King of Hollywood

Chapter 110: Chapter 110 It’s Time to Talk

After cleaning up the traces of their previous passion, Monica dressed up neatly, tidied up a bit, and went over to the dressing mirror to touch up her makeup. She adjusted her clothes and turned half a circle to check herself, then chuckled self-deprecatingly before heading towards the door.

To this day, she still couldn’t completely figure out Adrian. Although Monica had adjusted her mindset after their car encounter that day—hoping to gain the upper hand over the weekend—in fact, she had used her body and skills to dominate for a few minutes. But Adrian quickly took control back, immersing her even deeper.

Then, after finishing shooting, Adrian would call her from time to time, asking her out. Sometimes he was tender and considerate, treating her to opera and dinner in the romantic candlelight; other times he was wild and unrestrained, taking her on a drive to the seaside. He not only knew how to charm a woman with his words but also seemed to know what she was thinking. He never avoided the fact that he had a girlfriend; as long as Monica asked, he would answer everything except for some private matters.

Just like before, it felt very real yet also mysterious, with an unusual allure. Monica walked to the door, adjusted her clothes once more, then pushed the door open.

“You look really beautiful, Monica,” said Adrian, already tidied up, admiring her as he stood in the now pristine office. His clean-up had been quick.

Before Monica could fully take in the tidiness, Adrian wrapped his arms around her waist and sealed her lips. She relaxed her jaw naturally, allowing his momentum to rampage through her mouth, even engaging actively. After a passionate kiss, they reluctantly parted.

“Your sexy lips always leave one craving more, Monica,” Adrian’s thumb brushed her lips.

“How about that, not satisfied and want another go?” Monica teased.

“If you don’t mind…” Adrian said with a half-smile, placing his hand on her thigh.

Monica stared back at him unblinkingly, and a few minutes later, Adrian raised his hands, “Alright, let’s go record first, and after work, we can head to your place.”

Leaning close to her ear, he added, “I hope you’ll wear the lingerie I gave you then.”

“Got it,” Monica replied, a flirtatious smile curling her lips.

Although she knew it was unlikely she would win this so-called war and felt like she had fallen into a trap, what did it matter? After losing at the award ceremony, Adrian still garnered huge acclaim, further proving her initial casting decision was correct. Anyway, she didn’t dislike this man; he knew how to respect and take care of a woman, and he was impressive in bed, invariably providing her immense pleasure. So, maintaining such a relationship for the time being wasn’t a big deal. Hadn’t Adrian said it himself? She could leave anytime she wanted.

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As for Monica’s thoughts, Adrian might not have known them completely, but he guessed quite a lot. He was pleased his prey was evolving just as he desired, though further consolidation would require completing “Pulp Fiction” first.

However, there was a problem. Although Monica’s sensual charisma in the film was comparable to Uma Thurman’s, her acting was at least a notch inferior. Her prolonged modeling career had made her facial expressions somewhat rigid, suitable for portraying chilly roles, but playing a quirky, spirited woman was challenging.

Though under Adrian’s direction, her performance was decent, at least up to her expected level, securing a Best Supporting Actress nomination like the original was unlikely.

“Or should I arrange for her to get a Golden Globe nomination?” Adrian mused. Compared to the Oscars, getting a Golden Globe nomination was somewhat easier, and after all, it was just about getting nominated, not necessarily winning.

Adrian didn’t waste much time on this issue; these things would wait until the end of the year, and it was pointless to worry about them now when he had so much else to attend to. For example, he continued to monitor the still hot “The Shawshank Redemption,” which had ignited a firestorm of interest at the Oscars and whose temperature had not yet cooled down. Although he had used post-production as an excuse to hide in his studio to avoid the public and media, it did not mean that he was uninvolved—he was the one who had asked Laverne to start the promotional efforts.

However, most media and critics had spontaneously defended the film, as “The Shawshank Redemption” was indeed an excellent film. Its high status in a previous life was certainly related to the hype and its tragic elements, but the quality of the film itself played at least 80% of the role. For this reason, Adrian decided to abandon all possibilities of winning awards to “reestablish” its classic status.

But compared to “Forrest Gump” and “Silence of the Lambs,” the latter’s comparative effect was slightly weaker. Even if everything went smoothly, Adrian’s version of “The Shawshank Redemption” might still rank a bit lower than the original.

But who knows what would happen? The future had already changed—as a reporter from the New-York Daily Times had analyzed— the theme of “Silence of the Lambs” made “The Shawshank Redemption” appear more tragic, and the Oscars preferred to opt for a thriller over a prison-themed film.

It wasn’t a big deal since there would be plenty of opportunities in the future. The honors of one or two films didn’t matter much; Hollywood as a whole was his target. It must be admitted that Hollywood produced many more great films in the 90s than after the 2000s, the reasons for which are obvious—big productions, big investments, etc. If these classic films were all linked to one company or one person, imagine what that scenario would look like.

Well, this was just one of Adrian’s concerns. At least the peak of VHS sales and rentals had arrived, and it would only be known in a few years how it would ultimately turn out. More importantly now was Monica’s voice acting work. Her Italian accent, though not very pronounced, could still feel awkward if one listened carefully; and “Pulp Fiction” largely depended on details for success. So if Monica couldn’t correct it soon, then it was better to quickly find someone else to do the voice acting.

This rush was because the deadline for submissions to the Cannes Film Festival was approaching fast, and he had to quickly edit the demo reel and send it over—Cannes was an important part of the plan.@@novelbin@@

Apart from this, he was also troubled by invitations from the AMPTP and the directors’ guild. Hollywood was full of various guild organizations, and most actors, directors, and screenwriters became members of corresponding guilds. Not only did the guilds help members with work-related issues, but they also broadened their connections and secured many benefits.

Of course, members also had duties, such as supporting strikes when the guild decided to protest, even if they had the freedom not to back the action, which would have had a bad impact and could be seen as betrayal.

Basically, few were independent of guild organizations. Although most were actors, directors, and screenwriters who applied on their own, these organizations also sent invitations to promising talents, like Adrian, who had received the youngest Best Director nomination at the Oscars.

In fact, as the head of a film company, Adrian could have chosen not to join these guilds, but since he was already a member of the Screenwriters’ Guild when he started, how could he not join the other guild organizations? Okay, he would join, no big deal, but new problems ensued. If the AMPTP played the role of maintaining order, the other guilds played disruptors.

Simply put, if a guild wanted to negotiate due to dissatisfaction with conditions or other issues, there was only one negotiating partner, the AMPTP! But if he joined the AMPTP and another guild, which side would Adrian take during a conflict? Don’t forget the screenwriters’ major strike in ’08.

But after careful consideration and after exchanging opinions with people like Claude and Laverne over the phone, Adrian agreed to join both. First, this was their initiative invitation, a special recognition; second, there were others who had joined both the AMPTP and other guilds and often mediated between the two sides, building good relationships and networks.

Of course, to please both sides, one needed strength, otherwise, it was easy to be counterproductive, and most who tried to please everyone ended up being despised by all. Adrian wasn’t yet strong enough, but he had the future; with time, this approach would only add more to his bargaining chips.

Okay, all this could wait for later; now back to the main topic. Monica’s voice acting work had taken about three days, and although there were some small issues, under the guidance of the voice coach, they had mostly been corrected. This pleased Adrian greatly; having actors do their own voiceovers felt significantly better than having someone else do it. Additionally, the daily steamy scenes in the office were a bonus; Monica truly lived up to her stunner reputation, with a shapely figure, dedicated cooperation, and pleasing manner, Adrian found utterly ravishing.

After finishing the voiceovers and reviewing the timeline, Adrian momentarily set aside post-production. After gaining insights into the business intelligence he had been following through his financial adviser, Ray, he called Claude to arrange a time to talk properly. Any surprises should be revealed now, as it related to the company’s future development.

To show his seriousness and sincerity, Adrian had specially arranged to meet Claude at a private club’s golf course. He hadn’t expected Claude to present him with a surprise, a very big surprise. (To be continued, for further information, please visit www.qidian.com. More chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)