On July 15th, Eric once again arrived in New York.
His visit this time was primarily for three reasons.
The first reason was Michael had informed Eric of his current debt, a staggering 188 million dollars.
It's important to remember that this wasn't the debt of a company or an organization, but purely his personal debt.
It was only 2003, and this amount of debt was terrifying, even for a big star; many celebrities wouldn't earn that much money in their entire lives.
After seeing the breakdown of his debt, Eric was left with nothing but a sigh and helplessness.
The money was certainly borrowed from banks; with his credit and fame, banks were willing to lend him as much as he wanted.
The largest portion of the debt was from co-investments with Sony Music, which was money spent on expanding by acquiring other companies and labels.
The second largest portion was for the charitable organizations he supported. He didn't know until he checked, and he was shocked to find 39 of them. The long list would take several minutes to read.
These included the American Cancer Society, Children's International College, the Black Congressional Caucus, the Marriage Happiness Organization, the Motown Museum, UNESCO, the 28th Street YMCA, the Brotherhood Crusaders Association, and so on.
They were diverse, and many organizations, just by their names, didn't sound like they were involved in charity, such as the Brotherhood Crusaders Association.
Eric strongly suspected that Michael would fund any so-called charitable organization that came to him for help, and these organizations were siphoning tens of millions of dollars from his pockets every year.
The third largest portion was his living expenses. The management fees for Neverland Ranch alone were at least two to three million dollars annually, plus various collectibles and artworks.
Adding to that the financial support for his family, it amounted to another tens of millions of dollars in expenses each year.
Fortunately, he earned tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of dollars annually from Sony Music through his music copyrights; otherwise, he would have collapsed long ago.
Currently, many of Michael's song copyrights are mortgaged to banks, which is why he said that if they fell out, he would also suffer and inevitably go bankrupt.
There was still half a month until the trial, and this battle had to be won. MGM still had over 200 million in liquid assets.
However, the company also had investments, so Eric could only go to New York again to find Elena and get more money.
The second thing was to meet John Adams, the colonel he met while filming transformers at the Nevada military base.
However, with strong family connections, in just a few months, John had already been promoted to brigadier general and was currently resting in New York.
Their relationship remained good during filming, and Eric had given him a lot of money. This time, he was here to ask for a favor.
The third thing was Zhou Wenqiong's Hudson Theatre. After parting ways in Los Angeles last time, she called him every now and then, inviting him to visit.
Eric hadn't taken it seriously, but this time it was on the way. If he had time, he would go see it; if not, he wouldn't bother.
Ignoring a minor character who dared to play tricks with him, such a person would naturally come knocking when they couldn't wait any longer.
As usual, Elena picked him up at the airport. The sultry woman was wearing sunglasses and driving a red panamera.
"New car? Not driving the panamera anymore?"
Eric asked as he got into the passenger seat.
"Just bought it recently. A new car, a new mood. If there's no one else, I can only play with cars."
Elena took off her sunglasses and glanced at him meaningfully.
Eric chuckled, "You're implying something. I'm coming to New York at least once a month now, so you can't use that against me."
"I wish you'd stay in New York permanently. It's not worse than Los Angeles. Aren't Universal and Paramount's headquarters in New York?"
"Is that the same thing? Setting up a branch company is fine, but moving the headquarters isn't just talk."
"Besides, haven't you heard that distance makes the heart grow fonder? If we're too close and see each other every day, we might get bored. This is perfect now; a short separation makes the reunion sweeter, keeping us fresh and longing for each other."
Elena rolled her eyes at Eric's twisted logic.
"If you don't like it, just say so. Why are we being so high-minded? Would you say that to your other mistresses?"
"Of course, I treat all of you equally. You're all my mistresses."
"Heh heh. Eric Cooper, you are truly shameless!"
"But you like it. Bad men are loved by women; that's an undeniable truth."
Elena snorted, "Let's get to business. If you want a loan, it's simple. I can arrange up to two hundred million for you, no collateral needed."
"Why? Are banks starting to do charity?" Eric looked at her, puzzled.
"Idiot, have you forgotten that after shorting Hasbro's stock last time, you took out an unsecured loan with 16% of the shares?"
"At that time, you borrowed 480 million dollars, which was less than the stock's value, so I can lend you up to another 200 million dollars."
"Or, if you wish, you can use other collateral. You are a major shareholder in Dual Star Entertainment now, and it's been performing well recently, so it's worth even more."
Eric considered what he needed to do recently. Currently, Lionheart Network and YouTube were about to launch.
He also planned to make initial contact with Marvel. Time waits for no one; it was time to make a move.
"How about this: I'll think about it seriously. Anyway, I'll be in New York for two days, so I'll decide on the loan amount tomorrow."
"As you wish. It's your business anyway. If you borrow more, I'll get more commission. If you borrow less, I'll make up for it from you."
"You were serious for three minutes, and now you're getting horny again."
Elena glared at him, "Less talk, put your hand on my leg."
"Huh?"
"Just put it there when I tell you to!"
Eric obediently placed his hand on Elena's thigh.
"What are you waiting for, touch it!"
His fingers climbed up, immediately feeling smooth and warm.
"Hmph! Don't you feel anything special?"
Elena hummed, "How does it feel?"
"Very good. It's like kneading a shelled egg, smooth and tender."
"Hmph! I've been taking good care of myself. I'm not worse than Ashley and Mary, am I?"
"What's there to compare?"
Eric looked speechlessly at the sultry woman. He found that ever since he slept with the aunt and her two nieces, Elena was particularly keen on hearing him talk about his romantic escapades with the Olsen Sisters.
She also liked to compare herself with her nieces, always asking Eric if he preferred her or them, or who made him happier, and similar questions.
While the thrill of blood relations was exciting, just talking without action was a false pretense. Too much talk made Eric restless, but he couldn't act on it.
Elena certainly had no problem with it; she was eager for a foursome, and even better, a fivesome when Elizabeth Olsen grew up.
However, Eric wasn't bold enough to make such a request to the Olsen Sisters.
In short, further development and adjustment were needed; there was plenty of time.
He accompanied Elena shopping and dining, then checked into a hotel for a wild night of passion.
Eric once again successfully assuaged the sultry woman's resentment.
The next morning, Eric visited John Adams at his home.
The maid served tea and then withdrew.
"Eric, I didn't expect you to enjoy tea. Few young people share your hobby; coffee is usually their first choice."
Eric took a sip, "Coffee invigorates, tea nourishes. If you like it, I can arrange for some premium tea from China."
"Do you know Da Hong Pao? It's said that there are only a few original plants in all of China, and the annual tea production is only a few pounds. You can't buy it even with money."
John Adams grinned, "I don't understand tea. This is for guests. I still prefer alcohol, but I'm not used to Chinese baijiu. Whiskey is more to my taste."
Well, that was like casting pearls before swine.
Eric shrugged. Such a tough military general certainly didn't seem like a tea lover.
"By the way, your transformers is about to be released, isn't it? I saw the trailer a few days ago; the weapons display was impressive."
"It's being released on November 16th. The Department of Defense has already approved the content. When we film the second part next year, I might still need your help."
"If you still want to film at the Nevada base, I'll give you the green light."
"Didn't you get promoted? Are you still staying at the Nevada military base?"
"Otherwise? Go to the Department of Defense? At the Nevada base, everyone listens to my command. If I went to the Department of Defense, with my rank, I would only be listening to others."
"I understand, the difference between a regional governor and a central official."
"Something like that. After a few more days of leave, I'll head back to the base."
After chatting for a while, Eric began to state his purpose: "John, I'm here this time because I have something to ask of you."
"Tell me. Our work wouldn't intersect otherwise. Do you need equipment again?"
"Not equipment, but the internet. I'm developing a website, which you can understand as an online platform for watching TV series and movies."
"This kind of website requires very high internet speeds, and current civilian equipment on the market can't meet my requirements."
"So I want to know if the military's network can be used commercially?"
Upon hearing this, John Adams fell into thought. After a moment, he shook his head slightly: "Commercial use of the military network, you certainly dare to think and act."
"But I can't answer this question. Just one point: will it involve the leakage of military secrets? Can you guarantee that?"
"Once critical data is leaked, not only will you be brought to court, but I will also face military prosecution. The risk is too great."
"No precedent?" Eric asked.
"At least I haven't heard of any. But you don't need to lose confidence immediately. After all, I'm not a technical expert. Let me ask some experts and then I'll give you an answer."
"Alright then. Money isn't an issue, so if there's even a slight possibility, don't forget to tell me."
John Adams looked at Eric with amusement: "A video website, what are you doing with this? You're not trying to compete with TV stations, are you?"
Both were intelligent people, so Eric had no intention of hiding it from him.
"I do have that idea. It's certainly impossible for MGM to enter the TV field and get a piece of the pie, so the only option left is to build our own platform."
"The future will be the era of the internet. I believe online viewing will gradually replace televisions, especially as modern people increasingly enjoy surfing the web."
"Think about it, a TV is fixed and cannot be moved. Viewers cannot decide what programs they want to watch and must follow the TV station's schedule."
"But online, you can freely choose what to watch, which show, and from what minute."
"All you need is a laptop or even a mobile phone, which is portable, so you can watch anywhere you go."
"This is an opportunity. Whoever fills the market gap first will gain the upper hand in the future."
John Adams listened very carefully to Eric's analysis: "Still, I don't know much about technology, but your concept sounds very interesting."
"At least one point I strongly agree with is that the future will definitely be the era of the internet. This view has already been confirmed in the military."
"Information warfare has been incorporated into our training curriculum, and the military will also cultivate specialized talents in this area."
"Then why don't you do it with me? If you can help me solve this problem, I can give you a certain percentage of company shares for free," Eric said, seizing the opportunity.
"Hmm, I'll try."
After lunch, Eric left John Adams's house. With no progress on the matter, Eric was not in the mood to go to Broadway.
His offer to give John Adams shares in Lionheart Network for free was not a joke. The influence of the Adams family in this country was beyond his imagination.
However, it certainly involved various sectors like military, government, business, and academia. John Adams, being a brigadier general before forty, undoubtedly had unlimited potential for the future.
Being able to obtain such good resources also indicated that his status within the Adams family must not be low.
By maintaining a good relationship with such a person, Eric didn't intend to exploit his resources, but mainly to receive assistance during critical moments.
Moreover, he didn't plan to give too much; 5% was the upper limit, which would definitely be diluted after the company went public in the future.
In the afternoon, Elena handled the loan procedures for Eric. After consideration, he still used 16% of Hasbro's shares as unsecured collateral.
The loan amount was directly maximized, and 200 million dollars would arrive soon.
With that, MGM would have over 400 million in liquid assets, which was more than enough as a contingency fund.
After finishing business, the sultry Elena drove him to the airport, then, unable to resist her desires, she dragged him into the men's restroom again.
He hadn't rested at noon, nor had he taken any medicated wine, so Eric was too exhausted to fight again.
He quickly appeased the lewd woman, then boarded the plane and left, leaving her with a look of dissatisfaction.