[Chapter 706: It's Really Not My Business]
Seeing the phone back in his hands again, William White felt quite frustrated. Could he not just enjoy watching the cows anymore? Damn it, where had his herd gone?
"Well, sir, there's an emergency," Filson said.
"Alright, go ahead, since my cows are lost anyway." Filson didn't mind the boss's complaints. To put it frankly, William White was usually pretty easygoing.
"Sir, Barry Diller and Paramount's executives planned to go head-to-head with Redstone. So, what exactly are our rules here?"
"What? Barry Diller doesn't have that much money. Who's backing him?"
"Sir, it's Goldman Sachs and Bank of America. This duo doesn't seem to fear Morgan Stanley."
"It's chaos, chaos everywhere. Filson, isn't everyone out there doubting me?" Filson was speechless; honestly, he had no idea what the boss was talking about.
"Yes, sir. There are rumors that you plan to completely monopolize the American media industry."
"Please, do I really need to achieve that through acquisitions? Filson, I didn't instruct anyone to do anything. Barry Diller has been out of Paramount for too long; he can't get back in the game. We don't need to make a statement on this."
Filson was stunned again. He hadn't thought the boss would be so confident about that old-timer. Diller was fifty, while Redstone was seventy. They said not to despise the young due to their poverty, so why did the boss favor that old guy?
"I understand, sir. As long as it's fine. We already hold a significant share in the media industry; we shouldn't expand further."
"Yeah, I got it. I assigned Jason Garrison with the task of developing overseas markets."
...
While the outside world was in an uproar, William White was out on the farm herding cows. Well, this was indeed quite amusing. How much would the billionaire charge per pound for the cows raised on his farm?
Of course, aside from William White, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs were certain he wasn't involved. It was outrageous enough to have a Kirkorian stirring the pot; if another Diller jumped in, that would really be over the top.
With the disappearance of the billionaire's cows, the herding activity naturally came to an end. It seemed that the farmer and cowboy job wasn't really suited for him.
"Dear, what are we having for lunch?"
Suzuki shot him a glance and said, "Where did your cows go? If we relied on the farm's profits, we would have nothing to eat."
"Alright, alright, those cows just don't listen. I should look into bringing in some Japanese ones. I've heard Japanese cows are gentler."
In Suzuki's eyes, this guy herding cows was nothing short of performance art. He was just causing trouble for those cowboys.
"Hmph, it'll be a while. Michelle is busy; why don't you start with some vegetable salad? The avocados are nice today."
"Really? This again? I'll help with the barbecue instead."
"No way, don't mess it up. Dinner's almost ready."
Well, William White didn't like avocados. Or rather, he was a carnivore, detesting all things green.
Seeing a plate piled high with salad made William White instinctively want to escape. Damn, it was just like the plate of food he remembered from that guy, Steve Jobs. When Jobs saw that big plate of food, he probably felt just as exasperated.
A whole family out for a picnic was pretty fun, actually. As for losing the cows, the cowboys wouldn't be bothered by that. The boss could ride and herd cows; how rare was that, you know?
In this era of change, more and more traditions were being discarded, and more and more farmers were losing their lands. Instead, mechanized farming was taking over.
Herding cows? Nonexistent, just feed them some chow. If you could skip the wandering around, you could put on a bit more weight. That later outbreak of Mad Cow Disease was probably the result of such confinement.
Feed mixed with animal entrails, confined long-term in a small space? Anyone would go mad; don't get me started on the cows -- humans would react the same!
The natural world has its rules for survival, with one of the most obvious being that fellow creatures should not harm each other. Animal entrails are certainly not meant for animals to eat, especially not among equals.
...
Redstone was nearly losing it. He knew very well that if this dragged on any longer, Paramount wouldn't have anything to do with him.
That wife of his was something else; she had caused a stir when he tried to acquire Viacom. Now here she was again.
What that old man did not know was that, by the time he acquired CBS, his wife would likely cause fuss once more.
To William White, that old man was just too stingy. There was really no need for all this; he was already seventy. What good would more women do him at this age? Just thinking about it was tiring.
It was already bizarre enough for Barry Diller to start anew at fifty, but at seventy, what was his goal really?
His wife fussing at him made a bit of sense. Hollywood wasn't that easy, after all. Did he really think he was William White? If he had even half of William's skill, she wouldn't be making a fuss.
Everyone has their way of life, William believed if he couldn't retire by fifty, he would consider that a failure.
Redstone and Diller were clearly different -- those guys were likely planning to work until the very end.
For such people, William could only express respect. The nickname "money slave," his ancestors really couldn't have picked a better one.
...
"Darling, you seem troubled."
Looking at Michelle's delicate face, it was hard to believe she was already a mother of three.
"Nothing much, I was just thinking I've been good to Barry Diller. Why did he have to leave? Doesn't your husband possess that legendary dominating aura?"
"Haha, you crack me up. Actually, you should be more open-minded. Some people just love being their own boss, and Barry Diller is one of those people. Look at Jason Garrison, he clearly doesn't enjoy working."
Michelle was almost saying indirectly that she and Jason Garrison were alike -- both lacking patience for work.
"Fine, him going solo isn't really a big deal; he's quite the energetic guy. Why didn't he seek my help? Am I really that small-minded?" Well, that was also a bother for William White; he didn't see himself owing anything to his subordinates.
"People have their ambitions; don't dwell on it."
"Alright, alright, let's go check out Athena's horses."
*****
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