Chapter 215: One Minute
Murdoch stared at Eric as if he had spoken nonsense before he frowned and replied in a deep voice, "Eric, you should know that 10% equity is impossible. Even if I agree, the board of directors will never agree."
Eric didn"t seem to feel the pressure behind Murdoch"s frown as he softly replied, "Mr. Murdoch, although you don"t have a 51% controlling stake, the whole world knows that News Corp belongs to Rupert Murdoch. I believe you could easily decide on this matter, so don"t use the board of directors to fool me, alright?"
"Then, I will tell you explicitly, Eric. You should change your terms since there is no room for negotiation regarding this."
Eric still looked relaxed with even his right foot on his knee, but his tone became more and more aggressive and strong, "Mr. Murdoch, I"ve said before that I am a very stubborn person; once I make a decision, I won"t change it."
After his words ended, the reception room seemingly became cold as if due to the tension. The old man and the young man stared at each other, but after a few seconds, Eric took the initiative to look away. He wasn"t cowed by Murdoch nor did he feel guilty for his terms, instead, he felt that it was pointless. What was the point of glaring when the victor in a negotiation was the one who had more bargaining chips.
And currently, the one with the most important bargaining chip was Eric.
After drinking the remaining coffee in his cup, Eric finally flipped over the ceramic cup. Unfortunately, "Made in China" was not engraved on its bottom.
After putting the cup back on the table, Eric raised his head and looked at Murdoch.
"Eric, let"s talk about this another day. Maybe we should both calm down."
Eric was keenly aware why Murdoch wanted to delay the negotiation. During their talk, Eric undoubtedly gained the absolute upper hand. This was the time for him to push Murdoch rather than letting him withdraw.
"Mr. Murdoch, my schedule is very tight. After today, I don"t know if I can spare time for the next two months. Moreover, the three major TV networks are still waiting for my reply," Eric replied, however, feeling like it wasn"t enough, he added, "Oh, yeah, ABC has been going through a tough time in recent years and their offer was also the highest. They also mentioned that they were willing to pay the liquidated damages to buy the broadcasting rights for the remaining episodes of the first season of Friends. To be honest, I am very satisfied with their offer. After all, during the first season of Friends, Firefly can only get 40% of the advertising revenue due to our contract with Fox, but if Friends moves to ABC then the price offered by them is… Oops, sorry, that"s a trade secret."
This was equivalent to a naked threat. Murdoch even had a momentary urge to pour his coffee on Eric"s face.
Of course, his urge was only momentary.
Still, he replied angrily, "If you want to breach the contract, then I"ll see you in court. I promise, I"ll sue you for every last penny."
"Mr. Murdoch, do you think that News Corp. can compete with the three major TV networks and the conglomerates behind them? You should be aware that if this lawsuit truly does happen, Fox will undoubtedly lose. Maybe Friends will be suspended until next year, and maybe Firefly will lose a lot, but there is no doubt that Fox will lose a lot more. Without Friends, it"s impossible for Fox to grow in a short time. As a result, the three major TV networks will have joined forces to kick Fox TV out of North America."
"If you really do this, Firefly won"t get off easily. Eric, don"t forget that in the major English-speaking countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States, News Corp. has a strong influence on the media and the general public thanks to our numerous newspapers and TV stations. Even the British government must maintain a good relationship with News Corp. to maintain their image in the media. I can easily destroy the reputation of every movie produced by Firefly. Not to mention, I can ruin your personal image all over the world. Do you know how many reports about you and numerous actresses have been suppressed from the New York Post? There were a few times when I personally intervened. A reporter from the New York Post had been interested in you six months ago and even followed you for two months, taking many pictures of your private life. The New York Post had originally intended to publish an article about all your deeds, about the actress named Virginia Madsen, about your current girlfriend, about Julia Roberts. Oh, I almost forgot Miss Drew Barrymore. She"s only 14 years old, isn"t she?"
After Murdoch finished speaking, he took a sip of the coffee, almost triumphantly, but Eric, who had had his head lowered, slowly raised it up. Murdoch discovered that Eric"s eyes were very cold, almost frosty, but his slightly pale face had an abnormal blush as if he had gone mad.
"Oops!" Murdoch yelled in his mind.
He suddenly realized that Eric was only 19 years old and a young man with immense talent and success. Thanks to these two qualities, Murdoch deduced that it was far easier for Eric to become enraged and outraged when faced with threats compared to other mediocre young men.
If this little b.a.s.t.a.r.d went mad and really breached the contract and took Friends away, then even if he mobilized the entire power of News Corp. to destroy his image, News Corp. won"t gain the slightest benefit from it.
Eric didn"t seem to notice the change in Murdoch"s expression. He slowly raised his wrist and looked down at his watch before he raised his head to look at Murdoch.
"Mr. Murdoch, you have one minute to think about it. Agree to my terms, or don"t. We will both do as we please and see who loses the most in the end. Now, I will start the count." After speaking, Eric once again lowered his head.
Murdoch suddenly panicked and thought, "Has this little guy really lost his mind?!"
"Eric, please don"t act like this. You are already an adult," Murdoch said helplessly, almost pleading.
Eric didn"t seem to hear Murdoch"s words as he began quietly counting down to himself, "55… 54… 53..."
Seeing that Eric had ignored him, Murdoch leaned back on his couch. He had decided to see if Eric really dared to follow through with his threat after the countdown ended. He had seen Eric"s information before and knew that this young man had a level of maturity and stability that far surpa.s.sed that of his peers. Maybe Eric was momentarily enraged because of his threats, but after a one-minute countdown the bright young man might calm down.
"36… 35… 34..."
The countdown continued slowly.