Reborn in America: Starting as a California Resident

After a secret conversation, Henry finally understood the deeper reason why he had gone to the island.

After Norman and the others said their goodbyes and drove away, only the Getty family members remained on the vast golf course.

Gordon, who had barely spoken before, said in a heavy tone, "Henry, I hope you won't blame your uncle."

This is the will of the entire American upper class, and we have no choice but to obey.

"Oh, is that so?"

"Gordon, don't you think your reasoning is ridiculous?"

"As the new leader of the Getty family, it is your responsibility to protect the safety and development of the family members..."

"Mom, I understand Uncle."

With outsiders present, Gloria was reluctant to reveal the family's internal divisions.

Now that the California consortium members have all left, her emotions have finally erupted.

To prevent the argument from escalating, Henry had no choice but to interrupt his mother.

"Henry, I'm very happy to have your understanding."

Gordon didn't respond to Gloria's accusations. Instead, he took out a precious Cuban Havana cigar from his pocket, carefully lit it, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled a string of elegant smoke rings: "I know you must have many questions in your mind, wondering why I let you get involved in that sensitive area."

(Havana cigars from Cuba are among the world's finest, each handcrafted by Cuba's most skilled cigarette rollers, making them extremely rare and highly sought after.)

"Please speak, Uncle."

"You should understand what the true pillars of the Getty family are!"

Gordon said, "Getty Oil has been engaged in fierce competition with various giants since your grandfather passed away."

Although we can barely manage to stay afloat right now, the situation is becoming increasingly dire, and every step feels like walking on a knife's edge.

"Competition in the oil industry is becoming increasingly fierce, and the family urgently needs to find new growth points to ensure the sustainable development of our business..."

Some time ago, the Rockefeller, Morgan and other financial groups reached a private agreement with us, agreeing to allow our family to increase its stake in Bank of America by three percentage points afterward.

Ultimately, it all comes down to the oil industry, where powerful players abound, and Gordon couldn't compete with giants like Rockefeller.

Faced with an industry where breakthroughs are nearly impossible, choosing to sell the company at its peak value to obtain enough cash for investment and to maintain the family's elite status and position is a wise move.

"Of course, Henry, don't worry, the family won't let their children make a sacrifice for nothing."

This is 5% of Columbia Pictures' shares. Just sign your name, and you can become a behind-the-scenes controller in Hollywood.

A brief silence fell over the court. Gordon and Paul exchanged a glance, and the latter produced a pre-signed equity transfer agreement.

Columbia Pictures?

Is this what you mean by not mistreating us?

Looking at the equity transfer agreement that had already been signed in front of her, Gloria, who had been sitting to the side glaring angrily, became agitated again: "Don't you know what state Columbia Pictures is in now?"

The company is almost at a standstill.

"Do you really think we're easy to bully by handing over a company with almost no future to Henry?"

Columbia Pictures, one of the five major Hollywood film studios, dates back to 1919 when it was founded by brothers Harry and Jack Cohn and Joe Brandt. It was originally named Cohn-Brandt-Cohn Films, commonly known as CBC Films.

In its early days, the company mainly produced low-budget films, which led to its nickname "salted beef cabbage".

In 1924, the Cowan brothers bought all of Brandy's shares and changed the company name to Columbia Pictures to enhance its brand image.

Under Frank Capra's leadership, Columbia Pictures rose rapidly, producing many excellent films, including 1934's "It Happened One Night," which shone brightly at the Academy Awards and brought Columbia Pictures to its peak.

In 1948, following the Paramount antitrust ruling, many Hollywood film companies were forced to sell their theater chains. This was actually good news for Columbia Pictures, which did not have a theater business, allowing it to join the ranks of the Big Five Hollywood film companies.

In the 1950s, Columbia Pictures won several Academy Awards for Best Picture, the most famous of which was 1957's The Bridge on the River Kwai.

However, as the 1950s progressed, the company began to encounter difficulties.

In 1958, after founder Harry Cowan died of a heart attack, Abe Schneider took over the leadership position.

Under his leadership, the company produced some classic films, such as Lawrence of Arabia in 1962, but due to its box office failure in 1966, the company was embroiled in a takeover crisis.

During this period, Columbia Pictures relied on revenue from its subsidiary, Screen Prestige, to survive.

In an effort to revitalize the company, it was restructured in 1968, renamed Columbia Pictures, and established two main branches: Columbia Pictures and Screen Treasures.

Despite the restructuring's attempt to salvage the situation, it failed to achieve the desired results, and the company nearly faced bankruptcy.

Left with no other choice, in 1972, they partnered with Warner Bros. to form a distribution company, while Screen Treasures was renamed Columbia Television and merged into a film and game company.

(The code I painstakingly wrote yesterday was reviewed by Tomato three times and is now completely invalid. It's impossible to write anything in depth...)