King of Hollywood-Chapter 612 - 20 Two Choices

"Do you need me for something?" After knocking on the door, Charlize walked straight into the office, looking at Adrian, who sat behind his desk with an expression as calm as if nothing had happened before.

"Crow has left, so I think we can talk in detail," Adrian said with a smile as he stood up, motioning Charlize over. "How do you like the position of head of the planning department at ABC? The pay and benefits might be a little less than what you have now, but just a little, and there’s a lot of room for growth."

"You call the shots." Charlize shrugged, and then Adrian, mouth agape, waved his hands after waiting several minutes, "Just like that?"

"What do you think I should act like? Stare at you as if the whole world owes me and talk about being abandoned because I’m aging? Or kneel before you, clinging to your thighs, begging you not to let me leave?" Charlize’s tone was as flat and infuriating as ever.

Adrian couldn’t help but laugh silently, making gestures and not knowing what to say for a long time before finally sighing with a smile and stepping forward to embrace his female secretary in his arms. Although Charlize struggled, she was still pushed beside the desk.

After a few seconds of pause, Adrian continued, never blinking, "You should have a broader stage, you should stand where you can shine more brightly. I believe, even if you went into acting, you could win an Oscar for Best Actress even without my help. I can’t keep a pearl destined to dazzle forever hidden, it would be too selfish, understand?"

Charlize didn’t speak, but her chest rose and fell slightly, and her eyes were filled with an indescribable thrill.

"Don’t worry, don’t overthink it, you’ll definitely be up to the job, and then you’ll climb to the top, step by step," Adrian kissed her lightly, "I’ve prepared a very nice show for you."

After a long silence, Charlize finally exhaled, "If I leave, who can take over? You know, you’re not easy to serve, Ed. A new secretary must have enough patience, love, and capability. She not only needs to deal with a lot of work outside of the normal secretarial duties but also has to endure a series of your unreasonable demands, so we have to find someone trustworthy."

"I’ve thought about it, maybe not in detail, you might give me some advice," Adrian said with a smile, "First of all, you must train the newcomer for at least a month, don’t worry about ABC, I’ll have the deputy take charge for some time. And you’re right, the new secretary has to earn my trust, maybe not like you did, but at least half as much, so the hiring has to be very strict, and it doesn’t matter if it takes a long time, as long as quality and ability are assured. If we really can’t find someone, we’ll split the role into two, one work secretary and one life assistant. How about that?"

Adrian looked seriously at Charlize, and she looked back at him with equal seriousness. After a while, she suddenly pushed him away, "Well, at least there’s one thing I can be sure of now."

"Hmm?" Adrian blinked in confusion.

"You’ve got your eye on another woman, in fact, two," Charlize shrugged and left the office without looking back.

Adrian didn’t react for a while, bursting into a bitter smile only after he heard the door close, which then turned into a hearty laugh.

The aftershocks of the curtain-fallen acquisition were still ongoing, but Adrian, who had already decided on a few key issues, turned his attention elsewhere. As he had said to Claude, there were two movies to produce this year. "Winter’s Bone" was already completed, but now it was time to schedule another film, as well as post-production for "The Lord of the Rings," pre-production for "The Matrix," and a whole bunch of film and television production matters to attend to.

However, there were opportunities to relax.

"Ed!" Naomi opened Adrian’s hand, giving him a reproachful look, "I’m making breakfast!"

"Ed!" Naomi rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed as she called out again. The eggs in the pan were sizzling, she couldn’t be distracted, and... so she just let him do as he pleased.

"Now are you happy? No breakfast," said Naomi as she finally managed to break free and scraped two burnt fried eggs onto the plate, turning around with annoyance on her face.

"That really is a shame," said Adrian without a trace of regret on his face. Instead, he looked at Naomi with interest, "But even if there’s no breakfast, we can eat something else."

"What are you suggesting?" Naomi’s expression turned wary, but before she could finish speaking, she was hoisted up by Adrian and carried out.

"What are you doing! Put me down, Ed! You can’t do this to me!" Naomi twisted her waist, struggling, her fists pounding on his shoulder and back, all the while laughter spilling out.

Adrian, unconcerned, strode to the dining room and then firmly placed Naomi on the long table, pressing her down, "I’m about to start my breakfast, Nami."

But then, Naomi turned her head away with an odd expression, and as Adrian followed her gaze, Nicole stood at the entrance of the dining room, leaning on the door frame, looking at them with an amused yet not fully smiling face. Dressed in a white, semi-transparent camisole and panties, her look reminiscent of the one in "Eyes Wide Shut," made her seem especially enticing.

"Sorry if I’m intruding, I’ll leave right away." Facing their gazes, she shrugged naturally.

"No need," Adrian ceased his further teasing, stood up straight, and pulled Naomi up as well, "I thought you’d sleep in a bit longer; you were quite excited last night after all."

"Isn’t that what you wanted to see, Ed?" Nicole walked over, then gave Naomi an appraising look, "This outfit looks great on you, Nami."

Her tone was playful but not sarcastic, so Naomi simply raised an eyebrow without saying anything, whereas Adrian couldn’t help but grin, "Maybe you’d like to try it too."

"If there’s a suitable one..." Nicole had not finished speaking when Adrian magically retrieved a standard apron from the kitchen, only it was larger than Naomi’s, clearly prepared in advance.

Sitting at the long table, Naomi couldn’t help but snicker softly. Nicole glanced at her then shrugged indifferently, "If you want it."

Then, before both of them, she took off her tank top and underwear and put on the apron that Adrian handed her. Compared to the petite Naomi, the tall Nicole had a different charm.

Soon, a simple breakfast was ready. Although the two women maintained a delicate atmosphere, they were calm throughout, and if one were only to judge by their appearances, they would think the dining trio, one man and two women, was quite harmonious.

After taking a sip of coffee, Naomi sneakily glanced at Nicole and couldn’t help but think back to the conversation they had in private the night before, after being brought over by Adrian. The content wasn’t impressive; it was just catching up on the past, talking about various memories from their school days together in Australia. In the end, just before Nicole was ready to leave, she mentioned casually, "Looking back, all those silly things we did together... we succeeded, didn’t we?"

Clearly, she was hinting at something, suggesting... teaming up? Naomi had not been Adrian’s woman for long, but she deeply understood certain things, such as his having three daughters, or that his women always seemed to come in pairs around him. Nicole’s considerations were normal, after all, they had once been best friends.

Naomi felt conflicted. She admitted she really liked Adrian, not just because he had unhesitatingly helped her at her lowest point, offering his patronage, but his manner, conversation, charisma, understanding, and tenderness deeply attracted her. If he had no other women, he would be the perfect man. To be with such a perfect man, she was willing to pay any price.

But the world wasn’t perfect, and Adrian was too lecherous. Although he mostly respected his women... Therefore, Naomi planned simply to stay with him for a few years, then leave once the feelings faded, rendering Nicole’s overtures meaningless.

Naomi wasn’t surprised by Nicole’s behavior; she understood her. In their girlhood, Nicole had always been competitive. Becoming Mrs. Cruise had successfully ushered her into Hollywood, but she had often been labeled a trophy wife. Her involvement with Adrian had promptly brought her into the spotlight, and after the divorce, she even received her first Oscar nomination. As Adrian had consecutively hoisted his women to the Best Actress throne for two years, Nicole naturally knew where to cast her lot. But why had Naomi herself become so vehement, throwing herself into the fray recklessly?

"Naomi!" Adrian’s voice suddenly sounded close to her ear, startling Naomi.

"What is it?" she asked quickly.

"What are you thinking about? You were so lost in thought, I called you several times, and you didn’t respond," Adrian said, looking at her with concern.

"Um... nothing, just a trivial matter," Naomi replied with a smile, "What’s up?"

Adrian looked at her carefully, ensuring she was not unwell, before saying, "Nothing much. I just wanted to ask you about that script from before."

"The Invisible Man"? Sounds pretty good, at least the written part really sets up a terrifying atmosphere. But..." Naomi suddenly winked playfully, "Aren’t you worried about overloading me with so many movies in such a dense schedule?"

"Not at all. Some actors release five or six movies a year. One a year is actually quite relaxing," Adrian shook his head. "You’ve fallen behind, so you first need to build up your fame and commercial value before aiming for honors. Hmm, perhaps I should line up some different genres for you too. Sticking to only thrillers isn’t great; a mix of heartwarming and dramatic films, experimenting a bit here and there..."

Watching Adrian deep in thought, Naomi suddenly felt an indescribable emotion well up inside her, urging her to grasp onto him tightly.

"Oh, by the way," Adrian suddenly clapped his hands, "could you carve out some time in the next year or two to practice singing and dancing, Nami?"

"Singing and dancing?" Naomi was a bit puzzled.

"Yes. Or do you plan on having someone else dance and sing in your place in movies?" Adrian asked with a mischievous smile. "Think about Audrey Hepburn in ’My Fair Lady.’"

The implication behind his words said it all. Naomi involuntarily took a deep breath. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, excitedly wanting to refuse or say something to that effect. Nevertheless, in the end, the only word that came out was: "OK."

Naomi hadn’t realized that, under the deliberate and unintentional influence of Adrian, the way she thought about problems was also gradually changing. Of course, even if she had realized it now, she probably wouldn’t have wanted to change.

"Congratulations, Nami," Nicole said nonchalantly.

"Don’t think you can get away either, Nicole," Adrian turned to her, "you too."

"Me too?" Nicole was mildly surprised, but a flicker of joy crossed her eyes.

"Yes," Adrian said with a smile, "you have two choices. Spend an entire year practicing singing and dancing—every song must be performed by you personally. Although you have a nice voice, you still need systematic practice to sing beautifully. Every dance must be portrayed by you personally—it’s not ballet that requires relentless practice to maintain, but it’s certainly not easy. Or, if you’re in a dance-related movie, dedicate most of a year to practice."

He paused before adding, "As much as there are two choices, the outcomes are pretty similar. But there’s a catch, you have to give it your all, no reservations! I’ve said it before, Nicole, I plan to place the most gorgeous and beautiful you on the throne of the Best Actress, so I won’t allow any slip-ups when the time comes, understand?"

Nicole’s eyes lit up. Although Adrian was not entirely specific, she clearly understood the intent in his words, particularly thrilled by the phrase "I plan to place the most gorgeous and beautiful you on the throne of the Best Actress." She could almost see a tinge of jealousy in Naomi’s eyes. Even though Nicole wanted to ask whether a musical could charm the Oscar judges, she didn’t actually voice the question because sitting across from her was the man from Hollywood best known for creating miracles, and even she had a blind adoration for him in the deepest parts of her heart.

After taking a few deep breaths and having an intense internal battle, Nicole finally made her choice: "I choose the second option. I promise to put in my greatest effort to make it perfect!"

Adrian smiled slightly, "Then that’s settled." (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to vote and support it on Qidian. Your support is my biggest motivation.)

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