Hollywood What If Chapter 508
The revelation shocked Hollywood. The police were hesitant at first, since this information could put their careers in jeopardy. You know, this was not a simple assault but an assassination that involved an executive from Universal Pictures.
The Hollywood and Showbiz industry was so deep that some information was not allowed to spread.
Thankfully, the LAPD gave the go signal. They were doing the right thing, and they had nothing to fear.
Hence, the situation became chaotic. Who would have thought that this incident was instigated by one of the higher-ups at Universal Pictures?
An executive planning to kill a director, a shocking situation. News stations and publishers loved this moment and went all out. The news spread so fast that when Kazir woke up the next day, he sensed that something was going on.
His father and brother were acting strange. Even Salvatore and Erica were in the hospital room, whispering. Scarlett made tea for them.
If something was surprising, it was the fact that Stella Willow was also in the room, waiting for Kazir to wake up. For the record, Stella and Kazir were friends, but Stella was so busy that she probably didn't have time to visit the hospital early in the morning.
"...What's going on?"
Kazir asked them.
The group of people looked at each other. Scarlett sighed and gave a cup of tea to Kazir, she then passed a newly published newspaper to him.
Kazir actually preferred coffee or cappuccino, but it seemed Scarlett was going for a healthy beverage. The tea was a gift from Stella.
Anyway, Kazir read the newspaper and bitterly smiled, well, the bitter tea was one of the reasons why.
"People will go as far as to kill someone just for profit," he said.
Scarlett held his hand.
"This is not simple. The culture of this industry is so toxic that they feel like they can get away with anything. Don't worry, I'll do my best to make sure this will not happen again."
Stella was the first to reply. She was disgusted by the fact that Hollywood let something like this happen.
"Thanks, Stella."
Kazir smiled.
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Just a day after the news spread, Universal Pictures acted fast and fired the executive. They even stated it publicly in front of the media. They announced that they had no connection with the assassination and that they promoted healthy competition.
Many people were mad about it, and even the movie critics felt disgusted. Universal Pictures had to solve this problem and protect its image.
The executive was caught by the police and admitted the crimes. Except that, he didn't say anything else and kept his mouth shut. He accepted every backlash from the public as if he was threatened to take full responsibility.
Truthfully, Universal Pictures had no intention of killing Kazir. They never resorted to killing people, this was America, and they never liked violence. Unfortunately, stuff just happens.
The scandal also made the Big Four face some backlash. People were not stupid. The Big Four tried to destroy Kazir's career after the director suffered a near-death situation. People realized that the Big Four would do anything just to bury their rivals.
As for Kazir's side, the director was advised by his PR Team to stay quiet and away from the spotlight.
He just released a statement that was crafted by his PR Team. The one who delivered the words was Erica, who faced the reporters in front of the hospital.
"Director Grey said that he is grateful to be alive. He thanks the people for supporting him."
A very short statement. Kazir's PR Team advised him not to speak about the Big Four, as Kazir might have a chance to work with them again... This was from a business viewpoint, and Kazir understood.
In Hollywood, there was no eternal enemy. People in the industry would always do things for their benefit, and Kazir understood that.
However, he would probably not work with Universal Pictures anymore after this. He thought their relationship would improve after Shadows Beneath, but it seemed that he was wrong.
Brad Grey personally talked to him on the phone and said that Universal Pictures never thought of killing him. Based on Brad's voice, he was probably not lying. Still, Kazir was determined to keep his promise this time. This was a painful betrayal that he didn't want to experience again.
As for the other studios, it depended on the circumstances. He had to accept the fact that Hollywood would never change. This industry was so messed up from the roots that it was impossible to change it.
No one could change Hollywood, not even Kazir, nor the Big Six. Hollywood was always the city of sin.
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Kazir asked for a two-week break from Warner Brothers, and the studio gladly supported him. They were already happy that their studio was not part of the scandal. Furthermore, they used this chance of public sympathy to promote The Dark Knight.
Whenever they talked about news related to Kazir, Time Warner always included that Kazir was the director of The Dark Knight. Yeah, a free promotion. Nothing to be surprised about.
Within those two weeks, Kazir spent his time away from the paparazzi. He was in the house most of the time, together with Scarlett. His family and friends visited him once in a while... Kazir was actually bored the whole time.
He realized that he preferred working on his film instead of staying at home and doing nothing. Well, taking a rest was not that bad once in a while. On top of that, he and Scarlett cuddled a lot, so definitely not that bad.
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[Author's Note.]
[For the record, I don't hate Universal Pictures. Universal Pictures is actually a great studio. It's just that the plot went on against them, so I can't help but make them bad. If there's a studio I hate, it's only Walt Disney. Also, I just want to remind everyone that this novel is fiction and fake. Not related to real celebrities. Don't take it seriously.]