America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz
Chapter 285: Chapter 282: Too Much Pressure

In a Brooklyn Division's reception room.

With the assistant producer Damian and the crew's lawyer in attendance, the NYPD took routine victim statements from Martin, Bruce, and Aniston.

Aside from slightly exaggerating Aniston's part, the trio just needed to recount everything as it happened.

Even Aniston's part didn't stray from the facts.

"Mr. Davis, Miss Aniston," the officer taking the statement shook hands with them, "Thank you very much for your cooperation. If there are any developments, I will contact you both in a timely manner."

Martin replied with a serious expression, "I have always heard that the NYPD is renowned for its justice and fairness, I trust you will handle this matter properly."

The officer smiled, "Of course we will."

All involved were no ordinary people, but the situation was crystal clear, on one side was an Australian star, and on the other, America's hero and sweetheart. The case would be handled impartially.

Aniston stayed close to Martin the entire time, appearing especially vulnerable.

The first sweetheart of America wielded too much influence. Seeing her excessively frightened demeanor, the officer felt it was not too harsh to impose the maximum penalty on the perpetrator.

Coming out of the reception room, the crew's lawyer Ward explicitly inquired about the situation.

Returning, he whispered to Martin and Aniston, "The NYPD found a prescription drug on Heath Ledger, a forbidden substance. The amount he possessed was significantly above the legal limit, and preliminary urine tests were positive. Further blood tests are scheduled for tomorrow. According to New York regulations, one must not drive after taking those two medications."

Martin didn't hesitate to ask, "He nearly hit me and Jen in the parking lot, does that constitute dangerous driving?"

Ward said, "If you insist on holding him accountable, it could be very troublesome for him."

Aniston glanced at Martin and said softly, "I don't care if he drops dead!"

In Hollywood, there were plenty like Heath Ledger, but they hadn't entangled with her, whereas Heath Ledger had genuinely threatened her safety.

Martin's phone rang, and upon answering, he heard Thomas's voice, "I'm on my way to the airport and will arrive in New York just after midnight."

When a client is in trouble, the agent arrives at the earliest opportunity. Undoubtedly, Thomas's attitude was impeccable.

Aniston also received a call from her agent, and afterward, approached Martin, "My agent told me not to face the media just yet, let's wait for him to come."

Martin, however, considered another important matter, "Is Heath Ledger also a CAA client?"

Aniston was unsure, so she called to check and then replied, "Yes, he is."

Martin said, "Let's talk more once we get back."

He needed time to think and plan how to maximize the value of this unexpected event.

An incident had occurred, and of course, it needed to be dealt with. How could they benefit from the misfortune of others?

Upon entering the lobby, Martin spotted two women approaching.

One was Blanchett, and the other was the famous actress Michel Williams.

"Jen, Martin, this is Ledger's fiancée, Michel," introduced Blanchett briefly. "Might we have a private word?"

Michel bowed to them sincerely, "I am deeply sorry for what Heath has done, I apologize."

Martin cut to the chase, "Madam, please speak quickly."

Michel, having understood the situation, knew that reconciling with these two was crucial. After apologizing again with a bow, she explained, "Heath never intended to target you, he's a good person. What happened this afternoon was an accident, it was those medications..."

Martin and Aniston both believed that afternoon's incident was accidental, but that wasn't the crux of the problem.

Michel spoke with tact, "Just over two months ago, Heath became a father. We had a beautiful daughter. The pressure of fatherhood was overwhelming for him, and he wasn't fully accustomed to being a dad. He had to leave his daughter to focus on work, with the entire stress of the awards season bearing down on him, forcing him to seek medical help and take medication to prevent a mental breakdown."

Daughter, fatherhood, pressure, and mental illness, these were all things designed to evoke sympathy.

But Martin wasn't buying it, "So the main culprit is the undue pressure of a celebrity father!" he glanced at Aniston, "Shall we go?"

"Let's go," Aniston linked her arm with Martin's and walked out.

"Both of you!" Michel was desperate to follow them but was stopped by Bruce.

Old Cloth was grumbling internally: Celebrities earning millions of dollars, benefiting from actor unions, claim immense pressure to the point of drug addiction, and use it as a pretext for absolution. What about the ordinary people working multiple jobs or clocking in over ten hours of overtime daily – should they go insane?

Even he, as despicable as he was, scoffed at the notion.

Martin and his party each got into their cars.

Before they could reach Brooklyn Bridge, Bruce received a call, then turned to Martin, "There has been a car following us the whole time."

Aniston was a bit nervous, especially after having just encountered Heath Ledger.

Martin, used to dealing with messes, said, "Find out who they are."

Since the moment Heath Ledger was outfitted by the studio, he had been contemplating the subsequent matters.

Heath Ledger was not alone.

Martin from the Australian Gang didn't care; those people wouldn't do anything too outrageous because of Heath Ledger—he was still a member of the Face Gang and the Trio of Scoundrels.

What Martin was considering were Heath Ledger's agency, the production, and distribution companies behind the projects he was involved in.

"Brokeback Mountain" was being screened, and Heath Ledger was the male lead. Just a few days earlier, he had received a Best Actor nomination at the Golden Globes.

In other words, CAA, the production company, and distribution company might be working on his Oscar nomination.

The car quickly arrived at the Four Seasons Hotel Manhattan. Upon entering the lobby, Bruce said to Martin, "We've figured it out, a crew from 'World News Report' might have caught wind of the situation and are looking to get the scoop."

While walking, Martin said, "World News Report, old friends indeed."

Back in Washington, it was the 'World News Report' crew that had sneaked into his room.

After reaching the upper floor, Bruce first conducted a thorough check of the room Martin was to stay in. Only after ascertaining no anomalies did he let Martin and Aniston go in.

Aniston went to take a shower, and Martin flipped through his rolodex, replaceing the business card of Mokrich, the editor-in-chief of 'World News Report'.

It was Martin who had negotiated the terms and payment for the articles with him back then.

In Hollywood, actions like those Heath Ledger took wouldn't amount to much if they didn't involve Martin and Aniston, and even the production crew and investors wouldn't take it seriously.

Under the background of capital seeking profit, they would even actively help suppress issues for the stars.

......

The reception room of the Brooklyn Division was still bustling at this moment.

The crew of "I'm Not There" had notified not only the production company but also the New York-based distribution company—Weinstein Films.

Stay updated via M V L

Shamus, the producer of the "Brokeback Mountain" crew, was in New York doing PR work and arrived promptly along with a representative from another major production company, Paramount Pictures.

This film had just won the top awards at the Golden Globes for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay among others, causing a surge in its screening expansion. They wouldn't let their leading man fall into an abyss.

Heath Ledger's agency was also CAA, and his supervising agent, who was also a senior partner at CAA, Kevin Huvane, was on a flight heading over.

Whether it's Brokeback Mountain or I'm Not There, the interests of many companies in the industry were involved.

This awards season, CAA had invested substantial resources in Heath Ledger, having already secured him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor, and an Oscar Best Actor nomination was also highly possible.

Similar to Martin, a rising actor had interests tied to him from all sides.

Kevin Huvane called Harvey Weinstein, "Harvey, if Heath Ledger goes to jail at this time, we'll both suffer significant losses. New York is your home ground; replace a solution as soon as possible."

Harvey came out of the bedroom and said, "Focus Features and Paramount Pictures have invested a lot in Brokeback Mountain, and they are on the verge of reaping the rewards. They won't let something like this happen. You call them and get them to communicate with Warner Bros. If I contact Warner, it will only make things worse."

Kevin replied, "I've already spoken to both of them, and we've reached a consensus. I will be in New York by tomorrow morning."

After thinking for a moment, Harvey said, "Tomorrow we'll go meet with the other party."

"I'm Not There" had shot a large portion of the film in Minnesota before moving to New York, and replacing Heath Ledger at this point would be too costly.

......

Outside the Brooklyn Studio, a very ordinary sedan was parked.

The people in the car were waiting for news.

Azar, sitting in the passenger seat, glanced at his 'World News Report' ID badge before putting it away, and asked his companion who had just finished a phone call, "Any news from the NYPD?"

Lukaku shook his head, "We can only confirm that near the end of the workday, a conflict occurred inside the Brooklyn Studio involving many Hollywood stars including Martin, Aniston, Bale, Blanchett, and Heath Ledger; the specific details are still unknown."

Azar looked through the car window towards the studio area, "So many messes revolve around Martin Davis, he must be aware of it."

Lukaku reminded him, "Don't act rashly. Remember the bizarre espionage incident in Washington."

Even though Azar didn't know the specifics of what happened in Washington, there were still some rumors internally; the upper management had even issued a warning not to provoke Martin Davis with those dirty tricks.

As he pondered these things, a man in a common dark coat and an ordinary knit cap passed by the car. A large envelope he was carrying under his arm dropped to the ground.

Azar heard the noise, turned his head to see the envelope had fallen next to the rear car door, and called out, "Hey, buddy, you dropped something."

The man didn't stop at all; he continued to the corner, turned into an alley.

Azar realized something, immediately got out of the car, picked up the envelope, and tore it open to replace standard A4 printer paper inside, printed with dense text.

There were also a few photos, all of the same person.

Heath Ledger was seen handcuffed, being escorted into a police car by the NYPD.