Ari and Zac

Chapter 21: The Transcript (Segment 6)

The Transcript (Segment 6)

Broadcast: THE TRUTH FILES

Episode Title: The Mermaid Hypothesis

Air Date: June 28, 2020

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT OF TELEVISION BROADCAST

HOST: Welcome to the second half of tonight's program, 'The Mermaid Hypothesis: What really happened last summer in Seabreeze Point?' We've already heard from several of the people involved, but there was one key player whose exact role remains a mystery. Dominick Torrent, the embattled billionaire tycoon and CEO of SirenSong Inc., himself never set foot in the small seaside village of Seabreeze Point. However, his detractors claim that this titan of the global 21st century economy had a direct hand in the unfortunate events that took place. I'm joined now by Morris Sloan, unofficial biographer and author of the recent New York Times bestselling book, SirenKing: The Dominick Torrent Story. Mr. Sloan, thanks for joining us tonight.

MORRIS SLOAN: Happy to be here. Thanks for having me.

HOST:  It's interesting in reading your book to see how Dominick Torrent has been a figure of controversy for nearly two decades now. Handsome, brilliant, frequently seen in the company of beautiful women, and now one of the richest men on the planet since the successful IPO of his company last year, would you agree that Torrent is considered something of a badboy in the tech industry?

MS: That's one way to put it. He's certainly a polarizing figure.

HOST:  He's been dogged for years by rumors of underhanded business dealings.

MS: Among other things. His critics have accused him of just about every crime you can think of at this point, from tax fraud to statutory rape.

HOST: It would be fair to say he's made his share of enemies.

MS: Anyone who rises to prominence as rapidly as he did is bound to leave a few casualties in his wake.

HOST: True, but when we talk about casualties in the corporate world, we usually mean it metaphorically. Lost jobs, capsized businesses, maybe even a few destroyed careers. We don't usually mean it in terms of actual human casualties.

MS: This is true. I should emphasize for your viewers, though, that none of the accusations levied against Dominick Torrent have ever amounted to more than gossip and idle speculation. It's important to look at the source of these rumors with a critical eye. Invariably, the stories were started by those who would stand to gain a great deal from Mr. Torrent's fall.

HOST: People like Benedict Pierce and his grandson Cyrus, whom we've already heard from tonight.

MS: Don't get me wrong. I feel for Ben Pierce, I really do. He had a successful career in the music industry before SirenSong put an end to it. He lost his business and his entire life savings as a direct result of SirenSong's technical innovation in the music space. All that being said, Ben Pierce certainly had an axe to grind. It's important to take every word that any of the Pierces say with a large pinch of salt.

HOST: You think it's just spin?

MS: In all my years of research, I've never come across any direct proof of criminal wrongdoing by Dominick Torrent himself. It's always hints and innuendoes, designed to cast doubt on the man's personal integrity.

HOST: Is that really true? You can't deny the existence of the so-called Counter-Disruption—

MS: Counter-disruption, huh? Is that what Ben Pierce calls them? He certainly has a flair for the theatrics.

HOST: Whatever you choose to call them, several men are facing possible criminal prosecution for events that took place last summer in Seabreeze Point.

MS: There's no proof that those men were acting on Torrent's orders, or even with his knowledge. SirenSong merely hired them to collect information on the group plotting to sabotage the IPO—the group spearheaded by Benedict Pierce, I might add.

HOST: But those so-called Counter Disruption agents were employees of Mr. Torrent's company, weren't they?

MS: No. The men facing legal troubles were private contractors with a local security firm, not employees on the SirenSong payroll.

HOST: That seems like splitting hairs.

MS: Torrent has used their status as independent contractors to distance himself from any alleged wrongdoing that may have taken place in Seabreeze Point—particularly any criminal acts involving minors.

HOST: He has a pattern, doesn't he? Splitting hairs. Distancing himself from minors. Finding convenient ways to skirt any proof of foul play. It wouldn't be the first time.

MS: You're referring to the K-Pop singer, Mae Song Yee.

HOST: Yes. Let's talk about Mae Song Yee. The mystery of her disappearance has never been fully resolved, although Torrent has succeeded in distancing himself from any possible wrongdoing there as well.

MS: In my opinion, having interviewed Dominick Torrent many times over the years, those accusations are unfounded. Pure slander. His grief over Mae's death was genuine.

HOST: Nevertheless, you can see why the rumors started. Mae Song Yee was last seen alive at age 19, at a nightclub in Manhattan, in Dominick Torrent's company. That much of the story has been confirmed as fact.

MS: You make it sound suspicious, but the case was investigated and closed by the authorities many years ago.

HOST: And yet her remains were never recovered—

MS: Sadly, many of the victims weren't—

HOST: And there's never been any plausible explanation for what she might have been doing in that part of town on that particular morning.

MS: No. We don't know why she was there. That much remains a tragic mystery.

HOST: Tell us what you know about the relationship between Mae and Dominick Torrent.

MS: They were friends. She was an exceptionally gifted singer, and he admired her artistry. I've heard him refer to her on multiple occasions as his muse, his inspiration. The two of them met during Torrent's tenure as an engineer with a major technology conglomerate, before he left to found his own company. Mae was hired to perform at a corporate event he attended in Seoul. She was photographed with him afterward on several occasions.

HOST: Were they dating?

MS: No. There was rampant speculation at the time in the Korean press, but Mae was only 17 when they first met, and Dominick was nearly 30. The relationship was purely platonic.

HOST: But she left South Korea to be with him. That suggests something stronger than friendship.

MS: There's no reason to think she left to be with him. They both ended up in the same city, that's all. Torrent was transferred by his former employer from Seoul back to North American headquarters in New York. Mae broke her contract with her record label about six months later.

HOST: She moved to New York and dropped out of the music business. And then two years after that, she disappeared.

MS: Her death was a tragic loss. It affected Dominick Torrent quite profoundly. He's been quoted many times saying that Mae was the one who inspired him to quit his job and strike out on his own. He mentioned her again in his address to shareholders last summer, on the eve of the IPO. He dedicated the SirenSong technology to her memory.