Capítulo 492: Chapter 493: The Wolf of Hollywood
[Chapter 493: The Wolf of Hollywood]
Joanna didn't react as strongly as Virginia. She laughed and said, "If you're not afraid of your future kids complaining about the names you give them, then go ahead and name it Hawaii."
"It's better than naming it Kevin or Angie, only to find a bunch of kids with the same name around when they grow up, right?" Eric couldn't help but start to tease again.
Seeing Joanna so readily agree, Virginia felt a strange sense of loss, as if she had discarded a toy she didn't like, only for someone else to pick it up like a treasure. She tugged at Eric's sleeve. "Eric, that's not all. We need another one."
Eric thought for a moment and shook his head. "That's it. The two names you just picked are just right for the little one in your belly, and Joanna's is now Hawaii."
"Uh..."
Virginia opened her mouth in dissatisfaction but couldn't find the words. Joanna chuckled gently in response.
...
The news that Joanna fainted on set attracted a lot of media attention. Shortly after, a spokesperson from Joanna's agency, ICM, announced she had to withdraw from the film due to illness, but didn't specify what ailment she had, prompting speculation from all directions.
In this scenario, news broke out almost simultaneously that Virginia had also left another film under Carolco Pictures. Their close friendship wasn't a secret in the industry, and the sharp-eyed media immediately sensed there was an untold story behind all this. As a result, a swarm of paparazzi began to take action.
Universal Pictures naturally kept quiet about Joanna's departure. After Michael Eisner learned that Eric had hurried back to New York, he made a phone call. Eric had no choice but to return the favor.
As for Carolco, this movie company backed by German investors had become lavish, thanks to Germany's special film tax rebate policy. It was known for producing big-budget films and loved collaborating with internationally renowned stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. Originally, the first film to surpass $100 million in investment, Terminator 2, was a project of Carolco Pictures. However, the Germans only wanted to make money from films and didn't want to offend Hollywood's local powers. After promising a few cooperative conditions, Eric managed to retrieve Virginia's contract without spending a dime on penalties.
Once these matters were settled, Eric intended to take the two women back to Los Angeles. By late September, the temperature in New York had dropped below twenty degrees Celsius. The Southampton suburbs felt particularly chilly and weren't very suitable for a pregnant woman's recovery. However, Virginia insisted on staying and wouldn't hear of returning to Los Angeles. Eric had no choice but to remain there temporarily. To prevent paparazzi from finding Virginia's residence, he rented a luxury home nearby in East Hampton, moving the two women there.
...
Having been back in New York for three days, due to effective measures to keep everything under wraps, no news had leaked out. However, Eric couldn't conceal this matter from those close to him, especially Chris Hansen, who lived in New York.
"Eric, didn't Chris say he'd be here by noon? It's already five minutes past," Virginia called out from the kitchen.
Eric glanced at his watch. "Don't worry, he might have run into something. Also, can you please stay out of the kitchen?"
"I'm afraid the food they make might not suit your taste," Virginia shot a pointed look at Eric before turning back to oversee the chef.
Even though Eric had said that, he felt something was off. Chris was usually very punctual and had no reason to be late. After a moment of thought, Eric picked up the remote and turned off the television before stepping out of the villa. Joanna, who had been reading in the hallway, watched Eric come out and looked his way. Eric pointed to the door, grabbed a pair of sunglasses, and walked outside.
East Hampton, situated at the eastern tip of Long Island, boasted more wealthy residents than Southampton. Steven Spielberg owned a sprawling estate here called "Quelle Farm," covering about five hectares. However, most wealthy residents who bought property in East Hampton did so with the intention of summering, as the summer climate was incredibly pleasant. By now, however, it was mid-autumn, and most of the seasonal residents had returned to more suitable homes, leaving the town feeling somewhat deserted.
As Eric stepped out the front door, he noticed Chris pulling up in a white BMW, with his girlfriend Emily Brighton in the passenger seat.
The two recognized Eric and slowed down to greet him as Chris drove into the driveway.
After handing a gift to a servant, Chris apologized, saying, "Eric, I'm so sorry for being late. I happened to run into an acquaintance on the way and had to stop for a quick chat."
Eric hugged both Chris and Emily and replied, "No worries, it's not like this is a formal date. But I am curious about who made you stop."
Chris chuckled and greeted Virginia and Joanna, who had come over. He then said to Eric, "Remember when we first met? You mentioned the Wolf of Wall Street -- that guy I just saw wasn't a bad example of one. He was a whiz at capital operations. I partnered with him briefly while I was at Morgan Stanley on a deal. His reputation among investors isn't great, but I admire his skills."
"Oh, now I'm even more curious. What's his name? Do I know him?"
"Ron Perlman," Chris revealed, then added, "I doubt you've heard of him."
Eric was about to nod when Chris continued, "However, the company he's running now has some ties to Hollywood: Marvel Entertainment. They primarily publish comics, and also engage in toy production and animation."
Upon hearing that name, Eric raised an eyebrow and instinctively stopped in his tracks. "Marvel Comics? Of course, I've heard of that."
"It's not Marvel Comics; Marvel Entertainment is the parent company of Marvel Comics."
"Well, can you guys quit talking shop and come inside? It's almost time to eat," Virginia noticed that the two men seemed inclined to continue chatting by the door and quickly reminded them.
"Okay, let's head in," Eric signaled to Chris with a sigh, but then said, "You'll have to tell me more about this company later; I'm really curious."
"Sure," Chris replied, "But I've got another surprise for you. Uh, alright, let's eat first."
The group chatted and laughed as they walked into the dining room, where the servants had already set the table with food. Eric personally poured some red wine for Chris and Emily, then poured himself some before setting the bottle aside; the two women instinctively opted for juice.
Seeing this, Emily Brighton raised an eyebrow slightly and glanced at her boyfriend, holding back some words.
"They're pregnant, so they can't drink," Eric noticed Emily's expression and explained. He had never thought to deny his children, and thus had no need to hide it from family and friends.
"Well, they can actually have a little," Emily initially seemed surprised at Eric's openness but then casually smiled. However, she quickly shook her head, "But it's best not to."
Eric smiled back and turned to Chris. "By the way, about Marvel Entertainment -- can you fill me in?"
Even if they didn't often meet, Chris was pretty familiar with Eric. "Are you interested in this company?"
"Of course! I assume you've seen how successful DC's Batman series has become, right?"
"Batman Returns was dreadful in my opinion. I'm actually a fan of DC Comics," Chris lamented, shaking his head. "But getting back to the point: if you're looking to acquire Marvel Entertainment, now is not a good time. Didn't I just mention that Ron Perlman is a capital expert? He built his fortune by acquiring companies and then selling them off, just like Edward in Pretty Woman. I remember he spent $80 million three years ago to acquire the bulk of Marvel Entertainment's assets, but he wasn't interested in running the company. Marvel's business has been in decline for years, but can you guess how much Ron Perlman has made from Marvel during this time?"
Chris paused, but Virginia couldn't resist saying, "He bought it for $80 million; he must have made at least half of that back?"
"Now you're underestimating those wolves of Wall Street," Chris grinned, looking around at everyone. "Guess again."
Joanna smiled modestly, clearly not in the know and not inclined to guess.
Sitting next to Chris, Emily thought for a moment. "Given the investment return ratios typical of those Wall Street tycoons, I figure in three years, a 30% annual profit would double it to about $80 million to $100 million."
"Nope, still too conservative. Eric, what do you think?" Chris turned his attention back to Eric.
Eric shrugged. "I don't care; he definitely hasn't made more than I have."
"Uh..."
"Ha ha..." At Chris's seemingly stunned expression, the three women broke into laughter.
Chris joined in the laughter. "It's not the same; opportunities created by the Gulf War don't come around often. Most of this boils down to luck -- he's the real deal."
"Okay, Chris, stop beating around the bush. Just reveal the answer."
Chris nodded and stated, "$500 million."
"No way! That much?" Emily couldn't contain her astonishment.
"Absolutely, that's the publicly available figure," Chris confirmed.
Eric became curious. "Didn't you just say that Marvel's business has been consistently losing money? How did he make that?"
Chris replied, "In the past three years, Ron Perlman leveraged Marvel Entertainment's assets as collateral to issue bonds, cashing in at least $500 million from the capital markets."
"How could anyone be so foolish as to buy bonds from a company worth only $80 million, let alone buy $500 million worth?"
"That's why I say Ron Perlman is the true Wolf of Wall Street. With his exceptional capital operation skills, he sold off bonds worth $500 million for the company. Now those bonds are classified as low-grade junk bonds. If Marvel can't pay up when they mature, the company could go bankrupt at any moment. Meanwhile, Ron Perlman has pocketed that $500 million to invest elsewhere."
Joanna couldn't help but interject softly, "That should be illegal, right?"
Chris smiled knowingly, just making a you-know-what-I-mean gesture. Emily explained, "If you dig deeply, it's probably illegal. But I haven't seen many Wall Street tycoons going to jail between bankruptcy. As long as they don't trip up, the law really doesn't hold much weight for them. Even if he gets sued by those bondholders in the future, the compensation would likely only be a fraction of the profits he made from that $500 million."
Chris agreed with an "Mm," then turned to Eric. "So, Eric, if you want to acquire Marvel Entertainment, now isn't the right time. If Ron Perlman catches wind of your interest, you can bet on being taken for a ride."
"If I want to buy Marvel Entertainment, when do you think I should make my move?" Eric asked.
Chris thought for a moment. "Marvel's value has basically been drained by Ron Perlman. I reckon within two years, he'll discard the company as a lost cause. If you're genuinely interested, I can help gather some information, and we can bide our time for the right moment."
"Do that as soon as possible, Chris. Treat it like an important task," Eric said earnestly. "I've seen some of Marvel's comics, and they have far more popular characters than DC. I truly believe this company's value exceeds expectations."
Chris paused his actions and looked at Eric. "So you're really considering buying this company?"
"Absolutely, I'm serious about this."
"Alright then, I'll keep this in mind." Chris nodded. The group then swiftly changed the subject. Thanks to Eric's openness regarding the two women's pregnancy, nobody shied away from discussing it. Eric even asked Chris and Emily when they planned to get married.
"It depends on her preferences, but my dad mentioned last time he was in New York that he hoped we could at least get engaged first," Chris replied with a hint of helplessness, and Emily unexpectedly bowed her head, looking a bit embarrassed.
*****
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