hardships, my love for you will last until death!

"Until Death comes!"

A passionate kiss ended, followed by frantic footsteps.

Nicole leaned against Eric, her delicate skin brushing against his firm chest.

Eric's hands roamed over her body, sometimes across the peaks, sometimes across the hills.

The intoxicating feeling permeated the air with the music, as if the air itself was filled with aphrodisiac messages.

"oh"

A soft, almost imperceptible singing voice, like the silent expression of love she conveyed in the movie.

Nicole slightly raised one leg, tilted her head back to look at Eric's chin, and wrapped her arms around his waist. The two bodies inadvertently intertwined to create the most beautiful posture.

Her jewel-like eyes seemed to steal Eric's heart.

In the early morning, Eric gently played with the little ornament on Nico's navel, while she lay lazily on him like a kitten.

Slowly opening her eyes, Eric kissed her forehead: "You woke up a little early today, darling."

Yawning, Nico complained, "I could sleep longer if you didn't touch me."

Looking down at the hickeys on her body, she pointed to her neck: "Are there any here?"

"Yes, a little, but you could say you were scratched by a cat. Don't you have a cat named Katie at home?"

"Are cat scratches and hickeys the same thing? You know how sharp the eyes of those paparazzi are. Looks like I need to hide at home."

"By the way, what's going on between you and James Murdoch? I sensed something was off between you two last night."

Eric briefly explained the situation, and Nicole couldn't help but say angrily, "This guy is going too far. 50% of the shares? His appetite has grown too big."

"Nico, are you close to James Murdoch?"

Nicole shook her head slightly: "We're not really close, just acquaintances. Actually, I'm closer to his sister Elizabeth Murdoch and brother Lachlan Murdoch. I didn't expect him to come to the party."

"So what kind of person is this James? What's his personality like? What are his abilities? Do you know anything about him?"

Nicole thought for a moment: "I know a little. Elizabeth once complained to me about her two younger brothers. All three of them were born to Murdoch's second wife, Anna."

"The older brother, Lachlan, is more conservative, while the younger brother, James, is more radical, you know? He rejected journalism, which was related to the family business, and instead chose film history at Harvard University."

"But to showcase his individuality and break free from his father's control, he dropped out of Harvard to pursue hip-hop music. Can you imagine how bizarre that is?"

Upon hearing about hip-hop, Eric chuckled coldly. He was already indifferent to hip-hop, and Amy Amélie made him dislike this genre even more.

"Later, his hip-hop company was still acquired by his father, Murdoch, and James returned to work for the group. In fact, he didn't prove anything, he only proved that he was a rebellious kid."

"So I'm not surprised that he dared to ask you for half the shares directly; that's just his personality."

"Isn't this James the president of Asia Star TV? I heard he's made Star TV very successful, so he must be quite capable," Eric said.

"I don't know about that. I've only heard about it, but everyone knows that there's disharmony within the Murdoch family."

"This old man has been married three times, and his current wife, Wendi Deng, has a very bad relationship with Anna's three children."

"With power struggles within the group and Murdoch's asset distribution involved, it's no wonder things are going badly!" Eric said.

"Yes, and even the relationship between the three sisters is not harmonious. The eldest brother, Lachlan, follows Murdoch's path, firmly developing the newspaper news business."

"And this James, his personality dictates that he will not like the newspaper industry, so he wants the group to focus its business on film and entertainment."

"Eric, I think that competing with you and having a showdown is most likely James Murdoch's decision alone, and the old Murdoch may not approve of him."

Eric rolled over and lay face down on the bed. Nicole straddled his waist and massaged his shoulders and back with her hands. She knew her man was struggling.

"Honey, do you want me to mediate? Competition is never a good thing, and the two movies even know to avoid each other."

Large hands gently roamed over his smooth skin as Eric enjoyed the massage from the Oscar-winning actress, his skin relaxing comfortably.

"No need, don't get involved. He can come whenever he wants, even if his father Murdoch comes along."

"I have no shortage of funds, at least for now, supporting Facebook's operations is not a problem. As for public opinion, although it will have a certain influence on the public."

"But the root of influence is still the quality of Facebook itself. As long as Facebook itself does not have problems and always maintains its advantages, people will know how to choose."

"The pursuit of excellence is human nature. Nobody likes to use something bad when there's something good, just like everyone likes to watch a good movie."

"What about 'Sharknado'?" Nicole asked jokingly.

"Uh, don't interrupt, or I'll spank you!"

"Actually, my only concern is that he might sabotage things politically. If he mobilizes some departments to use their power to restrict Facebook, that would be a real problem."

"Let's just take it one step at a time. In normal business competition, I can crush him!"

Monday has arrived, and the box office results for the third week of "The Purge" have been released.

Compared to the second week, the box office continued to drop by 48%, earning $1400 million, bringing the total North American box office to $8600 million.

Following this trend, after another week of large-scale reaction, half of the cinemas will be taken off the screens, while the remaining eight or nine hundred cinemas will continue to screen the films.

By the end of the fifth week, the large-scale screenings will have completely ended, and the box office potential will be almost exhausted.

At that time, "Pirates of the Caribbean" was also going to be released during the summer season.

In North America, Finding Nemo continues to lead the box office, with the clownfish Nemo taking in $6500 million in its second week after its first week grossed $4900 million.

The box office decline was only 25%, far lower than the typical halving of a movie's box office, demonstrating the exceptional quality of a top-rated G-rated animated film.

As the publishing company, Mickey Mouse is about to make a fortune again.

In terms of global box office, "The Purge" has opened in several remaining European countries, including Spain, Russia, and Switzerland, and has also been released in India. Now, only Japan remains as a major overseas market entry point.

The global box office also increased by $830 million, bringing the total overseas box office to $3100 million, and the global cumulative box office to $1.17 million.

For a low-budget thriller like this, it's already a remarkable achievement.

At the MGM Grand, Eric stood personally in the lobby on the first floor, ready to greet guests from the Ministry of Defense.

They obtained the Department of Defense's cooperation permission for a bargain price of only $1000 million, and today is the day for inspection.

We must please the inspector, otherwise the original schedule may have to be changed.

As a Hummer pulled up in front of the building, three men in military uniforms got out. Of the three, Eric only recognized Lieutenant Colonel Freeman.

Smiling and shaking hands with the other party, Lieutenant Colonel Freeman introduced them to each other.

"Eric, this is Major General Geinholz, Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Engineering and Defense, and this is Colonel Angel Winchester, Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance."

Eric shook hands with both men; the former's hands were rough, suggesting he had military experience.

The latter has relatively delicate hands, suggesting he was promoted from an administrative position.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Freeman, the highest rank a person can reach in the U.S. military is colonel, and those who can advance further almost always have complex relationships behind them. The two men in front of him should be of that type.

The three of them were invited to the company's internal cinema, where Dad was waiting. They exchanged pleasantries for a while.

"Mr. Cooper, let's not waste any more time. Let's get started. I have some things to take care of at noon."

Eric nodded. "Okay."

On the big screen, the movie officially begins without an intro; it jumps straight into the main feature.

The movie is still in its early stages; the special effects are incomplete, the Transformers are not very lifelike, and some parts appear blurry.

During the screening, Eric kept glancing toward the Ministry of Defense, where the expressions on their faces were sometimes frowning, sometimes nodding, making it hard to understand what they meant.

Two hours later, with the end of the city battle, Megatron was killed, and the Decepticons were either killed or fled.

"That's enough, let's stop here," Major General Geinholz said.

Eric gestured, and the big screen went dark and the lights came back on.

"Major General Hotz, what are your opinions? Let's talk in the conference room," Dad suggested.

After checking the time, Major General Hotz was about to stop and chat on the spot when Eric immediately gave him a wink.

Beside him, Lieutenant Colonel Freeman advised, "General, the conference room is quiet with fewer people. It's good to change the environment after watching the explosion for so long."

Upon hearing the words "quiet and less crowded," Major General Hotz looked meaningfully at Lieutenant Colonel Freeman: "Alright, let's go to the conference room then."

Inside the meeting room, unauthorized personnel were cleared out; it was a closed-door meeting.

Not long after, half an hour later, a group of people walked out of the conference room laughing heartily.

Major General Hotz said, "Eric, although I don't know much about filmmaking, I do know that directors as young as you are rare."

"Transformers was very well made, especially in showcasing the determination and courage of our army to not be afraid of powerful enemies, to protect the people, and to defend our country."

"Angela, when you get back, submit a report to the Ministry of Defense, reporting the results of our discussion. In principle, you are satisfied with the quality of the film."

"Alright, it's getting late, I need to rush back for a meeting."

Dad immediately grabbed the other man's hand: "Major General Hotz, it's almost noon, we can't have a meeting on an empty stomach."

"I've prepared lunch. MGM is going to film a Transformers sequel, and we'll need your help then."

Major General Hotz feigned modesty for a moment, then stayed at Lieutenant Colonel Freeman's urging—just for a meeting, nothing more.

Even if it's a real meeting, it can still go on without him, but now he's getting real benefits. It's too easy to tell which is more important.

Moments later, the two cars drove away from the MGM building one after the other.

By the time the Ministry of National Defense personnel left, it was already past four in the afternoon.

Eric and his father were both drunk.

Damn, this group of soldiers is really fierce, similar to those in China. The higher the rank, the greater the alcohol tolerance.

At first, everyone was a little reserved, but after the hostesses came up and they had a few drinks, they completely let loose and started dancing wildly.

The meal was finished at just past 2 PM, and everyone knows what they did for the next two hours.

After the three of them had eaten, played, and drunk to their hearts' content, they each took a sum of money and left.

As for Eric, he disdained playing with these high-class prostitutes. With the women around him of high quality, he naturally looked down on those ordinary beauties.

(End of this chapter)