American Scandal King

Chapter 134 Renegotiating the Agreement
An hour later, Ian and Shauna finally ended their madness.

At the same time, Ian received another call.

It was the gangsters who kidnapped Mrs. Carl who called.

The person on the other end of the phone was speechless: “I saw the news, Ian Carr, you did a great job.”

Ian said calmly, "Thanks to you, I wouldn't have taken this flight."

The gangster replied, "I will release Mrs. Karl."

"Huh?" Ian was stunned.

The gangster replied, "I'm not stupid, Mr. Carl. You're a national hero now, and I know the consequences of kidnapping your mother. I have only one condition: I'll release her immediately, but you can't hold us accountable."

Ian smiled: "Okay, but I have a condition."

"what?"

"Give me an interview."

"Fuck!" the gangster cursed. "Wouldn't that just burn me at the stake?"

Ian replied, "The difference is that you gave up the kidnapping. As long as you didn't hurt my mother, it's fine. Do you know Lyle, Gan Lun and the others?"

"Of course, Palos Bank."

Ian said, "I persuaded them to surrender. I gave them some money and helped them publish a book and biography. I found them the best lawyers and assisted them in the lawsuit, which hasn't concluded yet... It's a pity that the glory of this case has been overshadowed, which has reduced its subsequent value."

The other party was speechless.

After a while, the other party said: "You mean..."

Ian hummed. "Same thing to you. Accept my interview and I'll give you some money. I'll help you find a lawyer to fight the case. Since you voluntarily released the person, your sentence will be at most three months."

"And publish a book?"

"No, you're not worthy of a book. After all, you didn't succeed in the case, and there were no gunfights or car chases, unless you plan to do something else later."

The other party sighed, "Alright, I'll accept it. I'll wait until you get back to Los Angeles... At least this job won't be in vain, but I'll also be exposed for it. You're such a news-making machine, Ian Carr!"

After ending the call, Ian called Gaskell again.

Lian Na yelled frantically on the other end: "I'm so glad you're okay. Are you in the body of that girl named Xiaona now?"

Ian looked at Shawna beside him. Shawna was lying in the quilt, craning her neck to look at him.

Ian laughed and said, "No, not right now."

Lian Na said: "Then remember, I am the one you love the most!"

Ian was speechless: "Of course, you always have been and always will be!"

"When you come back, I will give you a special gift." Lena giggled and hung up the phone.

Then came calls from Kate Beckinsale, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Alba, Amanda, Helen Berry, Cressy, Barbara and other girls... the calls never stopped.

An hour later, Ian received a call from his mother, confirming that she was okay.

The next day, the hospital issued a certificate confirming that Ian and the others were fine, and Ian, Shauna and others were finally able to be discharged from the hospital.

The 917/ incident caused all flights in the United States to be suspended, so Ian had to drive away.

However, he did not go to Los Angeles, but took Shawna back to New York first. As for Sunny, she was no longer Ian's secretary, but Ian did not fire her completely. Instead, he let her go to the Los Angeles Herald as an editor.

After driving all day, Ian finally returned to New York at dusk.

As the car passed through Manhattan, Ian could still see the gray ruins in the distance, where the collapsed buildings were.

The streets have been blocked and there is a sense of panic on the streets.

The psychological damage caused by the 917 incident has just begun at this time, and its hot spots will continue for at least several months, and then gradually fade away with the passage of time, but it will never disappear.

After taking a long detour, Ian arrived at the CBS headquarters building.

James Pelley was already waiting for him.

He hugged Ian warmly and said to Shawna, "Hello, Miss Shawna, you did an amazing job on the plane. You saved everyone!"

Shawna smiled and said, "It was Ian who gave me the courage."

James Pelley said seriously, "Can I arrange an interview for you?"

Shawna looked at Ian, and Ian smiled and said to James Pelley, "I'm her agent now. Shawna has unlimited potential in the future."

"I knew it, I knew it! Ian Carr, you are not only a brave reporter, but also an excellent businessman!" James Pelley laughed, but then realized that it was not appropriate to laugh at this stage, so he put on a serious face and said, "No problem, we are all friends, come on." Taking Ian into the living room, Shawna tactfully went to another room to wait.

Seeing the board members again, Ian opened his arms and said, "It's only been 24 hours, but it feels like a century."

The board members laughed at the same time and said, "Indeed."

James Pelley shouted, "Let's welcome Ian Carr, our hero! He stepped forward in the most critical moment, and even when facing life and death, he never forgot his duty. He also created a legend in the world of business, completing a three-year bet in just two weeks!"

"It's not done yet, guys." Ian smiled and sat down at the board meeting.

The information released now is still known to the public, mainly because Ian's live broadcast brought a huge impact.

However, the real-time footage of Ian bravely fighting the hijackers and Leso on another plane, as well as his private interview with Atta, were not released, and these were the core resources for CBS to dominate world news - this major event would be broken down into hundreds of news items, constantly stimulating and provoking the public's nerves.

The world’s pain is the media’s carnival!

Everyone was seated at this moment, and James Pelley said, "We've already seen those two videos. You and Butterfly did a fantastic job. After breaking them down, we can get ten or even twenty days of world headlines, as well as a ton of other related news. But Ian, I want to remind you that if we release them all at once, there will only be three. And our agreement is that you have to create at least twelve top headlines! If that's the case, you still won't have fulfilled the bet."

Ian smiled and said, "I know you regret it, I understand. But guys, making such a decision just to get my money in advance is not a smart choice...especially since I helped you make a lot of money, right?"

One of the directors laughed and said, “Don’t be angry Ian, James is just joking with you.”

Another director said, "We don't want to violate the agreement, but anything can be negotiated, right? Eighteen months is too long. You have to remember that we're a public company, and many things require not only internal approval but also external approval. If those guys knew about this, they'd become suspicious of us."

Ian nodded slightly.

This is a fact.

After all, CBS almost became the biggest winner in this incident.

Ian said, "But I'm on a plane, no one can doubt me for this."

If I had known I would be on the plane, I would have borrowed more money to short sell it!

Ian felt helpless about missing out on so much small change.

People are influenced by their environment. When he was on the plane, looking at those people who were separated by life and death, he regretted his choice and felt that he was too cruel, but when he sat in the board seat of CBS, the only thing in his mind was how to fight for his own interests.

Don’t you want me to wait eighteen months before paying you?
Okay, but there have to be some other benefits, right?
Sure enough, James Pelley said, "We can open up another 3 points of internal shares for you at the same price, but you must pay the fee within six months. At the same time, we allow you to use the shares as collateral."

"Why?" Ian asked.

Because of the time difference, Ian was restricted from using the shares he had obtained in advance as collateral, which was also a concession Ian made at the time.

But now, the board has relaxed that restriction.

James Pelley smiled and said, "Because we made a stupid mistake before. We underestimated you! Now we believe that you will become the brightest star in the media industry. Oh no, you already are. People like you deserve to be an important member of our team... There's no need to put performance pressure on you. You also need CBS to grow!"

The key point is that Ian has already obtained 35% of the voting rights. Giving him another 3 points, which means an additional 7% of voting rights, will not affect the overall situation.

For James Pelley, holding Ian's shares on his behalf means he has a greater say.

Ian laughed.

He said: "I can pay within six months, but there is one condition attached."

"explain."

"You can't restrict me from acquiring other peers."

The board of directors was stunned: "You want to join other media? That's impossible!"

"It's an acquisition!" Ian corrected. "There are too many media outlets in the United States, but they lack a true giant that can make the final decision. And we can do it!"

Everyone looked at him together.

After a while, James Paley smiled and said, "Viacom and News Corporation have always wanted to become the media giant that controls the United States."

Ian shook his head slightly: "We don't need them, we are ourselves."

“And you are the chairman?”

Ian continued to shake his head. "No, business management is what you're good at. What I'm good at is getting the news! I hope that in the future CBS can develop into a giant media company with a scale of 50 billion. I don't care about CBS's direct profits. I only need its intangible influence, and that is my personal part."

He smiled faintly as he spoke. "I have so much inside information. If I wanted to, I could produce a steady stream of good news! Those ordinary reporters are looking for news, but I'm always choosing it! Of course, as long as we're happy to cooperate, I'll help you all get rich together!"

Ian showed his ambition without hesitation, which made everyone feel relieved.

Indeed, a veteran like James Pelley is more suitable to be at the helm of such a large media company. As for Ian, as long as he can reveal big news and is the largest shareholder, who would dare to disregard his opinions?

The board looked at each other and laughed.
"Then it's settled!"

(End of this chapter)