American Gossip King

Chapter 56 You wouldn't want to be the only one falling into my hands, would you?

Half an hour later, Ian finished his interview.

He packed everything up and then, in front of Weinstein, sent the contents to his email address.

He smiled and said, "Alright, Mr. Weinstein. The matter is settled. Thank you for your hospitality."

He gave Scarlett a look, and the two of them walked out.

Weinstein watched Ian's retreating figure with despair.

From the moment Ian sent the interview to his email, he knew he had no chance.

The attempted rape, coupled with the major secret he was forced to reveal during the previous interview, and Ian's unbridled access to his information during the interview, will all nail him to the pillar of shame.

So he could only watch Ian leave, hoping that Ian wouldn't reveal anything.

After going downstairs, the two went to the garage.

Scarlett sat in the car, watching Ian start the engine.

The girl looked straight ahead, her voice soft: "You won't release it, will you?"

Ian glanced at her: "How did you know?"

Scarlett sighed softly, "Although I'm only 17, I'm not stupid. I witnessed your negotiations with McYellen yesterday. McYellen's position is even lower than Harvey Weinstein's; you wouldn't release such important information. You'd keep it to blackmail him!"

As expected, she's a smart girl who can apply what she's learned to other situations, and Ian smiled.

He started the car and drove away from the building, slowly making his way down the street.

The beautiful scenery of the street came into view; even without using perspective, it was a wonderful world.

He smiled and said, "That's how it works normally, but if that were the case, I would have talked to him then. Scarlett, I'm not the kind of person who uses a friend and then discards them. Do you want me to release them? I mean, I can hear your opinion first."

Scarlett looked at him in surprise.

After thinking for a moment, she said, "I don't know... I don't know what that means."

"Then let me analyze it for you," Ian said. "It's simple. If you don't release it, it's like you also have his leverage, and he'll be afraid of you and won't dare to deal with you. But if you release it, you'll become famous, but at the same time you'll offend the entertainment industry... No one will hire an actor who uses his body as bait to blackmail a producer."

"I knew it," Scarlett muttered.

Ian continued, "Not revealing anything now doesn't mean we won't in the future. The profit-maximizing operation actually works like this... We have this bastard's dirt on him, and then we make good use of it. Until the day this bastard is no longer of any use to us, we'll expose everything. At that time, I'll have even more dirt on him, and when everyone's kicking him while he's down, nobody will care about what you did, and you won't have to worry about offending anyone."

Scarlett cupped her forehead in her small hands: "This is outrageous! You just said you wouldn't betray me!"

"Friends only," Ian laughed.

He drove up to a coffee shop and stopped, smiling at Scarlett. "Want to grab a drink with me? I can show you what the dark and shameless business practices are like behind the scenes of that glamorous facade. It won't be of much use to you, but it might broaden your horizons... It'll be quite interesting!"

Scarlett looked at him with her big, blinking eyes.

She understood Ian's underlying intentions.

He's seducing me.

But it must be admitted that this is a very effective way to seduce someone.

The best way for a man to seduce a woman, besides being handsome, is to showcase his business acumen—it's far more sophisticated than simply talking about money!

The girl smiled sweetly and said, "Since you showed up just in time, I can."

........................

In the coffee shop, Scarlett held her coffee and quietly watched Ian make a phone call.

Ian is on the phone.

He sipped his coffee, speaking in a relaxed manner.

His gaze met Scarlett's; they were truly a beautiful couple, but the words they uttered were rather chilling...

He said into the phone:

"Mr. Weinstein, are you feeling better?"

"No, no, don't be so nervous. You already guessed the ending, didn't you?"

"No, there's no extortion, just business negotiations. Don't think I don't know you're recording. Give up that untimely fantasy; it's pointless. I'm not afraid of you recording me if I dare to say this over the phone."

"Now let me tell you how things work from here on out."

The latest novel is first published here!

"Pearl Harbor is about to be released, and Touchstone Pictures and Miramax Pictures are both film companies under Disney. I know you have influence with Touchstone."

"Touchstone Pictures is using my relationship with Kate to create hype, but they don't intend to do anything for me. The movie needs publicity... WND News and the Los Angeles Herald are willing to provide publicity services."

"That makes perfect sense. Don't forget I'm the central figure in this affair. As Miss Kate Beckinsale's savior and rumored boyfriend, isn't it only natural for my media to promote Pearl Harbor? That's publicity in itself!"

"Of course I could talk to them, but I'd prefer you to do it. That's the true test of who's going to beg me... Of course I need a good price, especially after giving them such a great idea. If they offer enough, I could even cheat on them before the movie's release, making Miss Beckinsale an innocent victim, and then she'd run off to Ben Affleck or Josh Hartnett... Isn't that how it is in the movies? A heroine follows two men in succession. Reenacting the movie's plot in real life is much more interesting, isn't it? You admit it's a good idea? Haha, you see we still have something in common."

"This will be good news; I get the news, and you get the publicity!"

"No, no, no, you don't understand, Mr. Weinstein. This isn't a one-off deal! As the most promising media company in America's future, we have the capability to handle publicity for the entire Hollywood. All Miramax productions can be handled by us for publicity in the future, including your sister companies. I know you have a wide network of connections; you can help me with Disney, right? Pearl Harbor is just the beginning, but it will be a good start! I've even risked my reputation for this; I've acted like a scumbag!"

"Don't worry, the Los Angeles Herald has enough influence, and I have enough scoops... not you, but with you, I'll have even more scoops. Yes, my second request is that when I want to go somewhere but can't get in, I don't want Miss Jensen to take me. That's too dangerous for her... You can take me!"

"We're friends! Don't you want to be friends with me?"

"Haha, that's right! I'm very good at making friends. They usually hate me at first, but they'll be grateful to me in the end. Don't worry, it's all minor stuff, no one will see it, I'll keep it all hidden."

"Don't worry about Miss Jason. She's a good friend of mine, and I'll take care of her. I'm sure you will too. By the way, I heard this audition was for a New York gangster movie? I believe it would be a great film, and Miss Jason would be perfect for it!"

"Cameron Diaz? Our American sweetheart, I used to have a crush on her, but she's too old now, it's a pity I didn't get to know her sooner... Don't you think Ms. Jason would be more suitable? I know the age difference isn't right, but we can rewrite the script, it's not difficult, wouldn't it be better to have a young and beautiful girl?"

"I've never done anything to her, so why should I care about Cameron Diaz's feelings? You've broken your promises before, so breaking one more won't make a difference."

"That's your problem, not mine. You see, I'm a very simple person. All I need is some publicity for Miramax and your friend's company, a little help with my future dealings in Hollywood, and incidentally, to help a few friends I want to help... Be thankful, I don't have many friends in Hollywood right now, so even a pig like you is someone I'm willing to befriend. If this happened a year from now, it's hard to say."

"Hollywood has countless juicy stories every day. The more I get, the less valuable your part becomes."

"You don't want to be the only one falling into my hands, do you? There have to be some brothers in misfortune to go through thick and thin together."

(End of this chapter)