Chapter 425 The Baby
Right away, a fight broke out on the screen.
Garth lost it when he saw that.
In a fit of rage, he chucked the remote.
The butler handed him an iPad, and all the news about Mary and Sarah had vanished.
Now, the hot topic was VisionVibe Media's scandal with female employees.
And someone had dug up dirt on VisionVibe Media, dragging Garth into it.
Next thing you know, a flood of bad press about Garth hit the internet.
It was getting ugly.
In less than 30 minutes, the stocks of Garth's three film companies started tanking.
Garth frantically called his team, yelling, "What the hell is going on? Wasn't this supposed to be buried? Why is it back? What are those reporters doing? After all the money we gave them, they do this to me?"
"Mr. Tovar, this is really unexpected. It was buried, but now someone's gunning for us," the voice on the other end stammered, clearly freaked out.
Garth's face twisted in anger as he hung up and dialed the channel's head. "Mr. Tackett, what's the deal? Why have your journalists come to interview my staff once more?"
A loud laugh came from the other end. "Mr. Tovar, come on. We're just reporting the facts. If someone gives us info, we gotta check it out, right? What's the problem?"
Garth's scowl deepened.
Rolf Tackett was a sly one.
He cut Rolf off, "Rolf, cut the crap! Remember the three million bucks I gave you? Breaking the rules? No one breaks my rules! Pull all the reports now!"
Rolf chuckled, "Mr. Tovar, sorry, can't do that. By the way, I haven't spent your money. I can return it to you at any time."
"You!" Garth was livid. "Rolf, what's your game?! What did they offer you?"
Rolf laughed, "Nothing much. They just said you're going down. So, if I help you, I'd be in trouble too. They offered me a choice: expose you, and I get more visibility and public goodwill. Why not?"
Garth was stunned. After a moment, he roared, "Rolf, you believe them? Think I'm easy to push around?"
Rolf chuckled, "At first, I thought they were joking. But they showed me something. After that, I got it. Mr. Tovar, start planning your exit."
A chill ran down Garth's spine. After a pause, he said, "I'll give you five million. Fix this!"
The other end was silent for a moment. "Five million?" Rolf sneered, "You really don't get it, do you? Their offer is way higher. As a friend, I'm telling you, find a way out fast, or you won't escape when the avalanche hits."
Garth got the hint and quickly asked, "How much did they give you?"
Rolf chuckled, "Can't say. Mr. Tovar, take care!"
With that, he hung up.
Garth's face was stone-cold, his eyes sunken, and his hand shook with rage as he smashed his phone to bits.
"Damn it! That bastard's really screwing me over," he fumed.
The servants in the living room were too scared to even breathe loudly.
Caius, standing nearby, cursed, "Rolf's a real piece of work. What now? If this keeps up, VisionVibe Media and your rep are toast."
Garth valued his rep above all else.
"I know," Garth growled, glaring at Caius.
Now, he needed to find out who was behind this.
It couldn't be William; the timing was too quick.
Garth leaned on his cane, pacing back and forth in the living room. After a long while, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number, cutting straight to the chase. "Otha, we got a problem. I need your help."
"I saw it," a calm voice replied on the other end. "Garth, you are so unlucky. Looks like you've hit a wall. If Rolf's pulling this, he's got backup."
Garth let out a bitter laugh. "I know. He said they have some killer evidence against me. But I don't buy it. I've been keeping my nose clean for years. Whoever's behind this has to be someone in the biz, probably one of those old-timers!"
"Alright, I got it. I'll have a word with Rolf," Otha Soderberg said, his tone turning serious.
He sat in an office somewhere, radiating authority. The Southern Film Association, which he led, controlled the resources of film enterprises in twelve coastal cities, wielding significant influence and power.
He thought for a moment, then pulled up his contacts and dialed a number.
Meanwhile, in the general manager's office of a certain channel, Rolf was gleefully admiring a vase on his desk, while Alan stood calmly across from him.
"Oh, Alan, this gift is too valuable; I can't accept it," Rolf said, grinning broadly, his face full of insincerity.
Alan gave a cold laugh. "This is from Mr. Jones. You have to accept it, or you'll be disrespecting him."
Rolf rubbed his hands and bent over. After a few glances at the vase, he said with a fawning smile, "Then I'll accept it."
Suddenly, his phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, he frowned, glanced at Alan, and wanted to take the call in private.
"Take it here," Alan said coldly.
Rolf had no choice but to answer. The person on the other end immediately started cursing and then threatened, "Rolf, you've got some nerve, going after Garth? Do you want to ruin yourself? Who put you in that position? Pull back the news immediately! Or else, you'll be picking up your own pieces!"
"Otha, it's not that I don't want to help, but the other side is too powerful. Garth might not be able to hold on," Rolf said, glancing at Alan.
"I know what you're after, Rolf. It's money, right? Whatever they're offering, I'll double it," Otha said.
Rolf looked at Alan, who nodded directly. "Fifty million dollars," Rolf replied with a grin.
"What? Are you serious? Fifty million dollars? Who's that generous?" Otha blurted out, shocked.
'Who the hell is this? Starting with fifty million dollars! Are they trying to destroy Garth?' he thought in surprise.
"Yes, fifty million dollars," Rolf said with a fawning smile.
Otha thought for a moment, gritted his teeth, and said, "Fine, I'll transfer it right away!"
A short while later, Alan looked at the one hundred million dollars that had just entered his account, smiled, patted Rolf on the shoulder, and said, "Good. Mr. Jones appreciates you. Don't worry, this won't affect you at all."
With that, he left.
Rolf let out a shaky breath, then rubbed his hands together with satisfaction, looking at the vase on his desk. Just the vase alone was an immense temptation.
Ten minutes later, Alan returned to the company and walked up to William, saying, "Mr. Jones, it's done. The other side transferred one hundred million dollars."
William sneered, "Good. Garth will never see this coming. This is just the start! Continue. Today, I want to destroy everything he prides himself on, one by one!"
Alan nodded.
Suddenly, William's phone rang. It was Brenda.
"William, something's happened. Ms. Smith..." On the other end, Brenda was crying hysterically, barely coherent.
William's heart skipped a beat, and he stood up abruptly, asking, "What happened to Mary?"
"We're at the press conference. It's chaotic. A lot of people were pushing her, and she accidentally fell. Her baby..." Brenda's sobs were intermittent, and it was clear the scene was very chaotic.
William was stunned!
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