America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 263, Section 262: False Accusation, Declaration of Rebellion!

It's commonplace for female celebrities to have affairs with entertainment company moguls, both in Hollywood and around the world.

If the audience finds out, they might make a joke about the woman dating a rich man, which might have some impact on the female celebrity. However, once the cooling-off period is over, no one will mention it anymore.

If a female celebrity is strong enough, even accusations of marrying a rich man will disappear, and people will only praise her as a perfect couple.

For the big shots, the impact is even more negligible, especially for those behind the scenes. The audience rarely sees them, so they naturally forget about it.

Of course, the premise is that you don't mess around, such as becoming a third party in someone else's marriage, or getting involved with a female celebrity with a bad reputation.

Once such a thing is exposed, it will not only affect the individual's image, but also have a certain impact on the company. Many viewers will hate everything associated with the company. A very obvious example is the British royal family.

One major reason why Charles has never gained recognition and has been constantly criticized is Princess Diana.

In the office, Eric stared grimly at the stack of entertainment magazines on his desk, almost all of which featured him and Gadot on the cover.

Some couples are hugging, some are kissing, and some are lying on the sofa watching TV, their behavior is very intimate, and you can tell at a glance that they are lovers or partners.

These photos come from many angles and poses, but without exception, they all have one thing in common: they were taken indoors, in Gadot's rented apartment.

The photos have already been leaked, so it's not like before where you can just deny it. Eric has no choice but to admit it, otherwise how do you explain it?

Seeing her boss's ashen face, Carol, no longer the outspoken person she usually was, cautiously said, "Boss, these magazines seem to have appeared overnight, filling the entire shelf, giving us no time or opportunity for public relations."

"And judging from the environment, you were probably photographed without your consent, which is very unusual. Not only are magazines selling like hotcakes, but rumors about you and Gadot are also circulating online."

"Should we try to salvage the situation? At least slow down the rate at which online public opinion escalates."

Eric leaned back, considered it for a moment, and then rejected the idea. Even if you spend money to settle a matter, you have to consider whether there's any hope of resolving it, and this time there clearly wasn't.

"It's no use, it's too late to say anything now, and I know who's behind this."

As he spoke, he took out a business card: "Contact Dan Jones. She's an outstanding private investigator. Have her thoroughly investigate my surroundings. I don't want any stalkers around me."

"Understood, boss!"

After Carroll left, Eric walked slowly to the floor-to-ceiling window, looked down at the bustling crowds and cars below, and fell into deep thought.

Without a doubt, it was the Big Six behind this; they would do anything to disgust Eric and make him suffer.

This kind of gossip may not have a substantial impact on business, box office, or stock price, but as long as you're uncomfortable, I'm comfortable. At least it can distract Eric a lot, so it's useful.

Moreover, the person who could take these indoor photos is most likely not a paparazzi or detective. He is always very careful when he goes on dates with Gadot to make sure that no one is following him, unless someone has special abilities such as invisibility, wall-penetration, or X-ray vision.

After eliminating paparazzi and detectives, only two suspects remain.

Gadot has always been very obedient. Eric has always been the one in charge between the two of them, and she has long been used to following his arrangements.

Moreover, she didn't have the cunning or the guts to do it; Eric was absolutely certain it wasn't her.

That leaves only one suspect – Barrefali.

This woman even deliberately went missing; everything makes sense now.

"Fuck your mother! I was worried you'd been kidnapped!"

After he finished yelling, Eric had a headache. He could already imagine how the other women would react after seeing the photos.

They'll definitely be furious, and I bet they'll be calling soon. How to deal with that is a real problem, a huge problem.

Besides, I haven't sorted out their relationship yet. I should give them at least another year or two.

铃.

I was feeling hot and bothered when my phone rang, just as expected.

Eric's heart skipped a beat. He walked to the desk and, though reluctantly, looked at it. There were two big words on it: "Dad."

"Well, besides women, there's also the family hurdle to overcome."

He made a self-deprecating remark and then answered the phone.

"Son, I got the news. It seems you've gotten yourself into some trouble." His father chuckled lightly on the phone, sounding somewhat teasing.

Eric rolled his eyes. The old man was actually laughing at him.

"Okay, Dad, what are you trying to say? I'm annoyed right now. If you're trying to mock me, then I'm hanging up!"

"Don't hang up so soon. It's just that your relationship has been exposed. What's the big deal?"

"You're a young man, and Gal Gadot is a beautiful woman. You two seem like a perfect match, unless you don't want others to know about your relationship."

"And why don't you want others to know? I think it's probably because you have other girlfriends."

"Bye, boring detective game!"

"Wait! Wait, Eric, okay, I'm not kidding. You want to solve the problem, right? Then you'd better listen to the advice of someone who's been there."

Eric immediately stopped typing: "Dear Dad, please help your son."

"Heh. Then tell me first, how many women are you dating at the same time?"

Eric mentally calculated that Gadot, Nicole, Theron, Ashley, and Mary were definitely among them.

Liu Xiaoli, Elena, and Zhou Wenqiong can only be considered casual sex partners. Liu Yifei and Elizabeth are too young to have made any moves yet, so they can't be considered potential partners either.

"Let's count five."

"Five!" A sharp shout suddenly came from the phone, clearly from Mom.

"Damn it, I've been tricked!" Eric cursed under his breath and immediately hung up the phone.

What the hell is going on? I was already annoyed, and not only did my dad not help me, he even helped my mom trick me. I'm speechless.

Knowing my mom's temperament, she had been giving me a long lecture since last year when he had a scandal with Nico. Now that she knows he has five girlfriends, she'll be furious.

"No, no, calm down, calm down. There must be a way. I'm a billionaire. If all else fails, I'll just throw money at it. Who doesn't love money?"

Eric then pinched himself.

What kind of ridiculous idea is this? It might work if you just throw money at most women, but the problem is that they don't seem to lack money.

Even if Gal Gadot were the poorest, with her current fame, making money wouldn't be difficult for her.

The two richest individuals, Ashley and Mary, have a combined net worth exceeding $5 million based on the current value of DoubleStar Entertainment, and this is expected to continue to grow.

One dollar is ten times more than ten dollars, but there's not much difference between one hundred million and one billion dollars, because you can't spend it all.

Moreover, throwing money at someone is too insulting; it's an insult to feelings.

Eric had feelings for all five of them, and they felt the same way about Eric; money isn't everything in a situation like this.

铃.

The phone rang, and it was indeed my mom.

"Mom, I'm busy with company matters right now. Can I explain everything when I get home?" Eric preemptively shut his mother up.

"Okay, I'll wait for you!"

I had just hung up the phone, and before two minutes had passed, there was another knock on the door.

"Who?" Eric roared angrily.

Click!

Judy pushed open the door and walked in. She looked terrible, her eyes were bloodshot, her clothes were dirty and disheveled, and she had an unpleasant odor. She looked like she hadn't rested for days.

"Judy, what's wrong? You don't look well." Eric looked at her with some concern.

Judy glanced at the magazines on the table, her voice a little hoarse: "I just flew back from Israel, and I already know what happened."

"Don't worry, Eric, I'm not here to plead for you, and I'm not stupid. Balrefali is a traitor!"

"She not only betrayed MGM, but she also betrayed me! I've been looking for her for five days and made countless phone calls, but to no avail."

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have brought her here in the first place. It's all my fault!"

Ugh!

With a sigh, Eric stood up, walked over, and put his arm around Judy, gently patting her back.

During her four years of college, Judy changed girlfriends the most frequently, but since finding Balrefaeli, she has become devoted to her because she truly believes she has found love.

But it's clear that the so-called love was just wishful thinking on Judy's part. Whoever falls in love will get hurt, and it seems she's been hurt quite badly this time.

"Forget it, stop talking. Love can make people blind. I don't mean to blame you."

"Look at you now, you're completely different from your usual spirited self. Go back, take a good shower and get some sleep first, we can talk about everything else after you've woken up."

But the more generous Eric was, the more upset Judy felt.

She said coldly, "I don't care if she leaves, but she should never have done this; she's hurting my friend."

"Eric, I assure you I will find Lefari and make her pay!"

Seeing Judy's gloomy expression, Eric said with some concern, "Don't do anything rash. Even if you find the person, don't act impulsively."

"Especially, you can't use violence. Even though you're the best fighter among the five of us, we all have laws on our side. Don't get yourself into trouble."

Judy scoffed, "What are you talking about? Do I look like an idiot? Besides, what's the point of beating her up? I might even have to pay her money."

"Hehe. It's best if you think that way. Go home and rest well first, and come see me when you're refreshed."

"Um."

As they reached the door, Judy suddenly turned back and said, "Eric, Barrefaeli is no longer my girlfriend. Do whatever you want with her."

Eric smiled. "That's exactly what I was waiting for you to say."

MGM quickly released a statement.

"Due to Barrefaeli's unexplained and prolonged absence from filming without requesting leave from the crew, the filming schedule of The Walking Dead has been severely delayed."

"Their actions violated the spirit of the contract and constitute a unilateral breach of contract."

"Therefore, after careful consideration, MGM has decided to terminate all working relationships with Barrefali in accordance with the contract and to seek compensation for losses caused by his breach of contract."

"MGM will not engage in any further working relations with such an untrustworthy actor, and we hope the Screen Actors Guild will handle this matter fairly."

The statement quickly sparked widespread discussion and drew comparisons to Eric and Gadot's rumored affair.

"What's going on? Has Barrefaeli been blacklisted by MGM? What about Maggie? I really like Maggie."

"Barrefaeli is such a terrible actress! Her character is awful!"

"Really? Barry Fali is so beautiful, she definitely wouldn't do that. This is just a one-sided statement from MGM, and it may not be credible."

"I think I understand now. Barrefaeli and Gal Gadot are roommates, and those indoor photos of Eric Cooper and Gal Gadot, could they have been leaked by Barrefaeli?"

"It has been confirmed that it was Barrefaeli who exposed the affair, which angered Eric Cooper. It was all an excuse; she messed with the wrong person!"

"I don't care about gossip, I just want to know what's going to happen to 'House of Cards'? What's going to happen to 'The Walking Dead'? What will happen to Barnacleley's character?"

Netizens are enjoying the gossip online, with exciting battles on the big screen on one hand and real-world gossip flying everywhere on the other – it's really interesting.

Eric issued the statement not only to smear Barrefaeli, but more importantly, to force her to show up.

We don't know where that bitch is hiding, or if she has anything else in her possession. We have to force her out as soon as possible.

This approach proved effective; shortly after MGM issued its statement, a video surfaced online.

Or, to be more precise, it is a proclamation denouncing the rebels.

In the video, Barrefali looks grief-stricken, as if she has suffered a great injustice.

She said in a somber tone, "I have been treated unfairly, both in my life and at work."

"Gal Gadot is an arrogant and conceited person. When we came to Hollywood together to pursue our dreams, we were just newcomers, and we had a very good relationship."

"But everything changed after she got together with Eric Cooper and became the female lead in Transformers."

"By the way, I remember they got together a long time ago, before Gal Gadot was even an adult."

"From then on, she was no longer like a friend, but more like a slave owner, and I was the one who was oppressed, serving her like a servant."

"If I disobey orders, she will allow men to exercise their privileges, and I will be fired immediately, losing the role and reputation I have worked so hard to obtain."

"This has been a painful experience, and I really can't take it anymore. I really can't stand those privileged classes."

"We're all human beings, so why am I being treated unfairly!"

"Yes, I did leave The Walking Dead without asking for leave, but that's because I couldn't stand it anymore."

"I'm about to break down. Their laughter is like a nightmare that keeps me up at night. It's all so painful."

"Even if I get fired, even if I face lawsuits, I will stand up and speak out."

"Because I must defend my dignity!"

(End of this chapter)