The Tyrant Billionaire

This price was almost as much as a small car.

It made some people hesitant.

The host introduced the product:

"This motorcycle is a limited edition. Currently, these are the only ones available on the market, and Hardy Company has purchased the rights to this model, meaning Harley-Davidson can no longer produce it."

"This bike participated in World War II and is a true war hero motorcycle—the exclusive ride of Captain America. Hardy Company also promises that anyone who buys this motorcycle will receive a 'Captain America' paint job emblem."

"Limited edition, with only a few available worldwide, making it a collector's item."

"Riding Captain America's motorcycle—how could girls not love it? This is a man's battle vehicle."

"If you're a man, you should ride Captain America's motorcycle."

With the host's persuasive words, many couldn't resist and picked up the phone to place an order.

Although this era had a lot of poor people, you should never underestimate the number of rich individuals. Many could afford to buy the motorcycle.

With a population of 150 million in the U.S., 14,000 motorcycles weren't much. Under the host's passionate sales pitch, all the bikes sold out.

Hardy made over $9 million from this sale.

Hmm, that should ease some of the loan pressure.

Harley-Davidson, seeing how well the bike was selling, regretted selling the rights. Production of this model had stopped after World War II, and they had moved on to designing new motorcycle models. When Hardy Company came to buy the rights back then, Harley-Davidson thought they had made a good deal.

They didn't expect that Hardy had laid a trap for them.

Harley-Davidson contacted Hardy Company, hoping to buy back the rights to the motorcycle, but Hardy Company refused to sell.

The production cost of this bike was over $200, and Hardy sold it for over $600—simply by labeling it a limited edition.

If Harley were allowed to continue production, the bike would become common and lose its value, which would be a slap in Hardy's face.

However, Hardy Company offered a solution: Harley-Davidson could design a new motorcycle, and in the next season of Captain America, the hero could ride a new bike. They even suggested that Harley-Davidson could appear in the show, with the bike being specially designed for Captain America. The promotional effect would be enormous.

When Harley-Davidson heard this, they thought it was a great idea.

But after hearing Hardy Company's advertising fee and profit-sharing demands, they felt a pang in their teeth.

"An advertising fee of $1.5 million, and Hardy Company would take a $50 commission on each bike sold."

What did this mean? If the new bike sold 100,000 units, they would owe Hardy Company $5 million. That was too much.

Harley-Davidson was torn.

They knew this was a great promotional opportunity for Harley, but the price was too steep. At that moment, Harley's president recalled when Hardy Company had once offered to buy their shares, and they had refused outright.

If only they had sold some shares back then and become partners with Hardy. Now, they heard that companies working with Hardy were enjoying huge advertising discounts and rapid growth.

What to do? After much hesitation, Harley-Davidson agreed to ABC's terms.

The script Hardy had assigned to Edward was finally ready, and Edward personally delivered it.

"Boss, this is the first draft. If there's anything you're not satisfied with, I'll have the writers revise it."

Hardy first picked up Roman Holiday. After reading it, he felt it was okay, but some details were too artistic for his taste. Perhaps the screenwriters thought that since the character was a princess, they needed to be more proper.

Hardy wrote down his opinions on the last page and handed it to Edward to have the screenwriters revise it.

Then he picked up The Seven Year Itch.

After reading it, Hardy shook his head. "No, this doesn't feel right. In the whole movie, the woman never deliberately seduces the middle aged man. It's all in the man's imagination. The girl is an innocent one."

"Just because she's sexy doesn't mean she's promiscuous. Those are two different things. Have the editors rewrite it."

He tossed the script to Edward.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Finally, he picked up Some Like It Hot. He read it from start to finish and found that this script was very well-written, with some parts even surpassing the original.

"This script is quite good," Hardy nodded in satisfaction.

Edward finally breathed a sigh of relief. At least one script pleased the boss. He immediately smiled and said, "This was written by a new screenwriter we hired last year. He was a top writer at Paramount Pictures. When Paramount shifted to TV, we recruited him."

"What's Monroe doing now?" Hardy asked.

"She's on tour. The company organized a Super Idol tour, and it's been extremely well-received. The tickets are selling faster than those for major stars. The troupe should be in Houston now," Edward replied.

It had to be said that Edward had a sharp mind. This tour would likely bring in millions more for the company.

"When Monroe finishes the tour, show her this script and have her play the female lead," Hardy said.

"Yes, boss."

Houston.

The Super Idol tour was held in a baseball stadium, with nearly 7,000 attendees. Even though it was January, Houston's climate was pleasant, with daytime temperatures reaching 17 to 18 degrees, making it possible to hold the event outdoors.

Singers took turns performing on stage.

There were both men and women.

Among them was Elvis, whose guitar performance drew cheers from the crowd.

When Monroe took the stage, she received the loudest applause. Dressed in a sexy skirt with a white mink shawl draped over her shoulders, she exuded both sensuality and cuteness.

Many people had come specifically for her.

Monroe sang on stage, but in the audience, one man couldn't take his eyes off her. His name was Cohenheim, one of the underground rulers of Houston. He had built a powerful gang organization in Houston, rivaling even the Mafia's Prizzi family, which was entrenched in the city.

Though the Mafia was strong, they didn't completely dominate American cities. Most cities had several powerful factions.