"Anton, I hesitated for a long time before deciding to come see you."
Eddie hesitated, then said, "There's something that's been bottled up inside me for ages, and I need to get it off my chest. Before I do, do you know why I was fired from my previous company?"
"I've heard a bit. You offended a 'big shot'." Anton shrugged, walking over to pull out the chair behind the desk, inviting him to sit.
Eddie sat down and then asked, "Do you want to know why I offended him?"
"Tell me your story."
Anton returned to his usual position, crossed his legs, and looked at the nervous Eddie, smiling. "Relax. No matter what you say, I won't fire you. I'm just the deputy editor; I don't have the power to fire you. You're the editor, after all. Whatever you want to say, please, be brave."
Eddie remained nervous, speaking slowly, "Carlton Drake, the owner of the Life Foundation. The reason his pharmaceutical company grew so rapidly is because he used homeless people as test subjects, conducting illegal human experiments. His entire business empire is built on the bodies of thousands who died with their eyes still open—I pursued this issue in an interview, and it ultimately angered him."
Anton pondered, "You lost your job because of this, so you're unwilling to let it go and want to continue pursuing it?"
"I don't know."
Eddie's tone was hesitant, yet with a hint of certainty, "I finally found another job... but as you said, my life has been messed up by him. I'm not willing to let it go."
"I'll find time to discuss this with the old man."
Anton thought for a moment, then said, "Go back to work first, I'll get back to you as soon as possible."
Carlton Drake of the Life Foundation was a very wealthy man.
In terms of net worth, this not-so-old Dr. Drake, who had made remarkable achievements in medicine, was perhaps no less wealthy than Jonah Jameson, who had accumulated wealth over many years.
If Eddie pursued this, it would be like The Daily Bugle declaring war on the Life Foundation.
Honestly, from a personal standpoint, Anton fully supported Eddie exposing that scum, Carlton Drake.
But considering that The Daily Bugle didn't belong to Anton, he didn't have the capital to act on a whim.
Not considering the consequences of one's actions was an immature display.
Perhaps afterward, Anton could use his own power to give Eddie some support, but from The Daily Bugle's perspective, Jonah Jameson was the decision-maker, and Anton had to respect the old man's opinion.
"Alright."
Eddie thought this was Anton's excuse, and his disappointment was hard to hide as he stood up to leave.
"Wait, Eddie, personally, I support you, but you know, the newspaper is like my home, but it's not mine."
Seeing this, Anton added, "Don't worry, I'll try my best to convince the old man."
"I understand, thank you."
Eddie felt the sincerity in those words, and his expression was grateful.
After watching him leave, Anton stroked his chin, took out his phone, and called the old man to report what had happened.
What Anton didn't expect was that Jonah Jameson not only didn't advise him to let bygones be bygones, but instead laughed heartily and told Anton to tell Eddie to pursue the investigation with all his might.
Anton was surprised; he hadn't even figured out how to persuade Eddie, and Jameson had agreed immediately.
"Why?"
He was curious. "Jonah, you should know better than I do that investigating the Life Foundation is very risky. I've heard that the Life Foundation has a lot of shady dealings. If we agree to let Eddie pursue the investigation, we might be subjected to threats of force from the Life Foundation, or even assassination."
"Anton, New York is our territory, and the Life Foundation belongs to San Francisco. Believe me, the Life Foundation can't reach into New York, nor dare they."
Jonah Jameson was quite firm: "Just do it, if that's what you want."
"Old man, I have to change my stereotyped impression of you. Turns out you're really a retired newspaper editor, not the extremely stingy newspaper boss I had in mind."
Anton smiled.
Besides his role as a businessman, Jonah Jameson had also been the editor-in-chief of The Daily Bugle for decades.
As everyone knows, besides publishing gossip news, newspapers also bear the social responsibility of exposing the dark side of society and promoting positive energy.
If he wasn't righteous, how could Jonah Jameson repeat this trivial work day after day?
Over the years, if Jameson had invested this energy into other industries, his wealth would have been at least several times higher than it is now.
"You've also made me look at you in a new light, Anton."
Jameson on the other end of the phone was both gratified and happy, and he laughed, "Regardless of whether you've solved this matter, you already have the determination of a newspaper boss."
"We'll talk about praise after we've sorted things out," Anton said, hanging up the phone.
Knock, knock, knock!
Just as he was about to call Eddie back to the office to discuss things, there was a knock at the door.
The star screenwriter had arrived.
Anton immediately put Eddie's matter aside and began discussing the movie script with the screenwriter.
For him, the Life Foundation was certainly important, but at present, everything related to the movie was far more significant.
The star screenwriter was a white man named Browning Toby, who came from a poor family.
His current life hadn't come easily, and Browning understood the importance of money better than anyone.
Therefore, he held Anton, who was paying him, in high regard.
The two of them had a very pleasant conversation.
Browning discovered that Anton wasn't just a clueless, rich second-generation heir. The various Batman settings impressed him greatly, and the plot also met the general public's aesthetic standards.
His job was a case of adding icing to the cake, not providing help in a dire situation.
Give me more of this kind of job, where the pay is good and the work is easy!
Browning thought to himself.
"According to what I just said, perfect the script as quickly as possible," Anton said. "Besides that, I just thought of another job that suits you."
"Please, go ahead," Browning nodded.
"Write this story and promote it to the public in the form of a novel, as the first step in promoting the movie," Anton said. "Regarding the compensation, you'll get your fair share."
"Deal."
Browning didn't hesitate, nodding decisively.
The Batman story's setting was already quite well-established; this job wasn't overly difficult, and the pay was above market value. Therefore, he was more than happy to collaborate with Anton.
"Tomorrow, I'll fly to Los Angeles to meet up with Jim. If you're heading back to Los Angeles, you can come with me."
Anton nodded.
"Alright, then I'll take my leave."
Browning was good at reading people; he understood Anton was signaling him to leave, and he took his leave.
Anton looked out the window. The golden sunset was spreading, coloring the clouds.
Coming back to himself with a start.
He hadn't expected to talk with Browning for so long.
He got up and went to the employee area, where he saw Betty packing up, ready to leave.
"Hey, Betty, has Eddie left?"
"I don't know."
Betty didn't give him a good look, twisting her hips and disappearing from Anton's sight without turning back.
"It's just that I didn't keep my word and didn't make you editor-in-chief, is that it? Women are so petty!"
Anton touched his nose, feeling a little embarrassed.
"Anton, you wanted to see me?"
Eddie had just walked out of his office.
"Yeah, got time for a drink? There's a bar just down the street."
Anton invited, "I have a few things I want to talk to you about."
I've received the contract notification. Everyone, invest quickly, it's pure profit right now! Also, I've been very busy these past few days and haven't had time. I'll probably be able to update twice a day after the contract status changes. Sorry about that! Finally, please collect the book and vote with recommendation tickets! It's quite important during the new book period!
(End of this chapter)