Chapter 561: The Girl Ran Away

[Chapter 561: The Girl Ran Away]

The phone rang continuously for quite a while before Eric opened his eyes. Elisabeth, who was nestled in his arms, stirred awake at the same time.

"Is that your mobile phone?" she mumbled, snuggling closer to him without any intention of getting up.

Eric reached over to grab the mobile phone that rested on the vanity. Just as he answered it, Rupert Murdoch's somewhat exasperated voice came through. "Eric, what the hell is going on? You promised me you would handle this."

Hearing her father's voice, Elisabeth's face flushed slightly, but her curiosity drew her closer.

Eric replied with confusion, "Rupert, shouldn't you fill me in on what happened first?"

On the other end, Murdoch, sensing Eric's bewilderment, took a deep breath and began to explain the situation. While talking to Murdoch, Eric reached for the remote and turned on the bedroom television. ABC's popular morning news program, Good Morning America, was just airing an interview with a guest.

"Mr. Kroll, what kind of impact do you think Firefly Productions' withdrawal from the Fox network will have?"

After a cut to the guest, a bespectacled middle-aged man spoke slowly. "First, we need to understand why Firefly Productions is pulling out of Fox. From their recent activities, it's clear that while Firefly has maintained its strong capabilities, they've also exerted significant influence on the other major studios: Sony-Columbia, 20th Century Fox, and MGM. This suggests that Firefly's expansion in the film industry has reached a limit. Given Firefly's profitability, Eric Williams won't be satisfied with just film, making a move into the television sector an inevitable course of action. However, Fox has been growing rapidly in recent years, and News Corp would likely not sell Fox to Firefly, making Firefly's 10% stake a hurdle for acquiring other networks. To avoid scrutiny from the SEC and FCC when eventually entering television, Firefly had to divest its stake in Fox."

The host nodded along, waiting for the guest to finish before probing again about the impact on both Fox and News Corp.

"Absolutely, and it'll be substantial. We can see that Fox turned its fortunes around five years ago with Friends, followed by expansions with The X-Files and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, which boosted their viewer base. All three shows have close ties to Firefly Productions. It's worth mentioning that since Friends premiered five years ago, Fox has failed to develop any major hit shows solely under its own rights. If Firefly pulls out, Fox could lose these crucial viewing pillars. Such a loss would be akin to removing the three main supports from a tent, dramatically weakening Fox in an instant; it would be devastating."

The host seemed almost gleeful as he asked, "Mr. Kroll, do you believe Firefly will find a way to develop its television business? Will they establish a fifth major network?"

"The likelihood is low; Eric Williams will probably consider acquisitions among ABC, NBC, and CBS."

Excited, the host responded, "So, it's likely that we at ABC could be a target for acquisition?"

"Definitely, and I personally think Firefly is most likely to choose ABC since it has the best metrics among the three major networks. Conflicts within NBC's management and General Electric will greatly influence Firefly's evaluations of them, and CBS has been weak in recent years, so they won't be Firefly's first choice..."

By this time, Eric had dressed and listened as the ABC guest eagerly criticized the competition. He turned back to the still on the line Murdoch, saying, "Rupert, you should know that making this a big issue will benefit neither of us. Once the other three networks understand my intentions, it will make Firefly's acquisition bid much harder to pursue. I can't allow that."

Murdoch said something else, and Eric nodded. "Don't worry; I will ensure Michael attends the press conference himself... I can't go, not today..." As Eric was about to make an excuse, he noticed Elisabeth giving him a pitiable look, gently shaking his arm. His heart softened, and he relented, "Alright, I'll be there on time... 10 o'clock, Century City, I got it... I'll also have someone look into who leaked this."

Hanging up the phone, Eric stood in the bedroom tapping the Motorola mobile phone in his hand, suddenly bursting into laughter.

Elisabeth, who had been quietly standing beside him so as not to interrupt his thoughts, felt a pang of annoyance and playfully nudged Eric's shoulder. "Are you really that happy?"

With a broad smile, Eric took her small hand and squeezed it, responding, "I know who spilled the beans."

The negotiations about Firefly Productions' exit from Fox had been confidential among the upper echelons. However, some people didn't care about their professional ethics at all. The damage from leaking company secrets was far more severe than what any media profit could offer. Once discovered, a person's career in a society that values personal credit would be over.

Besides those in the companies involved, the only other person with clear knowledge of Eric's withdrawal plan was Drew, that wild little girl. She had been staying at the Liberty City Manor, where Eric frequently brought home documents to sort through. Occasionally, when they chatted, Eric hadn't hidden anything from her, so it wasn't surprising she was aware of the matter.

Eric's handling of the issue yesterday had clearly favored Elisabeth, and Drew's sharp mind would surely notice that. This was probably why that little brat decided to stir trouble for News Corp; though it seemed she had gone too far, as the news on the bedroom TV kept blaring that just two hours after the market opened, News Corp's stock had plummeted by 5.6%, wiping out over $1.5 billion in market value in a very short time.

Eric could anticipate that Elisabeth would pick up on some of this, and hearing the new figures from the TV, she commented angrily, "Drew has really gone overboard."

Turning off the television, Eric took Elisabeth's hand as they headed downstairs. "I'll deal with Drew properly. But really, this all started with your father."

Elisabeth, seeing Eric's unbothered demeanor and the smile still on his face, huffily replied, "At a time like this, you're still defending her."

"I defended you yesterday, I'm defending her today; you two are even," Eric quipped as they entered the dining room. Julia had gone out for a shoot and took Emma with her to Las Vegas, leaving the villa feeling a bit empty.

Eric instructed the maid to bring out breakfast and then addressed the still-concerned Elisabeth, "Don't worry; it's not as bad as they're making it sound. I haven't pulled out those three 'supports' yet. Besides, you know, in the end, I'll only walk away with Friends, and that won't be until next year. Once the press conference wraps up, News Corp's stock will surely bounce back."

A maid handed Eric the day's newspaper, which he casually flipped through. The front pages were dominated by the news of Firefly Productions' withdrawal from Fox. He dialed Liberty City Manor, but no one answered. He tried Drew's mobile number, only to be greeted with a shutdown notification. Tossing the phone on the table, Eric looked at Elisabeth with a wry smile and said, "The girl ran away."

*****

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