Chapter 121: Secret Clubs

[Chapter 121: Secrets of the Club]

In a luxurious mansion in Beverly Hills, Ian lay on his bed, reading the newspaper.

After rustling around under the covers, Scarlett emerged, looking adorable as she smiled at him. "So, did they have my talent?"

"Don't be silly, sweetheart," Ian chuckled.

Scarlett had just returned yesterday, and in less than 24 hours, she had already asked this question multiple times.

Jealousy in women never seemed to stop.

Noticing that Ian was not paying much attention, Scarlett scooted closer, snuggling up against him and gently rubbing her body against his.

In a soft voice, she said, "Marti knows the truth."

"What?" Ian didn't even blink.

"She found out that I didn't sleep with Harvey Weinstein."

Ian scoffed, "So what?"

Scarlett whispered, "She offered to renew my contract, but I turned her down. Now she thinks I'm uncontrollable and wants to sell my contract off to someone else."

Ian raised an eyebrow, "Bold move."

Despite all the recent scandals, it seemed Hollywood still hadn't backed down.

Knowing that Scarlett belonged to him, Ian wondered how she could pull such a stunt.

Scarlett added, "I heard it was coming from DreamWorks; they're furious and secretly plotting against me."

Well, that made sense.

His previous exposes on DreamWorks had hit them hard this year, especially with their project A.I. facing serious challenges getting to theaters.

It made perfect sense that those three guys from Hollywood would retaliate.

...

Ian thought for a moment and picked up the phone. "Deryl?"

On the other end, Deryl Chandler, the CEO of Carr Media Group, responded respectfully, "Boss."

Ian stated, "Set up a nonprofit foundation."

Deryl Chandler was taken aback. "A nonprofit foundation?"

"Yes, a foundation to support feminism, environmental protection, child welfare, and animal rights, along with backing the actors' union and directors' guild. Start-up funds of about five million should suffice."

Deryl immediately understood; this was going to make an impact on Hollywood from another angle.

Though Hollywood did invest in these areas, they couldn't cover everything.

There were numerous feminist organizations, and you couldn't fund every single one.

As long as Ian supported one feminist group and found a good excuse, he could use it to attack his competitors.

This was one of the reasons why the U.S. had so many organizations -- they were all weapons!

Of course, Hollywood could do this too, but only if you had something to back it up!

Without proper leverage, it was like having a knife without a target.

Deryl asked, "What about the writers' guild?"

"They're of no value," Ian coldly hung up the phone.

...

He turned to Scarlett and smiled, "Don't worry; you're destined to be mine. No one can take you from me."

Scarlett happily slid down.

She looked at Ian and softly said, "A reward for you."

Ian raised an eyebrow, gasping slightly in surprise.

...

Since DreamWorks was secretly targeting him, Ian felt no need to hold back.

Unfortunately, figures like Spielberg didn't live in Beverly Hills, so Ian lacked immediate context.

But he knew the Hollywood elites often had their own secret clubs.

That was where the real content existed!

Because he had acquired Lockbridge Productions, Ian had gained quite a few leads through them.

...

Mina Manor Club.

This place was located in a relatively secluded mansion, surrounded by no tall buildings, providing a pristine view of the surroundings.

When compared to celebrity mansions, clubs like this were often the best venues -- although guards were strict, and frequent checks made it hard to gather intel.

Luxury cars pulled in one after another, some very well-known figures stepping out of them.

Steven Spielberg, Tom Cruise, Woody Allen, George Lucas -- you name it.

...

Five hundred meters away from Mina Manor, in an editorial vehicle, Ian monitored the cameras, chuckling, "So many big names this time -- even more than last!"

After waiting three whole days, there was finally a breakthrough.

...

A group of them walked into the club, and a middle-aged woman dressed in a fire-red dress eagerly greeted them.

She was Mina Spears, one of Hollywood's most notorious madams.

In her club, they could gamble, do drugs, engage in prostitution... whatever they desired.

...

The camera feeds continued switching, and Ian followed the group.

They entered an opulent room and casually chatted and drank.

Ian relished this kind of atmosphere.

For him, the more morally questionable behaviors did not pique his interest.

The seemingly innocuous chit-chat or a casual comment made during a phone call often revealed exceedingly valuable information -- countless shady deals happened amidst this casual banter.

...

At that moment, they were in the lounge, carelessly exchanging pleasantries. Some were playing cards, while others enjoyed drinks.

It seemed they would play for a while longer before starting the real "games."

Spielberg sat on the couch, chatting with Tom Cruise.

They were discussing their recent film, Minority Report, which was set to release the next year, with Spielberg directing and Cruise starring.

At that moment, Spielberg shook his head, saying, "Colin Farrell is such a fool. What else can he do but sell himself to David? I'm really fed up with him."

Ian knew he was referring to David Geffen, one of the trio of heads at DreamWorks and famously a wealthy gay man.

Clearly, Spielberg was dissatisfied with Colin Farrell, who also starred in Minority Report, speaking without reservations as he and Cruise were long-time friends.

Tom Cruise laughed, "So, you can imagine how tense I was when he aimed a gun at me, right?"

Spielberg let out a hearty laugh and then said, "Hey, Woody, how have you been? Heard you've been in some trouble?"

Woody Allen, who was playing cards, shook his head, saying, "That bitch is trying to sue me for rape. Does she think I don't know what she's thinking? I won't accept her blackmail. Don't worry, I can handle this... no one will believe her."

Tom Cruise quipped, "So, you've changed your taste? You used to like younger girls."

Woody shrugged, "Gotta switch it up sometimes. What about you, Tom?"

Tom Cruise shook his head, "I've been behaving lately. Nicole threatened me; she said if I didn't meet her demands, she'd leak those recordings to the media."

Historically, he should have already divorced Nicole Kidman by now, but there seemed to be some hiccup in this timeline as they were still married.

George Lucas asked, "What kind of demands?"

Tom Cruise sighed helplessly, "She wants the rights to Mission: Impossible."

"Fuck!" Everyone cursed aloud.

Spielberg shouted, "That bitch wants to control you for life!"

Tom Cruise shrugged, "So tell me, what should I do? She has us by the throat."

Spielberg waved his hands, "No media would support her; she can't get that out."

Tom Cruise threw up his hands, laughing painfully, "Including Ian Carr? She said she'd turn it over to Ian Carr."

Everyone's expression changed simultaneously.

Woody Allen called out, "No, you absolutely cannot let her do that. That psycho Ian Carr would do anything. He only cares about the news and doesn't fear Jews!"

Tom Cruise sighed and shrugged helplessly, "That's why she has so much leverage; it's also why I can't divorce her."

He looked at everyone and said, "You've got to help me solve this mess."

Everyone glared at Tom Cruise.

"You got yourself into this trouble; why should we clean it up?"

...

In the club room, discussion continued.

Yet Ian's thoughts were wandering.

Although he was still unaware of the specifics, he could reasonably conclude that Nicole Kidman was holding leverage over these people and was demanding a hefty favor from Tom Cruise in return.

Under normal circumstances, Tom Cruise would lean on his influence in the industry to pressure his wife into a settlement, but this time was different.

A new heavyweight had emerged in the media world, one who openly disdained the Jewish elite -- while Ian Carr had never publicly declared any disfavor for Jews, his actions clearly demonstrated that he didn't regard them as significant power players.

His company had no Jewish employees, he had gone head-to-head with the Jewish-controlled Viacom for CBS, and targeted DreamWorks, an organization known for its connections to Jewish figures.

All this made it clear that Ian Carr was unconcerned about them!

With this confidence comes a ripple effect.

For instance, Jessica Alba was kidnapped, and Nicole Kidman had yet to divorce Tom Cruise...

The historical discrepancies combined with the butterfly effect initiated by Ian created even more rippling consequences.

So perhaps the solution could be simple?

All he needed was to contact Nicole Kidman to access her dirt!

Ian smiled.

...

At this moment, the conversation still lingered. Spielberg pressed a call button.

A man in a black suit strolled in.

Spielberg whispered something to him, and the man in the black suit smiled at Tom Cruise, saying, "Don't worry, sir, I can help you with this matter."

Tom Cruise asked, "How?"

Spielberg gently pulled him aside, "Don't ask about that, Tom. Just don't!"

Tom Cruise understood.

He nodded, saying, "Alright, I appreciate your help. But I don't want this to escalate... no casualties!"

The man smiled, "Don't worry, sir. Oh, and you better arrange something for your lady."

Tom Cruise glanced at Spielberg.

Spielberg smiled slightly, "There is an advertising business that can be handed over to her."

*****

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