America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

The Volkswagen sedan whooshed down the road and turned into the southern slope area of Sherman Oaks, where Martin slowed the car down a bit. Ahead, a girl walking a golden retriever was waving at him.

Elizabeth Olsen had spotted Martin's car from afar.

Martin's car came to a stop by the side of the road, and he rolled down the passenger-side window, "Need a ride?"

Elizabeth shook her head with a smile. "I wanted to thank you. When I woke up from my nap that day, I didn't see you again."

"No worries," Martin waved his hand, "I've got something to do, so I'll head off first."

The golden retriever suddenly started barking at the car.

Martin sped off.

Elizabeth held onto the dog, waving at the departing car.

Martin's car arrived in front of Louise's house. The automatic gate opened, and he drove onto the open space beside the villa.

Mary was waiting at the door, a flash of relief in her eyes when she saw Martin rushing over.

Martin asked, "Where is she?"

Mary pointed inside, "Still drinking, I can't stop her."

Martin nodded slightly, glanced at Mary as he walked past her, and hurried into the villa.

Louise was in a fitted dark business suit and wearing black-rimmed glasses, lying on the bar counter, pouring her own drinks.

After she finished one drink, she reached for the bottle again, but a large hand pressed down on hers.

Martin looked at the empty large and small bottle next to her and said, "Stop drinking."

Louise let out a hiccup and tugged at Martin's clothes to pull him closer, "You came at the right time, keep me company and have a drink."

Martin picked up the bottle, went around the bar, stepped inside, took out two new glasses, unscrewed a bottle of mineral water, and poured it into the glasses.

Louise propped her chin with one hand on the bar counter, watching Martin, "Why did you come?"

"Mary called me," Martin placed a glass of water in front of Louise, "I was worried something might happen to you."

Louise picked up the glass, didn't smell any alcohol, and put it down, "You bastard, I'm really going bankrupt."

Martin repeated his old saying, "If you go bankrupt, I'll support you."

In the past, Louise took it as a joke, but now, when Martin said it, she actually found herself doubting.

Martin drank a glass of water.

"I want to drink; without alcohol, I feel terrible," Louise pushed the glass of water back to him, half-joking, "Do you know how many investors have called me since morning, asking to end our collaboration? Fifteen! Do you know what that means?"

Martin didn't reach for the alcohol, asked softly, "A single failure, and you're knocked down? That's not the female drinker I know."

He pulled over a chair, sat across from Louise, "Could things be worse than when I was in Atlanta? A lousy guy from the slums who ends up with a million-dollar net worth – you can rebuild, it can't be harder than what I endured back then, right?"

Louise stared at Martin, "People always chase success."

Martin replied, "And some, like me, cherish friendships."

Louise suddenly started laughing, so much that she lay on the table. Although she felt utterly dejected today, Kelly and Martin had managed to cheer her up a bit.

When times are tough, even a sliver of sunshine feels exceptionally bright.

Martin pushed the glass of water back to her, "Drink some water to sober up."

"Carry me upstairs," Louise opened her arms directly.

Martin walked over, picked up Louise, and carried her upstairs.

Louise, leaning on his shoulder, suddenly let out a hiccup.

Martin got a shock and said, "Wait till we get upstairs, then you can throw up in the bathroom."

But Louise whispered in his ear, "Don't worry, I might get seasick or carsick now and then, but I never get airsick."

What do you do when you're down? You take a liberating flight.

Before, Louise thought Martin was both handsome and useful, now she found him even more attractive and useful.

...

Century City, Starbucks.

Thomas was waiting for his target.

Ron Amos, the top assistant to Graham King, Martin Scorsese's go-to producer.

Thomas, his schoolmate, had known him for many years and had kept in touch ever since he learned Amos had become Graham's assistant.

Ron pulled back a chair and sat opposite Thomas, asking, "So urgent?"

Thomas said, "Martin Scorsese's project, who knows how many people are eyeing it." He asked, "Is there any more specific news?"

"I attended a meeting with Graham this morning, with two writers and a director from Harbor City." Ron opened his briefcase and took out a box of discs: "This film is super hot in East Asia. Director Scorsese is very interested and plans to adapt it for the American market."

Thomas took it, the disc was titled "Infernal Affairs," a crime thriller theme.

Ron continued, "The story will be set in Boston, focusing on gangsters, Scorsese's forte. The main characters are two undercover agents, one from the Irish mob infiltrating the police and another from the police going undercover in the Irish mob. The latter is the absolute protagonist, with Leonardo confirmed for the role."

Thomas immediately zoomed in on the former undercover: "Would the male supporting role be suitable for my client?"

"First, he has to have outstanding acting skills," Ron stated plainly. "Secondly, he needs a certain level of fame. In recent years, Scorsese's casts have rarely included unknown newcomers; he prefers to work with established actors."

He went on directly, "No offense, but your client Martin Davis doesn't have enough fame. For a Scorsese project, as soon as the word gets out, there's no shortage of star actors."

Thomas knew this, but there weren't many near A-level projects with which he genuinely had connections. Scorsese's project would not only boost careers but also expand Martin's range of roles and types of characters.

Similarly, the competition would be very fierce.

"Martin has a new film coming out after the New Year, a horror thriller by Craven, which should significantly boost his fame." Thomas felt it was far from enough. "Ron, you've worked on 'Gangs of New York' and 'The Aviator' and are familiar with Director Scorsese's crew operations. If Martin wants to compete for a significant supporting role, is there any way to increase his chances of winning?"

Ron mentioned the simplest and most direct method: "As long as his acting is up to par, and he can bring funding into the group, or secure support from major investors or producers, his chance of winning naturally increases. The investment in Scorsese's gangster movies is high, with returns... actually not that high in terms of investment-return ratio.

The profits mainly come from long-term operations and there's considerable investment pressure. Facing substantial investment, even artists have to compromise."

Thomas asked, "Is this how Leonardo established a long-term collaboration with Scorsese?"

Ron nodded: "The global influence of 'Titanic' was too great. It completely changed Leonardo's career trajectory. There's a lot of overseas capital willing to invest in Leonardo; he is always able to easily secure tens of millions of dollars in funding. Plus, he has a strong draw power himself. What director wouldn't like such a leading man?"

Thomas frowned: "Tens of millions of dollars in investment?"

"At least, but don't forget the precondition: the acting has to pass muster." Ron chuckled as he spoke: "Look at me, I almost forgot the simplest way. As long as you can deal with Graham, Scorsese, or Leonardo, everything's okay!"

Thomas realized the difficulty was anything but trivial. Scorsese wasn't a WMA client, and although Ari Emanuel had tried several times to poach him, he had not succeeded.

He asked, "Don't you have a say?"

"In the crew, at best, I'm an assistant producer and a deputy director." Ron was well aware of his limitations: "If it's a minor role, I can guarantee there's no problem, but for the top ten roles, I don't have a say.

Thinking about how Martin had not abandoned him despite facing a prime A-level production by director Ridley Scott, Thomas grew determined: "Among those three, who likes men? I'll go find him!"

Having seen Martin's footage, Ron knew he was handsome and in great shape. He said, "You want your client to...?"

Thomas shook his head: "No, it's me! I'll take care of it personally!"

Ron looked at Thomas's receding hairline and shiny forehead and commented, "Don't joke. At that level of investment, it can't be sorted out by just selling your body."

For the first time, Thomas felt utterly useless.

Ron reminded him, "The script hasn't started being written yet, and the crew won't be recruiting actors publicly in the short term. Not many people know about it yet, so act early, or it'll be too late and there won't be any chance at all."

After ending the meeting with Ron, Thomas rushed off to his next engagement, inviting a production executive from Warner Bros. for lunch.

From the executive, he received confirmed news that Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston's Plan B Entertainment had reached an agreement with Warner Bros. to invest in Scorsese's new project, with an investment amount second only to Warner Bros. and Leonardo's Appian Way Productions.

Thomas was running around like crazy, short of going out and selling himself.

There was still hope if he fought for it.

If he didn't take the initiative, there was no chance at all.

...

Meanwhile, in a luxurious villa in Sherman Oaks.

Martin was soundly asleep on Louise's voluptuous chest, his breath tickling her and waking her up from her sleep.

With Louise moving, Martin also woke up.

He checked the time and said, "Let's go out to eat."

Louise was too lazy to move: "I'll have the kitchen prepare something."

Martin teasingly said, "You're bankrupt, and I have to support you, so let's eat out."

"You really know how to kill the mood. I just got rid of the company's troubles," Louise complained. "It's just some investors ended our cooperation, bankruptcy is an overstatement."

Martin remembered the project Thomas had mentioned, half-serious and half-joking: "I was actually thinking about coming up with some new formulas to cheer you up, hoping to help me land a good role in Martin Scorsese's project."

Louise sighed deeply, "No hope now, I can't afford to play at that level at the moment."

Martin lifted his head, gave her a long kiss, then said, "Then let's do well with the 'Wanted Order' project, it could help you recover some losses."

But Louise had other thoughts: "How about taking a vacation over the New Year, let's go to Harbor City and Southeast Asia."

Martin thought of a possibility: "Are you going to seek investment overseas?"

"The International Bartenders Association's headquarters is in Harbor City, there's an event then," Louise vaguely mentioned. "My father once did business in the Philippines and Malaysia, and there are quite a few rich people there willing to invest in North America."

Martin got the picture: "Step outside 'Alexander the Great's biggest influence in North America."