Chapter 685
Compromise and Concession
After the live interview with the current First Lady, Tom Emmer's reputation plummeted beyond repair.
The evidence is still insufficient, but people all over the world believe that the illegitimate child is Tom Emmot's, and that Regina only took off her clothes under the oppressive power of President Tom Emmot.
Voters across America are outraged that our leader is such a piece of trash!
On the same day the interview took place, Claire, accompanied by her lawyer, went to the local court in her hometown of Houston to formally file for divorce.
The Walker family made preparations in advance, and the court accepted the case smoothly.
Nicole Kidman's divorce lawsuit against Tom Cruise is nothing compared to this truly sensational global divorce case.
When an ex-wife transforms into a sharp blade, she can stab a man into unbearable pain.
After leaving the courthouse, Claire gave an interview to the media, urging the Supreme Court justices and special prosecutors from the Department of Justice to uphold the fairness and justice of American law and give her and all Americans an explanation.
Thousands of people gathered at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., blocking the south gate of the White House.
They unfurled protest banners, calling on everyone across the United States to oppose the current president.
These people brought tents and food, intending to stay here for a long time.
Another group of people came to Capitol Hill to protest, demanding that Congress investigate Tom Emer.
Meanwhile, three Supreme Court justices have stated that they are closely monitoring Tom Emmer's case and have instructed their offices to contact the Department of Justice.
Congress has decided to hold hearings on the Tom Emer case.
Public pressure weighed heavily on the White House.
Tom Emmer also took many targeted measures, even resorting to underhanded methods.
But Regina is hiding in Los Angeles, while Claire remains in the Lone Star Republic.
These two local powers were relatively strong, and Tom Emmer's efforts were thwarted without exception.
…………
In his villa in Los Angeles, Mr. Dong sat on the balcony and finished reading today's newspaper.
The eldest daughter, Enni, brought over a letter and placed it on the table in front of him, saying, "It's a notice just sent by the FBI, asking you to go to the branch office this afternoon to explain the new details of the case."
Mr. Dong picked it up and looked at it, saying, "Those two ugly hags, Joanna and Allison, will never stop causing trouble!"
The mother and daughter provided the FBI with new evidence of being sexually assaulted by Mr. Dong. According to normal procedures, the FBI should question Mr. Dong.
With a continuous stream of people filing complaints, Mr. Dong has been restricted from moving around in Los Angeles and is unable to return to New York.
Inee thought for a moment and said, "I suggest we deal with these people as soon as possible so we can deal with the real trouble."
"Do you think I don't want to?" Mr. Dong believed the most serious crisis was still the World One Tower project, and asked, "What's the situation in India?"
Ini said, "The Indian authorities have frozen all of Loda Group's accounts and assets on charges of endangering national security, and Hafiz has been sentenced to twenty years in prison..."
She glanced at her father and said, "When we raised funds for the construction of World No. 1, we mortgaged several Dong's Buildings. The bank has applied to the court for property preservation, and we have lost control of these buildings. If we cannot resolve this issue as soon as possible, we will lose our most important assets."
Mr. Dong sighed: "Could you arrange a meeting with Hawke for me? I need to talk to him."
Inee understood that her father was probably going to give up.
Mr. Dong flipped through the newspaper and said, "These bastards in Los Angeles have started a war with Tom Emer."
"I never expected them to fight amongst themselves..." said Ini.
“This is not an internal conflict.” Mr. Dong, who has been following the news in this regard, said, “Hawk Osment and Bryan Ferguson deceived Tom Emmon and jumped out at the most critical moment, stabbing Tom Emmon in the back. Tom Emmon must be in a lot of pain and panic right now.”
Enni suddenly realized: "No wonder they were so ruthless to us. It wasn't for Tom Emmer, but because they wanted to get involved themselves."
Dong Zong is considering a possibility: "If I give up the general election and choose to support Hawke and Brian, will this matter be resolved?"
Ini thought for a moment: "According to the logic of normal people, they should."
"Hawk doesn't follow any logic in his actions." President Dong has seen his share of ups and downs and knows that many people and things simply don't make sense.
He said, "Many buyers of One World Tower have sued me in court. Although we are disguised as another company, this may work against Hollywood stars, but it will not be very effective against political and wealthy figures."
Inie suddenly thought of a possibility: "You said last time that this mess is related to Hawke. Could he be hiding something behind the scenes, using shell companies to buy properties and then swindling us out of our breach of contract fees?"
Mr. Dong said, "Let's not worry about that for now. We must get out of our current predicament and take the initiative to show goodwill to Hawke and Brian while they are at war with Tom Emer."
At this point, President Dong was so angry that his blond hair almost stood on end: "Even so, we may have to pay a heavy price. It will be difficult to save the mortgaged buildings, and we will have to pay the penalties for breach of contract to some people."
Inee knew very well that money from political and business tycoons was not easy to obtain, so she said, "Those Hollywood stars?"
“Ignore them, just drag it out.” Mr. Dong said coldly, “You must remember that the compromises and concessions we make now are for the future retaliation. We choose to endure and wait for the opportunity to come. We will repay Hawke Osmond and Brian Ferguson tenfold for everything we have suffered now.”
Inie remembered it and went to call Hawke.
Mr. Dong got up and went out to the villa's terrace, overlooking Los Angeles.
He stood there awkwardly because he had an electronic tracking device on his foot.
Mr. Dong glanced down and felt a strange sense of humiliation, but he had to endure it and wait for the right opportunity.
If he could ascend to the presidency, Hawke and Brian would be his top priorities for elimination.
…………
Silicon Beach, Coastal Building.
Edward entered Hawke's office and said, "Mr. Dong's eldest daughter just called and wants to meet with you to have a chat."
Realizing the ambiguity in his words, he added, "It's Mr. Dong who wants to have a face-to-face talk with you."
Hawke considered for a moment and said, "You should arrange a time with him."
Those secret plans would naturally not be exposed to President Dong. Hawke knew what kind of person President Dong was, and if possible, he would create some illusions to make President Dong lower his guard.
Edward checked Hawke's schedule, consulted him, and then called President Dong back.
News has come from Washington that, thanks to the efforts of a high-profile legal team and due to a lack of evidence, several senior executives of Peterson Consulting, who had been detained by the Department of Homeland Security, have been successfully released and returned home. However, the Peterson Consulting office building remains under lockdown by the Department of Homeland Security.
It's clear that the Department of Homeland Security wants to find something out of this.
But since Hawke had already made preparations for the plan targeting Tom Emer, Peterson Consulting couldn't find anything useful.
Elizabeth Carter then spoke with Hawke via satellite video call.
The lobbyist secretly recruited a White House cleaner who was willing to come forward and testify that he had seen Tom Emer pull Fiona into a corridor with portraits of past presidents and do many unspeakable things there.
Hawke immediately instructed Edward to arrange for a plane to bring the person back to Los Angeles.
Framing and slander are common occurrences in elections, especially since Tom Emmanuel really did those things with Regina.
The call had just ended when Hawke's assistant came over to inform him that Tom Cruise and Eric Ethan had arrived.
Hawke rushed to the reception room and met the two men.
Tom Cruise sent out an invitation, saying, "This is a VIP ticket to the Oscars."
Hawke has been busy dealing with matters related to Mr. Dong and Tom Emmer, leaving matters such as Oscar public relations and publicity to others, and hasn't paid much attention to related news.
He took the invitation and asked, "Has the nomination been announced?"
Eric said with a smile, "We just had a luncheon for the nominees over the weekend. Our film, 'Silali,' received nine nominations, including Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Supporting Actor and Actress, Best Actor and Actress, Best Director, and Best Picture."
Tom Cruise added, "We won all the awards from the Writers Guild, Screen Actors Guild, Directors Guild, and Producers Guild at the bellwether awards."
The Guild Awards are a true indicator of the Oscars, meaning that "Silali" has a greater than 90% chance of winning all four major awards.
Hawke and Tom Cruise certainly wouldn't hold any early celebrations. Even after the awards are announced, things can be changed at the last minute, let alone before the results are even out.
Eric added, "The producers of this year's Oscars informed me in advance that I will not be a presenter at any of this year's awards ceremony."
Tom Cruise chimed in, "So are Leo and I."
Hawke nodded and said, "This year's awards ceremony is at the end of February, I should have time to attend."
"Siri" is aimed at the Donald Party, and the formal competition between the two parties has begun, and they will soon clash head-on.
Eric then looked at Hawke: "Filming and producing two movies in two years is very mentally taxing. Regardless of how 'Silali' fares at the Oscars, I will take a year off."
Hawke said, "Do whatever you want after the Oscars."
Tom Cruise said, "I'm also preparing for a new Mission: Impossible movie."
"Silali" is a political film, and it has basically achieved its other objectives, except for the Oscars.
Especially with Meryl Streep being shot and killed in the street, and the FBI "discovering" during the investigation that the killer had a Democratic political background, the movie has already achieved legendary status.
The film has attracted nearly 4500 million viewers in North America, grossing a total of $3.28 million at the North American box office. It has a 9.4 rating on IMDb and still holds the number one spot on the Top 250 list.
Its popularity in the public eye has remained consistently high.
It is no exaggeration to say that Meryl Streep did not have such appeal during her lifetime.
With that gunshot, all the criticisms leveled against Meryl Streep, such as her acting skills being limited to her face, vanished.
Besides discussing movies, Tom Cruise also brought news about Scientology.
The Church of Scientology will fully support Brian in the election.
Tom Cruise is now firmly in second place in Scientology, and he can advance further if he can outlive the current leader.
As for whether Scientology is a cult, Hawke doesn't care at all. After all, Scientology only develops in Europe and America, and it mainly harms Anglo-Saxons, Latinos, Africans, and non-Africans.
While the three were chatting, Leonardo DiCaprio arrived.
He was somewhat anxious, saying, "I've never been so close to winning the Oscar for Best Actor. I missed it this time, and I don't know how long I'll have to wait."
Hawke glanced at him briefly. Leonardo, no longer threatened by Silla's gutter oil, had worked hard to get back in shape over the past two years. Although it was unlikely that he would return to his pre-2000s physique, he had maintained his figure as it was during the "Catch Me If You Can" era.
The only pity is that the water gun photos with a big belly are unlikely to appear again.
Hawke deliberately said, "If you can't get it, Leo, you'll only be able to completely ruin your image. You can take Charlize Theron as an example then."
Eric, speaking from a director's perspective, said, "Charlize Theron's acting is very average, and her performance in 'Monster' is not particularly outstanding. But a beautiful actress, for the sake of an Oscar, transformed herself into that grotesque state, perfectly passing the Academy's obedience test."
Tom Cruise is also a victim in this regard: "If I had made that choice, I might have been able to get it ten years earlier, but doing so would have resulted in a huge commercial loss for me."
All four of them laughed.
Before leaving get off work, Tom Cruise and his two companions said goodbye and left.
When Hawke returned to the hilltop estate, he found Brian and Jennifer there.
Jennifer is trying to conceive and is discussing the matter with Erica.
Brian called Hawke over to the bar to talk.
Hawke poured two glasses of wine and asked, "Why did you suddenly come back?"
Brian took the gold whiskey, took a sip, and said, "John Boehner, a senior party leader, called Grandpa, Mrs. Reagan, McCain, and me separately, expressing his concerns about the overly intense infighting within the party."
Hawke, who had dealt with John Boehner many times, said, "The Speaker of the House, the nominal leader of the Elephant Party." He added, "John Boehner's son has an investment firm that invested in SpaceX three years ago."
Brian nodded: "John Boehner is very senior and has a wide network of connections. His opinions can influence the choices of many people."
Hawke asked, "He expressed his support before, but has he changed his mind now?"
“No, not at all.” Brian explained in detail: “John felt that our conflict would cause serious internal strife and worried that the Democrats would benefit from it. He expressed his continued support for us on the phone, but opposed the unlimited escalation of the conflict and the crazy internal strife.”
Hawke has not yet commented.
Brian said, "John will be in Los Angeles tomorrow morning to meet with us." (End of Chapter)