[Chapter 296: Children and the Wolf Hunt Operation]
For seven consecutive days, Linton indulged shamelessly in wild parties with several women, each day filled with exciting games and celebrations.
He paid no attention to the rumors sparked by his passionate embrace and kiss with Winnie at the airport upon his return.
Even when Robert called to update him on the company's situation, he ignored it, simply replying that he needed seven more days of rest and would talk afterward.
Those seven days of non-stop partying and intimate encounters completely relaxed his body and mind, washing away the negative emotions accumulated from over five months of solitary confinement in an underground cave.
More importantly, with the help of the women during these days, his Starlight Spark abilities advanced by leaps and bounds, significantly boosting his level within the early Celestial Presence stage.
...
After the seven days, the women each departed, as they were all big stars with busy schedules.
Before they left, Linton solemnly shared his desire to have children.
"Sweethearts," he said, "I'm 23 years old now, my career is stable, and I think it's time to consider starting a family and leaving behind my legacy. If any of you want to have children, just let me know."
"Darling, I don't think we ever used protection before?" Madonna was the first to ask in surprise.
"Yeah, I've even been worried and secretly taken the measures."
"You've been secretly taking birth control pills?" This shocked all the women, who raised many doubts.
"To be honest," Linton explained, "my special training includes a unique technique allowing me to control my sperm. So, if I don't want children, you don't have to worry about getting pregnant."
"Wow, such a special technique? Why didn't you say this earlier? I wasted all those pills for nothing!"
"Yeah, you're so mean for making me take birth control pills unnecessarily!"
"Really? Such a magical ability?"
The women teased and laughed at Linton, but inside, they were thrilled. From now on, they could be intimate freely without worrying about unplanned pregnancies. Honestly, who wants to take pills unnecessarily?
"This is great! I was worried something might be wrong with either of us, that I couldn't conceive. Now, I'm relieved and finally can have my own baby," Madonna said excitedly.
As expected, most of the women, being at the peak of their careers, weren't ready for children yet.
Except for Madonna, who, at 36, had been rejuvenated by Linton's essence, her body as delicate as an 18-year-old's.
The media hailed her as a reverse aging miracle, turning her into the darling of the fashion and cosmetics industries.
Her commercial value soared, leaving competitors far behind.
Last year alone, her endorsement income exceeded $150 million, and this year looked even better.
Despite this physical rejuvenation, her mental age and peak career status made her desire for children understandable.
Upon learning she could bear Linton's child, Madonna immediately rearranged her schedule to rest and vacation at Linton's estate for another week, aiming to conceive soon.
However, after a week of uninhibited celebration at home, Linton knew he still had daytime company duties to attend to. So, romantic efforts with Madonna to conceive would be mostly at night.
...
Danny finally found an opportunity to report on the handling of two former San Francisco Gesler Architecture employees who had stolen and sold company blueprints.
"Boss, those two have been dealt with. They were thrown into the Pacific to feed the fish."
"Did you uncover any new information?"
"Actually, yes. Before they died, they confessed that the company had instructed them to steal and sell the blueprints."
"The company ordered it?"
"Yes, Gesler Architecture often did this to avoid confidentiality responsibilities. They split the profit 80/20 with the employees and planned to hire them back once the dust settled."
"Who got the 80, who the 20? How much did they sell?"
"The company got 80%. They sold our blueprints to 11 firms, each paying $500,000, totaling $5.5 million. Those two employees each took $550,000."
"That's a huge income, far exceeding project profits, no wonder they took the risk."
"However, when we caught them, $600,000 in cash was seized at their residence. I decided to give $300,000 to the brothers who took part in the operation. How should we use the remaining $300,000?"
"Use it to reward everyone involved."
"Thanks, boss."
"Have you gotten a handle on Migras?"
"Yes. I've had two men monitoring him in San Francisco for over three months. For the first two months, his security was tight with eight bodyguards, and his life was very routine, going between work and home.
But starting last month, his security relaxed, down to only two guards, and he's been more carefree. I think he believes the matter is forgotten and he's in the clear."
"Good. David has been informed, the Wolf Hunt operation can begin."
...
Back at the company he hadn't seen in months, Linton gathered department heads to assess the company's status.
He was pleased to learn that despite his absence over five months, operations went smoothly.
Especially notable was the movie The Rock, which had exceeded expectations.
The film had concluded its North American run in early August, grossing $207 million over eight weeks.
As of yesterday, international box office revenue surpassed $220 million, with overall international earnings expected to exceed $300 million.
Last week, the two companies finalized the The Rock project's financials.
First, North American box office revenue gave the The Rock Studio a share of $72.45 million.
Second, television broadcast rights: Universal sold seven years of TV rights for $21 million, yielding the studio $16.8 million.
Third, video rental and sales rights: Universal sold these rights for seven years to Warner at a base transfer fee of $22 million plus 30% rental and sales commission, earning the studio $17.6 million as base transfer revenue.
Fourth, merchandise sales were weaker due to lacking an popular star, earning only $11 million profit, with the studio's share at $5.5 million.
Fifth, overseas rights: Universal acquired The Rock's full overseas rights for $93.15 million, equal to 45% of North American box office revenue.
Adding these up, the studio earned a total of $205.5 million plus quarterly 24% rental and sales commissions from video sales.
After receiving $205.5 million from Universal, and adding $8.5 million in advertising sponsorship before filming, total revenue, after 2% tax, was approximately $209.72 million.
Per agreement, Linton Films took a 10% production management fee of $20.972 million.
The remaining $188.75 million was split by investment ratio, with Linton Films receiving $113.25 million.
Because in North America the film was co-distributed by two companies, Linton Films' share was 30%.
Total promotional expenses were $16 million, with Linton Films covering $4.8 million.
After settlements, Linton Films earned $18.6 million from promotion revenue.
In total, Linton Films' income from this project was roughly $152.82 million, excluding soundtrack and quarterly video rental commissions, on just a $37.8 million investment -- a huge profit.
By contrast, Warner Bros' production, Interview with the Vampire, packaged by CAA, made only $87 million domestically, and underperformed internationally, earning less than $80 million.
Especially due to Tom Cruise's Scientology controversies, merchandise sales were poor.
Given its $60 million budget, the film's profits looked bleak, barely breaking even, falling far short of expectations.
Relations between the two companies quickly cooled, with executives blaming each other, trying to shift responsibility for the failure.
CAA's prospects for promoting similar packaged deals at Warner Bros would be challenging going forward.
*****
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