[Chapter 319: Edward Douglas Dead]
The Douglas family's history in Arica stretched back 150 years. They were among the Jewish immigrants who ca from Europe. After settling in New York, it took them a century of quiet growth and accumulation before they had a solid economic and social foundation, though their assets amounted to only tens of millions of dollars.
Their fortune truly took off with the establishnt of Israel in 1948. Following World War II, the Jewish bourgeoisie promoted Zionism, urging Jews to return to Palestine and establish a Jewish state. The Zionist movent was fervent in the United States, and the Douglas family was at the forefront, contributing both funds and effort, earning widespread recognition among the Jewish community.
The Douglas family played a leading role in the five consecutive Middle East wars, funding, supporting, and advocating for Jewish interests. They gradually beca central figures in the Jewish radical faction. Their actions during Israel's establishnt and subsequent wars earned them broad recognition and extensive connections, propelling their business to jump to new heights.
Their assets expanded rapidly, surpassing one billion and later ten billion dollars, ultimately becoming a family empire worth about thirty billion dollars. Starting in the late 1980s, they fully entered the Arican dia industry. Today, they controlled The New York Tis, held shares in The Wall Street Journal, NBC, and ABC networks.
Douglas family mbers were spread across major dia companies, including Hollywood's top studios, wielding imnse influence in the dia world. The family always championed Jewish-first policies, believing that Arican dia should be entirely controlled by Jewish people.
...
Last year, Linton Films unexpectedly surged, developing rapidly, and quickly attracted the family's attention. Upon discovering no Jewish executives at Linton Films, they imdiately categorized the company as a target for suppression.
Hollywood already had one major news group outside Jewish control -- one was enough. They would never allow another independent or non-Jewish controlled dia company to rise. That led them to station spies at Anderson Farm and Linton Films. But surprisingly, all those spies were ruthlessly eliminated.
What hurt them most was one of their own family direct heirs, Marcel Douglas, who had beco a Warner Brothers executive, was inexplicably shot by their own person. Though the police found no clear cause, the Douglas family didn't need an investigation. From motive and outco, it was clear to them that Linton was behind it.
But mindful of Linton's ard strength on his Montana farm, they refrained from reckless moves or outright war. Still, Linton Films had beco an intense focus and target for suppression. When they learned Linton intended to buy UPN Television Network to shore up dia weaknesses, they planned to sabotage it.
...
Viacom was another dia giant, and Sumner Redstone was a billionaire. To ensure success, the Douglas family's eldest son and heir, Edward Douglas, personally ca to Los Angeles to lobby.
Thanks to the Douglas family's significant influence in the Jewish community and his reputation, Edward was able to et Viacom's Sumner Redstone. Redstone was willing to give in but bluntly said selling UPN was a strategic decision by the board and was non-negotiable. The buyer would be the highest bidder, or there was no way to justify it to the board and shareholders.
However, since Edward Douglas had co in person, the company was willing to postpone the second round of negotiations with Linton Films, allowing him ti to lobby other bidders or form a new bidding group to compete for UPN.
'That old fox, he's just using to drive up the price. Saying Jews are one family -- bullshit. He has no sense of the overall situation at all,' Edward thought bitterly as he left Viacom, cursing Redstone in his heart.
But there was nothing he could do. Redstone was unwilling to sacrifice current profits for a potential threat. Edward couldn't force anything and realized he had to find other buyers.
...
After visits to Disney, Ti Warner, Sony Columbia, and MGM, his hopes dimd. Most companies valued UPN at under 100 million dollars. Asking them to add an extra 70 million dollars was impossible without the Douglas family making up the difference.
And none took Edward's warnings about Linton's threat seriously. How could a heavily losing network pose a threat to Jews? So even vaguely hinted at a personal feud between Edward and Linton.
'Shortsighted fools with no big picture,' Edward thought, frustrated but still searching for solutions.
He even brazenly visited News Corp., but Rupert Murdoch refused to see him, sending his son Jas Murdoch instead. As for Edward's proposal for News Corp. to buy UPN at a high price, Jas gave a mocking "ha" and sarcastically told him the company had previously valued UPN at only around 50 million dollars.
With no common ground, Edward left dejected.
Could he really just watch Linton succeed in buying UPN? No way. Arica could not have another large dia company outside Jewish control, especially not one with old family grudges growing strong in dia.
Could the family just shell out 70 million dollars cash? No, they had already lost 64 million earlier this year to that vulture, draining the cash flow. The family hadn't fully recovered and couldn't start selling assets.
It seed the only feasible way was to push for a joint acquisition by several companies.
...
The next day, Edward again visited Disney, Ti Warner, Sony Columbia, and MGM, proposing the formation of a new joint company to acquire UPN. Encouragingly, except for Sony Columbia, the other three showed interest and asked Edward to present a specific feasible plan for further discussion.
So the four companies, including his family, would join forces to buy UPN. But how to split shares, rights, and duties was sothing to carefully consider.
...
As the Douglas family heir, Edward's security was priority number one. He traveled with eight bodyguards, rode in a rcedes armored limousine, and stayed in the presidential suite of the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills.
Everyone believed his safety was foolproof. After all, this was Arica -- a land dominated by Jewish elites.
However, late that night, while Edward slept soundly, two bodyguards stood watch outside his suite. A tiny, invisible flying sword, as small as a grain of rice, silently slipped into his room. Quickly growing in size, it flashed once, and Edward's head was severed from his body.
The flying sword shrank again to a near invisible grain-size and vanished silently without alerting the guards. Poor Edward was left a lifeless two segnts.
...
It was the day Charlize Theron returned to Los Angeles. Linton had long promised her a date. Conveniently, the Beverly Wilshire and Waldorf Astoria hotels in Beverly Hills were less than two kiloters apart -- well within Linton's spiritual sense range.
He had his assistant book the highest-floor presidential suite at the Beverly Wilshire. That night, Linton divided focus -- engaging in an intense battle with Charlize Theron while controlling the flying sword remotely to decapitate an enemy from afar.
While Charlize sang passionately, the tiny flying sword flowed like light through the window, and entered Linton -- mission accomplished.
*****
spatreon/Sayonara816.
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