Chapter 140: The Gift
[Chapter 140: The Gift]
After the 9/17 incident, Ian became a hero in America, which kept him busy for the next month as he participated in numerous interviews with his friends Shawna and Daniel.
Most of these interviews were with CBS and WND reports. Ian turned down all other networks, leading many prominent news outlets to cry foul.
But Ian didn't care; he was a major shareholder of CBS, so he prioritized them.
As CBS continued to scoop stories, their audience and news traffic soared, and their stock price rose dramatically.
More importantly for Ian, this incident introduced him to several influential figures.
He even had an audience with President George W. Bush, who awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- the highest civilian honor in America.
It was fair to say that Ian had reached the pinnacle of fame right out of the gate.
The three great pursuits of life -- wealth, power, and fame -- were described in many ways, leading to confusion regarding their significance.
While many viewed fame as a hollow pursuit, that perspective was both right and wrong.
In reality, a good reputation itself was a form of wealth.
Throughout different stages of life, people's desires shifted. The poor pursued wealth, the rich sought power, and those in power sought fame!
Thus, fame was not merely hollow; it could even be the ultimate pursuit for humanity.
After all, once someone possessed everything, in the face of mortality, only fame could last through the ages.
Yet for Ian, it appeared to be the opposite. As a media figure, he initially had fame, then wealth, and lastly, power.
Once he accumulated enough foundation, he could further leverage the power of that fame.
In addition to that, the extensive follow-up coverage of this event had caused Ian's influence points to soar again, nearing 10,000 once more without breaking through.
The 9/17 incident had effectively boosted his stature significantly.
In comparison, whose scandal could achieve such heights?
The British royal family? Not even close!
---
Twenty days later, Ian finally broke free from the hectic interviews and returned to Los Angeles with Shawna and Daniel.
Once back in LA, Ian first visited his mother.
Mrs. Carr was fine, just a bit shaken.
After chatting with her and confirming she was okay, Ian went to see Gaskill and Lena.
Gaskill was out of the hospital, fully recovered.
They met at their villa in Montecito, and Lena excitedly leaped into Ian's arms, showering him with kisses.
She exclaimed, "I was jealous, Ian! You were with that little bitch for twenty-three days!"
And she was brought back!
Ian carried Lena back to the room and turned to Gaskill with a wry smile. "You need to watch her."
Gaskill hugged him back, "Lena is very aware; you have to understand, she's been thinking about you this whole time."
After setting Lena down, Ian joined Gaskill on the sofa in the living room.
Gaskill conveyed, "You did well this time; I made fifty million shorting the airlines, and according to our agreement, I should give you half."
Ian was taken aback.
Should? Does that mean you don't want to?
Ian didn't believe Gaskill would turn against him for a few million. But what did he mean by that?
Gaskill smiled, "I can only give you 12.5 million now; I'll have to deduct half. Do you accept?"
Ian shrugged, "If that's what you want, that's fine. I just don't understand. I mean, I don't think our friendship can be ruined over twelve million dollars... Did something happen?"
Gaskill smiled and looked at his wife. "Lena, you tell him."
Lena excitedly said to Ian, "Remember I told you I had a gift for you?"
Ian frowned, "What gift?"
Lena gently touched her abdomen, "I'm pregnant; it's your child."
What?
Ian jumped for joy.
He embraced Lena, "You're pregnant? Are you sure?"
Lena nodded seriously, "It's been two months; the doctor confirmed it's a boy."
Ian excitedly held his head, "I have a son!"
He turned excitedly to Gaskill, who smiled, "He's my son and your son as well. As his father, you should leave him some gifts, so I decided to hold back half as a gift for the baby."
Ian laughed and shook his head, "No, no, Gaskill, I don't want it; I don't want a dime! It's all yours! It's all for our son!"
At that moment, Ian was ecstatic.
I have a son!
He hugged Gaskill and kissed his forehead repeatedly.
With pure excitement, he exclaimed, "I'm so grateful, Gaskill, you've been so good to me!"
Gaskill looked at Ian, smiling, "I appreciate you too. But according to our agreement, the child will carry the Bronte surname!"
"Of course!" Ian answered loudly, "He'll always call you father! You're his first father!"
"But after I'm gone, he can call you father."
"I don't care about that; we can think about it later." Ian replied.
He sat beside Gaskill, trying to calm his emotions, then said, "I'm really happy about this, Gaskill; can you understand how I feel? He's my son, and yours as well. He will inherit the Bronte family. The Carr and Bronte families will thus become tightly connected... You're the most trustworthy person in my life, besides my mother; that's how it's always been and will be!"
With that, he embraced Gaskill's neck, laughing joyfully.
He now realized one thing; no matter who his future partner would be, the Bronte family would always be the most crucial part of his life!
Due to Lena being two months pregnant, Ian didn't get too affectionate with her.
After chatting for a while and having dinner, Ian left.
Now, he needed to see those guys who had kidnapped his mother.
---
It was a dim little room.
Inside, three kidnappers stood nervously, facing Ian Carr, Crips, and the crooked enforcer Hadark.
Ian smiled at them, "Sit down, guys, there's no need to be so tense. You released my mother, avoiding the same mistakes. I'll fulfill my promise."
The three breathed a sigh of relief together.
"Now tell me your names, backgrounds, and addresses; I'd like to take notes." Ian waved his hand, and Hadark reluctantly picked up a pen and paper.
He was good with knives but not with notes.
The lead kidnapper asked in disbelief, "Why?"
Ian casually replied, "I originally planned to do an interview, how kidnappers chose to release Ian Carr's mother because of his reputation. But then I realized that was not a good idea, so I changed my mind."
This news could have had significant value due to Ian's involvement, but first, it concerned his mother, and Ian didn't want that. Secondly, it would create a severe consequence -- people might hesitate to deal with him.
For Ian, living without thrilling criminal stories would lack excitement and diminish his news sources.
A great journalist could make news seek them out!
He had already decided to hire a few bodyguards for his mother; as for himself, he didn't want any.
This should entice kidnappers to target him again, thus bringing the news right to him -- assuming those guys weren't foolish enough to come at him with violent intentions, it wouldn't be a problem.
He looked at the three and said, "Of course, since I promised you benefits, I will keep my word. You have two choices: either I give you each fifty thousand dollars and you leave, or I give you ten thousand dollars, but later, I might have work for you. I will pay you, and it will definitely exceed forty thousand in value."
"What kind of work?" one of the kidnappers asked.
Ian replied with a slight smile, "Of course, something you're skilled at: kidnapping, robbery, extortion... all those unsavory jobs. I need you to handle some big cases to boost your records, and then I'll help write your story! You'll be more famous than Gannon and his crew!
And don't worry about prison life; pretty soon, I'll have my private prison, and I'll make sure you live there in a way you'll never want to leave -- like a vacation!"
The three kidnappers sighed simultaneously, "Then that's easy."
"I thought you'd make us sit in an office; that won't do."
"But you're a hero?"
Ian nodded, "Of course, I'm a hero, so I won't be doing those things; you will! Either I, or some heroic female officer from LA, will be the ones to catch you!"
*****
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