Chapter 278 — The Seventh Major
Aaron leaned back on the sofa, watching John Kluge leave the club with a slightly unsteady gait.
Eighty years old… and still spending his nights in places like this.
He took a sip of his drink, amused.
---
Not long after, in the restroom corridor, Aaron ran into Jerry Buss.
"Congratulations," Buss said with a smile. "Your Houston Rockets finally won the championship."
Aaron chuckled.
"The Los Angeles Lakers aren't doing too well these days, though. James Worthy can't carry the team alone."
Buss sighed.
Since Magic Johnson retired due to illness, the Lakers had been in steady decline—even missing the playoffs last season.
From the legendary "Showtime" era, only James Worthy remained.
"There's not much we can do," Buss admitted.
"Worthy's getting older—he's already decided to retire after this season."
---
Unlike Aaron, whose empire spanned multiple industries, Buss's primary asset was the Lakers franchise itself.
To Aaron, the Rockets might be just one part of a larger empire—but he was still investing over $200 million to build a new arena in downtown Houston.
Aaron rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"I heard Magic invested $10 million to buy 4.5% of the Lakers."
"Are you looking to bring in more investors?"
---
Buss shrugged.
"The Buss family will always retain control. Bringing in minority partners? That's normal."
Magic Johnson, after all, remained one of the Lakers' most valuable symbols—making him a shareholder was both strategic and sentimental.
In fact, Buss wouldn't have minded Aaron becoming a major minority owner either.
With Aaron's resources, the long-discussed new Lakers arena might finally become reality.
---
The Rockets were already building a new stadium in Houston—and had just won their first championship.
Meanwhile, the Lakers' home, the aging Great Western Forum in Inglewood, was showing its age.
The recent Los Angeles earthquake had only worsened matters.
Even other teams were reconsidering their futures:
The Los Angeles Raiders were planning a move to Oakland after failing to secure stadium renovations
The Los Angeles Rams were preparing to relocate to St. Louis
---
"By the way," Buss added, "the NBA Draft is coming up in Indianapolis. Not interested?"
Aaron shrugged.
"The Rockets already traded away this year's first-round pick."
"Besides, we've got Ray Patterson and Rudy Tomjanovich. They'll handle it."
---
At the same time, a new round of NBA labor negotiations was underway.
Owners were pushing for a hard salary cap and rookie contract limits, while the players' union strongly opposed the changes.
Talks were… not going well.
---
After leaving the club, Aaron headed to Beverly Hills—specifically, to Catherine Zeta-Jones's villa in the Glen neighborhood.
My Best Friend's Wedding had already succeeded in North America and was now rolling out across Europe.
Another success for Dawnlight—and another step toward something bigger.
A new kind of studio power was quietly taking shape.
A seventh major film studio was on the horizon.
Catherine Zeta-Jones had just returned to Los Angeles from the UK.
"Graham Broadstreet is very confident about My Best Friend's Wedding," she said excitedly, leaning in to kiss Aaron.
"He believes it'll perform just as well in Europe."
Graham Broadstreet, head of Dawnlight UK and its European distribution arm, clearly had high expectations.
---
Aaron pulled her closer with a smile.
"With The Mask of Zorro and My Best Friend's Wedding back-to-back hits… you're a full-fledged star now."
"Coming to Hollywood with me—seems like the right decision, doesn't it?"
Catherine laughed softly, slipping out of her jacket and settling comfortably against him.
"If it weren't for you, I'd probably still be a small-time TV actress," she said.
"Or worse… stuck dealing with some sleazy old producer."
---
Aaron's tone turned casual again.
"Has GoldenEye started filming yet?"
"Yes," she nodded. "At Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire."
"Elizabeth Hurley joined the cast—she's playing a Bond girl."
She leaned closer, whispering with a hint of amusement:
"But she's already in the U.S. now, promoting Forrest Gump."
"Seems like she has very high expectations for it."
---
Aaron narrowed his eyes slightly.
"So do I."
At this point:
My Best Friend's Wedding had surpassed $90 million in North America
Interview with the Vampire had crossed $80 million
And coming next:
Early July: Forrest Gump
Late July: The Mask starring Jim Carrey
This summer was shaping up to be another massive success for Dawnlight.
---
"Relax," Catherine said with a smile.
"Hollywood's golden boy doesn't fail. As long as you're here, Dawnlight won't disappoint."
"Now stop thinking so much… and enjoy the moment."
---
Meanwhile, after a week of negotiations, Dawnlight successfully reached a deal with Metromedia.
For $185 million, Aaron acquired Orion Pictures and its film library.
---
Los Angeles, Hollywood — Grauman's Egyptian Theatre.
At the premiere of Forrest Gump, director Robert Zemeckis walked the red carpet alongside stars Tom Hanks and Elizabeth Hurley.
Backstage, Aaron sat with Brad Grey.
"Are we keeping the Orion label active?" Brad asked.
Aaron shook his head.
"Put it on hold for now. Orion hasn't produced anything notable in recent years."
"First, we consolidate its assets."
"And more importantly—Dawnlight needs to strengthen its international distribution network as soon as possible."
---
With the acquisitions of Samuel Goldwyn's library and Orion's catalog, Dawnlight had spent over $300 million in cash.
But the result was transformative.
Dawnlight now controlled over 2,500 film titles.
By scale alone, it had officially become:
The Seventh Major Film Studio.
With operations spanning:
Film production
Television
Publishing and media
Theater chains
Cable networks
The shape of a true entertainment empire was finally complete.
Want faster updates? Send those stones my way—the more, the merrier. Read early at [email protected]/A_divin5