Chapter 215: One Minute

[Chapter 215: One Minute]

Murdoch fixed his gaze on Eric with an expression that conveyed the gravity of the situation, saying in a low tone, "Eric, you should know that 10% of the shares is simply out of the question. Even if I were to agree, the board would never allow it."

Eric seemed unfazed by the pressure evident in Murdoch's expression and replied casually, "Mr. Murdoch, while you don't hold absolute control, the whole world knows that News Corp is Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. I believe you definitely have the power to make this decision, so please don't use the board as an excuse to brush me off."

Murdoch returned coldly, "Let me make this clear, Eric, there's no room for negotiation on this matter. You should come back with a different offer."

Eric maintained his relaxed demeanor, even propping his leg up, but his tone turned resolute: "Mr. Murdoch, I've mentioned before that I'm a stubborn person. Once I make a statement, I won't change it."

With those words, the atmosphere in the meeting room became tense, as the two men stared each other down. But after a moment, Eric was the first to break eye contact, not out of guilt, but because he realized that it was pointless. Pressuring someone didn't matter when the essence of negotiation was who held the real leverage.

And right now, the most important leverage was firmly in Eric's hands.

Finishing off the remains of his coffee, and setting the cup back on the table, Eric lifted his gaze to Murdoch.

"Eric, let's put a pin in this for today. Perhaps we both need to take a step back."

The moment Murdoch spoke, Eric sharply sensed that he had gained an undeniable upper hand in this standoff. In light of that, how could he not strike while the iron was hot?

"Mr. Murdoch, my schedule is very tight. If I miss today, I doubt I can find time in the next two months. The three major networks are waiting for my response," Eric stated. Feeling the need to fortify his point, he added, "Oh, by the way, ABC has been bleeding money, and they're offering the highest bid. Moreover, they previously mentioned they were willing to pay a penalty to acquire the remaining episodes of this season. To be honest, I'm quite tempted. After all, in the first season, I only received 40% of the ad revenue from Fox. If I were to switch to another network, ABC's offer would be... Sorry, that's trade secret."

This was already a blatant threat, and Murdoch felt an urge to hurl everything on his desk at Eric.

Of course, that's all he could do -- think about it.

Murdoch retorted coldly, "If you decide to breach the contract, then prepare to meet in federal court. I assure you, you won't get a single penny in the end."

"Mr. Murdoch, do you really believe that News Corp can go toe-to-toe with the big three networks and their backing in North America? You must know deep down that if this lawsuit goes through, Fox will undoubtedly lose. By the time the trial is over, we might not see a return to airing until next year. Firefly would probably suffer significant losses, but undoubtedly, Fox would lose even more. Without that, any hopes Fox has of rising quickly would be nothing more than a pipe dream, while the three networks -- now fully aware of the threat -- could easily work together to push Fox Network out."

"If they really did that, Firefly would gain absolutely nothing. Eric, don't forget that in the major English-speaking countries like the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and even home turf in the US, News Corp wields significant media control through its newspapers and TV stations. Even the British government has to tread lightly to maintain a good relationship with News Corp for the sake of their media image. If you go through with this, I could ensure that films produced by Firefly would receive terrible reviews worldwide, ruining your personal image globally. You know how much we've suppressed reports about you and those actresses, right? Some of those were handled by me personally. A reporter has been interested in you for six months, tracking you for two months, capturing every detail of your private life on camera. Initially intending to write a feature on you, discussing your connections with Virginia Madsen, your current girlfriend, Julia Roberts, and oh, I almost forgot about Miss Drew Barrymore. She's only 14, isn't she?"

Once Murdoch finished his monologue, he smugly lifted his coffee to take a sip, but Eric, who had been keeping his head down, raised his face. It was then that Murdoch noticed Eric's eyes were cold, and though his face appeared slightly pale, there was an unusual flush to it.

Oh no!

Murdoch thought quickly as it struck him that the young man before him was only 19, a rising star in his prime. The combination of those factors meant Eric was more prone to act impulsively when faced with threats.

If this hot-headed kid were to act impulsively and breach the contract just to take what he wanted, then even if Murdoch succeeded in using the media to destroy this kid's public image, News Corp wouldn't gain a single iota of benefit, which obviously ran counter to the Company's interests.

Eric seemed oblivious to the change in Murdoch's demeanor, glancing at his watch before looking back at Murdoch.

"Mr. Murdoch, you have one minute to consider. Agree to my conditions, or we part ways and see who ends up with a greater loss. I'll start the timer now." With that, Eric lowered his head again.

Murdoch panicked; it seemed the kid had indeed lost some of his rationality.

"Eric, please don't do this. You are an adult now," Murdoch said helplessly, a trace of reproach in his tone.

Yet Eric appeared to ignore Murdoch and continued counting down to himself, "55... 54... 53..."

Seeing that Eric was not responding, Murdoch leaned back on the sofa, slightly squinting as if assessing whether Eric would actually count down to the end. He had seen Eric's profile before and knew this young man possessed a maturity and steadiness well beyond his years. He was gambling, hoping Eric might impulsively react over the words he had just spoken, but a minute countdown could give this clever young man the chance to calm down.

"36... 35... 34..."

The countdown pressed on relentlessly.

*****

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