Chapter 238 Americans are like this

From mid to late October 1997, there were a lot of eye-catching entertainment news.

But what attracted the most attention was not the news revealed by Newsweek.

Sophie Marceau, who became a popular actress in Hollywood for playing the leading role in "The Da Vinci Code", has two twin daughters who are almost one year old.

In the eyes of most Hollywood entertainment reporters.

Sophie Marceau from France is a very interesting actress.

She arrived in Hollywood as early as the year before last.

And as soon as she arrived in Hollywood, she played the leading role in "The Da Vinci Code", a role that countless female stars were vying to play at the time.

Logically speaking, "The Da Vinci Code" was both critically acclaimed and a box office hit.

Sophie Marceau’s performance in the film is also quite good and she has a lot of scenes.

After this movie, she should continue to work hard and consolidate her position in Hollywood.

But after filming "The Da Vinci Code", she gave her fans a feeling of disappearing.

It was as if she flashed by like a shooting star like most actresses, and then no one cared about her anymore.

But the problem is that when she disappeared, The Da Vinci Code hadn't even been released yet! What's even more outrageous is that during the promotional roadshow for The Da Vinci Code, the French actress did nothing but shoot a few VCRs.

She almost didn't show up from beginning to end!

It was not until May and June this year that she appeared in front of the media and was interviewed on several talk shows.

But I didn’t continue filming.

So many people say that she perfectly missed the best time to become a real A-list actress in Hollywood.

At the time when he should have made an appearance and continued his efforts, he disappeared from the public eye.

Her explanation to the public was that she was sick at the time and therefore could not come out.

However, recently Paladin Films announced that Sophie Marceau will officially join the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series of fantasy epic blockbusters which will start shooting at the end of the year and play the heroine.

This reminds many people of the heroine in "The Da Vinci Code" and the beautiful French Kiss.

Especially the French in Europe and the French people in the United States, who also have a large number of descendants.

Plus, she is really beautiful and has a quiet temperament that American female stars don't have.

So there are still many people who like her and pay attention to her.

In this context, Newsweek published a photo of her and her daughters.

You can imagine what a sensation it will cause.

There are about ten photos, most of which are of Sophie and her two daughters, some of whom are playing with them.

Some took them shopping, and some even took them for a walk in New York's Central Park.

The close relationship between mother and daughter is shown very clearly.

No matter who sees it, no one will think that this is someone else's child.

Even Sophie herself issued a brief statement through her agent after the photos were published.

The children in the photo are indeed her daughters, and she hopes that everyone will not disturb her, but she did not mention a word about the daughter's father.

If it were just this, it would be a sensation, but it would not become the most watched entertainment gossip.

only.

After reading the report, almost 90% of people were concerned about who the father of the child was.

The first thing that came to mind was a shadow behind her.

The Sun originally published a report on the scandal between French Kiss and American Miracle after the release of The Da Vinci Code.

Fortunately at the time, many people thought that The Sun was just making groundless accusations.

But now, everyone knows it.

Some people with ulterior motives have long since proven that Sophie Marceau does have a close relationship with a certain gentleman.

She was even the one who was specifically invited from Europe to film "The Da Vinci Code".

Think of Milo's usual style.

Consider his reputation as a playboy.

Think of him and those Hollywood girls.

Although he was just starting out in Hollywood at the time, he had also just started when Zeta-Jones was photographed dating him, so who can be sure that something didn't happen?

And the little girl in the photo is almost one year old.

So she should have been pregnant and gave birth in the first half of 1996, which coincided with Sophie's low period after filming "The Da Vinci Code".

It is very likely that it was because of her pregnancy that she temporarily faded out of the public eye.

More importantly, someone recognized the bodyguards following her.

It's from a security company called Global Alliance.

The owner of this security company is named Milo Blackburn.

If this inference is confirmed, it will be a huge piece of news.

Unfortunately, no one dared to verify it, and there was not even any public questioning.

There was a huge uproar on the Internet, but most entertainment reporters chose to ignore it, and at most made vague hints in their reports.

The Milo of today is not the Milo of a few years ago.

As Chairman of the Board of Directors of the world's largest media group.

It was too easy for him to destroy someone who angered him.

And it's not just the end of my career.

Everyone knows that once this person is angered.

The loss is not just about career, even jail time may be the least punishment.

There is a high probability that he will die in a car accident...

No reporter would be stupid enough to be the first to speak out.

Even those fearless gossip reporters who specialize in writing all kinds of gossip that have almost no credibility can't help but feel a little restrained when writing about this.

It’s not that there aren’t reporters who want to make indirect inquiries from other angles.

But after Sophie Marceau made the statement, she did nothing more than briefly talk about her daughters on a subsequent TV show.

She basically refuses to accept interviews from reporters on this issue.

As for the miracle Blackburn, he is busy cutting leeks in old Europe in London, so how could he accept their interview on the morning of October 15th?

He finally met the person he had been waiting for for a long time in London.

"Gentlemen, I heard you wanted to see me, what's the matter?"

Accompanied by Irene Campbell, the Duke's daughter, they enjoyed the rare sunny weather in London.

Milo met the visitor in a cafe on the Thames.

The guy on the left has white hair and even gray eyebrows, but he looks only in his 50s or 60s. His name is Paolo Ferrero.

His last name looks like a certain kind of chocolate.

In fact, his family makes a living by making this kind of chocolate.

It’s just that their chocolate business is very big and it is one of the largest and most famous chocolate candy brands in the world.

Global annual revenue exceeds 10 billion US dollars, making the Ferrero family one of the richest people in Italy.

The fat guy on the right who looks a bit like Wendy is Antero Muriez.

Auchan, a Fortune 500 retail company, Decathlon, a sporting goods retailer, and Leroy Merlin, a decorative building materials company, are all his businesses.

In this era when the luxury market had not yet expanded wildly.

The Mouriez family is undoubtedly the richest family in France.

So, why did a member of a wealthy French family and a wealthy Italian family come to Milo? "Good day, Mr. Blackburn. And the honorable Baron Lorne."

The two men greeted Milo and Irene first. Irene looked at the two old men talking to Milo curiously.

"It's like this." Antero Muriez seemed to be weighing his tone, his expression relaxed, "Mr. Blackburn, we have a little thing to trouble you with."

"What's the matter?" Milo smiled and said, "I don't have many acquaintances in France and Italy, so I probably can't help you even if I want to."

"You can help if you want to," Paulo Ferrero said immediately. "What we want to ask is what we need to do in order for you to choose to help us."

"I'm a little confused by what you said."

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

Milo still pretended to be confused: "What exactly is going on?"

Paolo Ferrero and Antero Muriez looked at each other.

The latter nodded slightly.

Paul Ferrero then spoke: "This is what I mean, Mr. Blackburn..."

It's simple.

The two Italians and the Frenchman expressed it very vaguely.

A joint venture in which their two families invested and held a majority stake ran into some trouble in the United States.

They heard that Milo Blackburn was very influential in the United States.

So they said they hoped Milo could help them solve this trouble.

Of course.

They wouldn't let Milo help for nothing.

As for how to make sure Milo's help was not in vain, Paul Ferrero did not give detailed explanations.

Just saying something like the Ferrero family and the Murriez family will never forget Mr. Blackburn's friendship and help.

"You mean it." Milo smiled.

"You have a company called SGS-Thomson Microelectronics, which has encountered some troubles in the United States. The company's executives who went to the United States were involved in some criminal cases and commercial bribery cases?"

"If this is true, I'm afraid I can't help you. My country is a country ruled by law. If you break the law, no one can escape legal sanctions. I can't destroy the rule of law in my country just for the sake of our friendship."

His words made Antero Muriez grit his teeth.

This made Paul Ferrero feel very angry.

Because when the incident first happened, they actually thought that the executives of SGS-Thomson Microelectronics had accidentally broken the law in the United States.

But later, as they activated their public relations forces in the United States.

They found the truth.

That is - someone in the United States has taken a fancy to their company.

This semiconductor company, called SGS-Thomson Microelectronics, is a joint venture between French and Italian companies.

And this American has taken a fancy to this company which will be renamed "STMicroelectronics" in a few years.

His name was Milo Blackburn.

Ferrero and Murriez's American friends told them.

The person who tied the bell must be the one to untie it.

If they want to get this done, they'd better talk to Milo Blackburn himself.

That’s how it is today that Paolo Ferrero and Antero Muriez represent their respective families.

Come and talk to Milo about this.

Paolo Ferrero felt that he had said a lot of nice things.

But the Americans are still pretending to be ignorant.

Seeing Milo like this, Paul Ferrero opened his mouth and wanted to say some tough threatening words.

But Antero Muriez was one step faster than him. Antero said, "Mr. Blackburn. We are all smart people. I think it is more appropriate to get straight to the point. What do you think?"

"I feel good about it."

Milo nodded. "I like your attitude, Mr. Muriez. Let me put it this way. I have a friend who is willing to spend $200 million to acquire 60% of the shares of SGS-Thomson Microelectronics. As long as you are willing to sell, I think my friend will spare no effort to help you solve this problem. Because my friend has a very powerful voice in Washington, USA."

These words made Antero Muriez and Paolo Ferrero laugh out of anger.

Because what Milo said was exactly the same as robbery.

As we all know, semiconductors have always been a very expensive project.

This is a crazy iteration. The world's most advanced technology was developed just this year, but it may be one generation behind next year.

The total investment in SGS-Thomson Microelectronics, in which their two families invested, has exceeded US$2 billion over the past decade.

SGS-Thomson Microelectronics now occupies more than 50% of the semiconductor market in Italy and France.

With annual revenue of over one billion US dollars, the company has become profitable and can support itself.

Milo, on the other hand, asked for 60% of the shares right away.

The key is that he was only willing to pay $200 million, which is only about 10% of the actual market valuation of SGS-Thomson Microelectronics.

So 10% for 60%, what's the difference between this and robbery? Of course, Paulo Ferrero and Antero Muriez would never agree to this.

Paul Ferrero immediately said, "Mr. Blackburn, we can't agree to your condition. We are even willing to let you join us, but not at this price!"

Of course, Murillo and Ferrero had discussed it before coming.

They all felt that it was the Americans who saw that SGS-Thomson Microelectronics had great potential.

Because this American is known for his excellent investment vision.

So if they want to invest, they are willing to let the other party come in and share a piece of the pie.

But there is a limit, it is impossible to give 60% at once.

What's the point of all the efforts and money spent by the two families? "Forget it then."

Unexpectedly, Milo didn't even ask for a bargain. He just shrugged and said, "My friend said this is the lowest price he offered. 60% of $200 million. If you don't agree, then I can't help you convince my friend."

After saying this he didn't wait for Murillo and Ferrero to bargain.

Milo directly took Irene's hand and stood up, who had a pair of curious and beautiful big eyes.

"Goodbye, and I wish you two gentlemen a wonderful and enjoyable afternoon. Baron Lorne and I have something to do, so I won't stay here with you."

Without waiting for the two to try to persuade him to stay, Kenny signaled and the bodyguards stopped the two of them, so that they could only watch Milo and Irene leave.

Before getting in the car, Irene curiously asked Milo, "Were you negotiating a business deal?"

"yes."

"I sound like I'm threatening blackmail."

“That’s how Americans are.”

(End of this chapter)