Chapter 254: Chapter 251 Unforgivable
Chapter 254: Chapter 251 Unforgivable
At dawn, Leonardo awoke in his Upper East Side apartment, glanced at the clock on the wall, and gave Sienna Miller's butt a pat.
"Time to get up, you lazy bones," he urged. "Weren't you supposed to make breakfast for me?"
Sienna, who had finally snagged the guy, immediately sat up. "I'm on it," she said.
After a few minutes, both had freshened up and went to the living room and kitchen, respectively.
Leonardo opened his laptop to deal with emails, instinctively clicked on Google, and found that Martin, that bastard, was the third trending search term under entertainment.
He clicked on it and the screen was full of photos of Martin and Blake living together alongside heaps of gossip.
Reading the comments section on a few web pages, it was full of fans' blessings.
"Scumbags," Leonardo thought of the scene when he broke up with Gisele and flipped a heartfelt middle finger at the computer screen, to the two people on it: "Hope your breakup is swift!"
Blake's last film did well at the box office, and she played a couple with Martin in it, plus her impressive personal image brought her a group of supporters.
Leonardo also followed Martin's blog, and turning to it, he saw comments in the tens of thousands under Martin and Blake's confession.
This popularity was almost catching up with him changing girlfriends.
Looking at social news, there were heaps of reports about Angelina Jolie.
Leonardo went back to his emails, his mind still on Martin. With both the male and female leads this hot, as long as the quality of the film was somewhat decent, the business aspect should be assured.
But no matter how he looked at the photos of Martin and Blake together, something seemed off.
Leonardo picked up his phone and called Jack Nicholson: "You old fart, have you seen the news about Martin and Blake together?"
Nicholson said, "Of course, there's been nothing else these days, all the gossip is about the hero of Los Angeles and his little fangirl. Beauty falls for the hero? You and I both know Martin is a piece of shit. Think about what he did on that yacht, how is he any different from a beast? Fuck, Beauty and the Beast!"
Leonardo spoke seriously, "That asshole betrayed us. He said he wanted to be a bachelor. Fine! I broke up with Gisele, and what does he do? He gets himself a steady girlfriend, unforgivable!"
What Nicholson was most worried about wasn't making a big deal out of things, it was having no schemes to hatch: "In New York, we didn't get him."
Leonardo said, "We'll get him back in Los Angeles! We have to make sure they break up, our guy can't be in the arms of a woman. I'm preparing to go back to Los Angeles for a water gun party, and you must come. If you don't, I'll fly hot air balloons in Los Angeles to advertise for you."
Remembering the fireworks that nearly caused him and Meryl to cramp, Nicholson laughed ominously: "I love messing with Martin."
Leonardo hung up the phone.
At that moment, Sienna came from the kitchen area and called out, "Leo, breakfast's ready."
Leonardo made another call, asking his assistant to book a flight back to Los Angeles.
As for Sienna Miller, she was a nice girl.
A few hours later, Leonardo, with his two assistants, entered Kennedy Airport.
As he was nearing the security checkpoint, he received a call from Martin.
"Hey, Martin, I'm just about to head back to Los Angeles," Leonardo replied with a radiant smile, showing no trace of hatred toward a traitor. "I've finished all the shooting and I'm planning to go back early to throw a party. You said you wanted to come to my party, and of course, I take it seriously!"
He emphasized, "I'll throw an even more joyful party than last time, you have to come."
Due to the time difference, Martin had just entered Warner Bros. Studios: "Early November, remember to come to the 'Wanted Order' premiere, I won't notify you separately.
Leonardo first checked his schedule for the next month with his assistant, and then said, "No worries, I'll definitely come and cheer you on."
"Don't hang any banners!" Martin sternly reminded, "Absolutely no banners."
"How could I resort to such low-level tactics?" Leonardo said as if he'd never done such a thing.
Martin hung up and entered Warrant Order Studio.
Just as he walked through the door, he ran into Thomas and Daniel.
The latter, all smiles, called Martin into the office, saying, "The hero saves the beauty, and the beauty falls for her savior – you've played this card brilliantly, the internet response is terrific."
These prime-time soap opera love stories always had a market, not just on TV, but among ordinary people in reality as well.
Even the new film that Blake Lively was still preparing for had garnered much attention.
So many stars kept joining the bandwagon of hyping up their romances, because it was one of the easiest ways to achieve the promotional effect where 1 plus 1 is more than 2.
"Maintain good exposure with Blake, and go shopping together on Rodeo Avenue this weekend," Thomas said.
Martin nodded lightly, "We both don't have any issues with that."
Then Daniel put forth a concept, "When the film officially releases, could you and Blake take a further step?"
Thomas added, "They've already moved in together."
"Pick the right time and place, and Martin could make a public proposal to Blake," Daniel, who had seen the two's daily interactions, believed, "I think Blake won't refuse."
He was thinking long-term, "By the time the next movie is released, we could also hold an engagement ceremony."
Martin tactfully refused, "This pace is too fast for me, my thoughts and emotions can't keep up, and it can easily lead to problems. Let's talk about it later."
Daniel glanced at Thomas, and seeing that Thomas did not speak up to persuade him, he gave up the idea.
He went on to say, "For the regular promotion, the main events you'll need to attend are a few road shows, media and cinema manager screenings, and an interview with Warner Television Network."
Having had an unpleasant experience with Ellen's talk show last time, Thomas specifically added, "The interview is with Helen's program, the one you saved at Burbank Middle School. She became famous because of the incident at the school, and her talk show has very high ratings."
Martin replied, "Okay."
After discussing official business, Martin and Thomas left Warrant Order Studio.
Walking on the studio's sidewalk, Jessica came over to them, and the three walked together towards the cold drinks shop.
Jessica said, "Bradt just contacted me; he's willing to take on the adaptation of 'Dark Domain,' but he needs to study the novel carefully and talk in detail with the original author, Alan Green."
Martin slowed down a bit, "No problem, accompany him to meet Alan Green. Once I finish with 'Wanted Order' related work, I will also talk to Bradt about the adaptation."
"The upfront costs?" Jessica asked.
Martin answered directly, "Set up a completely new studio in the name of you or Mene, and route the costs through the studio's account. The novel also has a subtitle called 'Endless,' so let's name the project 'Endless,' same as the studio."
"I'll go and communicate this with Bradt right away," Jessica hurried off.
Martin entered the cold drinks shop and approached the counter, where he saw a familiar waitress and said, "Mia, I'll have a green tea and a coffee."
As Mia was ringing up the order, her phone rang. She quickly answered and after a few words, turned to her supervisor saying, "I have an important audition to go to."
The supervisor nodded, "Go ahead."
Mia stepped away, then specifically apologized to Martin, "There's a last-minute audition..."
"No problem," Martin waved off, and along with Thomas, carrying their drinks, sat down at a nearby table.
In Los Angeles, where everyone seems to be an actor, Martin had encountered such situations before.
Thomas, looking through the glass curtain wall at Mia leaving, said, "In the past, many Hollywood stars had similar beginnings." Continue your journey with m|v-l'-NovelBin.net
Martin picked up the conversation, "There are fewer now."
Thomas nodded lightly, "Hollywood has more and more actors like Blake these days."
Martin understood the implication, "Industry insiders, children of stars, they're naturally advantaged. It seems not only in the entertainment industry, but in other sectors as well."
"It's becoming more common," said Thomas, who came from a middle-class family and felt this keenly, "without a good family, you have to find a decent Godfather."
He took a sip of his coffee, "Like I mentioned to you before, Spielberg's godson got the lead role in 'Transformers'; that guy, despite his lack of fame, is known for causing trouble."
Martin asked, "What's the situation with Nolan?"
Thomas responded, "I met with Nolan's wife and business partner, Emma Thomas, and forwarded your information to her. They have a solid relationship and apparently don't have habits of infidelity, threesomes, or group activities, so I didn't send Mene."
Martin said, "The director for 'Infernal Affairs' auditions introduced a new project to Mene, and he's been busy with auditions recently."
Thomas added more sugar to his coffee, "Nolan's project is far from casting actors, and for now, that's all we can do. British people can sometimes be difficult to deal with, doing too much can be counterproductive."
Martin was well aware that Nolan was a director who preferred actors from the British Isles.
Perhaps even Australian actors are ranked ahead of American ones in his considerations.
Nolan was a long-term prospect, part of Martin's preparations for the future.
The next morning, Martin attended the recording of the Helen interview at Warner Television Network. Helen asked many sensitive questions, but she had previously discussed them with Martin and Thomas, so there were no surprises.
The recording went very smoothly, and Martin left the studio before 11 a.m.
Just as he reached the entrance, a black sedan suddenly stopped in front of him.
Bruce, who was following Martin, immediately pulled him behind and reached for the gun under his coat.
The driver's window rolled down to reveal Jolie's face, and she waved Martin over with a comforting gesture, "Busy man, can you get in the car? I've been waiting here for you all morning."
Martin climbed into the car.
As Jolie raised the window and stepped on the gas, she said, "I've booked a hotel." She emphasized, "I don't have any other intention, just a student wanting to thank her teacher simply."
Martin nodded slightly, "Let's go."
Jolie asked, "Aren't you going to call Blake?"
Martin didn't make a call but instead said, "You have quite a unique hobby!"
Instead of denying it, Jolie admitted, "I guess I developed this psychological quirk when I was 16, after I stole my mother's boyfriend."