King of Hollywood-Chapter 60 - Fundraising Dinner (Part 1)
Chapter 60: Chapter 60 Fundraising Dinner (Part 1)
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Although Adrian spoke lightly, in reality, the situation was not optimistic. Emma was gradually improving and would continue to improve, but her attitude towards Adrian hadn’t changed much. Still, once Adrian left her for more than half an hour, she immediately became uneasy, terrified, and utterly lost.
“You’ve left too deep an impression on her. Added to that, her closest parents have already perished, coupled with the strong shock at that time, you’ve to some extent replaced the parental image in her heart. This will take a long time to overcome, and it requires your cooperation because Emma is indeed too young,” was Doctor Sean’s conclusion.
It was easy to imagine how frustrated Adrian was, though the videophone barely solved the post-production work of “The Shawshank Redemption,” it was a makeshift solution. Even if it could train the editors, the final result had to be decided by him.
There were many other things to tend to as well. According to reliable sources, Spielberg’s post-production work on “Hook” was almost complete. It was time to find an opportunity to discuss “Jurassic Park,” especially with the massive success of “Terminator 2″—although Cameron’s sequel, delayed by seven years, was still playing, everyone knew that a North American box office exceeding $200 million was a certainty, and the overseas box office would undoubtedly be worth anticipating.
It wasn’t that Spielberg needed to start preparations immediately; Adrian just wanted him to understand the enormous impact of CG in visual effects to prevent any deviations in “Jurassic Park,” although he knew Spielberg would surely see this.
Besides, the script for “Casper” needed following up, and a new film had to be scheduled. Adrian had once told Laverne that he would be launching one actor and one actress onto the Oscar stage in ’93 with three films, and get another nomination for Best Director, with guaranteed quality. Producing three films in a year and ensuring quality wouldn’t be possible without spending time and investing all his energy.
Moreover, he had the acquisition of Bossworth Film Company into AC Media to finalize. Adrian really did not have much time to linger in London. But Emma’s dependence on him was so strong. In a sense, Adrian seemed to have become her personal possession, forcing him to sneak around when getting intimate with Kate. If he left London and returned to Los Angeles, who knew what might happen.
Given these circumstances, he had to continue staying in London. Who let his butterfly wings stir up such a moderate storm? Emma’s grandparents were very happy to see this situation. They observed the little girl’s changes and did their best to provide convenience for Adrian. Besides, Kate had been with him all along.
Three more weeks passed, and entering August, this difficult situation finally began to change. By chance, Adrian and Kate went out for about two hours before returning. Although Emma staggered over to hug him as soon as they returned to the apartment, Mrs. Marson, who kept Emma company this whole time, stated that the little girl had not shown any other issues during their absence.
It was an encouraging discovery. Over the next few days, they conducted several tests. Essentially, Emma only reacted if Adrian was gone for more than three hours, and even then, the reaction wasn’t as intense as before. Therefore, Adrian began planning to return to Los Angeles; some things could no longer be delayed.
Old Watson couple did not object. That Adrian could leave anytime was a condition initially agreed upon, and accompanying Emma for so long in London had been considered more than sufficient. Unexpectedly, Doctor Sean also did not object. He thought Emma was recovering quite well, and Adrian’s appropriate departure could also benefit her.
Even so, he still needed to do what was necessary, like comforting the little girl and telling her he would be leaving temporarily, so she shouldn’t worry, and so on. These might be somewhat complex for a child not yet two years old. Emma might not understand what Adrian was trying to express, but she still sensed something. As he told her these words, she bit her lip and tightly gripped his arm, refusing to let go, her brown eyes making her look very vulnerable.
“Don’t worry, I’ll come back to see you very soon, I promise.” Adrian finally said, pinching the little girl’s cheek, “I’ll call you all the time, and I’ll be happy to hear your voice on the phone.”
“Promise?” Little Emma asked, using the latest word she learned.
“Yes, promise,” Adrian nodded solemnly, then cupped her chubby cheeks and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead.
On the afternoon of August 8, Adrian and Kate boarded a flight to Los Angeles from Heathrow Airport. Although Emma, held by her grandparents, didn’t make any inappropriate moves at the farewell, her eyes stayed on Adrian the entire time until he vanished at the boarding gate.
As Adrian returned to Los Angeles, things that had deviated began returning to their tracks. The film company seamlessly integrated into AC Media, retaining considerable independence. Naturally, Laverne became the uncontested CEO of the film company. Adrian didn’t meet with Spielberg again after getting a reply following a brief contact but instructed Laverne to make a plan for the preparations. Obviously, the start date wouldn’t surpass this year.
As for the script of “Casper,” frankly speaking, the screenwriters who hadn’t been with the film company long were quite capable, yet failed to grasp what Adrian had set in the outline. So, he pointed out several inappropriate areas and had them revise it. Since he had returned, supervising their modifications was rather simple.
Aside from this, the two most important tasks were the post-production of “The Shawshank Redemption” and the plans for a new movie. However, before that, there was one thing that needed to be handled first.
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“…In short, thank you all for coming. I believe that my partner and I will bring an inspiring change to the United States. You will see a different America. Well, I won’t say much more to avoid delaying everyone from filling out their checks,” said the charismatic middle-aged man with a square face and brown hair who liked to squint, speaking passionately and humorously, making the gentlemen and ladies at the scene applaud in laughter.
“What do you think?” Adrian asked softly, leaning close to Claude while watching the man on stage.
“Not bad, he’s skilled at delivering speeches, but it’s normal. If he couldn’t even speak, how could he run for president?” Claude shrugged, rubbed his chin, and then added, “But I’ve heard his private life isn’t great. While serving as governor in Arkansas, he allegedly had ambiguous relationships with several women behind his wife’s back.”
“It’s impossible to elect someone who is both capable and moral,” Adrian dismissed with a wave of his hand.
“Yes, but this can easily give Bush some advantage. You know, when attacking a politician, the best leverage is their private life. Even the most innocent person would have a headache if someone made a big deal about it, let alone someone who actually did it.” Claude remarked, looking at the person stepping down from the stage.
“If Clinton can’t resolve such attacks, he should probably just disband his campaign team immediately.” Adrian raised his hands and then looked at Claude with interest. “What’s this, you don’t have faith in him?”
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“No, the campaign has only just begun. He doesn’t have a clear advantage yet. Let’s see how he promotes himself next,” Claude said, clapping along with others for Clinton’s partner.
“What do you think about the concept of the information superhighway now?” Adrian changed the topic.Upd@te by novg0 .co
“It’s still just a concept. They haven’t explained it in detail, can’t say anything for sure,” Claude replied, but he immediately added, “Based on what we discussed that night, I consulted some relevant people. It’s just as you said; they can’t say for sure it will or won’t happen. You’re a genius, Ed.”
“Thank you for the compliment. Let’s wait and see, Crow.” Adrian shrugged.
Another round of applause erupted. The two men on stage finally concluded their speeches as the music started, and guests began to mingle freely after brief courtesies. This was a fundraising dinner organized by the Democratic Party for the election, and the presidential candidate, unsurprisingly, was Clinton. Claude specially got two invitations from his father and invited Adrian to join, the reason being, of course, to evaluate Clinton and his partner, Gore.
“What a boring banquet,” Claude said as he adjusted his bow tie, looking at the gentlemen and ladies dancing in the ballroom, “Attending without a date was surely a dumb choice.”
Though he had attended many such parties, he was, after all, still a young man; feeling bored was quite normal.
“You just didn’t want to bring one,” Adrian teased.
“I didn’t have the right one,” Claude said, suddenly remembering something, “Speaking of which, why didn’t you bring your girlfriend?”
“Kate isn’t suitable for such occasions; she’s still too young.” Adrian spread his hands.
“Too young?” Claude laughed, dropping the subject, glancing around before speaking again, “Well, it seems there’s nothing for us to do, let’s just write a random six-figure check and go back—or do you want to chat with Clinton for a while?”
“I don’t mind… wait!” Adrian’s gaze suddenly landed on a certain person nearby.
It was a white man in his thirties or forties, slightly bald at the forehead, with thinning hair and a circle of stubble, speaking at length with a few others, his narrow eyes shining with shrewdness behind his flat glasses.
“What? Are you interested in him?” Following Adrian’s gaze, Claude also noticed the man.
“Yes, he has what we want.” Adrian nodded in response.
“But this guy’s reputation isn’t great; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been ousted from the company he founded,” Claude reminded.
“No matter, as long as he can bring us benefits.” Adrian said as he stood up, “I’ll go meet him.”
(Continuing to ask for votes and collections~)
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