King of Hollywood-Chapter 609 - 17: Closing In

As usual, the day after the Oscars, major media outlets began to comment on the list of winners and to cheer for those films and actors that were not selected. Of course, opinions on different awards varied. For example, with Best Picture, hardly anyone thought there was any problem with "American Beauty" getting the award. Although the film’s reception in the United States could not compare with works like "Forrest Gump," it was still considered first-rate and far surpassed the other four films.

Even most Europeans held this view, with only Italian media complaining. If last year’s "Life is Beautiful," being an Italian director’s work and with addresses from people like Spielberg, might have been subject to some discrimination, then why couldn’t "Malena," directed by Miracle Director Adrian Cowell, with its exceptional quality, win Best Picture?

Of course, such complaints were meaningless.

Although there were disagreements about Best Actor, Kevin Spacey’s performance was recognized by most, so those minor controversies could be disregarded. Therefore, the most debated was Best Actress—Nicole, Streep, Moore, and Swank—each had advocates pleading on their behalf. Journalists and writers would analyze from various angles to argue that they, too, should have won Best Actress and to question Monica’s win.

Despite this, Adrian told Monica not to take these too seriously. First, many people sympathized with those who didn’t win, but there were also many who supported Monica, and most film critics thought her performance in "Malena" fully deserved an Oscar statuette; second, the dissenters’ attacks were too scattered, comparing each non-winner would actually pose less of a threat.

This wasn’t surprising, as Swank was considered a contender in the previous life, but her win for Best Actress was a complete upset, so there was no need to worry about a large group of people coming together to advocate for any one of them. Besides, the heavy artillery hadn’t been used yet—once they were labeled with regional discrimination, these guys would immediately start distancing themselves. Don’t forget the power Adrian holds in his hands.

Moreover, many were focusing on other things, such as the New York Post publishing a headline like this: Another Miracle Girl crowned!

"Don’t forget that just last year, Kate Blanchett was propelled to the throne of Oscar-winning actress by the Miracle Director, and perhaps we will see miracle girls winning Best Actress one after the other in the near future." After reviewing Monica’s acting career and analyzing the gains and losses of the tired topic of "Malena," the tabloid concluded by detailing her scandal with Adrian and various matters related to the Miracle Girl.

It seemed ordinary, yet between the lines, it subtly hinted that being a Miracle Girl might be a good way to win an Oscar for Best Actress. Of course, such implications were not very obvious, relying on readers to understand—just like many people who discuss this year’s Oscars Best Actress never mention topics like behind-the-scenes manipulation. If "Malena" was simply a Miramax distribution, the Weinstein brothers would undoubtedly be criticized, but everyone knew who stood behind Monica, even if his enterprise was currently having minor issues.

"Their vision is a bit narrow," Adrian commented to Claude when discussing what Donald Newhouse said at the Vanity Fair party that night, "Do they think this will make us grateful?"

Even though the collaboration with the Newhouse Group was going well, the extent of involvement was not considerable; the old media group always carried a sense of pride and reserve. In this regard, they were not as good as the Hearst Group, which, after perceiving the huge profits in cable television, promptly began further cooperation with AC Media. Although their partnership with AC Media was not as long-standing as the Newhouse Group, it was much deeper, as could be seen by AC Media’s ability to use the San Francisco Chronicle to create momentum for the Oscars.

The Hearst Group’s decision was very correct, among other things, under Adrian’s planning or suggestion; their collaboration with ABC on a cable channel specifically for female users won many subscribers, and the upcoming "Project Runway" was planned to be broadcast on this channel later in the year. Around the Millennium, with the accelerated development of cable television, the Newhouse Group finally realized its profit potential and finally decided to have a share of the pie. Unfortunately, after being politely declined by AC Media at first, they turned to the Hearst Group, leaving Little Samuel Newhouse frustrated by the missed strategy.

Conveniently, in the past month, AC Media had been mired in the acquisition case of a record company, and helping them now would likely smooth future collaborations. Hence came the act Donna Newhouse exhibited at the Vanity Fair party—everyone knew, while Adrian was not responsible for specific affairs, he had considerable influence, and convincing him meant half the success.

"You can’t expect everyone to have the long-term vision that you have, Ed," Claude replied to his comment, a tease but genuinely meant.

Adrian’s initial predictions mostly came true, and the simple act of concealing profits from the IT bubble had now become their not only unique but biggest trump card. Thus, regarding the goodwill from the Newhouse Group, Claude delayed making a stand, as everything would become clear in another week’s time. Of course, there was something to do before that, and it had to be done by Adrian.

"Sorry, Pene, I can’t accompany you today, a lot has happened at the company recently, it all seems under control on the surface, but the situation isn’t very good internally, and there’s...," Adrian leaned on the table, pinching his temples, "damn it, I shouldn’t be telling you this."

"It’s okay, Ed, everything will be all right," Penelope whispered as she hugged Adrian from behind, nibbling at his ear while her full softness gently rubbed against his back.

"Yes, it will be all right," Adrian turned his head and smiled, then kissed her again.

"I’m leaving now," said Penelope.

"Wait for me to return from Kansas, and we can spend some quality time together," Adrian nodded, "Oh, and could you please call Charli in for me? And give this to Claude’s secretary."

He handed over a file folder to her as he spoke.

"Alright," Penelope hesitated but took it, gave him a smile, and turned to leave.

Adrian narrowed his eyes as he watched her retreating figure, the corners of his mouth curving up without a trace of a smile, soon returning to his previous expression.

After the Oscars, with all the buzz around the award list and a series of events following one after another, even Julia was getting restless, asking Adrian when he planned to start shooting the script she held.

"Don’t worry, it won’t be later than this month, Julia. You must have read the script many times by now, and it’s great, isn’t it?" Adrian soothed her with a smile, "So, I think you should focus your energy on the script and the character. For instance, have more interactions with Erin Brockovich. As long as you’re in top form, I can finish the shooting within six weeks."

"Okay, okay, you’re saying that the speed of the movie’s production depends on the actors, not the director, right Mr. Miracle Director?" Julia rolled her eyes.

"That’s right, my dear, that’s exactly my style," Adrian laughed heartily.

Regardless of how many things there were, nothing could stop Adrian from returning to Kansas. The delay due to the record company and the Oscar ceremony had taken slightly longer than expected, and "Winter’s Bone" couldn’t be postponed any further. Though the investment wasn’t huge, a mere $3 million, it was not good to waste regardless. Moreover, $3 million now was more valuable than $3 million ten years later.

Luckily, Natalie, who could have attended the award ceremony, had given up the opportunity to return to Boston and devoted her time to her studies instead. Maybe she just didn’t want to be bossed around by Adrian—who knew? As a result, Natalie was in fairly good shape. Although she was a bit uncomfortable at the start, she recovered after a few NGs, and within half a day she was back to her initial level of performance; it was evident she was really committed.

There was no need to speak of Hakes; he was almost acting as his true self, only needing minor adjustments to return to his previous level. Plus, with the film’s scenes and plot being uncomplicated, and the production focusing on the actors’ performances, it took just over a week (five working days) and an additional three days to officially wrap up "Winter’s Bone."

The crew had been assembled very discreetly, and they disbanded just as quietly, so there was no need for any deep cover-ups.

In a luxurious suite of a Kansas hotel, a young naked girl crawled on the carpet, a thick pillow placed on her to rest her elbows and prop up her body. The man’s hands were on her slender waist, rhythmically yet intensely thrusting from behind. The fine beads of sweat, the shaking frequency, and the wrinkled carpet revealed the fierceness of their engagement.

Natalie shook her head, moaning. Moaning was all she could do, with her overheated body leaving her no time to think. Finally, after an advance from Adrian that seemed to hit a threshold, the girl suddenly threw back her head and screamed, tensing her body and constantly shaking her clinging buttocks. It lasted what seemed like ages until she collapsed, limp and out of strength, on the floor.

"Your body finally seems to have put on some extra fat since the last time, becoming more shapely; it looks like you did follow my instructions?" Adrian said in a satisfied tone, comforting Natalie in his arms.

The girl, whose eyes were still somewhat hazy, turned away, seemingly unwilling to meet his gaze, but her chest continued to heave, still savoring the aftertaste of reaching the peak. Adrian, kissing her shoulder and neck, flashed an understanding smile; he knew this would be the outcome. So-called strict vegetarians only stick with it when they need to, and Natalie was never one to be stubborn to a fault.

"I guess you must be feeling conflicted now. On the one hand, you’re once again surprised by my strength, with a Miracle Girl becoming an Oscar-winning actress; on the other, you’re secretly taking pleasure in the failure I’m about to suffer, which you would know if you paid a little attention to business news, as AC Media is currently in trouble," Adrian whispered in her ear.

"No..." Natalie, with her eyes closed, shook her head slightly.

"You can’t fool me, Nata; your body has already told the truth," Adrian laughed, after taking off his raincoat and putting on a new one, then once again increasing the intensity of his caresses.

"Wait, you can’t..." Natalie tried to stop him, but in the end, he lifted her from behind and sat down on the chair.

"Isn’t this quite fitting? We’ve been like this before, except I’ve never been fully satisfied," Adrian said as he lifted one of her legs onto the armrest, "So now it’s time for a change. You see, you did well last time too. Don’t worry, the night is still young, we have plenty of time, you’ll like this, Nata. Now let’s try a new position."

He lifted her little buttocks slowly down, and when the empty and moist spot was filled, Natalie let out a moan mixed with timidity and pleasure.

That’s how it was, patiently touching her boundaries bit by bit, pushing the line lower and lower. Perhaps the results were not significant, and sometimes there were no results at all. At the very least, Natalie never swore during sex, which is quite provocative when a lady does so in bed. However, it was no matter, some things were just a matter of time; Kate Blanchett now could slap her own behind and cry out vulgarly "fuck ass" to Adrian, let alone Natalie.

Anyway, there were many more such training sessions to come. For now, back to another matter; after "Winter’s Bone" successfully wrapped up, Adrian immediately rushed back to Los Angeles. Even though he was in Kansas, he had always kept an eye on the acquisition and anti-takeover affairs, and within just over a week, Charlize had come over three or four times.

From the outside, AC Media seemed caught in a continuous struggle, not wanting to give up on Universal Music, fighting hard against Sony Records’ acquisition, nor relinquishing MCM Records, going all out to acquire Universal Music. They were stuck in a dilemma, seemingly unwilling to decide, clearly making a significant mistake in their decision-making.

Numerous media outlets issued various forms of mockery, such as "Even if they win Universal Music, they lose their foundation," or "Holding onto MCM Records can’t make up for the loss incurred by the acquisition of Universal Music," and "Continuing like this will only lead to a total loss." Many were waiting eagerly to see the drama unfold, and Adrian wasn’t wrong about Natalie taking secret pleasure; AC Media had never suffered such a big loss since its establishment.

Especially after the fourth negotiation when the news came that MCM Records CEO Ryan Ferguson was leaning towards Sony Records, the acquisition of MCM seemed a foregone conclusion. Of course, no one knew that when Adrian returned to Los Angeles from Kansas, the moment he landed he called Claude, "It’s time to close the net."

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Washing her face with cold water, Penelope held her forehead and moaned, then took a few painkillers from behind the mirror in the bathroom. Recently, her head was always in mild pain, annoying and unsettling her, forcing her to rely on medication to feel better.

Penelope knew why her head hurt; she was beginning to regret it. Why would she have been bewitched to agree to him? Even if she hadn’t left immediately, she could have let Thomas Mottola spread the word; would Adrian really blame her for something she hadn’t done? If it got to be too much, she could have just left straight away, so why make things so complicated?

Furthermore, she could immediately inform Adrian, which might make her more valued instead. Whenever she thought of Monica Bellucci, who had just won the Best Actress at the Oscars, a sense of dejection would overwhelm Penelope. She was certainly not stupid, and had previously weighed pros and cons; why, then, had she been so muddled about this matter? Moreover, she was getting deeper into it...

The way Adrian’s beautiful secretary looked at her – that disdainful, pitying, mocking gaze – would give Penelope a sense of inexplicable restlessness and anxiety. Sometimes, it even scared her, to the point where she felt an impulse to slap the woman’s face. Thankfully, Adrian hadn’t changed his behavior towards her, otherwise, she really wouldn’t know what to do.

"It’s nothing, it will be over soon, today they are signing the contract, and then I won’t be involved anymore, then I can reap the benefits," Penelope took a deep breath and said this to her reflection in the mirror.

Just then, the phone suddenly rang. Penelope tidied herself up and went to answer it. To her surprise, the voice on the other end was unexpected: "Ed?"

"Yes, it’s me, are you up yet, Pepe?" Adrian’s voice sounded cheerful.

"Uh... yes, is there something you need?" Penelope steadied her emotions.

"I’ll be at your doorstep in ten minutes. Hurry up and get ready, I have a surprise for you." novelbuddy-cσ๓

"A surprise?"

"Yes, quickly."

Without waiting for her response, Adrian hung up the phone. Penelope, holding the receiver, was stupefied for several seconds before coming to her senses. Although she felt a vague uneasiness, she still got ready as instructed. She put on a decent black dress and applied some light makeup. The doorbell then rang.

"You’re still as sexy and charming as ever, Pepe." After Penelope came out, Adrian, dressed in a suit and tie, smiled and said, two cars parked on the side of the road, with a driver sitting in the cockpit, very formal.

"What’s the occasion?" Penelope maintained her usual smile.

"Get in the car, you’ll find out soon enough." Adrian said, taking her arm and moving towards the car.

"Wait, Ed, you have to tell me something specific, don’t you? And, I haven’t had breakfast yet?" Penelope began to feel uneasy.

"Simply put, I want to take you to witness a miracle happening." Adrian did not stop his steps and gestured to the bodyguard in the car behind him, calling out loudly: "Colin, get some simple breakfast that can fill the stomach."

"I’d rather stay home, Ed..." Penelope said with a forced smile, feeling a slight pain on her elbow, which was tightly gripped by Adrian.

"Come on, Pepe, stop dawdling, we don’t have much time," Adrian said casually as he opened the car door and pushed her in. (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to vote for it, subscribe to it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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