America 1982-Chapter 639 - 146: Press Conference_2

Not considering the public might have another question: if she really earned seven million from Tommy, why would she continue in the flesh trade?

She didn’t even know how to respond to Tommy’s joke, she could only laugh and say with the same feigned exasperation she had shown at the party, "Hearing you lash out at a friend earlier made me realize you were still quite the gentleman when I rejected you."

The string of angry greetings Tommy unleashed on Jason earlier let Diane Linen realize just how crazy he could get if someone caused him a large loss of money, and since she herself had caused him a loss of seven hundred thousand, the fact that he could still remain rational when seeing her showed that it wasn’t easy for him.

"Of course, I’m aggressive toward the rich, but I maintain my manners with the poor. If I showed you any gentlemanly manners, it must be your problem. That’s it, lady. When I’m done with my work and remember you, and you just so happen not to have done anything I detest, we can talk more about making a biopic of Jane-C," he said.

"What do you mean by things you detest?"

"Like getting a blackie boyfriend or something," he replied.

"A Black, boyfriend? Of course not, I never even considered it," Diane Linen said, taken aback.

"Goodnight, Diane. Goodnight, Hollywood," Tommy finally said, neatly ending the call.

He didn’t mention anything about flying her to San Francisco, then letting her make a week’s worth of cash.

"Goodnight, rude man," Diane Linen remarked to the already disconnected phone.

After hanging up, Tommy and Jason laughed as they turned to look at Susy, who had been silent the whole time. Leaning back in the limousine’s seat, she enjoyed the attention of two men awaiting her queenly judgment and after a dozen or so seconds, she said to Tommy, "If you want, that woman certainly won’t be able to escape your grasp."

"Of course, I have that charm. Anyone who’s been intimate with me, if I want it, I can make it happen a second time, no matter what status they hold," Tommy shrugged, not denying it.

"Come on," Jason said incredulously to his girlfriend, "That woman didn’t come running after Tommy to sleep with him, nothing happened, but I got extorted for six million. I could have used that money to buy us a little vineyard in Europe, where we could enjoy making wine while vacationing."

"Jason, dating, and being with a man is a woman’s very very autonomous behavior, OK? I’m a woman, and I have the right to decide who can put their club in my body. Remember the last part of the conversation. Tommy said if she doesn’t do anything he detests, they might meet again. What was her reaction? She said Black? Boyfriend? That’s impossible. That’s her subconscious answer. Guess why Tommy always likes not-so-bright but pretty girls? Because it’s easier to influence their behavior with just words, without them realizing it," Susy confidently told Jason.

"If he didn’t have to rush back to Stanford tonight, she would definitely be in his room," she continued.

"AmigaOS, in my eyes, is more fascinating than women, and it should be fascinating to you too since you will be introducing it to the world alongside her," Tommy didn’t continue the topic on women, instead smiling at Susy:

"Jason is technical, you are too, but while Jason is more like a construction worker, you could be an architect. We have plenty of construction workers here, Jason, Holly, Susan, Mark, even Ted, and even Stephen count among them, but top-notch architects are scarce. Jim counts as one, Charles as another, and Benjamin, maybe half. Building an Empire State Building in one’s mind, they must constantly remember the blueprint, be able to make adjustments at any moment to ensure the building’s safety; not everyone has this capability—rationality, composure, cruelty, knowing when to let go. I think you might be half of one, if AmigaOS succeeds," he said.

"How should I respond to you?" Susy looked at Tommy, understanding that he wanted her to take on more responsibilities. She actually quite liked the idea of being a do-nothing wealthy wife—not joking, just lying in a mansion fiddling with hacking technology all day, letting more poor folk enjoy free phone service and receiving their adoration like a queen in the virtual world. If she felt like shopping, taking the sports car to an upscale mall and swiping Jason’s card was an option, as was figuring out how to make her face, figure, skin tone, and voluptuousness more appealing.

Jason was a lovably wretched good man, and if Tommy were always around, Jason would be Tommy’s best lieutenant, his enforcer. But what Tommy wanted was for the business to maintain its aggressiveness even if he left. She did have some qualities that were slightly better than Jason’s—like being more ruthless and rational.

Tommy hoped she could make up for Jason’s shortcomings, and if she was too lazy to make an effort, her luxurious wife life might become increasingly distant.

"We shall see," Susy said, thinking this through.

The AmigaOS launch event was finally held in Stanford University’s auditorium, not that WinStar Corporation lacked other venues, but because Susy wanted to tie WinStar even more closely to Stanford.

Tommy watched the launch via live broadcast at his Stanford apartment. Owning a TV station might have this one benefit—being able to watch whatever you like by making the station air it.