Chapter 364: At Least There's Freedom

In the evening, after Charles and Ivanka left the Plaza Hotel, Charles called Amelia, arranging for her to prepare for his meeting with Wayne Huizenga in Miami.

"This financial crisis is terrible; it's not just the banks, insurance companies, and investment funds linked to the subprime mortgage, even other industries are struggling." Ivanka seemed a bit worried back at her small apartment in Trump World Tower.

"Your father's Trump International Hotel Tower in Chicago is facing difficulties, isn't it?" Charles was sharp. Why else would Ivanka worry about the economic crisis?

If it didn't affect her, she wouldn't pay attention to these things!

"We suggested that Deutsche Bank defer the repayment, but they didn't agree," Ivanka waved her hand.

"So Deutsche Bank sued the Trump Organization for repayment?" Charles laughed, knowing Trump was notorious for such issues.

"My father will counter-sue Deutsche Bank for predatory lending, or Deutsche Bank will take over the Trump International Hotel Tower in Chicago," Ivanka shrugged.

Charles hugged Ivanka, moving his hand into her dress. "Your father is quite something!"

Charles couldn't bring himself to call her father shameless. Lawsuits and negotiations were just a way to solve these issues.

Ivanka, under Charles' advances, kissed his ear passionately and asked, "The presidential candidates making the biggest splash now are the Democrats - Hillary and Obama. But it seems Obama is gaining more and more support. Will he become America's first Black president?"

"Of course, people would rather accept a Black man as president than a woman," Charles said, ripping the dress off her shoulders and kissing her.

In no time, Ivanka was making sweet music under Charles...

...

Forbes: The first quarter of 2008 saw 750,000 new foreclosures in the US. Since 2007, over 3 million homes have been foreclosed. America needs to save the homeless;

CNBC: The government is considering the feasibility of taking over Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae!

Financial magazines like Fortune, BusinessWeek, Financial Times, and The Wall Street Journal could not offer any confidence.

Among the five major investment banks on Wall Street, Bear Stearns was acquired by JPMorgan Chase, while Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers were seeking buyers, and both Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley were handling distressed assets looking for help.

The S&P 500 index and the NASDAQ index were falling, with the three major rating agencies - Standard & Poor's, Moody's, and Fitch - predicting further market decline.

While Charles was busy buying skyscrapers and acquiring NFL teams in New York, Hollywood was far from peaceful.

Hollywood's notorious Harvey Weinstein was facing collapse, and his wife was divorcing him along with high compensation for the victims.

Weinstein Company, established just three years ago, was already in crisis. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts expelled Harvey Weinstein.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decided to expel Weinstein and remove him from the board.

The Producers Guild of America and the Directors Guild of America also expelled Weinstein!

Harvey Weinstein, the independent film king dominating Hollywood for twenty years, at 56, had lost everything. But at least he was still free and didn't have to spend the rest of his life in prison.

In Beverly Hills, at the ETA headquarters in Evelyn Capet's office, Nancy Josephson put down her newspaper, "Harvey Weinstein finally got what he deserved!"

Evelyn smiled, "He messed up too many young women over the years."

"Charles is growing fast and hasn't lost his head with success. Keeping stability in Hollywood is paramount to maximizing profit and avoiding becoming a target." Nancy Josephson, who joined ETA, had become good friends with Evelyn.

The rapid rise of Charles Capet was nothing short of shocking. ETA's deep cooperation with Capet Entertainment had been highly profitable!

"In the entertainment industry, this kind of thing is inevitable," Evelyn didn't care much about these matters.

"The actors' union and the Producers Alliance's contract is up this June. What's your take? The Directors Guild already reached an agreement with the Producers Alliance in February," Evelyn asked.

"No strike will happen. Right now production companies are reducing film projects, and the actors' union won't make excessive demands," said Nancy Josephson.

Although the actors' union was the largest of the three labor unions, it had many big stars who were basically part of management!

Even the conflict between the actors' union and the talent agencies was no smaller than that between the union and the Producers Alliance.

"Now is an important time for our merger talks with William Morris. This Hollywood mess - you can't tell if it's good or bad luck." Nancy Josephson sighed.

"It's not important. What's important is that after the merger, ETA's executives lead," Evelyn was confident; after all, ETA's development in recent years was evident.

Nancy also grinned, "True enough. Hollywood's top film developers are practically half ETA people."

Charles Capet being Evelyn's son certainly counted.

"Charles' CSE firm has acquired the English Premier League's Arsenal club. We should also invest more in sports management," said Evelyn. Charles had seriously reminded her during their trip to the UK that soccer, as the world's number one sport, had immense influence.

Nancy was taken aback, "Charles knows soccer too?"

Since when did soccer players become like Hollywood stars? Would joining Charles' team make a soccer player famous, just like how acting in Capet Pictures' films brought Hollywood fame?

"He doesn't know much; he just likes it. Arsenal's doing well this season, possibly winning the championship. Mainly because Charles spent a lot on players during the winter," Evelyn said, but her pride was unmistakable.

After all, Charles Capet was now a billionaire with assets exceeding 10 billion dollars!

Just then, Evelyn's assistant came in to report news:

"DreamWorks and Paramount have had a huge falling out and are seeking independence again!"

*****

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