America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

In the study on the first floor of the villa, Elizabeth Olsen plugged the data cable of the projector into her laptop. Lily pressed the remote, and the metal screen slowly descended. Martin opened a folder, and documents regarding Johnny Depp's overdue taxes and the penalties issued by the IRS appeared on the screen. Harris Carter studied them carefully. Martin asked Bruce, "Is everything there?" Bruce nodded, "All the fixed assets that could be traced to Johnny Depp are included, according to the Mandel brothers' estimates. Apart from three mansions in Los Angeles, all of Depp's other fixed assets are sellable." Harris understood that Martin and Old Cloth were plotting to seize Johnny Depp's estate. Lily then said, "A while back, Martin had a car accident, planned and carried out by three of Johnny Depp's bodyguards. One of them was driving a Hummer that nearly hit Martin, but thanks to Bruce's quick reaction, otherwise, we would be accompanying Martin in the hospital." Harris nodded, "Depp should pay a price." No one present was a saint, including Elizabeth and Lily; they all advocated making Depp pay a price ten times or even a hundred times higher. Martin said, "Due to the series of problems caused by tax arrears, Depp needs to repay a debt of about 100 million US dollars as soon as possible in the coming months. His cash flow is almost drying up, so he will inevitably sell off his fixed assets. Many high-value properties or other assets will need to be heavily discounted for a quick sale." He looked at Harris, "If we make a move to purchase, it will raise the seller's alert and lead to the transaction failing." Harris said, "Leave it to me." "We can buy these assets and patiently wait for the right time to sell them." Truth be told, Martin didn't care about the profits; he just relished the process of seeing Depp descend into debt. He glanced at everyone in the study, "If you're willing to contribute, we can pool our funds, with Harris completing the acquisition and we share the profits according to the financing ratio." Elizabeth supported Martin unconditionally, "Count me in." Lily didn't want to be left behind, "Me too." Of course, Bruce and Harris went without saying. Martin nodded, "Old Cloth, begin." Bruce switched folders, picked up a laser pointer, and pointed at the photo of a yacht that appeared on the screen, "This is Johnny Depp's Amphitrite yacht, nearly 50 meters long. Depp bought it for 10 million US dollars and then spent another 8 million US dollars on refurbishments. J.K. Rowling was once very interested in this yacht, but since last year she has shut herself away to write 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them', temporarily cutting off contact with the outside world." He further said, "The yacht costs 350,000 US dollars per month in basic expenses, which Depp can no longer afford. He's certainly going to sell it. With a yacht of this level, finding a buyer isn't easy. If we can acquire it at the right price, we can negotiate the deal with Rowling once she has finished her new book." Martin looked at Elizabeth. Elizabeth knew what he was implying and shook her head, "I don't like this type of antique twin-masted yacht." Bruce switched the material, and the screen showed a house on a cliffside by the sea, occupying an entire cliff, no smaller than the Davis Estate. The laser pointer rested on the large house in the center of the image: "This is one of Depp's five houses in Los Angeles and the most valuable, nearly 4 acres in size with a current market estimate of 39 million US dollars. It's the highest value among Depp's fixed assets." Other people's belongings always look comfortable, Martin remarked, "This house is nice, it's meant for us." Lily agreed, "I found it beautiful at first sight." Bruce continued switching materials, "This is a vineyard, located in France, with a current market estimate of 19 million US dollars, strictly speaking, it's a small French village..." As Martin looked at the information being switched and listened to Bruce's introduction, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly: Depp, after all these years as a famous Hollywood star, even though he's fallen into a big pit dug by investment managers and accountants, and faced severe penalties by the IRS, still has a solid foundation. Just in real estate alone, Depp has 14 properties in popular cities around the world. Even in a tight spot and targeted by the IRS, the total market value of Depp's fixed assets still approaches 100 million US dollars. Of course, given Depp's circumstance, to liquidate quickly, he would have to steeply discount his assets. How could they justify what happened at Death Valley National Park with that pee incident and the car that crashed recently if they didn't clean Depp out completely? The small meeting in the study concluded, and Martin had Bruce copy a detailed set of the materials and gave it to Harris. For financing, in addition to Martin, Lily, Elizabeth, Bruce, and Harris, they would also pull in Elena from Atlanta to join the partnership. Harris quickly took his leave. Martin then called Thomas and the lawyer Hamlin, closely monitoring the Howard Butt trio responsible for causing the car accident. With Depp's character of being especially loyal to his friends, he certainly wouldn't abandon his three henchmen. Whether it's bail or attorney fees, it's another big expense. All of the trio's various expenses, including the inevitable civil compensations and fines and so on, would have to be paid for by Depp. In this respect, Depp is a good man. The next morning, attorney Hamlin informed Martin that Depp's lawyers, who were also representing Howard and the other two, had made initial contact, hoping to reach a settlement with Martin with a cash compensation. Martin flatly refused, and after another attempt of contact, he arbitrarily demanded 50 million US Dollars for emotional damages. Of course, Depp's side could not agree. Martin wasn't in a hurry; he was determined to see those three bastards end up in jail, picking up soap. Depp wanted to hire a luxurious legal team to fight the lawsuit, which would require a substantial amount of money. Martin prepared to cut off his financial resources, making it impossible for Depp to afford a legal team. ...... At Disney Studio, "La La Land Studio". After finishing his piano practice and coming out of the music room, Martin saw Musk, who he had scheduled to meet, in the lobby's resting area. The plump billionaire was chatting with the project's screenwriter Mia, making Mia laugh nonstop. Seeing Martin coming over, Mia held back her laughter and greeted, "Good afternoon, Martin." "Hello, Mia," Martin replied as he pulled out a chair to sit next to her and asked Musk, "What are you guys talking about that's so funny?" Musk said, "Mia was telling me about her part-time job as an ice cream shop waitress, it sounds really interesting." Martin said, "I met Mia at an ice cream shop, and then we had this movie project." Mia could tell that Martin and Musk had things to discuss, so she stood up to take her leave: "I have an appointment with Mandy Moore to discuss choreography, and it's about time, so I'll be going now." Once she was out of earshot, Musk remarked, "A very thoughtful screenwriter indeed." Martin issued a warning, "Don't mess around with my crew, or else I'll strap you to a rocket and send you into space. I hear Martians have a thing for chubby white men." "Amber is much more interesting than her," Musk routinely uttered his trashy talk, "Buddy, you've missed out on a real gem; Amber is really fantastic, extremely accommodating, I've turned her into an angel." Martin didn't understand the implications of the last remark, and said, "Your angel has given Disney Studio a new attraction infamous throughout America, a site known far and wide for its notoriety." Musk coughed once and said, "Let's talk business and skip the nonsense, I'm planning to start dating Amber officially, but first she needs to leave Depp." This was also the purpose of Martin's meeting with Musk: "For a woman like Amber to leave Depp is simple. Once Depp runs out of money and his fame utterly tarnishes, she will definitely leave him." Musk seemed to be somewhat captivated by the femme fatale: "Depp is your sworn enemy, Martin; you must have some ideas, right?" Martin inquired, "You plan to take someone's wife and then shove him off the cliff so that he can never climb up again?" Musk wasn't the least bit embarrassed, "Don't you find that very interesting? Amber will be grateful for what I do, unlocking everything for me and letting me do as I please." Martin just shook his head, "Ah, mixing with you is lowering my moral standards." "Stop joking, Martin, you should be saying that the other way around!" Musk pointed out the key issue: "I learned all this from watching you!" Martin tapped his fingers on the table, "Don't slander me, you bastard, I never engage in such rotten deeds!" Musk reminded him, "Our relationship mirrors what you had with Charlize Theron! Okay, let me give you a start, to jog your memory. You got involved with Charlize Theron, Stuart Townsend's fiancée, then got Townsend embroiled in a huge scandal involving an illegitimate child, leading to consecutive lawsuits by a woman, making him disappear from Hollywood..." Even with Martin's eloquence, he found himself at a loss for words at that moment. Because what Musk was doing was indeed a replication of what he did to Charlize Theron. Musk sincerely said, "Martin, in this regard, you are my mentor!" He continued to express his admiration, "I've recently studied your history with various actresses, and there are just so many classic cases; you've left a treasure trove of knowledge for all of America!" "Don't talk nonsense," Martin humbly replied, "I haven't done anything!" Musk stated, "From today on, you're my mentor," and trying to hold back his laughter, he said earnestly, "Teacher!" Martin quickly adjusted his attitude; what was done was done, why fear the talk? Musk returned to the previous topic, "Amber and Depp, what's your plan?" "Depp's other new movie, with a production budget of a whopping 250 million US Dollars, 'Lone Ranger,' is about to be released," Martin detailed, "During the shoot, Depp drove the investor Megan Ellison nearly insane; if something goes wrong with the film, would Ellison let Depp off the hook given her nature?" Musk, who was also from Silicon Valley and better acquainted with the Ellison family, stated, "From what I know, even if the film succeeds, Megan Ellison won't let Depp off." Martin smacked the table lightly, "There's the breakthrough."