America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 264, Section 263: MGM Faces Its Most Serious Crisis

"Honey, you know me. I would never do such a thing without your permission."

"Of course, honey, I trust you completely, and I've confirmed it: Balrefali is the traitor."

"I'm afraid so, Eric. I don't understand why she would do such a thing. It all makes no sense."

"She's received so many great opportunities; she's a rising star. How many people can debut with a representative work?"

"Even legendary actors and Oscar winners would spend a long time playing minor roles, Barrefaeli is simply insane."

"Honey, I have to apologize. I should have listened to your advice and moved out a long time ago. If I hadn't lived with her, maybe none of this would have happened. I'm so sorry!"

After the release of "Transformers", Gal Gadot had already gained considerable fame, and Eric suggested that she move out and become invisible neighbors with Theron and Nicole.

However, given Barrefaeli's net worth at the time, she certainly couldn't afford a house. To accommodate her best friend's feelings, Gal Gadot decided to make the sacrifice and continue sharing an apartment with her.

But the more she acted this way, the more Balafali felt it was an act of charity.

"Stop apologizing. If she wants to do something bad, even if you move out, it won't help. She'll still find countless excuses."

"This is a very jealous woman. If she tries to take advantage of your kindness again, just ignore her!"

"I know, I really want to curse that bitch out and slap her twice right now, darling, will that have a bad influence on you?"

"If this will affect you, I can take some time off to avoid it."

Eric felt a warmth in his heart. What a wonderful girl she was, always thinking of him.

Eric thought that the reason she could say these things was probably because she was unaware of the existence of the other women.

Otherwise, it might not be heartwarming, but rather hurtful.

"Have you finished filming your scenes?"

"It will probably take another month to finish."

"It's been so long, let's just forget about it. You should focus on filming. Work is always the most important thing. Don't forget it's going to be released this year."

"Hmm, how about we have lunch together?"

"Noon won't work. I made plans with my mom, and I have to go home."

"All right."

"By the way, honey, don't stay where you are now. Find a hotel or a friend's place to avoid being harassed by paparazzi. I'll find you a different place sometime."

"Okay, whatever you say!"

I checked my phone, and it had been all morning, yet not a single woman had called me.

Nicole and Theron might be filming and we don't know yet, but Ashley and Mary haven't taken on any roles recently, so DoubleStar Entertainment shouldn't be that busy, as neither of them has made any moves.

This is abnormal, extremely abnormal!

Eric decided to tackle things one by one, starting by going home to appease his parents to avoid them causing him further trouble, since they were, after all, his own son.

As the man and woman who love each other the most in the world, even if they had killed someone, they would ultimately protect each other.

Besides, he's at most a scumbag, not someone who's broken the law. At worst, he'll get a scolding when he gets home.

All laws and morals ultimately vanish in the face of family ties.

Ding!

The elevator arrived at the first floor, and Eric prepared to leave.

"Boss, boss, wait a minute!"

Suddenly, Carole's urgent voice came from behind. Turning around, I saw her running towards me, her two big breasts swaying.

His forehead was covered in a thick layer of fine sweat, one hand was on his waist, his chest was heaving violently, and he was breathing heavily.

"Carol, you didn't run down the stairs, did you?"

Carol nodded, swallowed hard, and said with difficulty, "Boss, don't go out. There are definitely a lot of reporters hiding outside; they want to catch you!"

"Huh? What?"

"Barrefaeli has appeared and said a lot of bad things. You should watch TV and go online."

Eric's expression changed, and the two hurriedly went to the lounge.

I turned on my computer, and sure enough, influential portals like AOL and Yahoo had Barrefali's videos up.

"Rising TV star Bar Refaeli responds to MGM's ban statement."

Breaking! The truth behind Barrefaeli's ban, and the unknown side of Eric Cooper and Gal Gadot.

"From Best Friends to Enemies: A Deep Dive into the Feud Between Gal Gadot and Barrefaeli!"

"Hollywood actress Barna Lefari unveils the darker side of the entertainment industry!"

"Barrefaeli's rebuttal has plunged the ban into a Rashomon-like situation, with both sides offering conflicting accounts that make it difficult to discern the truth!"

After watching the video, Eric's face turned ashen, and he slammed his fist on the sofa in anger!

"Lies, all fucking lies! That bitch, that fucking filthy bitch!"

"Yahoo is a bunch of bastards too. I've contributed so much money to you, and you're just a sucker for whoever pays the most."

Carol's expression was grave: "Boss, this must have been premeditated. We just issued a ban statement, and less than half an hour later, the videos are flooding out like a torrent."

"It's the same routine as those magazines; everything is a pre-planned strategy, giving us no time to react or respond in public relations."

"And Facebook, YouTube, and MySpace—even our own platforms have been hacked."

Eric has returned to Facebook, and after two hit shows, Barrefaeli's account has amassed over a million followers.

Her latest post was indeed a photo filled with grief and indignation, accompanied by a short essay and a link, denouncing Eric and Gadot's misdeeds.

The post had only been published for a dozen minutes, but there were already thousands of comments, with many users angrily denouncing it.

"I feel so sorry for Lefari, she's so pitiful!"

"No wonder Gal Gadot got such a good opportunity as Transformers. It turns out she's a gold digger. Eric Cooper is promoting her. Ugly woman."

"Lefari is much prettier than Gal Gadot. That disgusting woman, I knew she wasn't a good person the moment I saw her."

"That couple is absolutely disgusting. I used to really like Eric Cooper's movies, but I never imagined he was such a scumbag."

"See, girls? This is the reality of Hollywood. There are plenty of people like Eric Cooper there, all they think about is their defense."

"Lefari is so pitiful. How much pain and pressure did she endure before she was willing to tell everything?"

"Support Barrefaeli! We must oppose privilege, we must defeat privilege! I'm going to go to Gal Gadot's account and curse her out."

"I noticed something: when Eric Cooper and Gal Gadot were dating, that wicked woman was still a minor. That means Eric Cooper was sexually assaulting a minor, right?"

"Gal Gadot was 17 at the time, which is legally considered a minor, but who knows if they actually did it?"

"How can anyone think that this scumbag couple doesn't have fun? I bet Eric Cooper would have already slept with that bitch, so he's guilty!"

"Wait a minute, I think everyone should be more realistic. Right now, both sides are just saying their own things. Don't let yourselves be swayed by the narrative or emotions. Whether what Barrefaeli said is true or not remains to be verified!"

"We've found a shill defending her. One is a pitiful, lowly girl with no connections, the other is an entertainment mogul with the power of life and death. Isn't it obvious who's right and who's wrong? Is there any doubt about it?"

I searched on YouTube again and immediately dozens of pages of related videos popped up.

Fortunately, YouTube and Facebook operate differently. On YouTube, there are no big creators posting videos, and the influence of accounts with only a few followers is limited.

Even if a hundred small accounts make videos at the same time, they still can't match the influence and reach of a single video from a large account with a million followers.

Currently, there are only two YouTubers with a few hundred thousand followers who are just making easy money, and their videos have only just been released and haven't caused a big stir yet.

Take a deep breath. You guys really have guts to mess with me on my turf.

I can't control MySpace, but if Facebook and YouTube can turn your world upside down, I might as well sell sweet potatoes.

Eric immediately dialed Heisenberg's number.

"Fitz, Facebook is a bit messy. Didn't the backend monitoring system notice?"

Fitzhesenberg hurriedly explained, "Boss, we're discussing how to handle the Barrefali matter, and I was just about to ask you for your instructions when you called first."

"Alright, enough with the nonsense, ban her account!"

"Huh? Just block it?"

"Sealed off! Is there a problem?"

"No, of course not. But Balefali has millions of followers. She's not an ordinary person. Wouldn't banning her account directly cause an even stronger backlash?"

"Yes, but I don't care. In times like these, you have to act decisively."

"Fitz, I can't control what's going on outside, but within Facebook's territory, I call the shots, understand?"

"I don't want to hear any noise. Besides Barrefali, all those active gossips and those who hurl insults should be silenced!"

"Okay, boss, I know what to do!"

Eric then called Howard Hughes, and both of these content creators, who were just trying to make easy money, were banned.

There are plenty of video bloggers on YouTube who want to get ahead. Banning two of them will actually make many people in the same category applaud.

This is also a warning to these influential self-media outlets: if they dare to eat my food but then smash my pot, I'll smash their rice bowl.

Moreover, there is no other software on the market similar to YouTube, and the development of video websites is far more difficult than that of social networking sites.

Internet speed is also a major bottleneck. People in the industry still don't understand why YouTube and Lionheart have such fast speeds, far exceeding the market average.

It will be at least a year before those guys find the key and truly develop a competitor.

I have a monopoly, so I am invincible. Anyone who dares to disobey me can get lost!

Even if Eric can handle the instability from Facebook and YouTube, he is powerless against the biggest threat, which comes from television stations and newspapers.

Carroll turned on the TV and randomly jumped to Fox's entertainment channel.

The host was reporting the matter in a serious manner, but his stance was completely biased towards Barrefali.

"MGM president and billionaire Eric Cooper has been exposed for a scandal involving abusing his power to bully actress Barry Lefari."

"As a rising star in Hollywood and a role model for young people, Eric Cooper should have set a good example for them."

"But the truth is quite the opposite. Not only did he fail to do so, he also displayed the characteristics of a spoiled brat and did something despicable."

"For Eric Cooper, banning a star is easy, but it also means he has killed a girl's efforts and dreams."

"We must ask ourselves, is this really the right thing to do? Can power be abused?"

Fox News pointed the finger directly at Eric himself, and other channels, as agreed, also reported on the matter simultaneously.

Even ABC went the furthest; they actually invited two professors to a legal program and started discussing Eric and Gadot directly.

Damn it, this has only been a short time since the news broke, and you've already found the guests and the show seems to have been pre-recorded.

This means they're not even going to put on an act anymore; they're determined to crush Eric with overwhelming public pressure.

"Professor Tracy, what's your opinion on the relationship between Eric Cooper and Gal Gadot? Has it broken any laws?"

"I think we need to discuss this on a case-by-case basis. Gal Gadot was indeed a minor at the time, so the key question is whether the two of them had a relationship."

"If a relationship had occurred, Gal Gadot was 17 and Eric Cooper was 21, which is more than 3 years apart in age, and it would have constituted an exploitative power relationship in the workplace."

"So even if Gal Gadot did it voluntarily, Eric Cooper still broke the law according to the rules."

"But if the two people didn't have a relationship, then it's more difficult to define."

"Even if no sexual intercourse occurred, I think it can still be considered indecent assault," another female professor added.

Watching the discussion on the show, Carol cautiously glanced at Eric.

Eric glanced at her. "Gadot and I slept together on her 18th birthday. Don't look at me like that."

"Of course, boss, I certainly won't doubt you, and these guys are clearly just deliberately picking a fight."

"The average age of first sexual intercourse for girls in the United States is over 15, but how many of those cases are legal?"

"Besides, this is Hollywood, the most decadent place in the world. Everyone knows what it's like here."

Eric nodded. He knew that the Six were deliberately picking a fight. Even laws that no one obeys are still laws, and they are the best excuse when needed.

Especially since Eric and Gadot are both public figures, their flaws will be magnified infinitely.

Even if the judiciary doesn't want to get involved, it will have to do so under immense public pressure.

Moreover, the six are clearly exploiting the public's resentment towards the rich, portraying Barrefaeli as a victim, and people naturally sympathize with the weak.

"Damn it! This time they really got what they got for it."

Eric cursed angrily. Last year, he had used public opinion to force Sony to compromise, but now the Big Six had turned the tables on him.

The only difference is that Mike's story is true, while Barrefali's is fabricated.

But what good is it if I know it's fabricated? The key is whether people believe it or not, especially since MGM wants to blacklist her. It was all planned, and I've already fallen into their trap.

"Oh, and Gadot too. I'm afraid we'll really need to hide for a few days this time."

I sent Gadot a message, telling her to take care of herself.

"Boss, what should we do?" Carol asked worriedly.

"Don't panic. Let me think about it. There will be a way."

"You should first contact those websites to see if you can suppress it, and then prepare to release a clarification announcement. I also have to do an interview."

"Also, do everything you can to find Balafali; that bitch is key."

After making the arrangements, Eric quietly left through a private passage, surrounded by paparazzi at both the front and back doors.

He had to go home and discuss it with his father; perhaps the old man would have a solution, at least he had a wider network of connections.

(End of this chapter)