Chapter 234: Running for Governor?
The quiet of the morning was shattered by a sharp cry from Salma Hayek as she clung tightly to Aaron Anderson.
Aaron caught his breath. Just as he was about to roll off her, Salma's slightly hoarse voice stopped him.
"Mm… Aaron, don't move yet."
Aaron chuckled. "It's getting late. Not planning to get up?"
She kissed his lips lightly. "In a minute. You must be hungry."
"I'm fine. Let's just lie here for a bit," Aaron exhaled, resting against her warm, sensual body.
After a while, he finally rolled aside. Salma wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned against his broad chest.
"You're incredible," she murmured. "The media can't stop praising Dawnlight Group. They're calling you the next combination of Louis B. Mayer and Howard Hughes in Hollywood."
Aaron snorted softly. "Louis B. Mayer, maybe. But Howard Hughes? I'm not some heir born into wealth."
Salma laughed. "It's because of your endless scandals. Every young, beautiful actress in Hollywood seems to be somehow connected to you."
"Well…" Aaron shrugged helplessly.
---
Texas — Eastern Region, near the Louisiana border
At the headquarters of Angel Security, Jack Wells had just returned to his office from the training grounds when an unexpected visitor arrived.
"Who's here?" he asked.
"The former president George Bush's eldest son — George W. Bush."
Jack had no idea why the man had come to see him, but it was clear he needed to meet him.
---
The next day, Jack flew straight back to Los Angeles.
That afternoon, at the Angel Theater in West Hollywood, Aaron hurried over after receiving Jack's call.
"What happened?"
"I met someone yesterday," Jack said. "I think you'll find this interesting."
"Who?"
"The son of former President George H. W. Bush — George W. Bush. He's planning to run for governor of Texas next year and wants your support."
Aaron Anderson was now the owner of the Houston Rockets, a Hollywood mogul, and a bona fide billionaire. His influence in both business and sports circles was undeniable.
"George W. Bush?" Aaron's interest was piqued. "Running for governor of Texas? That's… interesting."
"And he came to you first?"
Jack Wells spread his hands. "My relationship with you isn't exactly a secret. And I'm officially attached to the Houston Rockets now."
"Besides, George W. Bush is currently one of the owners and shareholders of the MLB team Texas Rangers. He's actively involved in the team's operations."
The Bush family had long been one of Texas's established oil dynasties.
Aaron smiled faintly. "Then we can absolutely support him. At the end of the day, it's just money."
Jack nodded. "If he's elected governor, he's willing to award Texas state police training contracts to Angel Security."
"And if things go well, certain National Guard training programs in Texas could also be on the table."
Aaron tapped his fingers lightly on the desk.
"Since Clinton took office, he's pushed his 'information superhighway' initiative and raised taxes significantly — the top individual income tax rate went from 31% to 39.6%, and corporate tax from 34% to 35%."
"Texas has always been a low-tax state. In the future, we might expand more of our industries there. Supporting George W. Bush wholeheartedly could be a very smart move."
"By the way," Jack added, "if you're interested, he's also open to selling you his stake in the Texas Rangers — helping you gain influence over the team."
"Though the Rangers haven't performed well for years. Still, Arlington is building a new ballpark, set to open next year for the Rangers."
The Rangers' current home was Arlington Stadium, but the newly constructed venue would soon replace it.
Aaron waved a hand dismissively. "How much does he even own? He's just a minority shareholder."
"I'm not interested in being a small shareholder. If I'm involved, I'd want controlling interest."
"If he's serious about running for governor, and with his family's political network behind him, his chances are strong. We can afford to be generous financially."
"Understood," Jack said. Spending more time in Texas and aligning with the Bush family certainly wasn't a bad strategic move.
Then Jack sighed. "With Michael Jordan's retirement, the NBA has taken a serious hit. Attendance and TV ratings are down."
"Even advertising and sponsorship revenue have been affected."
"It's already showing?" Aaron raised a brow. "The regular season only started three weeks ago."
Jack gave a wry smile. "It's showing. Losing Michael Jordan is a massive blow to the league."
---
That evening, at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, Aaron attended a reception and ran into Tom Rothman, president of Samuel Goldwyn Films.
"I have to admit," Rothman said with a smile, "I never expected Dawnlight to be the one trying to acquire Samuel Goldwyn."
He had assumed one of the Big Six studios would make the move.
Aaron shrugged. "Goldwyn merging into Dawnlight would be a strong choice. Don't you think?"
Rothman clinked glasses with him before shifting topics. "I heard Barry Diller has raised his bid for Paramount Communications to $9.5 billion. I wonder whether Sumner Redstone at Viacom will increase his offer again."
"He will," Aaron replied decisively. "Redstone pushed through the Viacom–Blockbuster merger for a reason — he wants Blockbuster's massive cash flow."
"In terms of valuing content, Redstone is relentless. He's determined to win Paramount."
Rothman paused. "Sounds like you're betting on Redstone."
Aaron glanced toward Harrison Ford across the room. Ford's action thriller The Fugitive had grossed $170 million domestically this year, reaching $350 million worldwide.
Action films were dominating — Speed, Cliffhanger, The Mask of Zorro… the market was clearly leaning in that direction.
"It won't be long," Aaron said calmly. "We'll soon see who ends up with Paramount."
"Whether it's Barry Diller or Sumner Redstone, whoever controls Paramount won't pose a problem for Dawnlight."
That was pure confidence.
In content production, Dawnlight was no longer intimidated by the Big Six studios.