American Gossip King

Chapter 98 Winning the Bet

A miracle truly happened.

Logically, it would be normal for Gasker to be in a coma for several days, but unexpectedly he woke up the next day.

With his head wrapped in thick gauze, Gaskell opened his eyes and saw Ian's smiling face and Lena's concerned expression.

He chuckled softly, his voice hoarse and deep: "Hey, baby. Hope I didn't scare you."

He was still wearing a breathing mask, and his voice was a little weak, but overall he looked very good!

This means his recovery will be faster than expected.

Lena grasped Gaskell's hand: "God bless you, they say you're mostly recovered, that bullet..."

She didn't continue.

Gaskell said softly, "Ian took it out."

Ian was taken aback: "Gaskell?"

Gaskell chuckled: "It's a medically similar state to suspended animation, where one still has some awareness of the outside world. I heard you and Lena talking."

Ian: "..."

After a long pause, he said, "I spent two hours weaving this lie, you bastard, you made me waste two whole hours of thinking time."

Gaskell laughed. "That's a good thing, Ian."

Ian looked at him calmly.

Gaskell said softly, "You once told me you had some tricks up your sleeve, you could call yourself a master thief... You weren't exaggerating, after all, you're the kind of person who can even steal a bullet out of someone's head. That's a good thing, Ian, it increases the trust between us."

Ian said softly, "I thought we always trusted each other."

Gaskell chuckled, "Previously, trust was limited to character and friendship; now, it includes competence. You know what that means? I can lend you money with more confidence. Otherwise, even with good friends, I'd have to consider basic risks."

Ian chuckled. "You're right, this might not be a bad thing."

He lowered his head and gently kissed Gaskell's forehead: "Then let this secret remain between the three of us, no need for more... good friends don't need to be many."

Gaskell chuckled and nodded. "By the way, did you report on me being shot?"

Ian shook his head: "No."

Gaskell said, "Report it."

Ian stared at Gaskell in astonishment: "You..."

The old man, his breath weak, said, "Those interviews about the Dam Scrap Metal Plant case were a bit disingenuous; they still didn't help you win the bet, did they?"

Ian grabbed the old man's hand: "We were so close. There was hope for saving the little girl, but what a pity, that useless policewoman."

Gascoigne laughed, "Then report my story... A 60-year-old banker shot in the head, the bullet miraculously falling out of his skull—a miracle of life. People love miracles; it's worth spreading. And there's no video, perfect for an exclusive scoop for the Herald. You can also have an exclusive interview with Lena and me... That should help you fulfill your bet... An old man shot in the head miraculously wakes up the next day and agrees to your interview. You can write whatever you want; I'll accept it all, except for things related to his sex life."

The old man smiled.

Ian stared blankly at the old man: "I really didn't have that thought."

Gaskell laughed: "Someone who's willing to risk everything for the news won't mind putting his friends down too. I'm rooting for you, Ian. Don't be a wimp... We need to complete the acquisition of the Times as soon as possible before we can move on to the next step."

Looking at Gaskell, Ian's tears slowly fell.

He nodded slightly. "Okay, Gaskell, thank you."

Gascoll smiled slightly, then closed his eyes.

He was severely lacking in energy, and this short conversation had exhausted much of his strength, so he quickly fell into a deep sleep.

--------

"Extra number! Extra number!"

"The chairman of Linuo Bank was shot, and Ian Carl stepped forward to help."

"The bullet in his head came off on its own while he was being transported to the hospital."

"A miracle of life!"

"For more details, please see the Los Angeles Herald!"

In the office, Ian looked at the newspaper, remaining silent.

The Dam Ironworks case, the little girl's fire, and the Gascoigne bar shooting have led to a series of major reports from the Los Angeles Herald.

The bet with the public has been fulfilled, and even the GG distributors are thrilled: their initial GG fee was based on an average of 400,000 copies per day, but now the daily average of the first report has reached about 700,000 copies, and it continues to produce hit products, with sales continuing to rise.

What could be better than this?

At dusk, Lloyd entered the office.

He stood excitedly beside Ian: "Today's sales: 104 million copies, Ian! We've broken one million! We've become one of the best newspapers in America!"

A million copies sold was a milestone for the American newspaper industry.

This signifies that the newspaper has become one of the major players in the American newspaper industry.

Of course, the Los Angeles Herald is currently only at its highest sales volume, not its average daily sales, but with this breakthrough, I believe that a million sales per day is not far away.

However, Ian did not react at all, and just silently looked out the window.

Lloyd looked at him in surprise: "What's wrong, Ian?"

The latest novel is first published here!

Ian sighed softly.

He didn't say anything, but simply picked up the phone on the table: "Deer, it's me."

Deer Chandler's voice was calm on the other end of the phone: "I was just about to call you. You win. The Los Angeles Times sold 98 copies today."

Ian said expressionlessly, "The Acton family hired a gunman to kill me. He's in the building across the street, pointing a gun at my head."

Dear Chandler and Lloyd were both shocked.

At that moment, Lloyd immediately stepped forward to block Ian.

Ian patted him on the shoulder, indicating that he didn't need to be nervous.

Deer Chandler exclaimed, "I know nothing about this!"

Ian laughed and said, "I'm not blaming you. Don't worry, that person has been brought under control."

Dear Chandler and Lloyd both breathed a sigh of relief.

Lloyd looked at Ian with an even stranger expression.

Ian said, "You know what? I can make him shoot. I won't die, but the Acton family will be finished, and I'll get another good scoop."

Dear Chandler remained silent.

After a while, he said, "Those guys are all idiots."

Ian chuckled and sat back in his chair, saying into the phone, "Do you know why I don't do that?"

Deer Chandler thought about it seriously for a while, then replied, "One reason I can think of is that you intend to use this to blackmail the Acton family into further lowering the price."

Ian laughed: "Well said! That's right, that's one of the objectives."

"What other reasons are there?"

"There are two other reasons. First, they'll pin all the blame on you and try every possible way to renege on their debt. They might even accuse you of colluding with me, which is true... I'm not afraid of that, Deer. The bet is notarized; they can't get away with it. But if it goes to court, it might delay the handover. I don't like that. I wish I could take down the Times tomorrow. Victory is no longer my concern; quickly reaping the rewards is what matters! I want to win this second and reap the rewards the next!"

Deer Chandler nodded in agreement.

Ian continued, "The second reason is that there's been too much violent news lately. You know, sometimes we can change the nature of things; bloody and violent news can be transformed into news about feuds between wealthy families… This is my weakness. It's not that I don't have news about wealthy families, but the value of doing business with them is obviously greater. So, it's rare to find a wealthy family that doesn't require cooperation and is willing to kill me because they can't afford to lose… I'd be very happy!"

Dear Chandler: "..."

Ron Lloyd: "..."

Ian said, "You're bound to face a storm when you get home tonight. You need to prepare for it; consider it a gift for joining Carl Media... It'll also benefit you, Deer. I can help you get a legitimate divorce and rid yourself of the harm the Acton family has caused you. After all, I don't want my CEO to still be the son-in-law of the Acton family! But before that, you might need to pay a small price... There will be bloodshed."

Deer Chandler understood: "Who else could it be but you?"

Ian replied, "Butterflies, of course!"

(End of this chapter)