[Chapter 320: Private Jet, Acquisition Success]
The next morning, when Edward Douglas's bodyguard found him, his head was completely severed and lying separately from his body. Edward's blood had already drained dry.
The Douglas family went crazy. Edward was the new-generation leader and the primary heir of the family. Who would have thought a routine trip to Los Angeles would end with his head being chopped off?
Soon, the entire Los Angeles Police Department was mobilized, along with agents from the FBI's Los Angeles branch.
But it was all for nothing. Despite the Douglas family donating to the police and applying pressure, no matter how the LAPD and FBI conducted their investigation, the killer remained elusive.
No useful clues or evidence were found at the crime scene. The police even searched the hotel inside out but found nothing. This case was destined to become an unsolved mystery for the authorities.
The Douglas family even offered a $100 million reward for any useful information, but it didn't yield any results.
As for the Douglas family's suspicions about Linton, the FBI and LAPD ignored them.
Of course, both sides were wealthy tycoons. Without any proof, they expected the police to investigate a billionaire? They weren't pawns in their power struggles.
...
Meanwhile, the real murderer, Linton, went about his daily routine. By day, he worked normally at the film company. Taking advantage of the spare time over the days following the incident, he drafted plans for the TV show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, getting ready to prepare for the show once the network acquisition was finalized.
At night, he spent three consecutive evenings at a hotel with Charlize Theron.
Of course, he took that time to craft a custom quartz pendant for her.
Afterward, he continued hosting dazzling parties and events at his estate.
Madonna, though pregnant, remained enthusiastic about organizing parties and acting in staged performances. At critical times, she personally joined the scenes, though her style was noticeably different.
To care for her and the baby, Linton regularly infused her with his vital energy.
...
On October 22, the private jet Linton had ordered last year was finally delivered. To celebrate, he took Winnie, Madonna, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Connelly, Sophie Marceau, Kate Winslet, and Noriko Sakai -- who had flown in from Japan to star in Final Destination -- on a trip to Park County, Montana. They enjoyed the luxury of private jet travel, complete with lively parties and an indescribable stewardess-themed play.
The flight was filled with singing and fast-paced fun.
Since they were in Park County, they naturally toured Linton's farm.
It had been over two months since their last visit, and it was now late October -- the farm was about to enter snow season.
All farm infrastructure was completed, including water and electricity systems, communication networks, and even cell towers covering the entire property.
The residential area had already formed the outline of a small town, including an employee apartment building, 50 small houses, and a trading market.
Next spring, employees planting suma root and tea plantation, landscaping crews, and other workers would no longer worry about accommodation.
...
Among the women, Madonna, Sophie Marceau, Nicole Kidman, and Kate Winslet were visiting the farm for the first time. They were all impressed by the sheer scale of the farm.
After hearing Linton outline the farm's overall plan, even Madonna, who had seen a lot, said, "Darling, you're amazing; I absolutely love it."
Though the daytime scene in late autumn was ordinary, the night sky was stunningly beautiful, like an endless ribbon of silk adorned with sparkling diamonds that dazzled and captivated everyone.
After a wonderful night at the farm, Linton and the group returned to Los Angeles the next day, accompanied by Carter, who had been overseeing work at the farm.
After returning, considering Madonna's pregnancy and concerns about previous blood tests at the hospital, Carter strengthened her security. Besides four female bodyguards, he assigned his personal bodyguard Danny to lead an additional four male guards to protect Madonna.
Although everyone, including Madonna, objected to Danny being reassigned away from Linton to protect her, Linton firmly decided based on protecting his child's safety.
...
The day after Edward's death, Robert eagerly reported to Linton, "Boss, great news! Edward Douglas mysteriously died. Should we reach out to Viacom to start acquisition talks?"
"No need. Let me ask you -- now that Edward is out of the picture, do we have any opposition left?"
"Probably not. None of those companies can outbid us."
"Exactly. No competitor means no rush. We wait for Viacom to come to us. They should be the worried ones."
"Understood, boss. Since Viacom stood us up before, delaying talks, should we negotiate a lower price next time?"
"No need. Use your judgment; the key is to secure the deal smoothly."
...
Sure enough, after Edward Douglas's mysterious death, the joint acquisition plan by several companies fell apart, and no one mentioned it anymore.
A week later, Viacom couldn't wait any longer and invited Disney, Time Warner, Sony Columbia, MGM, and Linton Films to reopen acquisition negotiations.
Unfortunately, Disney, Time Warner, Sony Columbia, and MGM did not raise their bids; MGM's $100 million offer was still the highest.
Robert used this opportunity to push the price down to $150 million.
The Viacom negotiators silently cursed Edward Douglas for causing trouble even after death, then lowered themselves and eloquently praised UPN's strengths to Robert's team.
Viacom had wanted to pressure Linton Films, hoping that acquiring UPN would come with Paramount Pictures' involvement in Linton Films' investment and distribution. Now, that was off the table.
After much persuasion, and after Robert pretended to reluctantly consult with Linton multiple times, he accepted the original offer of $170 million.
On October 25, Linton Films and Viacom finally signed the acquisition agreement, ending the more than month-long process to acquire UPN successfully.
Linton's media group had finally filled its last gap.
*****
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