[Chapter 270: Public Relations]
Linton found it really dull watching the three experts busy conducting various tests under the tower. 'Forget it. It's such a chilly day. I'd rather not hang out here sipping the cold wind. Better to head back to the villa and enjoy some fun games with the three lovely ladies -- that'd do more good for body and mind. Just hope there aren't any annoying flies in the villa.'
Before leaving, David handed Danny a walkie-talkie linked to the Thunder Guard command system.
When they got back to the villa, just as expected, a swarm of media reporters was gathered around the outer yard perimeter. What caught Linton's eye was that several entertainment news outlets from Montana had shown up.
Looks like word got out I'm here, and more entertainment reporters might soon flood in.
...
As soon as Linton appeared, reporters rushed over, microphones thrust out in his face.
"Mr. Anderson, are you vacationing at the farm with Jennifer Connelly, Winona Ryder, and Catherine Zeta-Jones all at once? Are you dating them simultaneously?"
"Mr. Anderson, do you, Jennifer Connelly, Winona Ryder, and Catherine Zeta-Jones all stay in the same room at night?"
"Mr. Anderson, did you dump Cristiana Reali and Monica Bellucci?"
"Mr. Anderson, are you a big playboy?"
The entertainment reporters had a very different angle than the social news reporters, always digging for shocking questions.
Though Linton was indeed quite the playboy, he still felt a bit overwhelmed. None of those questions warranted a direct response.
He said nothing and, with the assistance of his bodyguards, pushed through the reporters' blockade, retreating to the villa with his dignity somewhat bruised.
...
Inside the villa, the three ladies and four waitresses couldn't help laughing at Linton's rare embarrassed expression.
"Draw all the curtains so they can't snap any pictures inside. What are you laughing at? We don't know what the news will say about us tomorrow. Aren't you three worried?"
"Worried about what? We've got enough scandals as it is," Winona said without a hint of concern. Jennifer and Catherine wore similar expressions.
"Did you all give interviews?" After drawing the curtains, Linton asked with genuine concern.
"No, thanks to your warning earlier, we stayed inside today so they couldn't interview us. But they still took pictures. When Kelly and Wendy went out to work, they stopped them and asked a few questions," Winona answered, a faint smile crossing her face.
"Oh, what did you say?" Linton directed the question to the waitresses.
"They asked a bunch of questions, but I just answered one: that you all were on vacation together," Winona said.
"Just one answer? We've been here ten days."
It seemed they all remembered what he told them that morning. But entertainment media are skilled at spinning tales and stirring trouble out of thin air.
What gets said during on-the-spot interviews hardly matters; the stories will be shaped to be eye-catching, intriguing, and make for good headlines.
Now that the press had pictures of him vacationing with Jennifer, Winona, and Catherine, who knew what nonsense they'd print tomorrow?
But Linton didn't care -- his public image had always been that of a notorious playboy.
Besides, having already achieved the Celestial Presence stage, any media attack on his playboy image wouldn't cause significant harm.
On the contrary, due to the nature of his power, whether the coverage was good or bad would actually aid his progression.
The real problem was that Jennifer, Winona, and Catherine might take a bigger hit.
After all, it was the four of them vacationing at this remote farm. With a little media manipulation, the public's imagination could easily run wild.
Moreover, rival stars in similar circles would jump on the opportunity to strike.
Though America was an open society, it wasn't clear if the public would accept such blatant closeness among four high-profile celebrities.
Hopefully, it wouldn't stir too much public backlash. After all, they were rising quasi-A-list female stars.
He hoped the agency's PR plan would work.
If not, he'd need to take special measures, maybe arrange solo films tailored for each of them.
...
"Boss, Mira just called back. She's already coordinated with Ellie and the agents for Jennifer, Winona, and Catherine, and they've come up with a PR plan everyone can agree on. Here's the fax of the PR plan," the assistant said, handing over the fax.
The unified stance from the agents was that when Linton returned to the farm for vacation, he invited his close friends Jennifer, Winona, and Catherine to join him after learning they were free.
Jennifer, Winona, and Catherine were close friends with strong bonds, planning a trip together anyway. After accepting Linton's invite, they traveled as a group to his farm to experience country life and enjoy Montana's snowy scenery.
The plan emphasized the close friendship among the three stars and their friendship with Linton.
After repeated discussions, Linton and the three women all agreed it was far better than any scandal about their group trip.
To ensure the PR worked effectively, Linton approved a generous $2 million public relations budget.
He then asked his assistant to take some photos of the four and fax them to their agents, urging them to act fast, proactively reach out to familiar media, and break the news so it headlines entertainment news tonight.
Whether it'd be effective or not, it was certainly better than doing nothing and letting the media run wild or letting rivals spread rumors.
Would the public buy it? Nobody could be certain, but at least their core fans would believe it.
Several agents suggested flying over for on-site coordination, but Linton considered the communication too poor here.
There was no cell phone signal, only one phone in the entire villa, and the TV picked up only wireless channels. There were no newspapers, and all media outlets too far away.
Having them come here could do more harm than good to the PR campaign, so better they stay in Los Angeles.
"Boss, two more things to report."
"Go ahead."
"First, this morning, Lew Wasserman from Universal Pictures and a man named Chris Hank, claiming to be a White House staffer, called for you. I left my number for them. Want to return their calls?"
"No need. If they call again, just tell them I'm not here. What's the second thing?" Linton said, knowing these parties were trying to pressure him through connections to get their people under the tower. He wouldn't tolerate that. Besides, there was no cell signal out here on this remote farm.
*****
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