[Chapter 476: Assassin Deployment]
The movie There's Something About Mary was in its sixth week of release, pulling in another $13.47 million at the box office. Its North American gross had reached $141 million, showing strong performance.
As the film's leading lady, Cameron Diaz was riding high after her breakthrough in The Mask. Previously, she had gained popularity in the entertainment world mostly due to her attractive looks, sexy figure, and her status as Link's girlfriend. Now, with the huge box office success of the movie she starred in, along with her outstanding acting skills, remarkable comedic talent, and strong box office appeal, she had proven her natural talent and potential as an actress.
Fans began to admire and follow her, turning into devoted supporters. Movie studios eagerly extended offers hoping to collaborate with her. Her salary comfortably surpassed the $10 million mark.
This week, Guess Pictures' other release, the inspirational film The Waterboy, which had been in theaters for four weeks, also performed impressively. It brought in $15.1 million this week, with a North American total of $119 million, expected to surpass $160 million in North America eventually.
Furthermore, Rush Hour 2 officially broke the $200 million mark in North America this week, making it the second film from Guess-MGM this year to cross that threshold.
...
According to Total Film magazine, Guess-MGM's dominance in the film market overshadowed all other studios. Others were completely outmatched with no chance to fight back. Guess-MGM's status in the entertainment industry was still on the rise.
The Hollywood Reporter in a recent review noted that Guess Pictures had proven through six years and numerous box office hits that they possessed an effective filmmaking formula. About ninety percent of the films they got involved in were box office successes. The best growth strategy for other studios was to cooperate with Guess Pictures, learn from their techniques, or closely follow their trend and produce similar films.
The Los Angeles Times had a more pessimistic take. It compiled data on Hollywood studios over the past five years, noting that in 1992, Hollywood had more than 2,200 film production companies, increasing to over 3,500 by 1996, and now more than 3,800. Despite the growing number of new companies, their lifespan had shrunk dramatically -- from a median of 32 months in 1992 to just 8 months now. That meant half of all new film companies went under within a year of founding.
Additionally, the Times tracked established studios: in 1992, 82 studios had been around for over ten years; now only 36 remain. Over half of the old studios had failed in the past five years. Twenty-one mid-sized veteran studios, including Miramax, Regency Pictures, and Bestline Pictures, were heavily in debt and on the brink of bankruptcy. The paper predicted these 21 companies would go bankrupt within three years.
...
"Damn it! It's all Link's fault," Harvey muttered angrily in a luxurious Los Angeles mansion. He tore up a newspaper and paced around the living room. After a moment, he punched the air several times in frustration and grabbed the phone to call Jeffrey Epstein.
"Jeffrey, what's the status?"
"What status?"
"The job to take out Link."
Harvey gritted his teeth, his voice fierce.
"Lower your voice! Haven't you seen spy movies? The CIA, FBI, and telecommunication companies work together to wiretap our phones. They'll be listening if you talk like that."
Jeffrey muttered angrily on the line.
"I know, but I can't take it anymore. Every time I see news about Link or hear his name, I want to kill him right there. My hatred for him is fiercer than a volcanic eruption. I just want him gone ASAP. Even if it costs another million, I won't hesitate."
Harvey shouted in anger.
"Shut up! Even if you can't stand it, you have to hold back. Not long ago, on the set of Pirates of the Caribbean, there was an accident. Link suspected someone was targeting him and involved local law enforcement. It seems he's aware of this.
Also, according to sources, Link has tightened his security recently. Private security firms are investigating, so they have to be more careful. No matter how much you hate Link, you have to restrain yourself.
If you lose control and get caught by Link's people, expect harsh retaliation. Don't say I didn't warn you," Jeffrey said coldly.
Harvey clenched his jaw so tightly his teeth grinded. He grabbed a bottle of red wine and downed several gulps, the deep red wine streaming down his face, neck, and pajamas, looking quite messy.
In a low voice, he asked, "You said wait, but how long do we wait? Years, decades? Don't forget, Link is younger than us. We might not live that long."
"Harvey, don't be anxious. Link is a big shot; dealing with him won't be easy. We must prepare ourselves mentally. But we can be confident. Our sources say the assassins on this job are elite international professionals who have successfully taken out many targets without detection -- like the Simpson murder case. I believe they can complete this mission successfully too," Jeffrey reassured him.
"Okay, I'll wait a bit longer. If it means success, an extra year won't be a problem. I have the patience, but it must succeed."
"Don't worry, we will succeed."
...
After hanging up, Jeffrey called his contact on another phone for an update. The middleman said everything was on track and they'd definitely get the job done this year.
Jeffrey told him to be cautious and not leave any evidence behind, even if it cost more money. If $500,000 wasn't enough, they could add $500,000 more.
The middleman said no worries -- they were professionals at this.
...
Code-named 'Jack,' the middleman then walked through the streets of Bangkok, Thailand. He entered a phone booth and called the assassin agent, "Kate," to check on progress.
Kate told him the last cleaner they sent to South America went silent -- possibly killed. She was now reaching out to other cleaners in their network to take over, needing about two weeks to prepare.
Jack agreed, hoping for a more skilled cleaner to increase the chances of success.
Kate said the budget only allowed for that level of cleaner; top-tier cleaners would cost more.
Jack said he'd add $100,000.
Kate said the minimum was $200,000 to deploy their top ace.
Jack hesitated but agreed, demanding success as soon as possible.
Kate said no problem; she'd keep him posted.
...
After ending the call, Kate rang up their ace cleaner back in Chicago, code-named 'John,' offering him $100,000 to kill the target. She told him the files would be in a locker at Chicago's train station.
John asked about the target's importance -- he didn't kill nobodies.
Kate assured him it was a big player, with influence in the US rivaling the White House.
Excited, John accepted.
...
After the call, John left the phone booth and took a cab to 7th Street in Chicago's South Side.
South Side Chicago was one of America's most crime-ridden neighborhoods, with murder, robbery, and assault rate 297% higher than average. Known for heavy industry with steel mills and machine factories, many of which were abandoned due to market downturns, the rainy streets were rusty and smelled of iron and oil.
High unemployment had led to extensive slums and dilapidated apartments housing over thirty gangs and thousands of criminals.
Under an umbrella, John stopped at Apartment W-303 and knocked. Noise inside stopped abruptly; the door opened slightly, revealing a bald head.
"John, what brings you here?"
"We need to talk inside."
John stepped in. Bald Johnson called out, shooing a few intoxicated women and men out.
"Speak. What's the job?"
Johnson, shirtless on the couch, showed scars all over his torso and a Navy SEAL Delta insignia tattoo on his left arm -- similar to John's.
"Big job. The target's a heavyweight."
"What's the pay?"
"$100,000, split evenly after completion."
"$50k each isn't bad. Who's the target?"
"Don't know yet. The client'll put the files in a locker at the station."
"Alright, let's see who the poor bastard is this time."
Johnson smirked, pulled out a Desert Eagle fitted with a silencer, and emptied ten shots into a target silhouette ten meters away, blowing the head apart.
...
The next day, they went to the station and found a Forbes magazine in the locker, with Link on the cover -- his head crossed out in red.
"Link?"
"No way."
Though they knew the target was major, they didn't expect someone this big. Link was worth over $20 billion, the fourth richest man worldwide, the top director in the world's movie industry, and a playboy envied by men globally.
His fame rivaled Bill Clinton's; while Clinton could live eight years max in the White House, Link could hold his billionaire throne for decades.
"His films are pretty good; I'm almost a fan," Johnson frowned.
"You mean," John said.
"We need more money. Losing Link means I'll lose a lot of fun at the movies; that's a huge loss. The client must pay more."
"$100,000 is indeed low."
...
John re-entered the phone booth and called Kate, saying $100,000 was too little; they wanted $200,000.
Kate didn't answer immediately then agreed after some time -- $200,000 total, with half upfront and half after the job.
John agreed and began gathering intel on Link and prepping his equipment for the assassination ahead.
*****
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