Chapter 79: Playing with Fire

[Chapter 79: Playing with Fire]

Charlie's face darkened, his eyes sharp and silent.

Jimmy strained his neck up, snorted coldly, and turned away with his arm around the lady's waist.

"Oh, look who it is, isn't this the ever-successful Godfather Corleone?" a familiar, sardonic voice with a smile spoke from behind.

Charlie took a head tilt and finished the light golden champagne in his glass, then casually pressed a napkin over the waiter's tray as he passed, turning around with a slight shake of his head and a teasing smile, "Of course, nowhere near your level, Duke Weinstein, top rival of Disney's king Eisner!"

"Come on!" Harvey said with amusement, punching Charlie's shoulder, laughing heartily. "You're a guy who never takes a hit. But why didn't you just punch that Jimmy earlier?"

Charlie shook his head and gave Harvey a perfunctory hug. "My anger isn't worth throwing at ants, right?"

"National Entertainment Company, formerly Northeast Theatre Company, was founded in Boston in '36 by Michael Redstone."

Charlie was silent for a moment, then quickly asked, "What's the relation between Michael Redstone and Sumner Redstone?"

Beside Harvey, a handsome young man in a dark blue suit said, "Father and son. Hello, Mr. Corleone, George Clooney!"

Charlie shook his hand and glanced at Harvey, "Oh, of course, hello George, I obviously know you. Harvey, you're pretty rude, you should've introduced him first."

Clooney flashed a broad smile showing eight teeth, warm and genuine. "Thank you, I know you too."

Charlie nodded to him, then looked at Harvey's teasing expression. "Hey, buddy. You should've warned me earlier. I mean, can that guy Jimmy affect the Redstones?"

Sumner Redstone was undoubtedly a top media and entertainment mogul in America and worldwide.

Actually, there were peers in his field, like Murdoch.

What made him more famous was his legendary recovery from a serious fire and the hostile takeover of Viacom.

Due to the Federal Communications Commission's financial and syndication rules, Viacom could be understood as the "supermarket" of the television industry, a sales platform.

At that time, it was the biggest TV content distribution platform.

A hostile takeover was like an invasion war, and the key was successful invasion!

Later in '94, Redstone acquired Paramount's parent company. Frankly, his family currently influenced culture across the US and worldwide.

Other media and cultural giants had more divided power. Comparable was Murdoch, whose main strength was in newspapers.

When someone was that powerful, Charlie didn't have to worry or be afraid.

His seemingly anxious concern about Jimmy was just a joke.

Harvey and Charlie had great chemistry. He immediately put on the boss comforting the subordinate act, patting Charlie's shoulder. "Don't worry, buddy, I'll help mediate. Mister Redstone is Jewish, he'll show me some respect."

They laughed heartily while locking eyes.

George Clooney paused, then shook his head with a light chuckle.

Harvey called a waiter and grabbed a glass of champagne. "So, Charlie, looks like you didn't gain much from this business event?"

"On the contrary, plenty of gains. Corleone Studios has enough foundation. I've basically completed the North American film distribution channels," Charlie replied with a smile. "How about you? How are the Miramax movie contract negotiations for next year?"

Harvey looked proud but spoke with frustration, "I have Disney's help, the theaters trust them."

Charlie chuckled, earning an eye-roll from Harvey.

"Is your plan to acquire Death Row Records ready?" Harvey asked seriously. "I warn you, many will show up at tomorrow's fundraiser. I'll introduce you to Mr. Kerry, but only as acquaintances.

You better not stir things up there, or..."

Charlie replied, "Do you think I'm an idiot? Besides, you got it wrong. It's not me acquiring Death Row Records now, I'm assisting Ms. Lewis's Corola Foundation with the deal."

Harvey was stunned. "Is that the Santa Monica Corola Foundation dedicated to eliminating violence and alleviating poverty?"

"Exactly!" Charlie answered with deep meaning and a sly smile.

This bastard was definitely playing with fire!

How did he convince Royale?

Harvey looked shocked and felt he fell short compared to Charlie's daring and endless courage.

The Corola Foundation was backed by several families mainly in Los Angeles, San Diego, Ontario -- mostly involved in law enforcement and prosecution.

Ms. Lewis was Royale's niece.

"How did you convince that old bastard? He's a dangerous, hot-tempered guy," Harvey leaned in, whispering curiously.

Charlie tilted his head calmly. "This is a deal likely to go through. Plus, I'm a rising film group owner in Hollywood. This group has close ties with Miramax, Fox, CAA, even Disney. I heard the Los Angeles director will change next year. They probably wouldn't mind having a friendly connection with someone of my stature."

Harvey: "..."

Not everyone clearly understood that Charlie Corleone was quite fragile inside despite appearances.

To outsiders, Charlie seemed to have deep backing.

His method was simple -- to use his existing chips to the extreme. Each time pulling a piece of the profit network, chips grew exponentially.

Personal business talks with Royale were impossible, but if it were the boss of Corleone Studios, who closely cooperated with several big companies, plus Mr. Kerry introduced by Harvey, Royale would definitely take it seriously.

Vice versa, Mr. Kerry might not be interested in working with Charlie. But if the deal was with Corleone Studios and the Corola Foundation, he'd be somewhat interested.

Simple to say, hard to actually do it.

Harvey frowned deeply, mood conflicted. "Godfather, aren't you afraid of trouble? What if Kerry refuses?"

Charlie smiled brightly. "That's the key. Others might not dare, but I'm confident I can do it! With my existing chips and charisma."

"Oh, come on, you think you're some top diplomat?"

"Months ago, I was a worthless street thug. Do you think Fox would accept threats from a guy like me?"

Harvey was silent for a while.

Finally, he reluctantly nodded.

Yes, this guy had been playing with fire from the start!

Playing with fire required crystal-clear knowledge of the info, knowing one's chips, and precisely perceiving the partner's bottom line.

He was always able to do that. He'd persuaded himself like this several times.

"Alright, I admit your goal might succeed. But you can't always do this. Your current business is more like a giant bubble in the stock market or finance world. Can you ensure profitable projects that turn this bubble into real assets?"

Obviously, yes! Charlie was confident in producing film content -- after all, he was a cheater.

He nodded and teased, "See, the chance to acquire Death Row Records has strengthened a lot now. I guess you might make some positive influence on Mr. Kerry, huh?"

*****

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