The Tyrant Billionaire

After the Meeting

Hardy called Edward aside and handed him a script outline he had written at his vacation home in the Rocky Mountains. "I’ve written three movie outlines. Have the best screenwriters turn them into scripts."

Edward respectfully took the papers.

Every script the boss had written before had turned into a classic movie. Once A Thife and Singin in the Rain were both incredibly successful, both at the box office and with critics. It was certain that HD Films would once again be a big winner at this year’s Golden Globes and Oscars.

"Boss, do you plan to shoot these three films this year? Do you have any suitable candidates in mind?" Edward asked.

"The Seven Year Itch and Some Like It Hot were specifically written for Monroe," Hardy replied.

Edward thought to himself, the rumors that the boss had been intimate with Monroe were probably true. Now he’s personally writing movie scripts for her, and not just one, but two—clearly planning to make Monroe a star.

"What about Roman Holiday?" Edward asked.

"Roman Holiday is for Audrey Hepburn," Hardy said.

Edward’s mind raced. The pure young actress? Looks like she’s the boss’s next target.

"By the way, how’s Hepburn doing lately?" Hardy asked casually.

"She’s still in training, learning a lot. The company recently gave her a small role, and filming begins next month. It’s a movie about British aristocrats," Edward replied.

Imagining Hepburn in European period costumes, with her elegant demeanor, Hardy figured she’d look stunning. "Take plenty of costume photos of her and bring them to me later so I can see how she looks."

"Of course, boss," Edward immediately agreed.

After the New Year

Taylor left to continue filming Beauty and the Beast in France.

Ava also left, heading to Africa with the crew to film The Snows of Kilimanjaro. At this time, Africa was considered a mysterious land in the eyes of Americans, and many films during this period were set in Africa.

Elena was busy building a museum in England.

At the moment, the only woman by Hardy’s side was the French girl, Irina.

And what about Hedy Lamarr? Well, Hedy was more of a friend—one he occasionally slept with. Hedy had once told Hardy that she didn’t want any more commitments. She was content to keep things as they were. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Captain America officially premiered, telling the story of an American soldier who gained extraordinary combat abilities after receiving a genetic serum.

Though it didn’t reach the same ratings as Super Idol, it still dominated over the other two major networks, with viewership exceeding 80%.

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Irina particularly enjoyed the show.

At that moment, she was lying on the bed, enthusiastically watching the episode.

Meanwhile, Hardy was leaning against the headboard, reading a document carefully.

The president of Wells Fargo had sent a telegram. Upon their arrival in the Netherlands, a company called "Nile River Shipping" had approached them, hoping to cooperate with Hardy Group.

Hardy Group had already collaborated with four shipping companies and had earned a good reputation. Since the shipping industry was well connected, it was likely that Nile River Shipping had heard of Hardy’s willingness to collaborate in the shipping business and sought them out.

Although Hardy didn’t have much of an impression of Nile River Shipping, it didn’t matter. He had a large fleet of cargo ships and was looking for more partners.

The Netherlands was located at the mouths of three major European rivers and was the intersection of the North Atlantic shipping routes and European trade routes. Known as the "Gateway to Europe," its 900-kilometer economic zone included the UK, Germany, France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Denmark.

With such a strategic location, developing Nile River Shipping with Hardy’s support wouldn’t be difficult.

After reviewing the documents, Hardy decided to invest in Nile River Shipping.

Just then, Irina, perhaps feeling Hardy’s foot pressing on her, shifted under the covers and turned over.

Before long, a small bump appeared in the middle of the blanket.

Oh!

Hardy could no longer concentrate on his reading. He put down the document and lifted the blanket. Irina looked up at him with a seductive smile and continued what she was doing.

Hardy let the blanket fall back down and reached out to play with Irina’s hair.

...

The next day.

Hardy sent a telegram to John Stone, the president of Wells Fargo Bank, informing him that they could agree to the request from ’Nile River Shipping’ to offer cargo ships in exchange for company shares. The percentage of shares would be calculated and negotiated according to standard procedures.

Hardy didn’t need to worry about this, as John Stone, with his financial background, would be much more meticulous about company shares than Hardy.

A few days later.

John Stone sent a telegram back, reporting the results of the negotiation.

Hardy’s shipping company would contribute 15 Liberty ships and 5 Victory ships, along with a cash injection of $1 million, making Hardy the largest shareholder of Nile River Shipping with a 43% stake.

Hardy agreed and instructed John Stone to handle the signing of the contract.

Another company was added to Hardy’s shipping group.

The Captain America TV series became a hit. Themes such as anti-war, anti-fascism, and super-soldiers were extremely popular at the time, so the public naturally loved the show.

At the same time.

The motorcycle Captain America rode on his missions also became wildly popular.

This Harley motorcycle was the standard military issue during World War II, primarily supplied to the military, so there weren’t many available on the market. Many people wanted to buy this bike to show off, but when they went to the Harley dealership, they found out it wasn’t for sale.

Someone reported this situation to Hardy, who had previously purchased over 14,000 of these bikes and had them fully restored.

After the latest episode of Captain America, ABC aired a commercial announcing that Captain America’s signature motorcycle would be sold on a TV shopping show the following day.

Many people who wanted the motorcycle tuned in to the TV shopping channel the next day. Several brand new Harley motorcycles were displayed during the live broadcast, but the price was surprisingly high—$668 per bike.