Chapter 673: Cannes

One morning, after getting out of bed, Charles Capet sat on the sofa reading a newspaper. Eva Green walked up, hugged him, kissed him on the cheek, and asked with a smile, "Are you really not going to Cannes with me today?"

Charles smiled, reached out to touch her face, and said, "Can't bear to be without me?"

Eva Green sat on Charles' lap, holding his head, and gave him a passionate French kiss. "Would any woman want to leave you?"

Charles slipped his hand into Eva Green's robe to feel her soft chest. "I have to meet your president. And I'm also a shareholder of LV Group and Hermes. I need to go to the company too. Last year, LV's acquisition of Hermes failed, and they are still holding a grudge!"

"Are you going to the Elysee Palace?" Eva Green nodded with a smile, and seeing an article in the newspaper about the ongoing Libyan war, she asked, "Are you going to discuss the Libyan war with the French president?"

The current Libyan war saw the French military as the vanguard.

"Didn't Gaddafi and Sarkozy previously have such a good relationship that they wore the same pants? Now they've started fighting without leaving any room," Charles kissed Eva Green on the neck.

Eva Green whispered in Charles' ear teasingly, "It's like how you always change before and after our time together..."

...

George V Hotel in Paris, at the Four Seasons cafe.

"LV is eyeing Bvlgari?" Charles looked surprised at LV Group Chairman Bernard Arnault across the table.

"Charles, you're the largest individual shareholder of Bvlgari now!" Bernard Arnault smiled.

Charles took a sip of coffee, "Did the Bvlgari family agree?"

Bernard Arnault nodded, "LV wants to take control of Bvlgari. I offered 4 billion Euros to acquire 51% of their shares. If you're willing, I'll spend 800 million Euros to buy your 10% stake!"

Charles shook his head, "Nevermind, I don't need the money right now. The Bvlgari family is originally the brand's controlling side. Since they are willing to sell 51% to LV, I have no objections. Just let me remain the second-largest shareholder of Bvlgari. With LV as the controlling side, we won't be at odds!"

Bernard Arnault nodded, not having much to say about Charles' choice. Charles had no need to sell his shares, and he looked at Bernard Arnault, saying, "LV's sales growth in Asia has been rapid. Let's hope LV doesn't engage in market-damaging actions."

"Capet Universal's collaboration with LV is quite deep now. If LV's unreasonable actions harm my interests, Mr. Arnault, the consequences will be severe!"

Currently, Charles Capet's wealth surpassed that of Bernard Arnault's family. After Capet Universal went public, it could become the world's largest media conglomerate.

So now, Capet Capital wasn't afraid of the luxury giant LV Group. Besides, the Asian luxury market hadn't gone crazy yet, and LV Group wasn't as valuable as it would be in the future!

Bernard Arnault knew Charles was referring to international political maneuvers. Although Charles' tone wasn't to Bernard Arnault's liking, he understood Capet's Hollywood influence. A conflict between luxury and Hollywood kings would be disastrous; luxury goods couldn't do without celebrity endorsement!

"Don't worry, Charles. We've worked together for years and know how much Capet has invested in Asia," Bernard Arnault explained. "We at LV also value the Asian luxury market!"

Charles nodded. If LV dared to provoke, Charles wouldn't hesitate to retaliate.

After all, LV Group was Bernard Arnault's family's main asset, while Capet Universal was only one of Capet's important assets. Capet Capital's shares were the real heavy hitters!

Prada had already been acquired by Dawn Capital and other investment companies. Lily Ying was preparing for Prada's Hong Kong IPO. Charles' mother Evelyn was also an important shareholder and board member of Prada, deepening cooperation between EDR and Prada.

LV Group, PPR Group, Richemont, and Estee Lauder all depended heavily on media. The Capet family controlled the world's largest talent agency and media group, so no luxury brand dared to offend them!

For Charles, shares in LV Group could be sold at any time, and the same went for Bvlgari and Hermes.

...

Charles then headed to Cannes for the 64th Cannes International Film Festival.

On the beautiful Mediterranean, Charles lay on a rented private yacht under the sun while Son Ye-jin from Korea applied sunscreen, wearing sunglasses and a bikini.

"Oppa, need some sunscreen?" Son Ye-jin walked over with the sunscreen.

Charles shook his head, "No need. You don't seem to come to Cannes often."

Son Ye-jin shook her head and laughed, "Hardly ever. I don't have works with any international influence. This time, it was Unnie who brought me here, but she's really busy!" The Unnie Son Ye-jin mentioned was Gao Yuanyuan.

"I see," Charles comforted her with a kiss, "Don't worry, you'll get a chance. I'll ask Yuanyuan to prepare a good script for you. After all, she barely has the time to act herself!"

...

At the Cannes Grand Hotel, Charles was reviewing some films shown at Cannes.

Terrence Malick wrote and directed The Tree of Life, a family fantasy drama starring Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, and Jessica Chastain.

The Belgian director duo, the Dardenne brothers, directed The Kid with a Bike, starring Thomas Doret and Cecile de France.

Another strong contender for the Palme d'Or was the Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan's drama film Once Upon a Time in Anatolia.

However, Charles' attention lingered on the Danish (from the Nordic region) director Lars von Trier's sci-fi thriller drama Melancholia and the French black-and-white silent film The Artist.

"Phyllis, try to get Focus Features to secure the distribution rights for Melancholia and The Artist," Charles instructed. "The main target is The Artist, the nostalgic appeal should be quite attractive!"

Phyllis Jones nodded, "The distribution rights for The Artist shouldn't be hard to acquire. Our Capet Universal brand is much stronger than those secondary distributors, and not many people are optimistic about a black-and-white silent film. But Melancholia seems to have already secured a North American agent, so we need to negotiate with that company. The price might be higher!"

"Do whatever you think is best." 

*****

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