Somewhere in Birmingham, Britain.
An ancient castle.
The family residence of the old-money aristocrat, Baron Torbett.
Baron Torbett, a thin and slightly hunched little old man, was a traditional British aristocrat. His family assets amounted to 300 million pounds, spanning water services, film, finance, and other related industries.
At the same time, Page Pictures' overseas distribution channels in Britain involved several collaborations with the old man, Baron Torbett.
At this moment, he was sitting in a study filled with bookshelves, reading the classic masterpiece, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame".
"Master, your tea." An impeccably dressed old butler arrived.
"Mhm, put it here."
Baron Torbett nodded and continued reading, but noticing the butler still lingering, he couldn't help but ask, "What is it? Is there something else?"
"Yes, Master."
The old butler said respectfully, "Just now, I received a call from the Golden Dawn Entertainment Group. Alexander, the assistant to the chairman, called personally. On behalf of Mr. Page, he has invited you to a meeting in London in three days."
"Oh?"
Upon hearing this, the somewhat stooped Baron Torbett straightened his back, a glint flashing in his cloudy eyes.
"They say Kyle Page is a very shrewd and cunning fellow; it seems the rumors are true!" Baron Torbett laughed.
The old butler chimed in, "It's no friendly banquet, Master."
Baron Torbett smiled and said, "Of course I know that. It's called a meeting, but in reality, it's about the box office share we've withheld from his company's movies."
"Then will you still go, Master?" the old butler asked.
"I'll go!"
"Why wouldn't I go?!"
The corners of Baron Torbett's mouth curled up as he said, "The banquet has been set. If we don't go, wouldn't that be too rude? Besides, what do I have to fear? We withheld 2.3 million dollars of his share for his own good. For a young man..."
...it's only right to pay a little more tuition."
How unscrupulous!
Indeed, to these old-money elites, a billionaire who rose as quickly as Kyle was always seen as a nouveau riche with a shallow foundation and few connections. They had plenty of ways to squeeze wealth out of Kyle...
Marseille, France.
Sara Lucia, a middle-aged woman and the current head of the Lucia family in France, had assets in traditional industries like wine, food, and medicine. She had begun venturing into the film and entertainment industry several years ago.
Her family's assets were substantial, totaling as much as 1.5 billion dollars.
"Oh?"
"Inviting me to a meeting in London on behalf of Kyle Page?"
"Even if I don't go, what can he do?!"
Sitting on the sofa and looking at several company executives in front of her, Sara Lucia couldn't help but say, "In France, besides cooperating with me, his only other option is the declining Gaumont Film Company. But how is Gaumont any different from us? They are even more cold-hearted than I am."
...Meanwhile.
This evening, twelve companies from nine countries, including Britain, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Austria, and Germany, all received calls from Alexander.
Every one of them showed a look of understanding, mostly tinged with disdain.
"Withholding film shares for a few months, what's the big deal?"
"Forget Page Pictures; even for The Big Six of Hollywood, which one of their box office shares isn't withheld for as long as six to twelve months? Since he chose the film industry, he must accept the characteristic of a long payback period, otherwise, he should change careers early."
"Young people just love being impulsive."
"Does Kyle Page really think we're some kind of philanthropists? We're here to make money!"
"Is a global distribution channel really that easy to establish?"
For the three films "my big fat greek wedding", "300", and "the blair witch project", according to the contracts, the funds that should have been transferred to Page Pictures' account by the deadline were 210 million dollars. However... in reality, the funds currently in Page Pictures' account were only about 100 million dollars.
In other words, over 110 million dollars had been withheld by them without cause.
Not to mention another 13 million dollars that had been embezzled or intercepted by them without reason.
They held Page Pictures in extreme contempt!
As for international lawsuits, they weren't worried. After all, they were all old hands at this.
Shortly after.
The film distributor in Spain, Williams Juan, even personally called to exchange a few words with Baron Torbett in Britain.
"Don't worry, no matter what methods Kyle Page has or how determined he is, as long as he still wants to build a complete global distribution channel, he will compromise with us—he must learn to compromise!" Williams Juan's tone was full of disdain for Kyle.
"Heh, you certainly see things clearly." Baron Torbett also laughed.
"That's for sure!"
Holding the phone, Williams Juan continued, "Which one of The Big Six of Hollywood didn't take ten or twenty years to build their global distribution channels? Kyle Page surely doesn't think he can complete such a feat in just a few short years, does he? Young people just lack the harsh lessons of society. As his elders, we should teach him well."
"Mhm!"
Baron Torbett nodded and said, "Consider this a lesson for him. But Juan, remember, we can't push too hard. If we flip the table, then nobody gets to eat, and that's something no one wants to see."
The call ended.
Their goal was simple: to coerce Kyle by withholding and delaying funds!
As long as Kyle compromised, they could seize even more profit in future film distributions.
Capital: never concerned with friendship!
...The next morning.
Kyle led his team to the ITV Broadcasting Company building.
"Hi, Kyle, congratulations. Finding Nemo is a big hit in North America again."
The person from ITV responsible for receiving Kyle and his party was still Kyle's old friend—Cindy.
Kyle shook hands and smiled, "Cindy, I haven't congratulated you yet. I just heard that you've been promoted to the position of vice president of the ITV Broadcasting Company."
"Hey, hey, hey, don't talk nonsense. The board hasn't issued the notice yet. You're saying it too early!" Cindy quickly waved his hands.
Kyle jokingly scolded, "Even if the notice hasn't been officially issued, it's a done deal. Stop pretending with me."
Cindy laughed loudly, "Alright, let's not talk about that for now. Let's go inside and chat."
Kyle and Cindy had a fairly good relationship.
The two had known each other since the Talent Show copyright in 1996. Over three years had passed since then, and they had subsequently collaborated on the Millionaire copyright. Furthermore, Cindy was the lead person at ITV for many American TV series such as the walking dead, prison break, 2 broke girls, and the big bang theory.
Cindy chatted and laughed as he led Kyle into the ITV Broadcasting Company building.
Today, Kyle would appear on a variety show on the ITV Television Station to promote the movie Finding Nemo.