America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Santa Monica, Sunshine Hotel near "The Beach".

Ivan came out of the restroom and entered the hotel's beach area, catching sight of Heath Ledger playing volleyball with someone from a distance. He found a place to sit and waited patiently.

Jody arrived with her assistant and took a seat nearby, picking up a newspaper to shield her face and whispering, "Two days and still no chance."

Ivan was new to the industry, and influenced by Martin and Bruce, had a higher ethical standard than these established reporters: "He might be using in his room or somewhere else. We can't just drag him into a public place and force it into his mouth."

The assistant whispered back, "I heard Heath Ledger comes to the beach to get some fresh air every day."

Ivan was patient: "Keep cool, and wait a bit more."

The younger assistant, less steady, offered a dubious suggestion: "What if we snap a few photos of him smoking and then analyze them…"

"Shut up," Jody hissed softly. "You work for TMZ, not American Rumors! TMZ reporters must hold professional ethics, our news has to stand up to scrutiny, and we must never fabricate."

The assistant fell silent. Although TMZ hadn't been around for long, it had established its brand precisely because of the authenticity of its scoops.

Jody flipped through the paper, "It's not a solution to wait like this indefinitely."

Ivan asked, "Do you have any idea?"

"Be proactive, give him a nudge," Jody thought for a bit and said, "At what moment does he urgently need those drugs?"

Coming from a humble background, Ivan had broad knowledge in this area and said, "Aside from an episode, it often happens when there's extreme emotional fluctuation."

Jody probed further, "Who do you think is the person Heath Ledger recently dislikes the most?"

Ivan was quick to sever ties: "Definitely that bastard Martin Davis. I heard that Heath Ledger hasn't received any work since the incident with Martin Davis and Aniston in New York, and the two productions he was set for also dropped him."

Jody muttered, "Michel Williams broke off her engagement with Heath Ledger, and he doesn't seem willing to let her go."

She looked at the people on the beach and gradually had an idea, summoning her assistant to leave and go to a distance, "Have some tabloids specially printed and bring more people tomorrow."

The assistant understood and immediately got to work.

The next morning, just like the past few days, Heath Ledger, after reading through the script, went to the hotel beach on time to get some air.

Just like before, he shuffled in his sandals along the pedestrian path, stopping midway at the car Bale had left for him to retrieve a bottle of mineral water from the trunk.

Nearby, two young men were gossiping.

"Hollywood is so messy. I heard Jolie and Aniston have a flirty relationship with Martin Davis," said the man with a goatee. "I'm so jealous of him!"

The other crew-cut man said, "That's all old news. Didn't you see today's tabloid? Michel Williams had a secret meeting with Martin Davis yesterday and they spent a long time together in a hotel."

Every word of this fell on Heath Ledger's ears.

Heath Ledger felt like he'd been struck squarely in the chest, struggling to breathe.

There was a newspaper stand on the beach, and he walked over unconsciously, only to see a tabloid prominently displayed as soon as he reached it.

On the front page headline, there was a photo of Michel Williams and Martin Davis entering a hotel together.

The photo was clearly a sneak shot, not very clear and looking somewhat awkward, but Heath Ledger was too familiar with his former fiancée to mistake her.

He took out some money, bought a newspaper from the lady at the stand, and started to read closely.

The tabloid vividly described how Michel Williams and Martin went into the hotel hand in hand, and after more than three hours, she left alone.

Heath Ledger knew all too well how things were perceived in his industry – when a male and female star entered the same hotel hand in hand, no one would believe nothing happened.

They had just broken off their engagement less than half a month ago!

Michel Williams finding someone else, even if it was Bale, he could have accepted, but it had to be Martin Davis!

"Is she trying to get back at me?" Heath Ledger felt like he'd been hit on the head with a club, dizzy and nearly senseless, his vision darkening.

His lips moved silently, with countless words suppressed in his mouth and heart, unsure of how to vent them.

Betrayal? Escape? Face it? Heath Ledger had no idea how to view these.

Dazed for a while, he crumpled up the newspaper and threw it into a nearby trash can, then walked a few steps forward and sat down on the steps at the edge of the beach, merely sitting there, like a statue.

Jody, who had just sold the newspaper, was somewhat concerned. This man didn't seem to have a strong psychological resilience. If he were to take his own life, it would be troublesome.

Should she tell him the truth?

Jody hesitated for only two seconds before silently shaking her head. The value of human life, what was that compared to the news?

After sitting for a few minutes, Heath Ledger finally stood up, feeling extremely uncomfortable due to his somber mood. Once that feeling arose, it was like a hundred thousand worms crawling inside him, driving him toward the car parked nearby.

Now, he needed an enclosed space.

Jody picked up the walkie-talkie hidden beneath her newspaper and said, "He's headed towards target number one, get ready everyone."

For today, Jody had brought four photographers, all equipped with TMZ's best gear.

Heath Ledger got into the car, closed the door, and reached into the gap at the side of the seat, pulling out a plastic bag.

Not far from this car, several people were holding cameras disguised as everyday objects, capturing every move Heath Ledger made from the vantage points of the front windshield and both side windows.

Jody quickly wrapped up her work, collecting a few privately printed fake newspapers and stashing them in her bag, then went to the trash bin nearby to retrieve the newspaper Heath Ledger had thrown away, signaling to someone in the distance on the beach.

A middle-aged Latino man ran over and said, "Done so soon?"

Jody pulled out several US dollars, waving them in front of him.

Just as the Latino reached for them, Jody pulled back and said, "This is the rest of your payment, you never saw me."

"Of course, I don't even know who you are or what you're up to," the Latino boss only cared about the money.

Jody left the beach and went to a nearby parking lot, got into a van, and after waiting for about fifteen minutes, all her subordinates had returned to the vehicle.

"Boss, it's done, big news!" an assistant exclaimed, clutching the camera hidden in the bag, quite thrilled.

Another person said, "I got a better angle!"

A woman helplessly added, "The car windows were tinted too darkly, not as clear as the footage from the windshield."

Jody took the cameras from the first two, reviewing the footage, and after not too long, she smiled; she had the news about Heath Ledger in her hands!

She patted the driver's seat, "Let's go, back to the office!"

The van started immediately and left the hotel.

"Boss, you're brilliant!" the assistant flattered, "Easily landed a big scoop."

Jody looked around and took the opportunity to remind her team, "We are TMZ, we don't report fake news! The team I lead is TMZ's ace team, and you must always remember our professional ethics, we don't touch fake news."

Then she added, "Remember today's case; when you can't find the news, you need to take initiative. News doesn't always happen naturally, it can also be created by us."

That moment served as a live example, and her subordinates were full of admiration for Jody; a woman who had risen to the position of editor-in-chief from her days as a paparazzo was indeed not without merit.

The editor-in-chief possessed real talent and knowledge!

The team returned to TMZ headquarters and immediately got busy, Jody first getting rid of the privately printed tabloids completely, leaving no trace.

Once her subordinates had roughly edited the news footage, adjusted the clarity, she took charge and directed them to upload it.

Jody, with her hands on her hips, stood behind a technician and directed, "Choose three videos for this news piece. The first, the one I brought back a few days ago of Heath Ledger in a fit of rage. Second, the video of the press conference Heath Ledger held after the Brooklyn Studio incident, apologizing to the public and announcing he was going to quit for good."

She smirked, "And the last one, the footage taken today using camera B from the front windshield."

This video not only captured the entire process of Heath Ledger's actions but also his various unbecoming moments during the fit.

Just in time, an assistant said, "Boss, placing three videos in the same article makes the contrast especially stark, allowing people to see his true face clearly."

Jody nodded slightly and said, "Add the written news to it and publish."

The news about Heath Ledger was quickly uploaded to the website.

Jody made a call to the editorial department, "The breaking story about Heath Ledger, the Australian star of 'Brokeback Mountain', make sure to approve it ASAP, and get it on the front page."

Soon, the news appeared on TMZ's website.

For the past week, TMZ had not had any explosive news, but within minutes, Heath Ledger's video news was prominently featured on the website's front page.

These days, many in Hollywood and the guzzling masses of North America often kept an eye on TMZ, checking it out whenever they could, as TMZ occasionally got a hold of some big, juicy scoops.

They were unequivocally savory.

The related news spread fast.

...

Meanwhile, after Bruce's meeting with Ivan ended and he sent him on his way, he drove back to the Four Seasons Hotel and went straight upstairs to see Martin.

Upon swiping the room card and entering, he immediately noticed Martin turning his head with a sudden grin.

The smile was chilling, filled with cruelty and eeriness, like that of a psychopath.

Bruce muttered to himself that this guy was indeed a psychopath.

Martin, in a bizarre posture that completely contradicted his usual style, sat on the couch and said, "Old Cloth, lighten up, give us a smile."

Bruce's hands drew up the corners of his mouth, lifting towards his ears, "Do I look good smiling?"

Martin laughed heartily, "Looking sharp." He then asked, "Any good news?"

Bruce said, "Jody and her team at TMZ got the video they wanted, and it's already on TMZ's website."

Martin stood up, walking a bit like Scott in an odd manner, his voice sinister, "Let me think, what's going to blow up next? Hmm... I've got it, it's time for the insurance company to step onto the stage."

He walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, spreading his arms wide, "Before the auditions start, I'll remove the biggest threat!"