America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Davis Estate, where Elizabeth Olsen, dressed in glamorous finery and radiating allure, dragged the hem of her black gown to Martin, pinning the iconic clenched fist symbol onto the left side of his collar.

Martin, clad in a bespoke Brioni suit with a Cartier watch on his wrist, and with a Coke-shaped Sect Hierarch crown on his right collar, put down his Nokia N98 phone, opened the jewelry box in front of him, and slipped a necklace custom-made with seven flawless rubies around Elizabeth's neck.

Elizabeth's face lit up with surprise as she brushed her hand over the necklace made of platinum, diamonds, and rubies, and smiled sweetly, "I love this gift."

Martin asked, "My taste isn't bad, right?"

Elizabeth admired herself in front of the dressing mirror and said, "It's absolutely beautiful."

Martin stood back a little and appreciated, remarking, "The person is even more beautiful."

Elizabeth smiled even sweeter.

Martin then picked up another clenched fist symbol and affixed it to her chest.

Elizabeth said, "I don't want to be some feminist, I just want to always be your saint."

Martin responded, "As long as you wish."

"Cough..." Bruce, entering from the doorway, reminded, "It's time to set off."

Martin picked up his Nokia phone, took Elizabeth by the hand, and they walked out to get into the car — naturally, a Cadillac.

The sponsors not only provided sponsorship fees each year, but they also offered resources to assist him in vying for nominations and awards; naturally, Martin had to put in effort for their cause.

The Cadillac flagship car left the Estate, heading straight for the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

Elizabeth recalled something, "No news from Chanel No. 5?"

Martin nodded slightly, "After Toni Fellman's paternity scandal last year, France proactively severed contact with Thomas, and up until now, they haven't reconnected with Thomas. We'll see how they handle it."

"How are Toni and Stuart doing?" Elizabeth inquired.

Martin hadn't been paying much attention.

Bruce joined the conversation, "It's a bit complicated, under legal advice, Stuart Townsend is now counter-suing Toni Fellman for stealing his genetic material. This case is expected to drag on for a long time."

Martin sincerely wished, "May the two of them be entwined till the end of time."

"Is that a curse or a blessing?" Elizabeth asked with a smile and changed the subject, "Recently, Louise introduced me to Irene Lande, who plans to have me as a beauty endorsement ambassador."

Martin said, "If your sisters' brands aren't doing beauty, you could give it a try."

Elizabeth said, "They don't have plans in that area for the time being."

The car quickly approached the Kodak Theatre.

This year's Oscar ceremony, although the red carpet was laid out wider and longer, the dominant color theme was black.

Many guests, including Martin and Elizabeth, responded to Jolie and Aniston's call by wearing black gowns and pinning the Mitu clenched fist symbol on their chests as they walked the red carpet.

Even the gathering area for the Cola Cult members turned into a sea of black.

Having drunk Coke in routine and dealt with interviews on the spot, Martin entered the Kodak Theatre with others.

Upon entering, he saw Nicholson and Meryl Streep, both dressed in black, conversing.

Martin led Elizabeth over, greeted them, and seeing Meryl animated and cheerful, he asked, "Meryl, have you come upon some good news?"

Meryl smiled happily, "The divorce settlement is reached, but it won't be announced for now, might be delayed for a few years."

In contrast, Nicholson's brows were furrowed with concern.

Martin didn't have to guess the reason. Taking this opportunity not to kick a man when he is down, when could he otherwise? He said to Meryl, "To celebrate your return to single life, would you like me to introduce you to a distinguished gentleman? Just the other day he told me in person that he wanted to walk down the aisle once again to experience the warmth of a family."

Meryl said eagerly, "Sure, I'd love to meet him!"

Nicholson barked, "Shut up!"

Martin, undeterred, said, "Jack Nicholson, a three-time Oscar winner, the famous leader of the Face Gang, a man whom Martin Davis and Leonardo willingly follow as juniors, how about him?"

"Perfect!" Meryl half-jokingly said to Nicholson, "Jack, when are you going to propose to me?"

With his face turning red, Nicholson turned and walked away.

Meryl waved to Martin with a smile and hurried after him.

Elizabeth said, "You guys love to mess around too much."

Martin chuckled, "I'm just doing a good deed, helping Jack with his old age loneliness."

The two of them entered the hall; because "Benjamin" had secured 13 Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor, their seats were in the first two rows.

No sooner had Martin reached the guest area than someone said hello.

Blake Lively stood up in her black dress, "Hi, Martin."

Elizabeth glanced at her and whispered to Martin, "I'll head over there, have your chat."

Martin nodded, and after she left, he steadied himself on the seat and said, "Long time no see."

"I've been too busy with work, on set, promotions, running around everywhere, it never ends," Blake said softly.

"I saw 'Gossip Girl'." There was no sharp conflict between the two, and Martin sincerely praised, "Queen S was fantastic."

Blake said, "It was your confidence in me back then that made the difference."

The two had shared a sweet time living together. Martin thought back from "The Summer of Jeans" to Burbank Middle School, and then looked at Blake before him, falling silent for a moment.

Feeling the atmosphere turn slightly awkward, Blake took the initiative, "How about we go out for coffee some day when you're free?" She then smacked her forehead, "Look at me, forgetting you prefer tea."

Martin didn't respond but instead asked, "I recently heard some news. Warner and DC are planning to shoot a superhero movie, 'Green Lantern,' and I heard you're interested in competing for the lead female role?"

"I'll be going for the third audition soon, but the competition is tough. Diane Kruger and Eva Green are both interested in the role," Blake replied directly.

Martin thought for a moment and felt it was better to speak directly considering their past: "Blake, I don't think you're quite right for the part."

"You mean..." Having known each other well, Blake immediately understood Martin's implication, "The film doesn't look too promising?"

At one point, this movie had nearly shattered Blake's rise as a film star, and even though she had starred in some films later on, she was more like an internet celebrity rather than a film star whose work spoke for her.

Looking around cautiously, Martin spoke in a low voice, "Personally, I feel that Warner's leaders are a group of Japanese executives, and they don't give me a very good feeling."

Blake lowered her head in thought, well aware of Martin's nature to not speak idly about work.

"Let's keep this between us," Martin said as he prepared to leave, "We'll get in touch when there's time."

"I won't mention it to anyone," Blake assured.

Martin nodded at her and went to the front row seats.

Blake returned to her own seat.

Her agent leaned in and asked, "What were you and Martin talking about?"

"Just some old times. Even though I don't really stay in touch with him, there were no hard feelings when we split up," Blake said.

"Should I have a word with Thomas to see if we can tie you and him up for some publicity?" Both represented by WMA, the agent was familiar with Thomas, "Your high visibility could benefit your fight for the lead role in 'Green Lantern.'"

Deciding to heed Martin's advice, Blake said, "I'm going to withdraw from the audition for this film."

The agent was stunned, quickly asking, "Why? Blake, do you know how much work I've put into securing this role for you? You can't be this capricious!"

Blake stated, "I've made up my mind!"

"This is disrespectful to the work I've done, and to the efforts your father has made during this time!" The agent was quite angry, "Think it over carefully."

Blake shook her head firmly, "There's no need."

The agent, with anger having nowhere to vent, picked up her bag and left abruptly.

In the front row, Elizabeth saw Martin return and ended her conversation with Catherine Kennedy, asking, "How did your chat go?"

Martin told the truth, "I persuaded her to give up a role."

Elizabeth didn't pursue the matter further, "We have thirteen nominations, we should take home quite a few awards, right?"

Nearby, Catherine Kennedy and David Fincher both shook their heads and sighed; the situation was not looking good.

David Fincher glanced at the Mitu pin on his collar and said, "Don't even think about Best Director; this Oscars is going to make history."

"Best Picture doesn't look hopeful either," Catherine Kennedy added.

Martin tried to boost their morale, "At least we have harvested commercially, the film's box office is doing well."

Thanks to the thirteen Oscar nominations, after the nominees' luncheon, "Benjamin" had a rebound in attendance in North American theaters, currently accumulating $189 million at the North American box office, and $368 million globally.

Once the Oscars are over, no matter how many awards it gets, there can be another small bounce.

The group discussed who might be the night's biggest winners for a while before the award ceremony commenced.

Due to last year's Harvey Weinstein scandal that swept through Hollywood and beyond in North America, this year's Oscars had a heavy Mitu theme, with the host being Helen from Warner Television Network.

After her opening monologue, Meryl Streep took the stage and performed a song titled "ME TOO."

Toppling Harvey Weinstein had become the political correctness of the entire Hollywood industry.

After all, even the Academy had expelled Harvey.

At this moment Martin left his seat, going through the side door to backstage. As last year's Best Supporting Actor winner, today he was presenting the award for Best Supporting Actress.

This was also the first award to be handed out that day. Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire

After getting onstage and going through the motions with his speech, Martin read the nominees' list and opened the envelope to announce the result, "The winner is Komenina Monique for 'Cherish.'

Among the applause, the portly black woman lifted her dress to take the stage, accepting the Oscar from Martin's hands. After the customary thanks, she delivered a lengthy speech against racial discrimination.@@novelbin@@

Of course, the black opposition to racial discrimination was purely against discrimination of black Americans.