Goodman Hall lost his job—along with the support of his family.
He didn't blame them. Not at all.
The Hall family was, after all, just a lower-tier mid-sized family from the American South. The fact that they had protected his life was already a blessing. Cutting ties with him was simply a matter of survival.
Texas Oil Group's anger wasn't going to fade easily. As long as he remained tied to the family, the oil conglomerate would keep a close eye on them.
So, he had no choice but to leave.
Feeling disheartened, Goodman Hall had planned to try his luck in Europe.
But then, out of nowhere, David Scott showed up.
"What? You want me to join Campbell Oil?"
"That's right. Mr. Meyers thinks highly of your abilities. How does a Vice President position sound?"
Goodman Hall's eyes widened. A fierce internal struggle raged within him.
Strangely enough, despite his downfall being largely orchestrated by Martin Meyers, he couldn't bring himself to hate the man.
Instead, every time he thought about him, the first thing that came to mind was that night—when Martin had saved him. He felt... grateful.
He was tempted by Campbell Oil's offer. But—
Wouldn't accepting it be the same as admitting that he was the mole?
Goodman Hall found himself torn.
Then, David Scott added, "If you'd like, Mr. Meyers can arrange a new identity for you. We can even relocate you to Iraq. If you're willing to undergo cosmetic surgery, that would make things even easier."
Goodman Hall suddenly laughed. It was as if something in his mind had finally clicked.
Shaking his head, he replied, "No need for a new identity or surgery. I'll take the job in Iraq. Tell Mr. Meyers I appreciate the offer—I'll do my best."
David Scott patted his shoulder and grinned. "Smart choice. Don't worry, Campbell Oil's security forces are well-trained. We can guarantee your safety."
"I believe it. After all, I saw it firsthand that night."
Goodman Hall winked at David, and the two shared a laugh.
David was well aware of Goodman Hall's capabilities. With him onboard, David could finally free himself from tedious administrative tasks and focus on broader management strategies.
With the backing of both the old and new Iraqi governments, Campbell Oil now had full ownership of 32.7% of West Qurna-1.
That alone propelled the company from a mid-tier energy enterprise to a major player in the industry.
West Qurna-1's reserves alone rivaled the total reserves of all Texas Oil Group's fields combined. Even with just a 32.7% stake, Campbell Oil—and Martin—had secured a critical foothold in global energy.
And with oil came petrochemicals—something no industrialized nation could ignore.
China's State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) even urged Martin to increase his investment in Project Cang Hai, promising to purchase more of the natural gas byproducts from his oil fields.
It wasn't just about pleasing Martin—China was actively pushing to replace household coal gas with cleaner natural gas.
Liquefying coal was too costly and heavily polluted the environment.
This was a win-win situation.
Martin had verbally agreed to expand the petrochemical facilities under Project Cang Hai—especially the methanol and ethanol plants. Their annual capacity would double from 400,000 tons to 800,000 tons. (Ching-Chongnalism)
With the biggest deal of the Meyers family's history secured, Martin finally returned to Hollywood.
And immediately discovered that he had a new neighbor.
Just 300 meters from his estate in Beverly Hills, Princess Haya was eagerly showing off her new home.
"My house isn't as big as yours. It's got six bedrooms, five bathrooms, and an outdoor pool... I'm planning to remodel it into an infinity pool, like yours. Oh! And I want to turn this garden into a small horse stable..."
She led him through the house, room by room.
"This is the kitchen. This is the guest room. And this... is the master bedroom."
Then, she pointed at the large bed.
An hour later, Martin left her house, feeling refreshed. He drove around aimlessly for a bit, making sure he wasn't being followed by paparazzi, before heading back to his own estate in Beverly Hills.
At the poolside, three young women—Lindsay Lohan, Scarlett Johansson, and Miranda Kerr—were swimming.
When they spotted Martin approaching, they leaned against the pool's edge. Scarlett even whistled playfully.
"Well, well, Martin. Are you joining us or what?"
Martin quickly stripped down and dove into the pool—wearing absolutely nothing.
Screams and laughter echoed around the estate.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Biyou and Heather were preparing dinner. Watching the scene unfold, they couldn't help but laugh.
Heather elbowed her friend and smirked. "Hey, Biyou. Let's sneak into his room tonight."
Biyou raised an eyebrow. "There are already three girls in there. You sure Martin can handle all of us?" She nodded toward the pool.
Heather scoffed. "How dare you question our master's stamina! I should tell him you said that—maybe he'll punish you."
Biyou shrugged. "Go ahead. If anyone's getting punished, it'll be you."
Heather suddenly turned serious. "Honestly, though... our dear master's endurance is insane. I've never once seen him falter."
Back in the Demon-Mythos Continent, Martin had once spent three entire days and nights with a woman from the Shura tribe—until she begged for mercy.
Even now, despite not being at full power, handling humans was child's play.
The golden hues of the setting sun filtered through the estate's massive glass windows, casting warm reflections on the dining table.
The entire scene was bathed in fiery orange, making it look straight out of a dream.
Martin glanced at everyone around the table and smiled.
"This scene is perfect. You wouldn't even need to color-grade it in post-production—it's already cinematic."
Lindsay Lohan, sitting across from him, was cutting into a lobster while reading the newspaper. She was completely engrossed in the latest reviews for Mean Girls.
Scarlett Johansson, meanwhile, was chatting with Martin about Lost in Translation.
"So, the film is releasing in August?" Martin raised an eyebrow. "I thought Sofia Coppola was a fast worker."
"She is, but she's a perfectionist about post-production. We even had to reshoot a few scenes."
"This film might actually do well at the European festivals."
"Sofia's already planning on submitting it."