America's No. 1 financial conglomerate

"Oh, our genius writer has finally arrived. As expected of a great writer, he has a huge fan base, so dealing with him is no easy task, and it's normal for some unexpected things to happen."

As soon as he entered the room, a strange, sarcastic voice rang in Ernst's ears.

Looking in the direction of the sound, I saw a white man in his forties sitting on a single sofa, wearing a white T-shirt and a cardigan, casual trousers and leather shoes, holding a wine glass and crossing his legs.

Kokrian is an allusion to the previous incident at the police station.

Because when Jessica Alba first approached Ernst, it was initially under the guise of being a fan.

"Mr. Kirk, compared to your womanizing exploits in Las Vegas, what are my little affairs?"

In 1969, Cockerill bought MGM Studios and later directly led MGM into the gambling industry, opening the first MGM Grand Hotel in 1973.

Both the MGM casino and hotel businesses have made the other party one of the biggest players in Las Vegas.

When a person reaches a certain status and position where they believe they have everything under control, they become arrogant, and the little devils in their heart begin to emerge.

Like Cocklean, he would set up loans for beautiful women who fit his taste, luring them step by step into a trap.

When he can no longer repay his debts, he will be like God, begged by these women, and they will grant him any request, becoming his obedient bitches, until he is no longer of any use and is sold to a brothel to continue paying off his debts.

Ernst scoffed at this practice of not paying after the act of prostitution and then squeezing every last bit of value out of the woman.

"You look good today, Mr. Kirk. Has something happened? A stand-up collar... I've only ever seen this kind of outfit on cats and dogs that have just been spayed or neutered."

Ernst responded sharply, showing no mercy whatsoever, and the temperature in the room instantly dropped.

Koklian glared at him angrily. "You little bastard, if it weren't for how well your father managed MGM for me back then, would you even be standing here talking to me today?"

"Ha," Ernst sneered. "Then you should thank me properly. Calling me 'Dad' wouldn't be an exaggeration, after all, you still know who raised you."

To put it bluntly, without Garlins, there would be no casino tycoon Cockerillon today.

Cochran made his fortune through aircraft leasing, and his first acquisition of MGM was based on high leverage.

It was Garlins' arrival that made MGM's profits grow, even though its business didn't improve much.

With money, Cochrane was able to enter the gambling and hotel industries, which is why Garlins was able to own MGM shares.

"Xiao Za...".

Koklian suddenly jumped up, but was interrupted before he could finish speaking.

"Everyone, we're here today to resolve this issue, not to have your private argument unfold."

He sat upright on the main sofa, wearing a well-tailored Armani suit, a light blue shirt, and a dark red tie—simple yet luxurious.

Her meticulously styled blonde hair shimmered under the lights, and her deep blue eyes seemed to hold endless strategies.

Chirivio, now a major shareholder of MGM and head of the Italian consortium, spoke up at this moment to break the dispute.

Before being invited, all parties promised that today was to resolve the issue.

Italian conglomerates have been deeply disappointed by Hollywood and want to withdraw as soon as possible.

There is also a lot of criticism of Cockerill's sale of MGM to develop the gambling and hotel industries, with many feeling that he has ruined this American icon.

The most difficult task was to persuade Ernst to let go of his resentment towards Cockley.

Ernst agreed to attend the dinner to resolve the MGM issue, as Kirivio did not want the situation to escalate and end in a hasty retreat.

A brief silence fell over the room, until Koklian broke the suffocating silence by giving in first.

"I can agree that Ernst will remain a shareholder of MGM and continue to serve on the board of directors."

Yes, Ernst's continued membership on the MGM board is a result of Galin's good fortune and his own hard work.

Galin was a board member, and his incident occurred shortly after Ernst rose to fame.

An Italian conglomerate wanted to befriend this rising star and leverage his fame, so they nominated him to succeed his father and become a member of MGM's board of directors.

"And Jessica Alba, I can give her to you."

Cockley naively believed that the woman who made Ernst infamous was the key, after all, who would want to be enemies with a super-rich man?

The current conflict is nothing more than anger; once a way out is provided, everything will eventually come down to self-interest.

This is the ingrained American mindset, where countless people would even kneel before others and call them "daddy" for profit, a phenomenon that is ubiquitous in Hollywood.

In America, when it comes to interests, there are no spines to be broken.

"Ernst?"

Giglio turned to look at him, his expression seemingly saying, "Look, Cocrian has conceded now, giving you a way out. You should make a statement."

Ernst smiled, but instead of showing goodwill, he gave an irrelevant answer.

"As far as I know, MGM Resorts is investing in Europe, and its finances must be very tight, right?"

Koklian shrugged, his tone relaxed and his face full of confidence. "So what? If I want to raise funds, a whole bunch of banks will be vying to lend me money."

Ernst scoffed, "If I remember correctly, the payment for this acquisition is to be made over three years, isn't it?"

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Koklian asked seriously, his face already showing impatience.

"Of course, it's about solving the problem," Ernst said, looking at Giglio. "Your goal is simply to withdraw from MGM. Does it matter who acquires it?"

"In that case, I might as well acquire MGM."

A deathly silence fell. No one had expected Ernst to utter such words.

Then came laughter; Koklian's unrestrained laughter shattered the silence.

"That's hilarious! You're still that arrogant little bastard. You want to buy MGM? Do you even have the money? Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you're a genius author. You're still a long way off."

The Italian consortium offered $13 billion for its 40% stake, which Ernst did not have, but just because he doesn't have it now doesn't mean he won't in the future.

At first, Kirivio thought Ernst was joking, but seeing the genuine expression on Ernst's face, he hesitated.

"Are you serious?"

"Of course, $13.5 billion, to be paid off in three years, with $100 million paid upfront and $500 million to be paid within one year."

Chirivio looked at Cocrician; the Italian was naturally happy to see someone join the competition.

"You believe his nonsense? I'm not going to add a single penny."

Koklian wanted to profit from the conflict between the snipe and the clam, but he wasn't falling for it at all.

"I need protection," Giglio said with some regret, looking at Ernst again.

"I can sign an agreement that if any payment is overdue, I will consider my initial investment as a gesture of friendship."