America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

The mahogany gift box was high-end, inciting anticipation for the treasures within.

Annie asked as well, "Can I open it now?"

Martin replied, "It now belongs to you."

"Tiffany? Or Patek Philippe? Or maybe a diamond the size of a pigeon's egg..."

Annie, full of expectation, opened the gift box to find two more beautifully crafted smaller boxes. She opened the smaller one first, where a pendant lay on black velvet, seeming to be fashioned from the polished fang of some animal.

Opening the other, she found a figure of a clown with a wide grinning mouth, clearly modeled after Martin.

Annie still had a smile on her face, but the disappointment within her surged like a gushing oil well, as she silently scorned, "Is this it? I'd rather have a golden doughnut!"

Martin explained, "These are trophies from a bay crocodile and a wild buffalo that I personally hunted while filming in Australia. I had a master carver specially make them for you."

Annie's prop necklace was made of real pearls, so his gift was indeed made of genuine bay crocodile teeth and wild buffalo horn ornaments: "That crocodile was over six meters long, a rarity you might not encounter even once in several years in Australia. The buffalo horn used for the carving, a rare pale blue corner horn, is even scarcer.

These are both unique in North America, absolutely one of a kind."

Upon hearing this, Annie felt some of her disappointment fade away, after all, these items were truly special, perhaps the only ones in the world.

She examined the clown sculpture more closely and noticed there were words on the bottom, asking, "Is the sculptor Lily Carter?"

Martin had received several clown statues in a parcel, and without giving them much thought, he had casually glanced over and stored them in a box.

When he picked one to give her, he'd chosen at random and had never really looked at their bases. Unexpectedly, that idiot Lily had actually left her name on it.

There was no way this could go wrong.

Martin reacted quickly enough, involuntarily creating a persona for Lily: "That Australian master sculptor is a woman named Lily Carter, with extremely exquisite skills, a top-tier artist. I went to Australia earlier this year, and I've only just received these artworks; just being in the queue took six months."

This fit with Annie's perception of art, where the work of top-tier artists can be considered first-class, even if it's just a banana taped to a wall with duct tape.

Annie tentatively said, "It's too valuable; I can't accept it."

"It didn't cost much," Martin said with seeming nonchalance, but his words took a timely turn, "It's just that I owe a rather large favor. When she comes to Los Angeles, I need to help her get introduced into Hollywood's elite social circles."

He pointed to the clown sculpture, "I've been quite busy with work recently and can't be with you every day, so I want it to keep you company and make you happy in my stead."

The favor was indeed significant, and Annie weighed it internally: "I'll accept it and keep it with me at all times."

At the same time, a voice inside her cried out: I'm not that highbrow, I would have been happy with a more common gift.

But she had set her stance and persona too high; she couldn't possibly voice that.

At least not at this stage.

Meanwhile, Laura stood beside Bruce, watching Annie and Martin sweetly exchanging gifts, and remarked, "They look so happy!"

Bruce casually responded, "They do seem very well matched."

"I remember you're Martin's agent?" Aware of her limits and unable to aspire for Martin, she thought his agent wasn't a bad choice and extended her hand, "My name's Laura, a minor actress planning to assist Annie."

Bruce shook her hand out of politeness, quickly glancing past Laura before replying indifferently, "Hello."

Laura, sensing his cool attitude, thought to herself that the only thing wrong with her was a slightly flat behind, otherwise she wasn't lacking in other aspects.

On the other side, Martin formally invited Annie, "Next weekend, there's a fan meeting and promotional event for the film where I play the absolute lead role—'The Hills Have Eyes.' The movie received high praise during an internal screening at Warner Bros."

Like a young man eager for the approval of his beloved, he said with hopefulness, "I want you to see the film first-hand, or at least some preview clips. Annie, would you go with me?"

Annie, even if she wanted to go, wouldn't agree immediately but pretended to hesitate, "Next weekend, my schedule..."

Martin quickly interjected, "A few of my friends will be there, the producer Wes Craven, director Alexander Aga, and several executives from Warner Bros. I was also thinking of introducing you to them. You told me last time that acting in this movie was to seek a transformation. Stepping out of Disney's circle should help you."

"Since you want me to go, I'll come," Annie replied as if making a sacrifice for him, "I'll call my agent today and have her cancel my plans for next weekend."

Martin clapped his hands enthusiastically, "That's great!"

Once filming resumed and Martin ended his set visit, he and Bruce left Paramount Pictures together.

After wrapping up for the day, Annie called her agent, Maha.

Maha suggested, "The movie you're currently shooting is aiming for the European film festival circuit to chase awards, so there will be a short-term gap in your work in North America. Since you've been seen with Martin, your exposure and media buzz have been good. I think it's quite necessary for you to attend. If Martin declares his affection for you, accept! Then, I'll talk with his agent."

Annie understood and seriously contemplated the matter.

......

On the way back to North Hollywood.

Bruce asked Martin, "Should I give Mene a call?"

Martin was surprised, "He's been busy lately managing the photo studios we rented for the workshop, what do you want to call him for?"

"To get back the fake diamond ring you gave him!" Bruce was not joking, "You can definitely use it when you propose to Annie. We can save a bit of money and not spend extra on a new one."

Martin gave a thumbs up, "Old Cloth, you've evolved again, learning to save money for your employer."

He shook his head, "No need, I'm not going to propose to Annie."

Bruce showed his teeth, "You're even worse than a jerk."

"As long as I don't propose first, I'm not a jerk," Martin reasoned confidently, and if there were a major in professional jerk behavior, he'd easily earn a Ph.D., "I'll wait for her to propose to me, to prove that she's the one chasing me, not the other way around..."

Bruce was sure that the lunatic in the passenger seat no longer planned on being human.

Martin said earnestly, "I have to be a good person and not recklessly make promises I can't keep. See, I'm so responsible."

Bruce thought of Annie's character, "You two should really be together, get married, hurt each other, and then write about your real experiences to make a family ethics drama."

Martin pondered, "Annie's current level isn't high, but spending more time with me will definitely improve it. With her character, it's not impossible she might stage a murder scene, hide away, and frame me for murder."

Bruce, who had spent time in England, asked, "Like how Agatha Christie dealt with her husband?"

Martin, who had read related stories and reports before, replied, "When a white lotus goes mad, it's pretty terrifying."

But Bruce reminded him, "Aren't you afraid Louise will go crazy?"

"Louise doesn't like tea. She loves her alcohol. Despite our seemingly great relationship, it's fundamentally transactional. Who knows how much feeling is really there," reasoned Martin, who was in good spirits because compared to most people in this industry, he considered himself lucky; the unspoken rules he dealt with were completely acceptable.

"Who do you think I give my monthly 'experience reports' to?"

Bruce spoke from experience, "Every industry is similar. Superiors demand more from their subordinates. The American soldiers stationed all around the world, female officers, and generals have so many untold stories."

Martin agreed, "Even being a scavenger isn't an easy job, they still need to..."

"Shut the hell up!" Bruce held the steering wheel with one hand and pushed his jacket aside with the other, "If you say one more word, I swear I'll blow your head off."

Martin backed off, "You've got a concealed carry permit, you're so great!"

He changed the subject, "Have you shot any scenes with Kim?"

Bruce explained, "Kim wanted me to shoot, but I didn't want to. She begged me to be the male lead. As long as I don't shoot, I can do whatever I want."

Martin saw a real jerk in action, "Old Cloth, take me as your apprentice. Compared to you, I fall way short. Seriously, with anyone, I can't do whatever I want."

"I'll teach you a trick," Bruce said, reaching into his pocket, intending to pull out Vaseline but instead pulled out a bottle of menthol oil.

Martin was surprised and asked, "You've used it?"

"Forgot about it in my suitcase when I came back from Mexico," Bruce put it away, "I'll go see Kim today, give it a try."

Martin reminded him, "Don't forget to record it, Old Cloth. When you're out of money, selling the tape will net you a fortune."

Before they returned to North Hollywood, Martin received a call from Robert Patrick, inviting him to have dinner at a restaurant in Sherman Oaks.

Patrick had helped him during the wax museum audition; Martin immediately headed over.

At an Italian restaurant, he met Patrick.

"There's an opportunity." Patrick had kept Martin in mind because of that special party, "My 360 Entertainment Company is preparing to get involved in a movie investment, produced by WME. Wrestling star John Cena is set as the male lead, and I'm playing the villain, the secondary antagonist. If you're interested, there's a role for the third male, the villain's right-hand man."

Martin, whose path differed from Patrick's frequent villainous roles, replied, "I might not have the schedule."

As Patrick meant well, Martin quickly clarified, "I have an action shootout film I'm planning right now, likely to start shooting next year."

Patrick asked, "Are you the male lead?"

Martin nodded, "I am the male lead."

Patrick understood and couldn't help but laugh, "Your rise is astoundingly fast. I remember when I came to Hollywood, it took me many years to gain even a bit of fame."

Martin laughed as well, "I laid some groundwork in Atlanta, and coming to Los Angeles, with the support of you, Wes, Aga, Zomi, and others, I managed to make progress."

Patrick advised, "If you can play a lead role, don't consider supporting roles. If possible, play a protagonist rather than a villain, unless the villain is special and on an equal footing with the protagonist."

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