Chapter 327: Boss, your house is gone

Karuizawa Vacation Villa.

Arthur and Yasuko Sawaguchi sit on the couch chatting after dinner. Arthur had brought Yasuko all the way from Tokyo to enjoy a holiday here. Compared to bustling Tokyo, the tranquility and comfort of Karuizawa were very appealing!

"This place is really nice. It should be quite cool in the summer, right?" Yasuko said.

"Mm, it is. It's also a great place for skiing in the winter," Arthur said with a smile while holding Yasuko.

"So, what do you think? Want to buy a property here?"

"Here?" Yasuko was momentarily stunned. "No need for that."

Yasuko then kissed Arthur on the neck and stroked her chest. 

Soon after, in the bedroom, Yasuko was on top of Arthur, her long hair cascading down her sensual figure.

Suddenly, the phone on the side rang urgently. Yasuko buried herself into Arthur's embrace, "Don't answer it!"

Arthur chuckled, "Be good, it might be important."

Arthur reached for his phone, and Yasuko kissed his chest.

"Boss, your house is gone," said Anna Walker, his assistant, over the phone.

"Hmm? What do you mean my house is gone?" Arthur asked, puzzled, while still touching Yasuko.

"Two hours ago, there was an earthquake in Northridge, Los Angeles. Your old house has collapsed!"

"Earthquake in Los Angeles?" Arthur was momentarily stunned. He then pressed Yasuko's head.

"Yes, early this morning at 4:30 AM Pacific Time, an earthquake of magnitude 6.7 occurred in Northridge.

The death toll has exceeded 30, and more than 5,000 are injured. Many homes and infrastructure have been destroyed!"

"Hisss," Arthur's expression changed from pleasure to surprise as he ran his hand through Yasuko's hair.

"Boss, are you okay?"

"Oh, nothing, just a bit surprised," Arthur said, glancing at Yasuko, "Alright, I'll return as soon as possible!"

Arthur put down the phone and thought for a while. It seemed like another opportunity had presented itself. The reconstruction of central Los Angeles and Koreatown had just been completed;

Now another earthquake hit Northridge in the San Fernando Valley. I wonder how much damage there is outside the valley?

Many people are homeless; the new stadium project in Los Angeles should pass through the council even faster now, providing more job opportunities.

"Mmm, huff," Arthur let out a muffled groan as Yasuko sat up and wiped her mouth with a tissue, taking deep breaths.

"Did I just hear that there was a major earthquake in Los Angeles?" Lin asked while lying on Arthur's chest.

"Yes, it happened just two hours ago," Arthur said, relieved that he no longer lived in Northridge. What if he had still been there?

It's now 9:30 PM in Japan, 15 hours ahead of Pacific Time, just perfect timing.

"Was your loss big?" Lin's face was flushed.

Arthur shook his head, "It's manageable, shouldn't be too big of a loss. But I still need to return home quickly."

Arthur smiled and squeezed her gently.

...

On January 17, 1994, at 4:31 AM, an earthquake struck the Los Angeles area. The epicenter was in the Northridge area of the San Fernando Valley, over 200 kilometers northwest of the city center.

In those 30 seconds of tremors, approximately 11,000 homes collapsed.

Within a 30-kilometer radius of the epicenter, highways, and high-rise buildings were either damaged or collapsed, gas and water lines burst, communications were disrupted, and fires broke out, causing significant casualties and economic losses.

By the time Arthur returned to the U.S. on January 20, the death toll had increased to 62 with 9,000 injuries.

Arthur's old house in Northridge had also collapsed, but it wasn't a big deal since he hadn't lived there since relocating.

In Malibu, Arthur and Jennifer Connelly were watching the news on TV from the couch, "Los Angeles has had it rough these past few years."

"Yeah, huge losses. Estimates say around 30 billion dollars," Jennifer Connelly was also quite shaken.

She had returned to Los Angeles to attend the Golden Globe Awards the following evening.

"At least everyone is okay. Northridge in the San Fernando Valley was the hardest hit. Good thing you had moved out of there!"

Arthur immediately expressed his support for Mayor James Hahn and made a donation through Galaxy.

Of course, importantly, the earthquake had indeed accelerated the approval of the downtown stadium project.

Arthur embraced Jennifer Connelly. "I wasn't even in the U.S., and the effect on Beverly Hills and West Hollywood wasn't significant."

"It's still significant. Several highways leading into the city are damaged, and utilities like water, electricity, and gas have been destroyed, affecting many people's living conditions."

Jennifer Connelly kissed Arthur on the neck.

"The government will solve it," said Arthur, before kissing her deeply. Jennifer Connelly lay back on the couch, passionately responding to the man above her.

"Yeah," Jennifer Connelly murmured as she helped remove their clothes.

In the bathroom, Jennifer Connelly lay comfortably in Arthur's arms, still reveling in the moment. "Galaxy's reputation is growing, Arthur. You need to be more mindful of the competition from other big studios."

Arthur smiled, "I know, it's inevitable. The MPAA's obstruction of Galaxy wasn't exactly subtle."

Jennifer Connelly's 36D chest changed shape in Arthur's hands, almost too much for him to handle.

"You'll handle it," Jennifer Connelly kissed Arthur with great confidence in her man.

Arthur closed his eyes, leaning back in the tub, contemplating MGM.

Once the new Clippers arena was sorted, he planned to fully engage with MGM. Given Galaxy's current growth, acquiring MGM seemed feasible.

Compared to the other six major studios, MGM was now more of an independent film company's size. It was time for Galaxy to launch its next expansion!

*****

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