Chapter 270 — Not Much Leverage, Is There?
In the bathroom of a villa on Manhattan's Upper East Side, Aaron leaned against the wall, letting out a low breath before relaxing his grip.
A moment later, Monica Bellucci straightened up and wrapped her arms around him, her voice soft and curious.
"I heard you mention earlier… something's going wrong at Sony Pictures?"
Aaron smiled faintly, his tone calm.
"Sony's been making changes. Columbia Pictures has replaced its head—Sidney Ganis is out, and Mark Canton from Warner Bros. is stepping in."
"And TriStar Pictures's chief, Mike Medavoy, is also leaving this year. TriStar will be fully merged into Columbia."
"On top of that, Sony Entertainment's CEO Peter Guber has been dismissed. Sony is now auditing the financial losses from Columbia-TriStar over the past few years."
From the following year onward, Sony would mainly distribute films in North America under the Sony Pictures label, with Columbia focusing on production and TriStar's role significantly reduced.
Internationally, however, the Columbia-TriStar name would still be retained.
Aaron was clearly intrigued—he was eager to see just how much money Sony had actually lost during those years.
Monica didn't pay much attention to corporate shakeups, but she understood the essence of it.
"So… Sony's been losing a lot of money in Hollywood?"
"Exactly."
Aaron gave a light tap on her arm. "Come on, let's head back."
---
Not long after Aaron arrived in New York, Viacom announced the sale of the MSG Group.
The buyers—Cablevision and ITT Corporation—acquired it for $1.1 billion.
The deal included major assets such as:
Madison Square Garden
New York Rangers
New York Knicks
Roosevelt Raceway on Long Island
Along with a substantial media portfolio
---
In Downtown Manhattan, at Dawnlight's New York office, Aaron sat across from Gwyneth Paltrow.
"You've finished reading the Se7en script?"
She nodded. "I've already met director David Fincher and Brad Pitt. The audition went very well."
At first, she hadn't been particularly interested—the role, while technically the female lead, wasn't especially prominent.
But after rehearsing opposite Brad Pitt, she began to see the film's potential.
Aaron smiled.
"Don't worry. Fincher is taking this project very seriously. And with Brad Pitt leading—"
"He's got Legends of the Fall and Interview with the Vampire coming out this year. His popularity is about to explode."
---
Gwyneth stepped closer, leaning down to kiss him lightly.
"So… how should I thank you?"
Aaron chuckled. "You already have."
Before he could finish, she silenced him with another kiss, her tone playful yet intent as the atmosphere in the room shifted.
Moments later, Aaron leaned back in his chair, idly brushing a hand through her golden hair, a satisfied expression crossing his face.
---
With everything now in place, Se7en was officially moving toward production.
Directed by David Fincher and starring Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt, the project was firmly on track.
As for Gwyneth Paltrow—she wasn't lacking in opportunities.
Having just entered the industry, and backed by strong family connections, she already had access to far more resources than most rising actresses.
---
As the NBA regular season drew to a close, Aaron departed New York with Monica Bellucci, heading to Houston.
Their destination—
A ranch Aaron had purchased the previous year in Brenham, a small town between Houston and Austin.
Aaron even hosted George W. Bush and his team at the ranch, including Houston-area judge Greg Abbott.
Meanwhile, Bush's younger brother, Jeb Bush, was also campaigning for governor of Florida, where he had long been based in Miami-Dade County.
---
"Congratulations, Aaron," George W. Bush said, raising his glass. "The Houston Rockets finished second in the Western Conference—and second in the league overall, just behind the Seattle SuperSonics."
Aaron smiled.
"I actually think the Rockets have a real shot at the championship this year."
Bush laughed along with him.
This season, the Atlanta Hawks led the Eastern Conference, ranking third in the league overall, while the New York Knicks came in second in the East.
The Phoenix Suns were third in the West, still a formidable contender. Meanwhile, without Michael Jordan, the Chicago Bulls had slipped to third in the East.
---
One of George W. Bush's key campaign platforms for Texas governor was tax reduction.
With the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) officially coming into effect on January 1, Texas—bordering Mexico—was expected to handle a significant share of Mexico's export flow.
NAFTA, encompassing Canada, the United States, and Mexico, had become the largest free trade zone in the world.
---
As evening fell, Bush left in a hurry.
Both he and Aaron had just received news—
Former U.S. president Richard Nixon had passed away in New Jersey.
"Nixon, huh…" Aaron shook his head.
Another former president with roots in Southern California—his hometown being Yorba Linda in Orange County.
---
Jack Wells walked over.
"First Reagan's illness… now Nixon's death."
Aaron glanced at him.
"I heard there's been a large-scale ethnic massacre in Rwanda?"
Jack nodded, his expression darkening.
"Yes. It started earlier this month. The Hutu-led forces are carrying out mass killings against the Tutsi population—men, women, children… no one's spared."
Jack, whose company had dealings in Africa, understood the region's instability far better than most.
"That region used to be a Belgian colony, right?" Aaron asked.
He shook his head slightly.
"Africa's been carved up by European powers for decades. France, especially, has deep influence there—along with plenty of smaller nations protecting their own interests."
Jack let out a bitter laugh.
"And yet President Bill Clinton hasn't intervened—or even supported intervention. In fact, he's discouraged other countries from getting involved."
Aaron exhaled quietly.
"Rwanda… doesn't really have resources, does it?"