It was late June, and the fallout from Diddy's arrest was still rippling through the industry.
Through his back channels, JAY-Z had already learned the truth: the catalyst for this entire catastrophe was a pathetic, junkie pretty boy.
Henry had been hospitalized for severe mental trauma.
Having offended the Senate Majority Leader of the Democratic Party, JAY-Z knew Diddy was cooked. No amount of maneuvering or money could fix this mess now.
Even JAY-Z himself was scrambling to escape the blast radius unscathed.
Their friendship dated back to the early 90s. They had survived the "Hunger Games" of the era's cutthroat rap scene, eventually building an East Coast hip-hop empire with JAY-Z and Diddy at the helm.
Their interests were deeply intertwined. Without JAY-Z leading the way, Diddy, for all his business acumen, would have struggled to diversify his investments so successfully.
Now, JAY-Z had zero time to worry about Leon's contract renewal. He was too busy pulling strings in government offices to wipe his own ass.
Buying out the incriminating tapes featuring himself was secondary; the priority was completely distancing himself from the Henry incident.
Three days after Diddy was investigated, his girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, accepted Phil's invitation to appear on the Straight Outta the Underground podcast.
It wasn't a chat show; it was a public indictment.
She revealed that she had been subjected to constant abuse since she started dating Diddy. Physical assault, verbal abuse, and forced drug use.
Sometimes, Diddy would force her to choose young men for him; he even forced Cassie to sleep with his friends.
T-Ray, who lived for the drama, had gone to the Brooklyn Bridge to set off fireworks the night Diddy was arrested.
"Miss Cassie, are you saying that as Diddy's girlfriend, he actually treated you like a gift to be passed around?" T-Ray asked.
"Yes. Diddy never respected women. He only saw women as toys," Cassie said through tears.
"You mean any woman?"
"Yes..."
T-Ray grinned at the camera, showing his teeth. "Folks~ Look what I told y'all. People didn't believe me when I said I banged Diddy's mom? This bastard would gift wrap the women around him..."
Subsequently, Cassie exposed more details about the parties.
She vaguely mentioned a string of glittering names: Jennifer Lopez, JAY-Z, Justin Bieber, and others.
The episode's views exploded instantly.
Multiple media outlets wanted to interview Cassie, but after the show, she made a shocking move.
She decided to sue Diddy and called on more victims to stand up.
"Isn't this going too far? You're going to offend a lot of people," Phil said worriedly in the office.
There's a right way and a wrong way to chase clout. Everyone in the industry knew T-Ray's podcast was under Lion's Den Media. This episode just made the already turbulent entertainment industry even more jittery.
"Too far? Their troubles are just getting started," Leon said, a cigarette dangling from his lips as he pondered Charlie's mindset.
The thinking of a high-level politician is different from ordinary people.
Once one possesses extreme power, their mind gets warped by it.
Ordinary citizens wouldn't harm their own flesh and blood no matter the situation, but history is littered with kings who executed their own children.
mentally, they have evolved—or devolved—into a different species.
In the incident of Henry's assault, Charlie, as a father, should have been a victim. In reality, he was the biggest beneficiary.
His gains were far greater than Leon's.
That massive cache of celebrity blackmail tapes had become Charlie's political capital.
Using this leverage, those entertainment figures with massive fan bases could no longer flip-flop between the Donkey and the Elephant.
The secrets Charlie held were a Sword of Damocles hanging over everyone's head.
The celebrities involved had no choice but to stand on stage for the Democrats, for Charlie personally, if they didn't want to be exposed.
There was no option to refuse.
Even Leon, who had no stain from Diddy's parties, had to contribute to the Democratic rallies.
With one move, Charlie had turned a huge chunk of the entertainment industry into his personal political resource.
"I thought I was playing 4D chess, but Charlie is playing 5D chess in the stratosphere..." Leon sighed internally at the ruthless efficiency of an old-school politician.
Phil was still analyzing the pros and cons based on the status quo, imagining JAY-Z's next move.
Leon cut him off. "Enough. The world doesn't stop for losers for a single second. Bonnie, give me the box office numbers for Straight Outta Compton."
In the early stages of the release, due to the explosive opening performance, the three major North American theater chains, led by AMC, increased the number of screens.
From the original 1,600 to 2,300.
Starting from June 1st, the movie had finished its one-month "golden run."
The four-week cumulative box office hit $150 million.
Theaters had reduced showtimes to make way for new releases like Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Cars 2.
However, they also extended the theatrical run.
The movie would continue screening for another three weeks until mid-July.
But for this period, the theaters would take the lion's share of the revenue.
According to the tiered split agreement, for the first week of July, they would take 50% of the box office, and the ratio would be even higher towards the end of the run.
Based on current trends, the final North American box office would settle around $190 million.
Factor in the modest European box office, and a global total exceeding $200 million was a lock.
There would also be a nice chunk of income from streaming rights after the theatrical run.
Netflix's content chief, Scott Stuber, called, offering $5 million a year for the streaming rights to Straight Outta Compton.
The revenue from the first three weeks had already hit the account of the distributor, Lionsgate.
$133 million. A staggering result.
Lionsgate hadn't provided production support, hadn't invested a dime, and hadn't even paid for marketing, yet they passively raked in nearly $7 million in profit.
If the executives hadn't been so short-sighted back then and had injected some capital into the cash-strapped Leon, they would have made a killing.
Lionsgate management was kicking themselves over that terrible decision.
Miles, who was directly responsible for this, called Leon more than once, his subtext basically being:
"Daddy! Please make another one! We'll do anything!"
Leon's share of the $133 million had arrived. The rest would be distributed after the audit following the movie's run.
$46.5 million. The largest single sum Leon had ever pocketed.
At the same time, physical sales of Bang Bang broke 1.2 million copies in the first month, with 1.6 million digital copies sold.
Counting the record splits from other artists under Apocalypse Music, the split from Demons, and various commercial performance revenues...
Leon's available liquid assets on the books reached $59 million.
After learning his lesson during the New York tax season in April, Leon didn't want this money to sit in the account as "idle cash."
The question now was whether to shoot Ready Player One.
Judging by the original film provided by the Inspiration Refresh, this was a massive production.
Even putting aside the headache of IP rights, the CGI budget alone would be astronomical.
Whether the movie would succeed was unknown, but considering the original was a Spielberg work, the probability of making money was over 90%.
Once this project was greenlit, even throwing in the entire $59 million might not be enough.
After thinking it over, Leon decided to put the movie idea on the back burner.
Diddy's downfall had left a void in the East Coast entertainment ecosystem.
Expanding to fill that void would require a lot of capital.
It was also time to wrap up the new label situation.
"What are Lil Durk and King Von thinking?" Leon asked.
"They flew to New York the moment Diddy got arrested," Phil said. "I've been hanging out with those two kids these days. You have no idea how crazy this generation is... especially that kid King Von, he's a savage! First time I've seen someone take down a 220-pound black chick!"
Marco was serving as the manager for Lil Durk and King Von. Since the new management company was established, he was now Phil's subordinate.
So, since arriving in New York, King Von and Durk had been running with the old geezer.
Phil might have had some racist tendencies, but shared vices can transcend skin color and prejudice.
Take womanizing, for example. King Von might not match Phil in quantity, but he held his own in the exploration of "depth."
Growing up in the South Side of Chicago, bottom-tier hustlers could still pull girls even when they were broke.
They relied on highly innovative, street-level game.
Their life motto could be summed up in one sentence: "Get money, fxxk btches!"
"Find some time to bring those two nggas to see me. I want to hear their thoughts on the new label," Leon said. "Looking at it now, is our office space a bit insufficient?"
The staff nodded in unison.
After a series of expansions, plus the newly formed management team, the office environment was incredibly cramped.
The original 1,500 square feet Phil rented, plus the 2,000 square feet Leon rented later.
A total of 3,500 square feet had to accommodate 20 people working, and half the area had to be ceded to the recording studio.
The headquarters' environment was worse than Lion's Den Media, which had just moved out to a separate office, causing dissatisfaction throughout the company.
Aisha complained the most.
Her finance department had five employees, but the finance room was barely 300 square feet.
This resulted in desks being jammed together. Occasionally, creepy subordinates would use the opportunity to cop a feel or stare down the "Marijuana Trench" (cleavage) painted with tattoos.
Aisha had complained more than once: "The environment here is as bad as my grandfather's barn."
Leon had been scouting for a new office location for a while.
He finally locked his gaze on Downtown Brooklyn.
Brooklyn Heights wasn't really a traditional business district; it was more of a high-end residential area.
So not only was the rent more expensive, but the convenience wasn't as good as a traditional business hub.
In comparison, Downtown Brooklyn offered much better value. It was the true commercial and cultural center of the borough.
Vice Media, JPMorgan Chase's Brooklyn branch, and the North American headquarters of National Grid UK were all located here.
Renting an office building was Leon's first choice.
The Wheeler building above Macy's on Fulton Street was a newly built ten-story glass office building atop a historic structure.
Great lighting, open floor plan.
Leon had been one step away from signing with the real estate agent, but his thoughts had changed.
The US real estate market was still in a slump. With $59 million in hand, he could completely afford to buy a property on Fulton Street.
A small office building with an interior area of 30,000 square feet had a listing price of around $13 million.
The actual transaction price would usually be around $12 million.
That worked out to just $400 per square foot—a difference of heaven and earth compared to the astronomical prices in Lower Manhattan.
Buying it meant enjoying full rights to the property and avoiding unreasonable fees from landlords.
Leon told Bonnie, "Contact the real estate agent. See how many commercial properties near Fulton Street meet our requirements."
"So Boss, does this mean I can have my own private office?" Aisha asked.
Before Leon could speak, Phil took over and roared, "Of course! Then you can close the door and have orgies with those Mexican bastards in there!"
---
After the meeting, Leon immediately drove to a restaurant in Lower Manhattan.
He was heading to a date with Taylor.
It was their first meeting since being arrested by that dirty cop, Tenpenny.
Although Taylor was busy with her concert tour, she called Leon every night to catch up.
Soft jazz filled the restaurant.
Taylor sat by the window, her slender fingers gently twirling a wine glass, the red wine shimmering.
She looked up, her gaze piercing through her blonde bangs. "You're three minutes late. Have you thought of an excuse?"
"Sorry, I spent too much time trying to pick a tie that would grab your attention," Leon smiled slightly, pulling out a chair and sitting down, his black shirt slightly unbuttoned.
"So where is your tie? You never even wear those things." Taylor raised an eyebrow, pouting. "You liar..."
The waiter brought two appetizers, set them down, and silently exited the private room.
Taylor reached out, toying with the lettuce on her plate with a fork. "Anyway, it's good that you can still show up in one piece."
"Of course." Leon spread his hands. "Those guys who tried to smear and attack me... they all ran into bad luck first."
He didn't say it explicitly, but Taylor knew he was referring to the Diddy situation.
With Diddy arrested and Cassie revealing the truth on the podcast, Taylor secretly rejoiced that she hadn't gone to that party.
In fact, if it hadn't been for the public feud with Kanye, she wouldn't have refused a grand celebrity party.
Now it seemed like a blessing in disguise.
If she had attended that party, even if she had just eaten a fruit platter and left, she would never have been able to wash herself clean in the public eye.
Taylor changed the subject. "How is your album coming along?"
"Still in the preparation stage. Production probably won't really start until the new contract lands."
"What about the song you wrote for me?"
"Song for you?" Leon was full of question marks. Even though he often ran his mouth, he didn't recall this.
"Our song." Taylor bit her lip. "A collaboration, just like We Don't Talk Anymore that you wrote for Robbie. You promised me."
Leon then remembered there was indeed such a thing.
Back when Taylor asked for a song via email, he ended up giving her the trio song Bang Bang.
To appease Taylor, he had promised a separate collaboration between just the two of them later.
It was just a casual remark at the time, but he didn't expect Taylor to take it seriously.
Taylor pursed her lips. "I've actually been very inspired lately, working on a new song..."
"It'll be ready soon." Leon picked up his glass and swirled it gently. "You are my source of inspiration."
"Me?" Taylor's expression showed delight, but that line—"You are my creative inspiration"—stole the subtext she had in her own heart.
A flush quietly crept up her cheeks.
Taylor composed herself, calming down and switching to her tsundere mode. "Don't lie to me. Robbie is your source of inspiration~ She let me hear the demo for We Don't Talk Anymore. I have to admit, it's a masterpiece."
She didn't forget to add at the end: "Compared to the songs I write, it's still a little lacking..."
Leon heard the heavy scent of jealousy in her words.
After experiencing the arrest by Tenpenny together, the relationship between the two had heated up rapidly.
They had broken through the invisible line between men and women; only a thin veil remained.
"To be honest, I'm not good at writing that kind of heartbreak song." Leon stared at Taylor's charming appearance, his eyes full of smiles. "The work written for you will be very different."
"How will it be different?" Taylor sat up straight, her face full of curiosity.
"It will be very sweet." Leon intentionally slurred the pronunciation of "sweetie," making it sound a bit like "Swiftie."
"You guy..." Taylor hurriedly took a sip of red wine, the flush on her face becoming more obvious.
In romantic relationships, she usually appeared as the hunter.
Whether it was establishing a relationship early on or kicking a scumbag to the curb, she was crisp and decisive.
But facing Leon, she frequently fell to a disadvantage, turning from hunter to prey.
The psychological pressure of being Robbie's best friend played a large part in this.
After spending some time together, Leon had long figured out her thoughts.
If he wanted to make it official, now was the best chance to strike.
The entertainment industry's biggest toxic male singer and the biggest idol female singer—if these two combined, it would be massive news.
In terms of heat, they could leave the news of JAY-Z and Beyoncé officially announcing their relationship in the dust.
Just holding hands shopping would easily make headlines; Leon would never have to work hard to manufacture buzz again.
After glass after glass of red wine, Taylor gradually got buzzed, and the conversation quickly turned sensitive.
"Honestly, I really don't understand what hateful charm you have that captivated Robbie. Street Jesus, Al Capone, Street Judas... do you not have a normal nickname?"
Taylor used Robbie's voice to express her own thoughts.
The subtext was: "What hateful charm do you have that captivated me?"
"You seem to have missed a nickname," Leon said.
"Which one?"
"White Ngga..."
"Stop!" Taylor's eyes widened in shock, her face turning red as a tomato.
Fxxk, is this woman serious? Leon silently ridiculed in his heart.
As a famous "player" in the entertainment industry, how could she be as shy as an undebuted teenage girl just talking about this topic?
Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly felt a warm sensation on his lips.
Taylor's long eyelashes fluttered, her face flushed, her eyes heavy with desire.
Leon froze for two seconds, completely unresponsive.
This was completely different from the scene Taylor imagined. She brushed her hair back, flustered. "Sorry... I..."
But the next second, she faced Leon's counterattack.
The two entangled tightly in the restaurant's private room.
Crash—
Smash—
No one cared about the sound of wine glasses and tableware shattering on the floor.
Three minutes later, they separated. Leon looked unsatisfied. "Want to go back to my place?"
Taylor was silent for two seconds, her voice as thin as silk. "No..."
Before she could finish, Leon had already grabbed her wrist and rushed out of the restaurant.
"Wait! Let me put on my sunglasses!"
On the way back, Taylor seemed to be either immersed in the scene just now or drunk.
Her expression remained dazed as she chatted with Leon, her thoughts unknown.
Suddenly, a strange brilliance flashed in her eyes.
Under Leon's confused gaze, she opened the voice memo app on her phone and hummed softly:
Magic, madness, heaven, sin
Saw you there and I thought
Oh my God, look at that face
You look like my next mistake
"That's awesome..." Leon took his right hand off the steering wheel and tapped the beat for Taylor with his fingers.
Ain't it funny, rumors fly
And I know you heard about me
So hey, let's be friends
I'm dying to see how this one ends
So it's gonna be forever
Or it's gonna go down in flames
You can tell me when it's over
If the high was worth the pain
Got a long list of ex-lovers
They'll tell you I'm insane
'Cause you know I love the players
And you love the game!