Luke is a well-known director, and this incident immediately attracted great attention. People love this kind of gossip the most, and major newspapers reported it.

Gina filed a lawsuit with the court and made it public at the same time.

The woman was threatened and beaten during the filming, and was threatened again after returning to the hotel. The woman was threatened with termination of the filming and asked to pay a penalty for breach of contract if she did not provide the service. The woman did not dare to resist and was subsequently raped four times.

As soon as the report came out.

Luke felt tremendous pressure. He was currently filming a movie, and after only one-third of the filming, Columbia immediately called a halt and asked other directors to replace him.

Colombia is also in a difficult situation now. The Screen Actors Guild sent a letter to Colombia, asking them to conduct a serious investigation into the matter, otherwise it will mobilize all members to boycott Colombia, which makes Colombia very embarrassed.

recognize,

Reputation is ruined,

Do not admit,

The unions will certainly make trouble.

They originally wanted to delay and think of a solution.

But the next day,

A group of demonstrators gathered in front of Columbia Film Company to protest against Columbia's lax management and its failure to fulfill its corporate responsibilities.

Reporters from ABC TV came and filmed the protesters. They had news to report at noon.

Through media reports, the whole United States knew about this incident, and many people expressed their opinions in newspapers, hoping that Hollywood would be cleaned up and such atrocious things would not happen again.

As a result, Columbia Pictures' stock price plummeted. Shareholders were very angry and ordered the president to deal with the matter as soon as possible.

The president of Columbia Company approached Hardy and said, "Mr. Hardy, Luke is just a contracted director of Columbia. We have unilaterally terminated the contract with him and hope that the protesters will withdraw."

Hardy frowned and said, "I heard from the lawyer that the movie was originally invested by you in Colombia, and the staff were all from Colombia. The lawyer went to the staff to collect evidence, but encountered great resistance."

Actress Gina's accusations included being beaten on the set and having rape and humiliation scenes deliberately arranged.

Luke flatly denied this, but there were so many people at the scene, and if he could get a confession, it would definitely be confirmed.

Columbia's president gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, I'll go back and tell the crew at the time to cooperate with the lawyers in collecting evidence."

For the benefit of the company, sacrificing a director is nothing.

Two days later,

After collecting evidence, Columbia staff confirmed that there was indeed no forced content in the script at the time, and the director forced the scenes in. Later, Gina had some resistance because there were too many exposed shots and they were very insulting, such as the shot of urinating on her body.

Gina protested to director Luke, who slapped her twice, and the entire crew saw it.

After Columbia cooperated, the union withdrew the protesters, and Columbia Films finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Andy reported to Hardy that he made a small profit of $1.2 million by shorting Columbia Pictures.

The main thing is not to be too blatant.

The incident is still ongoing.

The coercion and rape occurred in a hotel room and there is no direct evidence, so it is difficult to prove. However, the above evidence is sufficient to prove that Luke threatened and abused Gina, which has seriously damaged the ethics of a director.

Even if he cannot be sentenced, his reputation is ruined. After this incident caused by the Actors Guild, I'm afraid no one will dare to hire him again.

This incident also served as a warning to some other people, and they are expected to be more restrained in their work. This time, Hardy's weight in the eyes of actors and the media has become even greater, and many people have developed a slight admiration for him.

......

The union affairs came to an end for the time being, and Hardy began to busy himself with his own affairs.

After more than two months of preparation, Andy and his team finally completed the information and procedures for establishing the Hardy Group.

"Boss, according to our previous discussion, there are a total of eight companies that will be merged into the Hardy Group, including HD Security, HD Film, HD Brokers, Playboy Magazine, HD Toy Factory, HD Airlines, Global Times and ABC Television."

"As for Estee Lauder, Wash Mining Company, Mabel TV Factory, Rocky Mountain Mineral Water Plant, auction company, and two wineries, these are personal investments and are not included in the group's management. They are your personal assets."

"I am going to set up a 'personal asset management company' to help you manage your personal assets."

"In addition, there are some investment projects, such as the shares of motorcycle factories, clothing factories, and chocolate factories that we purchased before. We specially set up an 'investment company' to help you manage the investment industry."

"There is also the Hardy Hotel, which is still managed separately and is not included in the group. After all, its industry is somewhat special."

"There is also my Andy Investment Financial Management Company and Baker McKenzie Law Firm. You own shares but do not manage them, so they are also included in the personal investment management."

In this way, Hardy's industry becomes much clearer.

"Boss, I did a preliminary calculation. The total assets of the Hardy Group can reach 150 million US dollars, including 50 million personal assets and 50 million Hardy Hotel, with a total asset of more than 250 million. Of course, if you choose to list certain industries, such as casinos and ABC TV, your net worth will increase several times."

Hardy shook his head. "I don't lack money now, so there's no need to pursue digital games. Remember, the core assets of the Hardy Group will never be listed in the future. Listed assets have only one purpose, which is to make money. And you have to be prepared to abandon assets that make money at any time."

Andy nodded to show that he understood.

"Boss, our group is registered in Las Vegas. Nevada has low taxes and no personal income tax. It will be very beneficial for the company to establish its headquarters in Nevada. If you think the plan is okay, I will formally submit an application to the Las Vegas government."

Nevada, where Las Vegas is located, is one of the states with the best investment environment in the United States. It is free of corporate and personal income taxes, has the lowest business tax in the United States, has low commercial taxes, is free of franchise taxes, only charges a small annual maintenance fee, has no corporate stock tax, has minimum reporting and non-disclosure requirements, does not disclose shareholder information, and shareholders, directors and managers do not need to reside or hold meetings in Nevada, nor do they need to be U.S. residents. Directors do not have to be shareholders.

Another cool thing is that Nevada and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have not signed an information sharing agreement, which means that the IRS cannot arbitrarily obtain tax information of companies in Nevada from the state.

You know, California's personal income tax is 20%, and this alone is enough to attract many people to register companies here.

"Submit it. I guess the Las Vegas government will be very happy. By the way, have you found the headquarters building that I asked you to look for before?" Hardy said.

"I have found several places and brought you the information. Please take a look to see if they are suitable. If not, I will ask someone to find another one."

Then he handed a document to Hardy.

Because Los Angeles is located in the world's largest earthquake zone, the Pacific Rim, there are no real skyscrapers. Even in the 21st century, there are very few skyscrapers.

Hardy had his eyes on a building in downtown Los Angeles. "Let's rent out ten floors of this building and turn it into the headquarters of the Hardy Group. We can also put a big neon sign on the top of the building."

As for why he only rented and did not buy, it was because Hardy looked down on this place. In his opinion, these buildings were ugly, and the one he chose was just so-so.

Closing the folder and handing it to Andy, Hardy said:

"In the future, we will build a real headquarters building for the Hardy Group in Las Vegas. I have land there, but there is no rush. We can wait ten years."

After saying this, Hardy looked at Andy and said with a smile: "Andy, from now on, you will officially take over as the president of Hardy Group. Only you are the most suitable for this position."

"Thank you for your trust, boss. I will definitely help you manage the company well."

"Well, let's start building the management team of Hardy Group from now on. You are better at this than I am." Hardy smiled and patted Andy's shoulder.

......

Having not seen Taylor for a long time, Hardy called her and asked her out.

Taylor was very happy when she received the call and ran into the house to put on makeup. Sarah followed her into the room and helped Taylor choose clothes.

"Which one are you going to wear?"

Taylor chose a long skirt and a loose cashmere sweater, paired with a small cashmere hat, looking playful and cute.

Hardy's car stopped in front of Taylor's house. Taylor ran over happily. The driver opened the door and Taylor got in quickly.

Sarah stood at the door and watched her daughter get into the car. Then she saw her daughter kiss Hardy in the car after getting in.

Sarah's heart trembled slightly.

She knew that what was going to happen would happen.

Her original ideal was to make her daughter famous and then marry a wealthy man in the upper class. Later, Hardy appeared and became Sarah's goal. She thought her daughter could find Hardy.

But less than a year has passed, and Hardy's development speed has far exceeded her expectations. Now Hardy has become a real big shot. Now Hardy's power, money and status seem to be no longer something she can think about casually.

"I missed you so much, Mr. Hardy." Taylor said coquettishly while holding Hardy's arm.

"What do you think of the script? Beauty and the Beast will start filming in another month, right?" Hardy asked with a smile.

"The script isn't difficult, the main thing is that it involves singing, and I wanted to sing myself, so I hired a professional vocal teacher to teach me," Taylor said.

"If not, just dub it."

"No, I want to do it myself." Taylor said stubbornly.

The two first went to a big shopping mall and bought a bunch of things, and then came to Hardy's manor. They chatted in the manor room, and Taylor enjoyed this relaxing way of getting along.

Taylor came back very late.

On the way upstairs, Mrs. Sarah stared at her daughter's butt for a long time.

Fortunately, nothing unusual.

.......

The next day, Hardy received a call from director Nolan, saying that Ghost had been completed and he invited him to come and watch the film.

When he arrived, the leading actors and actresses Hedy Lamarr and Li Gen were there, as well as a group of senior executives from HD Pictures. This movie is a purely urban film with low production difficulty, and only has a few special effects, which can be easily produced with current technology.

The movie is playing and everyone watches it together.

When the theme song of "Ghost" sounded in the film, the sentimentality reached its peak.

Hardy believes that half of the credit for the film's success lies in the theme song, which is one of the few English songs he can remember.

This song was sung by a group of two singers signed to HD Records, Bill Midley and Bobby Hatfield. Hardy thought they had good voices, so he hired them. Unexpectedly, the result was very good.

When the movie was over, Hardy raised his hand and clapped, and the others followed suit.

"It's great. Heidi and Ligon's performances are both remarkable. Director Nolan has great skills. I believe this movie will be a hit."

After hearing the boss's comments, everyone was very happy. Hardy looked at Edward and said, "Make a five-minute promotional video and put it on ABC TV. Also, make the theme song into MTV and have ABC play it during MTV time."

"The radio station also sent a copy of the record over. Now that more people are listening to the radio, let the radio host promote it."

"As for the distribution, let's contact MGM. I'll call Mayer." Hardy arranged the matter with just a few words.

When he got to the office, he picked up the phone and called Mayer. When the call was connected, Hardy smiled and said, "Mr. Mayer, my film company has finished producing the film Ghost and is ready to release it. We would like to ask MGM for help."

"Of course, no problem. I will ask the distribution department to contact HD Films."

After Mayer finished speaking, he changed the subject and said, "Hardy, regarding the casino, I talked to my partners again and found two more investors. Including you, there are seven people in total. Do the other partners want to meet you?"

Hadi thought, are we finally going to meet?

"Of course no problem, may I know who it is?" Hardy asked.

"Bank of America."

Good man, they are a big shot right off the bat. Bank of America is now the largest bank on the West Coast. It seems that big capital has smelled the scent of Las Vegas money.

"Mersey Pharmaceuticals."

Hardy knew this pharmaceutical company, which is one of the top pharmaceutical companies in the United States today. It seems that this company was also involved in the production of penicillin during World War II.

"Kroc Produce."

Hardy had also heard of this company, which was said to be the largest agricultural product supplier in the West, monopolizing the supply of many agricultural products, including milk, vegetables, flour, sugar, beef, fish, and so on.

"PepsiCo."

Hardy was slightly stunned when he heard the name. This needs no introduction at all, but the current Pepsi is not the Pepsi of later generations. It cannot be compared with Coca-Cola. It is estimated that it has only one-tenth of the strength of Coca-Cola.

"Lockheed Aircraft Corporation."

Hardy thought that even this company had come, but he also understood that the current Lockheed was not the Lockheed Martin of later generations, and had not yet produced aircraft such as the F-22 and F-35. It was just an ordinary arms supplier.

After hearing these names, Hardy suddenly thought of a word.

california corporation.

Aren’t these companies all members of the California Consortium? They came here in a group to make money, no wonder they are called a consortium.

But do they have other purposes?

“Hardy, now we have more partners and everyone has new ideas. We are prepared to increase investment. If we are going to build a casino, it cannot be worse than the one you are going to build. We are also prepared to invest 100 million to build a super luxurious casino.” Mayer said.

......