Chapter 128: Boarding

[Chapter 128: Boarding]

September 11.

In a luxury hotel in New York, at 9 AM.

Ian sat in front of the television, watching the news.

"No! No! No!"

The event that was supposed to unfold at 8:46 AM hadn't happened, which left Ian baffled and uneasy.

Why was this happening?

Unfortunately, he couldn't call Leyso, leaving him unable to understand anything, his heart chilled.

Half an hour passed, and still, no information came through; Ian felt he was losing his mind.

At that moment, the phone finally rang.

...

It was Leyso.

As Ian answered, he heard a few words that made him sit up straight. "What did you say?"

Leyso's voice was calm on the other end. "They changed their minds; they said they weren't going to act today."

"What the hell! How could this happen?" Ian was confused.

Leyso sighed. "They don't fully trust me yet; this was a test."

So that was it?

They didn't trust him, fearing he'd warn someone in advance? Was it true that some things might change because of him? If this plan didn't unfold, it would create significant problems with his earlier commitments.

Of course, it wasn't entirely hopeless.

Ian could cover the loss with other major news stories; even if they wanted to short-sell a company, he could dig up dirt to ensure their investment wouldn't suffer.

But the value of a groundbreaking story and regular news couldn't be compared.

The value created by ten thousand ordinary news stories might equal a major scoop, but the latter had longevity and a deeper impact, with endless derivative effects.

Just like now, what gave Ian the leverage to negotiate with the big wigs at CBS? Surely not his meager debt-ridden background?

No, it was because he was currently the most respected journalist in America -- even more than his businessman persona!

Without a steady stream of blockbuster news, Ian knew his leverage for future negotiations would threaten his plans going forward.

But there was nothing he could do now, and perhaps he was just too greedy, trying to squeeze out daily information about people like Atta -- he should've just gone direct!

Had he not allowed Leyso to interfere, maybe this wouldn't have happened.

Ian realized his mistake: sometimes plans didn't fail due to a lack of thoroughness but because he wanted too much.

Fortunately, he hadn't disclosed the specific timeline of events to the board, meaning he could afford to delay.

He said, "Are they around you now?"

"Yes."

"Are they satisfied now?"

"Yes."

"Follow their lead for now."

"Got it. The next contact will be at boarding time."

"Okay!"

...

After hanging up the phone, Ian reflected deeply.

Having acknowledged his errors, he vowed never to let small gains lead to missed opportunities on significant matters again.

Now he just hoped for a miracle for America!

...

The following days saw Ian staying in New York for an additional two days.

He didn't dare call Leyso and could only wait silently.

It seemed like those guys were lying low for the moment.

...

September 17.

Today, Ian was familiarizing himself further with CBS. After they struck a deal and he became a shareholder, Ian needed to understand everything here to prepare for future collaboration while also honing his management skills.

After all, managing a vast television network with over a hundred thousand employees required a different level of experience than anything he had before.

He decided to observe the company from a shareholder's perspective, which would benefit his future management approach.

While reviewing various reports, his phone rang suddenly.

It was his mother calling.

Ian answered, "Mom, I'm in New York. What's up?"

On the other end, a cold male voice replied, "Ian Carr?"

Ian was taken aback. "Who is this?"

The man scoffed, "I heard you welcome others to come kidnap you; well, here we are. Too bad you're not in Los Angeles. Since we came, we can't go back empty-handed, right? So we have your mother instead. I know you're a good son, and you wouldn't be callous enough to let your mom's life be forfeit over three million, would you?"

"What the hell!" Ian was furious.

He wondered who had the audacity to kidnap his mother.

Although he had only known Mrs. Carr for a year, she had been a solid mother figure. She cared for him in every way, which was increasingly rare.

Even the coldest of creatures had their emotions.

Out of respect for Mrs. Carr and for his own reputation, Ian couldn't let this go.

He spoke lowly, "I'm in New York right now!"

"You can fly back!"

"Damn it!" Ian shouted. "I can only take a train back!"

"Shut up! You bastard. We won't wait too long. If you're not in Los Angeles by this time tomorrow, you'll just be attending your mother's funeral instead."

With that, the call disconnected.

...

"Damn! Damn! Damn!" Ian cursed angrily.

He wanted nothing more than to fly back to Los Angeles immediately, confront the bastards who dared to kidnap his mother, smash their heads, squeeze their brain matter out, and paint a new generation abstract masterpiece!

Yet he had to accept reality!

He rushed to the chairman's office to meet James Perry. "Mr. Perry, I urgently need to leave New York; can you assist me in booking the soonest flight?"

James Perry looked stunned. "Didn't we agree to avoid flying during this period?"

Ian shook his head. "I can't wait. There are thousands of flights leaving America every day. I shouldn't have such terrible luck."

Perry wondered, "What's the emergency?"

Ian replied quietly, "Someone has kidnapped my mother."

Perry's eyes lit up. "That's big news!"

Ian was speechless.

This was the first time he realized how ugly these people's faces could be.

Yet, hadn't James Perry reflected his own ugly side as well?

But could he expect this discovery to lead to improvement?

Too naive!

The next second, Ian collected himself and said, "Of course, I'll take care of them myself, then bring the news back. I will create a new legacy like the one at Palos Bank... If this hijacking does not happen, I'll stake everything on the table. I won't let myself lose!"

James Perry smiled. "You're the most determined young person I've ever met; I wish you luck!"

Ian nodded, "Wish us all luck."

The ticket was quickly booked for a 2 PM flight.

...

Ian hurriedly grabbed lunch with his assistant, Shani, before heading out.

They rushed to New York Airport, but with traffic, they arrived just in time for boarding.

Ian rushed through the lines and into the plane as the flight attendants welcomed, "Welcome aboard United Airlines Flight 77." He made his way to first class and settled in.

As he placed his bag in the overhead bins, a flight attendant approached him. "Need any help, Mr. Carr?"

Ian casually replied, "No, it's a heavy camera inside."

Then he paused and looked at the attendant. "Do you know me?"

The flight attendant grinned brightly, "Of course, sir. You're a celebrity!"

Ian smiled slightly, "That's true."

As he took his seat, the flight attendant leaned closer with a lovely smile and said, "If you need anything, just let me know. I'm Shawna!"

Ian replied, "Thanks."

The flight attendant turned and gracefully walked away.

Meanwhile, his assistant Shani let out a discontented huff, only to see that Ian had already closed his eyes and was falling asleep.

*****

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