"Alan, at your age, you should retire to Canada!"
Looking at Eric Cooper in front of him, Alan Hassenfeld was filled with confusion and anger.
"Eric, why are you here?" he asked coldly.
"Of course, it's to set Dual Star Entertainment straight, Alan. You've been in this position for too long."
"It's not a good thing for an old man to hold power for too long. Now Hasbro's operating system has become rigid. Give young people some opportunities."
"I want to help them reclaim what rightfully belongs to them—power and dignity—instead of being a puppet under your control."
Beside him, Alan's lackey immediately stood up and shouted, "Call security, kick him out. He shouldn't be here."
The staff hurried out.
"Stop, no need to call security. Even if you call the police, it's useless. Eric has the right."
Sergei said, walking up to Eric and announcing loudly, "The person standing before you now is not only our partner but also Hasbro's largest shareholder. Eric has acquired 17% of the company's shares."
"Uncle, 17%. Does that number sound familiar? I remember how many shares you had?"
"Also 17%."
The directors on Eric's side all walked over to gather by him.
Alan's face showed an expression of disbelief: "This is impossible! How could you have so many shares? Impossible!"
Eric smiled at him: "Alan, you've lived for so long, you should know that nothing is absolutely impossible. Where there's a will, there's a way."
"The fact that I can stand before you now proves this point. Step down, that's my advice to you."
"You can still enjoy the dividends, and Hasbro will thrive under my leadership. You'll receive more and more money, and you won't have to toil anymore."
"This outcome is good for everyone, isn't it?"
Seeing this scene, even the most foolish person understood that this was not a board meeting but a Hongmen Banquet; Sergei had colluded with an outsider to force a coup.
No wonder he kept clamoring to transfer shares. If he really gave them up...
Eric Cooper's shareholding would immediately rise to 21%. At that point, Alan Hassenfeld would inevitably be out of power, with no chance of recovery.
The few staff members present stood there, not daring to move, unsure whether to leave or stay.
"Get out!" Sergei glared and roared.
The few people quickly left, and even Alan's secretary didn't dare to linger, glancing at his boss and quietly closing the door.
He wiped the fine sweat from his forehead: "Damn it, I never felt Sergei had such oppressive power before. How did I suddenly become intimidated by him?"
Inside the conference room, the remaining directors then walked behind Alan.
Only two people were left sitting, looking at each other, and everyone's gaze was focused on them.
"Jinji, Jennifer, what's your stance?"
The man and woman exchanged glances: "Alan, to be honest, we had no idea about this, and we don't want to get involved in your dispute."
"That's right, you know Jennifer and me. We've always stayed out of the company's specific affairs. Whoever can lead Hasbro to greater heights, we'll follow."
"Those two are always very cautious," Sergei whispered.
Eric nodded, thinking that they were fence-sitters, following whoever won.
The current situation was that he and Alan Hassenfeld were evenly matched, with eight directors on his side.
Alan had six, but if Jinji and Jennifer sided with him, the result would still be a tie.
Or if he went through the process to join Hasbro's board of directors, the balance would be broken, but that process would take some time.
However, given Alan's many years of prestige at Hasbro, dragging it out could lead to variables. Today was the best opportunity; he had to be forced to step down.
To force him to step down, the key lay with the two fence-sitters.
Dealing with such people is simple in a way: they will side with whoever can offer more benefits.
Alan's gaze softened unusually: "Jennifer, Jinji, we are old friends who have worked together for many years. I have affection for you, and I believe you feel the same."
"Over these years, you know how well the company has developed under my leadership. You've received substantial dividends every year."
"We can go further, and we should go further, shouldn't we?"
"Given the current situation, you should undoubtedly stand with me, not with an outsider."
"You don't know him. You don't know what kind of person he is, a callow youth. He cannot give you anything better."
"Stand with me, and from now on, you can take on more important positions, and you will have more power."
However, such last-minute efforts clearly couldn't easily sway others.
Eric also looked at Jennifer and Jinji: "Gentlemen, this is our first meeting, but you should all know me."
"You and Alan have been colleagues for many years, so you understand his working style even better. You know in your hearts whether promises made in times of difficulty and compromise will actually be fulfilled."
"Choose me, and I will lead Hasbro to a brilliant future, far better than it is now."
"The company's current market value is approximately 10 billion US dollars. Under my leadership, this number will increase by 50% within a year."
"Hmph! Big talk. Anyone can boast and draw a pie in the sky. Can you guarantee it will be delivered?" someone immediately scoffed and retorted.
Eric looked at the person coldly: "Before asking that question, perhaps you can go investigate MGM."
"Investigate its market value when I took over, and then look at its current market value."
"Then you can also ask The Big Six film companies how they feel, or visit Harvey Weinstein in prison."
"They will hate me, but they won't say I'm someone who makes empty promises."
"Hasbro's development trend over the years can only be described as mediocre, with an annual growth of no more than 3%. This year's financial report will look better, and that's because of transformers."
"But was Alan the one who came up with this idea and made it happen?"
After a pause, Eric's voice suddenly boomed: "It was me! It was me, this outsider in your eyes, who accomplished all of this!"
The sudden outburst startled everyone present. Compared to his previous fake smiles, they suddenly felt that this young man's aura was incredibly strong, not at all weaker than Alan in his prime.
"The situation has progressed to this point, let's speak frankly."
Eric's eyes swept around, and he said slowly and deliberately, "From beginning to end, from the moment MGM and Hasbro started communicating, I planned all of this."
"Whether it was the gambling agreement, acting as director, or secretly acquiring shares, everything was part of my plan."
"Hasbro is meat in my mouth. I'm going to eat it, and even God can't stop me, I said it!"
He stared intently at Jennifer and Jinji: "Gentlemen, you might think this way of doing things is too insidious, but I would call it capability."
"Just like what happened to me a while ago, The Big Six's methods were insidious, but I won't resent it, because that's how the game is played."
"If you join my team, I will welcome you with open arms."
"But if you stand with Alan, then you are my enemies. I will destroy you at all costs, even if it means destroying Hasbro."
"17% of the shares may not be decisive enough, but it can turn many people's money into waste paper in an instant."
"Don't doubt my resolve. I promise to deliver on my word. Just with MGM, Lionheart Network, Facebook, and YouTube in my hands, destroying a Hasbro is within my capacity."
Hahahahaha
Before Eric finished speaking, Alan suddenly burst into laughter.
"Eric Cooper, you are truly cunning. I've rarely seen such a calculating and ruthless young man."
"But don't celebrate too soon. You can leverage the shares you hold, but don't forget, I can too."
The old man suddenly pushed his chair back and stood up, glaring at Eric: "Many investment institutions are interested in Hasbro's stock. If you want to go crazy, I'll accompany you to the end. No one will take the company from me!"
Bang!
At this moment, the conference room door suddenly burst open. Sergei's female secretary walked in, panting, and handed him a folder.
"Is it done?"
"Yes, I personally got it from Dr. Claude."
"Good, you can leave now."
Everyone hadn't realized what had happened yet, and the female secretary left in a hurry again.
"Sergei, what are you playing at?"
Ignoring the other party, Sergei opened the folder and browsed through it, a smile immediately appearing on his face.
He threw the folder to Alan: "Uncle, take a look at this. Perhaps your confidence won't be so strong then."
Alan, however, sneered: "There's no need to bring these things out. Everyone present was involved in the company's dirty business."
"I'll be taken away by the police, but none of you will get away scot-free!"
Seeing that the other party had misunderstood, Sergei chuckled: "My dear uncle, I won't play the game of mutual destruction. You should open it quickly and take a look."
"Hmm?"
Alan looked at his good nephew in confusion, then opened the folder. He only took one glance, and his face instantly turned ashen.
Seeing him sway, a director quickly supported him, and incidentally, also glanced at the document, with the same result as if struck by lightning.
Sergei couldn't suppress the smile on his lips anymore: "Alan, I found your private doctor. Luckily, you always treated me like a grandson, so he trustingly handed over the report. Everything written there is true."
"Uncle, my dear uncle, late-stage liver cancer."
"Tsk tsk tsk. If you rest now, there might still be a chance for treatment."
"Hahahahaha. Late-stage liver cancer, hahahahaha."
Eric looked at Alan with some pity: "I told you to retire to Canada. Now you know why, don't you?"
"God is helping me. An old man with late-stage liver cancer, and a young man as fiery as the sun. Who can lead the company further?"
After calling his private doctor to confirm, Alan, with a deathly pale face, was carried out.
He was already over seventy years old, and being diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer at this time meant that his life had begun to count down.
However, for a wealthy magnate, it was not impossible to prolong his life with money.
With good rest, he might live for several more years, but he clearly no longer had the energy to manage the company.
Humans are strange creatures. When you don't know certain things, you can be full of vigor.
But once you know, it can instantly destroy your spirit and beliefs, draining your vitality.
Inside the conference room, Eric magnanimously allowed everyone to stay, even those who had just stood on the opposing side.
But it no longer mattered. The old master was on his deathbed, and the servants would naturally fawn over the new master, though their power would have to be distributed among Eric's followers.
"Gentlemen, from today onwards, Alan's era is over. Hasbro will begin a new chapter."
"Although I am not yet a director of the company, nor the chairman of the board, I believe no one is more suitable than me to temporarily hold the position of chairman."
"I've said my piece. Who's in favor? Who's against?"
"I'm in favor × 2!" Jennifer and Jinji raised their hands simultaneously, faster than Sergei by half a beat. They were indeed old fence-sitters.
"In favor!"
"In favor!"
"I'm also in favor!"
All directors were unanimously in favor.
"Very good. Since everyone is in favor, I will now discuss the company's future development path."
"As a toy company, what we need is to continuously create new IPs and expand the influence of old IPs to drive toy sales."
"transformers is a very good example, and besides transformers, I've noticed that Hasbro also has another good IP, which is G.I. Joe."
"This is also a story type very suitable for the big screen, and animated films should not be overlooked either."
"MGM and DreamWorks are top-tier in Hollywood for both live-action and animation, and we can absolutely achieve this."
"But at the same time, relying solely on transformers and G.I. Joe is clearly not enough. Monopoly's sales are also unremarkable, so injecting new blood is essential."
"Regarding the choice of new blood, I already have many resources at my disposal."
"First and foremost is Marvel. Marvel's superhero images have long been deeply ingrained in people's hearts, and you know how popular superhero movies have been in recent years."
"Currently, Marvel's Iron Man and captain america are in production and are expected to be released early next year. I will have Marvel authorize Hasbro to sell toys."
"Right now, you may not yet understand Marvel's value, but trust me, time will soon prove everything."
"Then, regarding Japanese anime, Lionheart Network has acquired the online and film rights for many anime. Negotiations for toy licensing are also progressing."
"As you know, Bandai Namco's sales network in the United States has not been extensively rolled out, so we have an opportunity."
"Of course, all of this will take some time to realize. To prove that I am not making empty promises, some of MGM's copyrights will first be granted to Hasbro for development."
Upon hearing about the immediate benefits, those present immediately smiled.
And Eric decided to sweeten the deal further: "This includes frozen, which I'm sure you've heard of; the merchandise has been selling like crazy for a long time."
"However, Dual Star Entertainment's sales network cannot cover the entire globe, so I hope Hasbro and Dual Star Entertainment can engage in deep cooperation."
"We will exchange ideas in areas such as toy manufacturing, worker training, and sales networks."
"Making money together, that's my motto."
Clap clap clap clap
Loud applause erupted in the conference room.