America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Under the night sky, a black van drove out of Beverly Hills and headed straight for Burbank. In the van, Martin flipped through an invitation that featured Tom Cruise's portrait and the "Mission: Impossible 4" poster. Nicholson asked, "Are you sure Megan Ellison will show up at Tom Cruise's celebration party?" "There's no mistake," said Martin succinctly, "Megan Ellison's brother, David Ellison, who established Skydance Media, invested in 'Mission: Impossible 4.' The film's success has reversed the recent downward trend in Tom Cruise's career. Among the guests invited by Tom Cruise, the Ellison siblings are the VIPs." Leonardo patted Martin on the shoulder, "Good thing Jack and I followed you here, or else you would have been outmatched. If you lost, it'd be too humiliating for our Trio of Scoundrels." The van arrived at the Burbank Hotel, and the three of them got out, walked the red carpet, and followed the signs into the banquet hall where the party was being held. Tom Cruise and director Brad Bird came forward to greet them immediately. After shaking hands with Leonardo and Nicholson, Tom Cruise opened his arms directly and gave Martin a hug, saying, "You helped me a lot with the success of 'Mission: Impossible 4.' Everything you advised became the best selling points of the film!" "You're too kind, Tommy," Martin replied with a smile. "Those things became selling points because you went all out." Tom Cruise thought Martin was really on the ball and said, "Come inside, we must have a drink together later." This year he would also give Martin a cake. Martin and his two companions entered the banquet hall. Leonardo looked back at Tom Cruise and said, "Jack, why do I always feel like there's something fishy going on between Martin and him?" Nicholson commented, "Because Tom Cruise makes us feel like Martin is betraying the Trio of Scoundrels and having a secret affair." Martin really didn't want to deal with these two idiots and simply pretended he hadn't heard them. His gaze swiftly scanned the expansive banquet hall, searching for his target for the evening. Martin saw David Ellison first. Just as high-profile when he first entered Hollywood, he claimed that he'd add one million US dollars to a movie's budget for every additional airplane shown on the screen. David Ellison's Skydance Media initially followed the path of independent investment production, but after a setback with "Top Gun," he stopped producing independently and turned into a more pure investor. Leonardo elbowed Martin and signaled with his eyes, "There, Megan Ellison." Martin saw her; Megan Ellison was talking with several people. Nicholson gestured to the two men with a nod of his head, "Follow me." Each grabbed a glass of wine, and the three of them sat down not far from Megan Ellison, as usual, with their idle chatter. To an outsider, the Trio of Scoundrels seemed especially happy and excited. Nicholson raised his glass towards Martin and Leonardo, saying, "Top predators always appear as prey." Martin took a sip of wine, "Makes sense." On the other side, Megan Ellison quickly noticed Martin. Seeing him there, lively and cheerful, her already congested heartstrings tightened further. In that instant, her face turned beet red, her skin grew clammy, her mood irritable, her heart rate accelerated, her breathing strained, a sharp pain near the sternum, nearly unable to stand steady. It wasn't that Megan Ellison lacked psychological fortitude; the loss was just too great! Having invested over three hundred million dollars, to only possibly see a seven-digit return, even for her father, that would be unbearable for a while. Megan's gaze clung to Martin because she remembered clearly that the project had been snatched from Martin Davis's hands. As the project developed to its current state, she inevitably harbored a thought—was it really snatched from him? As Martin, Leonardo, and Nicholson lifted their champagne glasses for a toast, Megan, despite knowing that overthinking would exacerbate her distress, couldn't help the persistent idea burrowing through her blocked arteries and emerging with a life of its own. "Are those three scoundrels celebrating my failure?" With her assertive personality, Megan wouldn't hide away. She immediately approached, pulled out a chair, and sat directly opposite Martin. Martin snapped his fingers at a waiter to bring over a glass of champagne. Megan looked at the champagne before her and asked directly, "What, celebrating the failure of my investment in 'The Lone Ranger'?" This domineering CEO appeared quite imposing. Martin lifted his champagne glass, not hiding his pleasure, "Indeed, it's worth a toast." If her persona was that of a mysterious and overbearing female CEO, then he'd play the superficial villain who showed his delight. He took a sip of champagne, "Miss Ellison, congratulations on your film's failure." Megan maintained her composure as if the failure meant nothing. But the loss of several hundred million dollars changed her inside, even if her outward facade didn't crack. With a raspy voice, she asked a question, "Did you do it on purpose?" Martin's acting skills might not match Nicholson's, but they were more than enough to handle the current situation with ease. He acted as though he didn't comprehend, "What?" Megan asked, "Was 'The Lone Ranger' project intentionally passed to me by you?" Martin downed the remaining champagne in his glass and replied, "Are you crazy?" He stared into Megan's eyes as long-brewing rage erupted, "Miss Ellison, people like you are a rarity—I've only seen it once. You steal someone else's project, screw it up, and then have the nerve to blame the person you stole it from!" Nicholson quipped, "In my fifty years in Hollywood, I've never seen someone with such thick skin." Megan looked at Martin and then at Nicholson, and it didn't seem like they were lying. Martin nudged Leonardo under the table. The Trio of Scoundrels had an understanding, and Leonardo said, "Martin went through great lengths to dig out 'Lone Ranger' from Disney Studios' huge film library, got the top producer Jerry Bruckheimer to make it, contacted the commercially successful Gore Verbinski, and even found Johnny Depp..." It was as if he were defending a dear friend, "And what happened? Martin had all the prep work done, and you swoop in midway to steal the project, and now that you've bungled it, you come looking for trouble with Martin? You don't have a screw loose; you have a character flaw!" Of course, Megan Ellison felt no shame. Martin sneered, "If the project failed, you should look for reasons within yourself. There's something wrong with your crew, there's something wrong with your capabilities..." He shook his head, "A project that had such promising prospects has been wasted like this!" Someone like Megan wouldn't doubt her own abilities. But the project had indeed failed, which must mean there were problems with the crew. Where was the biggest problem with the crew? The face of Johnny Depp immediately floated into Megan's mind. Leonardo shook his head, "If your abilities are lacking, don't blame the environment." But Nicholson stood up, "We came here to celebrate Tom's success, only to run into this mess. Let's go." Martin stood up as well, "Let's go, let's go." The three men went straight to Tom Cruise to say their goodbyes and left. Outside the banquet hall, Leonardo asked, "How did I do with the support?" Martin was matter-of-fact, "It was a bit stiff and exaggerated, but for the effect, it was sufficient." Nicholson summed it up, "Megan Ellison wants to throw the blame for the failure on Martin. We provoked her lack of ability, but someone like her will never admit to inadequacy. Annoyed, she will only look for new excuses, and who is the easiest target? " Martin followed up, "Of course, it's Johnny Depp, with whom she's had conflicts galore." Nicholson continued, "Don't be fooled by that woman's unchanged expression; with my experience of understanding hundreds of women, I can tell she's about to ignite." Leonardo's laughter made his cheeks jiggle, "In the end, Depp will take the fall for everything." ...... Although she felt like she was on fire, it was the day of celebration for David Ellison's successful investment in 'Mission: Impossible 4,' and Megan Ellison stayed in the banquet hall for a while longer before she left. At the hotel entrance, she got into the car and told the driver, "Go to Griffith Observatory." The driver had been working for Megan Ellison for several years and knew she was a powder keg ready to explode at any moment, so he didn't dare to chat more, instead, he started the car and took to the road. Megan Ellison took out her phone and found Amber Heard's number, saying, "Meet me at Griffith Observatory in half an hour." The voice on the other end replied, "I'm on my way." Megan hung up the phone only to feel it vibrate again. She glanced at the incoming call and frowned—it was the bank. "This is Megan Ellison." "Miss Ellison, this is Judith," the voice from the bank was especially pleasant, "The thing is, the bank might officially inform you tomorrow—I just got the news and wanted to call you so you can be prepared." Megan asked, "What's going on?" Judith explained, "'Lone Ranger' hasn't received a good response, so the bank might take some measures, such as pressing you to repay the loan..." Megan kept her composure, "I understand, thank you." The two quickly ended the call. Megan clenched her phone tightly; the diamond-studded 4S seemed to scream in agony. At that moment, she remembered all the outrageous things Depp had done on the set and during the promotion. Half an hour later, Megan Ellison met Amber Heard at Griffith Observatory. Megan didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point, "Is the thing I asked you to do ready?" Amber replied, "I've collected a lot." Megan looked down from the observatory at the lights filling the city and said, "I want Johnny Depp to never have the chance to appear in a Hollywood blockbuster again. He'll regret all the excessive things he did on the 'Lone Ranger' set!" The last words she uttered carried endless fury and resentment, "I want Johnny Depp to be completely ruined!" Amber had never seen a female CEO so domineering, and for a moment, she forgot to answer. Megan pressed, "Can you do it?" Amber had originally planned to milk more out of Depp, but with Megan rushing her and new lover Musk also making demands, she bit the bullet and declared, "I can do it."