American Tax Officer

David gathered his thoughts and replied, "Please let them in."

"Yes."

Under Nisen's lead, two men and a woman were quickly brought in.

"Director David, my name is Smollett, CEO of Migaomei Film Company. This is Raymond, our vice president, and this is Lucy, a member of our board of directors."

The man in the lead introduced himself first and then introduced the man and woman beside him.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Smollett, Mr. Raymond, Ms. Lucy."

David shook hands with each of them and then motioned for everyone to sit down before taking his own seat.
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"Since you are all here, Director David, I won't beat around the bush, in a word, what do you want?"

As soon as he sat down, Smollett asked very directly.

David leaned back in his chair and replied with a calm demeanor, "Since you've asked so directly, I'll also be straightforward, as long as you at Migaomei take the lead in paying the taxes you owe, I won't give you a hard time, it's that simple!"

Smollett appeared to be well-prepared, immediately taking out a stack of documents from his briefcase and placing them in front of David: "Director David, our company's tax affairs are clean. Here are our ledger and a clear list of tax payments; feel free to look at them!"

However, David showed no interest in flipping through them, replying with a hint of disdain, "Do you really think that these lists alone can prove your innocence? Or do you really believe that I can't find any flaws within your company?"

With that statement, the faces of the three people sank in unison.

If David could find so many issues with the stars and films of Fox Film Corporation, it probably wouldn't be difficult to uncover problems within MGM.

And even if he couldn't find any real issues, with David's methods, if he truly wanted to target them, he could fabricate charges against them just like he had with individuals from the Human Rights Organization previously.

After a brief pause, Smollett spoke, "Director David, we've heeded your summons today as a sign of respect, but I hope you will respect us in return!"

In truth, he needn't have come himself; he could have easily sent a department head to deal with the situation. But he came personally, along with the vice president and a board member, to show sincerity, hoping the Western Suburb Branch wouldn't target them first.

What he didn't expect was that even though they had lowered their stance, David was still relentless, seemingly determined to make an example out of MGM.

David did not bother with further small talk and began to use the system's function to scrutinize the three individuals one by one.

[Name: Smollett Roland.]

[Occupation: CEO of MGM Film Company.]

[Monthly Income: One Million Three Hundred Thousand US dollars.]

[Detailed Income Information: Earned through salary, bonuses, and dividends...]

[...]

...

[Name: Raymond Clarence]

[Occupation: Vice President of MGM Film Company...]

[Monthly Income: Six Hundred Thousand US dollars.]

[Detailed Income Information: Earned through dividends...]

[...]

...

[Name: Lucy.]

[Occupation: MGM Film Company Board Member.]

[Monthly Income: One Million USD.]

[Detailed Income Information: Earned through dividends...]

[...]

"Quite an unexpected surprise..."

After thoroughly reviewing the information about the three individuals, David muttered to himself, his lips gradually curling into a smile.

Because from his scrutiny of the three MGM executives, he had not only gathered a lot of compromising information about the company, but also discovered a significant secret they were currently keeping.

With this secret in his possession, he now had a firm grasp over them!

Gathering his thoughts, David spoke up: "Respect isn't something you can just talk about so lightly!"

"Director David, what do you mean by that?"

"No hidden meaning. I just feel that the phrase 'respect me' should not be spoken by your MGM company!"

David's domineering words left the trio feeling uneasy, exchanging glances among themselves.

Before they could respond, David continued, "You know, among Hollywood's Eight Major Film Companies, MGM's fate has been quite turbulent."

"You were founded in 1924, and the names of your stars Greta Garbo, Charlton Heston, Clark Gable, Katharine Hepburn, and Cary Grant still shine brightly to this day."

"MGM has produced films that have won a total of 170 Academy Awards to date, leading the way among all of Hollywood's major film companies. At one point, you boasted a plethora of stars and even created the myth of releasing a new movie each week."

David's eloquent commentary left the three individuals somewhat taken aback, uncertain why he was bringing up their company's history.

But before they could figure it out, David's discourse was still continuing: "Unfortunately, in the '90s, with the rise of companies like Pixar and DreamWorks capturing the opportunities in new special effects technology and animation science, MGM seemed outdated and stagnant by comparison. In the 21st century, lacking blockbuster hits, it began to slide downhill."

"Later, led by Sony, a consortium of financiers formed MGM Holdings Company, and on April 8, 2005, MGM Holdings Company acquired MGM Film Company through a leveraged deal worth 4.8 billion US dollars."

"Since then, the equity composition of your company has been as follows: Providence Equity Partners owns 29%; TPG Capital owns 21%; Sony America owns 20%; Comcast owns 20%; DLJ Commodity Bank Partnership owns 7%; and Quadrangle Group owns 3%."