Chapter 160: The Left Eye Upgrade

[Chapter 160: The Left Eye Upgrade]

Tonight, Amanda and Jessica accompanied him.

He got out of bed in the early morning, surrounded by the two girls, and opened his bedroom door to grab two newspapers from the doorknob before returning to bed to read.

"Julia Roberts caught meeting with boyfriend Daniel Moder; Daniel Moder assaulted a photographer, injuring him."

"The reporter plans to sue Daniel Moder for assault and demand compensation for broken camera equipment and medical expenses."

It was purely text with no accompanying photos.

Ian smiled softly and put the newspaper down.

Next, he waited for Julia Roberts to show up and deny the claims, calling it fake news.

...

Looking around, Ian noticed Amanda and Jessica were still asleep.

He picked up the phone and called Gaskill: "Gaskill, the new Butterfly has been found."

He briefly described what had happened last night, and Gaskill chuckled on the other end, "A good boss knows how to see the potential in their employees. I always wanted to tell you not to use fixed criteria to judge; now you understand?"

Ian Carr replied earnestly, "Yes, it's a pity I didn't listen back then; it seems I still have much to learn from you. But this also gave me a hint -- everyone has their strengths. Vincent isn't Philip Leyso; he doesn't have Philip Leyso's bravado, but he has his own wisdom. He can become a Butterfly without needing to be the only one!"

Gaskill paused, "You mean..."

"Find more Butterflies; quantity can make up for quality! As long as someone can make big news, they can be part of the team!"

Gaskill laughed, "Great idea, then let's continue the search."

...

After hanging up, Ian noticed Amanda and Jessica were awake.

He gently caressed the two girls, saying, "Looks like I woke you up."

Amanda laughed lightly and hugged Ian, "It's fine. By the way, Dan said there's a movie that would be great for me, but it might need you to pull some strings."

"What?"

"Cheaper by the Dozen."

Ian thought for a moment and finally remembered.

It was a comedy film produced by 20th Century Fox about Tom and Kate and their twelve children living a happy family life, only to face a crisis when they moved to the big city to advance their careers.

The biggest advantage here was the twelve children, meaning many people could be arranged.

Ian nodded, "No problem; I'll talk to Tom Rothman."

Tom Rothman was the co-chairman and CEO of 20th Century Fox, having replaced Bill Mechanic only last year, co-managing Fox with Jim Gianopulos.

With Ian's current standing, he was in a position higher than Rothman's and could go directly to the top.

...

So Ian picked up the phone and called Tom Rothman: "Hey, Tom, it's Ian Carr... So, I heard you're making a movie..."

Ian relayed the details.

On the other end, Tom Rothman's tone was flat, "That's not going to happen, Ian. I won't interfere with my people's work. That's not how business works."

Bam! The phone hung up.

...

Ian was momentarily stunned.

What was going on?

Tom Rothman had outright rejected him, and in such a strong manner?

Amanda looked at Ian, equally shocked.

She curled up a bit, cuddling against Ian, "If it's too much trouble, just forget it."

Ian gently kissed Amanda, playfully tousling her hair as he smiled confidently, "No, it's nothing. I'm not that unable to help you."

He savored Amanda's softness while his mind raced.

After a while, he picked up the phone again, this time dialing Howard Stringer.

...

"Howard, I just..."

He briefly summarized the situation, and after understanding, Howard laughed, "Tom Rothman is friends with Spielberg... Well, actually, almost everyone in Hollywood is friends with Spielberg since he's such a godfather-level director. Plus, he has a good relationship with Lucas, considering their collaboration on Star Wars. They're both Jewish, and many Jewish people in Hollywood don't like you."

So that was it.

Hollywood really didn't take him seriously enough.

Ian smiled, "Thanks, Howard."

Howard hesitated for a moment, then said, "By the way, there's something I need to tell you. The Sony stock fluctuation has made Nobuyuki Idei unhappy with me. If Spider-Man becomes a hit, he might replace me, which means I wouldn't be able to serve you anymore."

Wow, can they really just replace people? Ridiculous.

Howard was the creator of Spider-Man and opposed the sale, and the bet was a decision from Sony's parent company.

Ian huffed, "I can't change the decisions of Sony's parent company, but if they are going to replace you, they'll need someone to take your place, right? Just let me know who that is in time."

This made Howard feel relieved.

Ian Carr's usual practice was to eliminate competitors, so there was no competition left.

"Thanks, boss," Howard Stringer replied before hanging up.

...

Amanda looked at Ian with wide, dreamy eyes, "Ian..."

Ian smiled as he wrapped his arms around the two beauties.

He savored their fragrance, immersing himself in the lovely forms of Jessica and Amanda while his gaze turned cold, mumbling softly, "It's fine. 20th Century Fox just needs a new head."

Jessica understood him, "So you're going out again tonight?"

Her tone carried some grievance.

Who would want their man sneaking out of bed in the middle of the night?

Fortunately, Ian reassured them, "No. The info is already available; we just need to release it."

This excited Jessica immensely.

She slowly stood up, revealing her stunning figure, saying, "Then you're not leaving today!!!"

...

The next day, just as Ian had anticipated, Julia Roberts issued a statement claiming this was fake news by Carr Media Group.

She insisted her relationship with her stylist boyfriend was good and that there was no betrayal.

Then came the bombshell reports from Carr Media!

Julia Roberts' and Daniel Moder's affectionate footage aired directly on CBS News, while Ian's two major newspapers released high-definition images.

This even included a scene of Daniel Moder bursting out with his pants down to punch Vincent.

The news broke and instantly caused a sensation across America.

...

Countless people laughed uproariously:

"It's hilarious, Julia Roberts thinks she can deny it; she should see whose report this is!"

"Whose report? I don't see Ian Carr's name anywhere."

"Butterfly! Watch out for the Butterfly!"

"But Philip Leyso is already dead."

"The Butterfly always exists!"

"I still like Philip Leyso; just look at the news when he debuted -- violence, gunfights, adrenaline. New Butterfly just spills this? Philip Leyso interviewed in the line of fire, while the new Butterfly gets beaten up by a photographer?! He's weak!"

"Duh, he's a cancer patient."

"Ian Carr is crazy; how can he use terminally ill patients as reporters?"

"What's wrong with that? He gave all terminal patients a chance."

"Why can't other media give chances?"

"Idiot, the world isn't short of terminal patients, but there's a lack of reporters who can find big stories! Philip Leyso was a Butterfly under Ian, but with others, he was nothing!"

"The new Butterfly isn't HIV positive; that's a shame."

"What are you regretting, man?"

Debates arose, not only focusing on Julia Roberts but also on the new Butterfly.

...

After Lili Marlene, Madonna, and now another heavyweight star was caught.

Even though Ian Carr didn't leave his name, many realized this had to be related to him.

This bastard had shifted focus to economic news after wrapping up the 9/17 report and had been quiet for a while after settling things with Sony.

Unexpectedly, he had returned with a vengeance.

Bringing with him a new Butterfly, he was making a grand comeback to Hollywood, sending shockwaves through celebrity circles.

Media outlets cried, "The wolf is here!"

Some declared, "Ian Carr is back in Hollywood; prepare for yourselves!"

Ian thoguht, "What a joke! A bunch of idiots!"

...

The essence of Julia Roberts' news was still leveraging the fame effect; it was an ordinary storyline, so while the reach was vast, the shock wasn't enough.

The vast majority of readers' reactions were simply:

"This is no surprise; she's always been a bitch."

...

Because the news had little retention value, Ian quickly released another report.

"Tom Rothman and loli!"

Issues regarding underage girls were actually a common problem; incidents like the Ike Blazer event kept re-occurring, and Lolita Island was the best evidence... But there were never just one Lolita Island; it was merely the one exposed.

More importantly, this was much more serious than infidelity... Hollywood could brush off tawdry scandals, but legal issues couldn't be dismissed!

With Ian's expose, Tom Rothman quickly found himself in deep trouble.

The entire Fox entertainment group was reeling.

Ian Carr was going all out!

Even the company head was targeted? And hit so hard?

Normally, Ian wouldn't act this decisively, as after all, Hollywood brought him wealth.

He wasn't the type to retaliate just because someone rejected him, but Tom's refusal was too rude and closely tied to the Jewish community.

Well, rudeness was just an excuse.

The point was he had good relationships with the Jews!

He had to hit hard.

A series of big bombs once again shook Hollywood, leaving everyone in fear.

...

A day later, Ian received a call from another Fox mogul, Jim Gianopulos.

Amanda secured that role.

Not only that, but he was also willing to help Ian negotiate for Jessica Alba to join the movie Catch Me If You Can.

Interestingly, that movie was directed by Spielberg... Jim Gianopulos actually wanted to help him get this? How interesting!

An additional benefit brought by the continuous Hollywood scandals was that his left eye finally upgraded.

...

The Tier 3 left eye now granted him illusion abilities!

He could create a phantasmic space without using spoken influence, directly impacting the opponent's actions through inner illusions.

It was like a powerful upgrade of hypnosis.

Hypnosis was soft control; illusions were hard control.

However, the cost of controlling an opponent through illusions was significant, placing a heavier load on the left eye.

Additionally, those who fell victim to the illusions might realize the problem once they woke up, so it was best to target individuals who would be dead and unable to testify in the future!

"How should I use you?" Ian squinted slightly.

After thinking for a while, he shook his head and smiled, "It's simply to write better scripts and then let them perform."

The directors were shooting scripts for virtual worlds, while with his new illusion powers, Ian Carr could finally direct in reality.

*****

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