American winner takes all

Chapter 421 Victim

"Ethan O'Connor rushed into the end zone. The difference was that this time he was a free defender. Yes, even as a defensive player, Ethan still completed a touchdown. Maybe this was a joke from God." said the commentator of CBS TV.

"No, rather than saying that Ethan O'Connor was favored by fate, it would be better to say that he has always taken fate into his own hands."

Facing the iron-clad defense of the Ravens, he did not passively wait for the opponent to make mistakes, but took the initiative and chose to change his position, even though this would bring greater risks and even though he might be criticized more severely by fans and the media after failure, he still did it. He knew that he had to win and had to climb over many mountains to reach his own peak and make up for the regrets of last season..." The host, who was also in the commentary booth, added with emotion.

The two pointed out Ethan's motive for changing position. Since the Ravens' defense was too strong, he should look for breakthrough points in other directions.

"A very smart choice." Andy, who was standing on the sidelines, looked at the gloomy expression of the opposing head coach Brian Blake and felt secretly delighted in his heart.

I guess the other party is worrying about how to break the situation at this moment, just like me just now.

In the rest of the game, Brian Blake was unable to come up with any effective countermeasures. Not everyone has the strong on-the-spot change and command capabilities like Ethan.

When the whistle sounded, the final score was 14-10, and the Angels won by four points, winning four consecutive games in the first four rounds of the season.

"Congratulations to the Angels for their fourth straight win. The Rams and Vikings are also undefeated, while the Titans, Dolphins, Giants and other teams have only lost one game. The competition in the NFL is very tight right now... Let's look forward to the exciting games next week."

"In addition, we also saw that the cheerleading angels who appeared at the Memorial Stadium today are preparing to go to the autographing location, which is in the stadium's additional temporary open space. Our reporters are there and will bring you live reports soon..."

·
"It's over." Kimberly Conrad put down the remote control, her mood became cheerful involuntarily, and she even began to hum a song subconsciously.

Christina Hefner, who was sitting next to Kimbili, curled her lips and said with a bit of sourness in her tone: "You seem to care a lot about Ethan's victory or defeat."

"Of course, I'm a member of the Angels cheerleading squad, and that's my job. If the Angels keep losing, we won't be able to attract new fans, so how can I make money?" Kimberly said casually.

"Your monthly financial income is now equivalent to a cheerleader's annual salary, right?" Christina said.

As the two divorced, Kimberly got a mansion, stocks, and cash, and now she is a wealthy woman.

"In fact, Ethan is very generous to us. We have several types of commissions..." Kimberly went on to reveal her specific after-tax income.

"Oh my god." Christie was a little bit unbelievable. Even the popular models under Playboy were not as good as Kimberly. Moreover, Kimberly was not even the most popular member of the Angel Cheerleading Team. This was enough to show the terrifying money-making ability of the Angel Cheerleading Team.

"Rachel just got a job as a promotional ambassador for a beauty product. Even though it's not a big brand, it's still a legitimate spokesperson. Also, Belinda has signed a contract with a plastic surgery hospital in California. I have to work hard and not be outdone by others, otherwise how can I be the captain?" Kimberly raised her hand and stroked it from her cheek to her chin, showing off her face in a somewhat conceited manner.

Christina stroked her forehead and said, "You seem to have forgotten your motivation for joining the Angel Cheerleading Team."

"Of course, only by really getting into the Angel Cheerleading Team can I understand the secret of its operation. I want to introduce them to Playboy's models, leaving Ethan with no way out, and finally he will obediently join us!" Kimberly smiled.

"And this process itself can bring us a lot of benefits. For example, now, Christina, I'm going to find him now." Kimberly then stood up.

Although she said she wanted to steal tips from Ethan, Kimberly seemed so eager to see Ethan, like... a couple who hadn't seen each other for a long time.

This made Christina feel mixed emotions. In all these years, she had never seen Kimberly care so much about a man.

·
It was four hours later that Kimberly saw Ethan. At that moment, she was also at the makeshift sales point outside the Memorial Stadium. It was very similar to what happened half a month ago. There was a long queue inside the parking lot, which affected the entry and exit of vehicles.

But Ethan was not alone at this time, Kelsey was with him.

Kimberly's face changed slightly when she saw Kelsey. Especially after seeing how intimate Kelsey and Ethan were, she started to feel a little self-pitying: "I seem to be the extra person."

"You are not redundant, and you come at the right time. I was just about to ask you to come over." Ethan said.

Kimberly sighed again. "It must be about work, right? I know you only come to me for work."

Ethan suddenly felt some sinister gazes. He turned around and saw Kelsey looking at him unfriendlyly. She pinched her arms secretly, obviously blaming him for being unfaithful again.

"Ahem, why don't you tell me why you came to see me first?" Ethan changed the subject.

"I do have something very important to tell you, but you have to let her leave here first! Only you can know this." Kimberly suddenly raised her hand and pointed at Kelsey beside Ethan.

"Hmph, Ethan will tell me later anyway." Kelsey snorted coldly, then got up and left.

"You can say it."

"The company needs your help now..." Kimberly said as the company's stock price plummeted. So far, the stock price has fallen by nearly 40%.

Stock price fluctuations are normal, and traditional paper media such as Playboy are facing the impact of the Internet, so a decline is reasonable.

But there must be other reasons for such a large drop in two weeks.

"Do you suspect someone is deliberately shorting the market?" Ethan asked.

"There is no other answer. The most urgent task now is to save the stock price." Kimberly said immediately.

"Then you've found the wrong person. I don't have any spare money to help you." Ethan immediately refused. What if he lost money by using real money to rescue the market?
"But Playboy is currently in a low valuation phase, and we have no choice but to come to you. Otherwise, we would have bought it back ourselves. It's not easy to find a project that can make at least 20% profit after reselling it."

"I won't go down unless I know who my opponent is." Ethan shook his head again.

Kimberly was a little impatient: "If we really wait until then, I'm afraid it won't be your turn."

"Don't you really want to make money? I know you have enough cash!"

Ethan has enough cash and can leverage it several times. Not only can he raise the stock price, he can even directly acquire Playboy. However, everything has risks. If he underestimates the opponent's ammunition and triggers forced liquidation, he will suffer huge losses.

"But I don't need any extra means to make money. The club is thriving and we are working towards the Super Bowl championship. Everything will get better and better. There is no need for me to take risks." Ethan finally rejected Kimberly's proposal.

Kimberly gritted her teeth and was anxious, but she couldn't convince Ethan no matter what.

Soon, Kimberly, who was frustrated, chose to leave after listening to Ethan's explanation.

"Why is she so angry? Does she think you are biased towards us?" Kelsey walked in at this time.

"It's fair competition internally. The reason why she's angry has nothing to do with the cheerleading team." Ethan went on to talk about the current predicament of Playboy. "What does it have to do with her? Besides, as long as Christina is not dismissed, the only ones who lose are the investors." Kelsey said subconsciously.

While the two were riding home, Ethan received a call.

As soon as he hung up the phone, he called Kelsey a "crow's mouth".

"The Playboy board of directors has temporarily passed a resolution to remove Christina from her position as CEO." Ethan frowned slightly. This was not good news for him. Playboy was the cheerleading team's partner. Not to mention the direct economic losses that would be caused by terminating the cooperation. Playboy itself enjoyed the copyright of the cooperation project. Even if he changed his partner later, Playboy would still have many ways to disgust him.

And now there are many cheerleaders with Playboy contracts, which will cause a series of chain reactions.

Ethan immediately called Christina, who was actually at Kimberly's house.

"My father accused me of causing the stock price crash, saying that I collaborated with you to short the stock price. What a joke!" Christina seemed very angry.

"You took the blame for someone else. Why didn't you explain it to your father?"

"He simply didn't listen. This time he's targeting you completely. He wants revenge on you!"

Ethan was certainly aware of the feud between himself and Hugh Hefner. In Hugh Hefner's view, it was he who caused Kimberly's divorce from him.

However, considering the need to make money, and that Hugh Hefner could at least maintain superficial stability with him, Ethan didn't bother to pay attention to these things.

Could it be that this sudden attack was prepared? Could it be that all this was directed at me? Ethan's heart skipped a beat.

"What else did he say?"

"He said you're going to be finished!"

"Has your successor been decided?" Ethan asked specifically.

"I don't know that."

After hanging up the phone, Ethan didn't dare to delay and immediately called Catherine's cousin, who worked at Morgan Stanley and had helped Ethan in previous years.

Ethan asked him to find out who on Wall Street was shorting Playboy.

The bad news doesn't end there. At this week's NFL regular meeting, Paul began to work on revising the new league charter. One point in the charter was crucial to Ethan. The amendment separately mentioned that active players were not allowed to hold any position in the club.

This clause is obviously aimed at Ethan. If the resolution is passed, Ethan must resign from a series of positions. Although these positions can be held concurrently by Catherine or Grace and will not affect Ethan for the time being, once this precedent is set, who knows what will happen next.

For example, one day the NFL suddenly stipulates that the Angel cheerleaders have violated some rules and then issues a fine.

"Now the two major factions within the organization, whether it is the Hunt family or Rooney Mara, think you are not trustworthy. You are now joining forces with WWF to form the XFL. More and more people think you are too dangerous. This revision of the charter is just the beginning. Before long, they will force you to sell your shares in the Angels." Charlotte Jones said on the other end of the phone.

In such an unfavorable situation, she revealed a lot of inside information to Ethan.

"They gave up the XFL on their own initiative. There is no conflict of interest between me and these owners." Ethan whispered.

"Wake up, Ethan. As long as you stand on the field for one day, as long as the Angels remain as dazzling as they are now, they will always hate you. The San Diego Chargers are considering relocating. The owners of the Raiders and Broncos always tell Paul that you have received preferential treatment. Even if the owners of other teams are not on their side, they will definitely not stand on your side."

"I now have a new idea. You can ask for help from either Rooney Mara or Hunter. This is your only chance."

"No, Charlotte, even if I did that, I would still be a thorn in the eyes of these team owners in the future. There is only one way to solve this problem."

"Do you want to fight the entire alliance alone?" Charlotte raised her voice, thinking that Ethan was crazy.

"At least you're still on my side." Ethan whispered.

"I...I will indeed vote against her on the proposal."

"that's enough."

Ethan hung up the phone.

It seemed like just a series of coincidences, but Ethan felt that these things must be connected.

It wasn't until he noticed the news early the next morning that everything became clear.

The news mentioned was about "Little St. James Island". The most critical point was that Gore, the long-time deputy of the presidential candidate, was involved.

Apparently, as the process progressed, the family behind Ethan released explosive information that had already been investigated.

This series of evidence was sent to major media outlets, and many big names whose names were in the black book issued statements. However, the person who was most caught in the vortex of public opinion was Epstein.

Although there is no real evidence yet, Epstein has become the culprit in many public discussions.

Afterwards, Ethan received a call from his family. It was from the former secretary of the president, who apologized to Ethan right away.

"I'm sorry, Ethan, we failed to keep something secret, and George Herbert Walker III leaked your identity."

"So it was him..." Ethan smiled.

This explains why Catherine's father had no good impression of her, and now she has become a victim of the conflict between the two factions.

"I'm sorry, we can't provide you with any help openly. After all, you have been to the island. During this period of time, the family will cut off ties with you and Catherine, but don't worry, the family will still accept you again in the future."

The premise is that we can get through this level...

"Fuck you!" Ethan sneered, already thinking of a strategy to deal with it.

(End of this chapter)