At Dual Star Entertainment, the Olsen Sisters had just finished a commercial event, endorsing a children's bath product brand.
Looking at the seven- and eight-year-old girls and boys, and a small number of teenagers in the audience, the Olsen Sisters felt a tremor in their hearts.
Children, always children. It seemed the two sisters were deeply tied to children; no matter where they went, they were dealing with these little brats.
The chattering noise was annoying. They say a child's smile is the cutest, but after seeing it for over a decade, it inevitably became tiresome.
They finally completed the event, faking smiles for over an hour, which made both sisters feel like their cheek muscles were about to stiffen.
Now back at their own company, they could finally relax a bit.
Sitting in their private lounge, as major shareholders of the company, they had this privilege.
A comfortable, soft bed, an exaggerated dressing table, and even a bathroom with an exquisite bathtub—only here could they alleviate the fatigue of work.
Slumped on the sofa, enjoying the services of a professional masseuse, the older sister, Ashley Olsen, said wistfully, "Now, just attending an event makes me feel so tired. It wasn't like this before."
Her younger sister, Mary Olsen, felt the same way: "I think the reason isn't physical exhaustion, but mental. Our hearts are just too tired."
"Yes, I'm tired of this state."
"Ashley, why hasn't that guy contacted us yet? Has the script not been revised? When we saw it at MGM last time, it was clearly a very mature script. I think it's a hundred times better than new york minute anyway."
The pressure on her shoulders made Ashley Olsen let out a comfortable groan. She said with her eyes closed, "Mary, blue is the warmest color is an art film, of course it needs meticulous polishing."
"Actually, I even hope MGM can spend more effort on the script. You know, this might be our last chance, and the better it's polished, the more beneficial it will be for us."
As she spoke, she suddenly waved her hand in annoyance: "As for that stupid new york minute, a rotten script that ended up costing us $500,000, damn it!"
Mary Olsen gave a self-deprecating laugh: "Perhaps we can think of it in a positive light. It was this bad script that made us fly to New York to raise investments, and then we met that guy, Eric Cooper."
"But he's also an annoying guy. The scent of greed almost permeates his entire being, like rotting leaves."
Knock knock knock.
At that moment, the door knocked.
"Sisters, it's me!"
Hearing the energetic voice outside the door, the two sisters exchanged glances, both a little envious of their younger sister.
The door opened, and Elizabeth Olsen ran in. Although her clothes were a bit thick, they couldn't hide her adorable aura. Her smile was even sweeter than her two sisters'.
And what her two sisters envied most was her height. Although she was only 14, Elizabeth Olsen's height was already comparable to her two sisters'.
"You really are here, I knew it!"
Elizabeth ran to the third massage chair and sat down, very much at home. She often came to this place too.
"Elizabeth, are you done with your filming?"
The young girl nodded lightly: "It was just a cameo, it finished quickly."
Then she stared at her two sisters' faces: "OMG! Why do you look so tired? You weren't like this the day before yesterday."
"It's nothing, just a bit tired. You don't feel it yet."
Elizabeth pouted: "Are you saying I'm not famous enough? Although I know it's true, after all, when people mention the Olsen Sisters, they're talking about you two. No one ever cares about me."
With her younger sister acting spoiled, Ashley Olsen's tone immediately became doting.
"Elizabeth, you're still young. It's too early to worry about such things. You'll find your own path. Our whole family believes you can become a big star."
Mary Olsen added, "But remember, don't follow the old path Ashley and I took. You should go for the big screen. Absolutely don't stay on the small screen for too long; that will limit your development."
Elizabeth frowned: "But no one invites me to act. I wanted to be in Spy Kids, but the crew said I wasn't suitable."
"They gave the role to Alexa Vega. The second movie was released last August, and it grossed over 100 million. Now Alexa Vega is the hottest teenage female star."
She waved her hand, signaling the masseuse to leave. Only the three sisters remained in the room.
Mary Olsen then said, "Elizabeth, becoming famous too early isn't necessarily a good thing. It will expose you to Vanity Fair too soon and wear down an actor's spiritual essence."
"Too many young actors who became famous early neglect their studies. Not everyone is a genius. Most people don't hone their acting skills through films; instead, their acting skills gradually become fixed as they act more, only performing in the most comfortable and effortless way, becoming formulaic."
Ashley Olsen suddenly interrupted: "Wait, you seem to be talking about ourselves."
"Isn't it? Fans often criticize our acting for being monotonous, always smiling, giggling, frowning, pouting, accompanied by a few exaggerated gestures. Don't you pay attention to fan comments?"
Ashley Olsen widened her eyes: "Of course I do, but I only pay attention to those who like me. I never read those who curse me, even though I know what they say might be true."
"I really envy you. I can't ignore those haters. Seeing them curse me makes me angry, but if I don't look, I feel like something's missing. Sigh!"
Elizabeth Olsen jumped off the massage chair, pulled two chocolate candies from her pocket, and tossed them to her sisters.
"If you're unhappy, eat these. I took them when I left the set. Then act well in new york minute, and everyone will change their opinion of you."
Looking at her naive younger sister, Ashley Olsen gave a wry smile: "Elizabeth, I forgot to tell you some bad news. new york minute has been canceled."
"What! Then my role?"
"It's gone, all gone. Everyone said the script was too bad, and making it would just be a pure loss of money."
"But I think the script is great! It's inspiring, funny, youthful, and passionate. I like this story."
Ashley Olsen hugged Elizabeth, gently stroking her head: "Yes, that's why it failed. Because only people your age like it. Slightly more mature audiences don't watch this type of movie anymore."
"But don't worry, Elizabeth, we've found a new project. This movie is great, it might even win awards."
"Will there be a role for me?"
Hearing that it was an award-winning movie, Elizabeth Olsen looked up and asked, her eyes full of longing.
"I'm not sure about that, but Mary and I have both read the script, and there don't seem to be any suitable roles for teenagers."
"Oh."
Seeing their younger sister a bit disappointed, especially since a role she was set to play suddenly disappeared, the two sisters couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
"Elizabeth, this movie is invested by MGM, so we can't make the decisions."
"How about this, we'll give Eric some suggestions, maybe he can get you a role in another movie."
"Eric! Eric Cooper? That Vice President of MGM?" Elizabeth Olsen pushed her sister away, saying with some surprise.
"Yes, that's him. You actually know Eric Cooper?"
Elizabeth's eyes lit up: "Of course I know him! He's been appearing in the media a lot lately. Oh my god, he's so handsome, even more handsome than many male stars."
"You've met him. Is he as handsome in person as he is reported in the media?"
Although Eric's most profound impression on the Olsen Sisters was greed, recalling it, his handsomeness was undeniable, his looks comparable to Leonardo DiCaprio in titanic.
Coupled with his status and position, if he were willing to act in idol dramas, he would instantly become the dream of teenage girls across the United States.
"Yes, Eric Cooper is indeed extraordinarily handsome."
"Can you take me to meet him?" Elizabeth Olsen asked like a fan chasing a star.
"No problem, I think we'll meet again very soon. I'll bring you along then."
"Yes!"
Bang!
The three sisters were happily talking when the lounge door was suddenly pushed open, and a middle-aged man wearing glasses burst in.
"Ashley, Mary, what are you trying to do? The advertiser complained to me about your unprofessional behavior at the morning event."
Seeing the man in front of them, the three sisters immediately put away their smiles. Elizabeth hid behind her sisters; she was a little afraid of this man.
"Robert, we arrived at the venue early, interacted with fans, and introduced the product. I don't think my behavior was unprofessional."
"Also, I've said it before, this is our private space. Without Mary's and my permission, you cannot just barge in!"
Towards this man who had created them and wanted to control them forever, the Olsen Sisters had no intention of being pleasant.
Clearly, Robert Thorne also understood the conflict between them. Their relationship had long been irreconcilable, connected purely by interests.
However, Dual Star Entertainment's performance had been declining in recent years, and the two sisters were no longer as obedient.
Calming himself down, Robert Thorne asked, "Ashley, I heard you gave up on new york minute. Why didn't you discuss it with me? You gave up a good opportunity."
Mary Olsen snorted coldly: "We no longer need new york minute, because we'll have a new movie very soon."
"What! How come I don't know about this? What movie is it?"
"It's a secret!"
"You!"
Seeing the Olsen Sisters' determined eyes, Robert Thorne realized that continuing would be pointless. He sneered and turned to leave.
Seeing the annoying person leave, little Elizabeth asked, "Isn't that a bit bad? Mr. Thorne seems very angry."
"Don't worry, someone will deal with him."
In the corridor, Robert Thorne felt suffocated and annoyed. The Olsen Sisters were becoming increasingly brazen, completely disregarding him.
It was regrettable that he only held 45% of Dual Star Entertainment's shares, making him unable to control their family.
Back in his office, Thorne rubbed his forehead, recalling something that happened a few days ago.
A private equity fund on Wall Street had contacted him through a friend, saying there was a good project seeking investment.
And this project turned out to be MGM needing financing. Robert Thorne met with the other party through his friend's introduction.
"Mr. Thorne, as someone in Hollywood, you must be very familiar with MGM. Now this lion wants to raise capital through private equity to expand its production scale. This is a high-quality project."
"Sounds good, but I don't understand why MGM suddenly needs financing. Its development momentum has been very good recently, and all its new movies are making money," Thorne asked.
"Haha, good development doesn't mean they don't lack money. The Coopers initially mortgaged everything and took out huge loans to complete the acquisition from Kirk Kerkorian."
"After paying Kerkorian, their liquid capital wasn't much, but they had to face bank demands, company operations, and new project investments."
"Especially the collaboration with Hasbro, the copyright and film costs exceeded $200 million. Coupled with other film and television productions, MGM's financial pressure is immense."
"Moreover, film is an industry with a slow return on investment, so now The Coopers have encountered difficulties. I think you've heard that MGM plans to relist."
"However, relisting takes time, and MGM can't wait that long, so they entrusted us with the private placement."
Robert Thorne couldn't help but recall the news he'd seen recently. Both Xia Li Cooper and Eric Cooper had more or less expressed the idea of relisting in interviews.
And what is the purpose of a company going public? Of course, it's for better financing and development.
"How much equity is MGM willing to offer?"
"20% for $1 billion. This is our valuation. As long as MGM maintains good development momentum, when it relists in a few months, its market value will only be higher, not lower."
"Then why choose me? There are many more suitable investors in the market," Thorne asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Hahaha, Robert, you are just one of our targets, because MGM set conditions: the private equity investors cannot be other major Hollywood film and television companies. He doesn't want rivals to penetrate MGM."
"At the same time, investors must also have certain entertainment industry experience. He doesn't want to squabble with shareholders who don't understand anything. That leaves us with not many choices."
These two conditions seemed plausible, but they weren't enough to dispel Robert Thorne's doubts.
Afterward, he asked someone to inquire about MGM's situation. Among the group of executives who were swept out by The Coopers, he had friends who were the primary source of inquiry.
These people were well aware of MGM's debt, and hearing the staggering sum of $2.8 billion made him gasp.
He also sought internal information from friends at the bank, and after paying some fees, he obtained the inside scoop that The Coopers were burdened with $2 billion in loans.
That private equity fund was also investigated and was indeed a legitimate company.
These facts corroborated each other, and everything began to seem reasonable, largely dispelling Thorne's doubts.