Monday morning, the start of another busy week.
Office workers trudged into the office buildings, each one dragging their heavy feet, their expressions resembling condemned prisoners reluctantly bidding farewell to the weekend. Every cell in their bodies resisted the idea of work, as if their souls had been left behind on the couch in their apartments.
However, there was a small exception—a group of young people, their faces fresh with collagen, unmistakably students. Their vibrant energy and untouched-by-society smiles revealed their youthful optimism. They gathered at the entrance of the Sony Columbia office building, filled with life and still believing in tomorrow, in dreams, and in the possibilities of life.
At first, the group was small, looking like college students about to embark on a trip to New York, temporarily using the location as a meeting point. But gradually, more people arrived. The sight attracted attention from passersby, becoming a scene on the bustling streets of New York.
Manhattan, a tiny area, crammed with millions of people, was suffocatingly dense. People rarely stopped, each preoccupied with their own busy lives, not willing to slow down for others—unless something special was happening.
So, what was going on here?
"Yes, we discussed it. We need to make noise in Los Angeles too, but the focus must be here, at the headquarters," Gloria nodded.
Elaine's eyes widened, "But why? Isn't that place just a filming base? Even if we gather there, it won't have much of an impact. The real decision-makers are here, right?"
Sony Columbia has two main offices, one in Los Angeles and the other in New York.
The Los Angeles headquarters isn't technically in Los Angeles but in Culver City, an area known for its massive film studios. Sony Columbia owns several studios there, and that office primarily handles film production.
The New York headquarters, right there on Madison Avenue, was the heart of the city. It was the real center of operations, where the board of directors and high-level executives resided.
When Blair proposed that they should make their voices heard in support of Anson, there was debate about whether to stage their activities in Los Angeles or New York.
As Elaine thought, since the decision-makers and power brokers were all in New York, they naturally should come here. Besides, the Los Angeles headquarters was in the suburbs, and the media might not even notice. In contrast, New York's headquarters was in the city center, where every move could draw attention, creating bigger waves.
Gloria shook her head. "The focus is on New York, but we can't ignore Los Angeles."
"That's the hub of film production. Countless producers, directors, actors, and industry professionals come and go. We need the entire industry to realize how influential Anson is."
"If we only protest in New York, it's just a demonstration targeting Sony Columbia. Other people might sit on the sidelines, feeling no impact."
"But if we add Los Angeles..."
Gloria glanced at Blair, who picked up the thread of conversation.
"We'll make the entire film industry understand what a mistake Sony Columbia has made. It's not just about this time; we need to plan for the long term to prevent this from happening again."
"No matter what happens, we will stand behind Anson, but we cannot let this repeat."
Elaine looked between Gloria and Blair, at a loss for words, only able to utter, "Wow."
She turned to the side, scanning her surroundings, excitement and nerves intertwined. "We need a big crowd today."
However, as people passed by, they paused briefly to glance at the scene with indifferent faces, as if trying to figure out what was happening. In less than a second, they gave up, their minds too drained on a workday to engage. Without a second thought, they resumed their expressionless march to work.
The entire city felt like a graveyard shrouded in the shadows of steel skyscrapers.
Elaine pulled her gaze back and turned to her friends, raising her arms high, mimicking a transformation pose from Sailor Moon, beaming brightly, "I've got confidence!"
...
Knock knock. Knock knock.
The urgent sound of knocking came through. Michael Lynton was on a call with a board member, already in a foul mood, and this only made it worse.
But Michael kept his calm, "Don't worry. Everything is still under control. Right now, it's all about momentum—whoever backs down first loses."
"I know what I'm doing. You just have to trust me. Just a little longer, and the situation will turn around. We'll regain the upper hand."
After calming the other person, Michael hung up and took a deep breath to control himself.
Right now, Sony Columbia was at the center of a media storm, the last thing the board wanted to see. Whether the CEO was Amy or Michael, at the end of the day, they cared about profits. They needed to see strong financial results.
Naturally, the board was using Michael as a scapegoat, blaming him harshly.
To them, whether they replaced Anson or Michael didn't make much difference.
Michael: ...
Those idiots.
Panicking at the slightest hint of trouble, giving orders from their high seats without understanding a thing. At the first sign of media backlash, they scrambled to shift blame. Some even retreated into their shells, criticizing Michael for being too aggressive and questioning whether they should've replaced Anson in the first place, fretting about the company's reputation.
In Michael's view, while momentum was still building outside, the board was already on fire inside. Now, with smoke rising everywhere, he had to help cover things up.
Who could imagine that the glamorous role of CEO was basically no different from being a low-level grunt cleaning up messes?
Ha.
Michael summoned all his strength to rein in his anger, swallowing the urge to curse. He focused on breathing, regaining his composure.
What he had said earlier wasn't a lie. Michael truly believed everything was still under control. The media was making noise, but it was all just for show. Public opinion could shift at any moment.
In a crisis, the most important thing was to stay calm.
Just wait a little longer, and when the tide turned, the board members would come crawling back. What were they going to do, rely on Amy?
The success of Spider-Man was pure luck and had nothing to do with Amy. Sony Columbia's future wasn't in her hands, and the board should realize that.
Michael composed himself and called out.
"Come in."