America: Child stars start with The Shining

Chapter 91 The Donkey Party's Intervention

The private rooms on the second floor are basically reserved for important figures or politicians who don't want to appear in public.

In this era, those who can appear in such places are either rich or powerful.

This private box is usually used to receive VIPs of the theater. There is a dark red carpet at the entrance and several promotional posters for old plays hanging on the wall.

The staff member knocked gently on the door, and a voice quickly came from inside: "Please come in."

The staff member pushed open the door and glanced at Charles.

Charles nodded and slowly walked inside.

The lighting inside the private room was significantly brighter than in the backstage area, and the layout was also very sophisticated.

A man in his forties was sitting on a sofa not far away. He was wearing a dark blue suit and a neatly tied tie, and his face was already quite wrinkled.

When the other person saw Charles walk in, he immediately stood up, extended his hand to him, and wore a perfectly timed smile.

"Mr. Charles, tonight's performance was wonderful. Your acting was superb. I couldn't help but applaud for you several times during the performance."

"Let me introduce myself first. I am Matthew Grant, a staff member of President Carter."

As expected, the visitors were up to no good.

In fact, on his way here, Charles had already guessed who was looking for him.

Once you know the other party is a member of the Donald Party, who else could it be?

Isn't that all that's left—the Democratic candidate who's already overwhelmed by Reagan's campaign, and the incumbent president?

Jimmy Carter.

Moreover, the reason why the other party would contact him at this time is quite obvious.

Charles shook hands with him and simply replied, "Thank you for your compliment."

Matthew Grant seemed very pleased with his attitude and continued with a smile, "Please forgive me for bothering you at this time. I know you have just finished an extremely tiring performance, and I shouldn't have called you out at this time."

Charles did not respond immediately, but simply looked at the other person with a very calm expression.

These kinds of polite words are just for show. If there's really nothing important, why would they bother to call him into such a private room with such good privacy?

These politicians, who have risen through the ranks in Washington, love to say things they don't mean, and who knows what they might do behind the scenes.

Matthew Grant didn't seem to mind and continued, "Mr. Charles, I'll get to the point. Your 'juvenile liberation act' has been used by Reagan for propaganda purposes all this time."

"Of course, we don't care what your relationship with him is; it's not important to us."

As Matthew Grant spoke, he walked to a corner of the sofa, picked up a suitcase, and placed it in front of Ciel.

"As long as you cooperate with us and make an appearance in front of the media, this box of things is yours."

"Besides, I know about your conflict with Sinclair Oil Company. Don't worry, as long as we step in, these are just minor issues."

"How is it? How is it?"

Charles glanced down at the briefcase in front of him, but did not immediately reach out to touch it.

He stood quietly in place, and the atmosphere in the private room suddenly became quiet at that moment.

This place is clearly frequently used by the other party for such blatant bribery, so they make no attempt to hide it, because no one will ever discover it.

This place is very secluded.

That's why they chose this particular time to call Charles here.

The goal was to use the Charles card to attack their competitors.

The Democratic candidate clearly did not want to watch Reagan's recent momentum grow stronger and stronger, jeopardizing his re-election.

This was something he had been preparing for many years, so he wouldn't let that actor-politician who made his fortune in Hollywood interfere.

However..

Ciel's lips curled up almost imperceptibly.

If it were someone else, they might actually accept this gift with a price after weighing the pros and cons.

After all, as a child star in Hollywood, he didn't really have much of a choice when faced with this kind of situation.

However, Charles knew perfectly well what the final outcome of this struggle would be.

In fact, he had been waiting for the Donkey Party members to come knocking on his door.

He had been waiting for this day for a long time.

Matthew Grant looked at the Ciel, still smiling.

It was as if he himself had just proposed not some shady deal, but simply an ordinary business collaboration.

But the more this was the case, the clearer Charles became that the other party did not treat him as an equal negotiating partner at all.

In Matthew Grant's eyes, he was just a child star who had just gained some fame.

A child who suddenly makes a little money and is put on the media spotlight, but has never really seen what the upper class is like.

Therefore, they didn't even bother with the most basic probing and simply laid out their chips.

Charles was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Matthew, I can't accept this under any circumstances. I'm just an ordinary actor and have no desire to get involved in this kind of thing."

Matthew Grant seemed to have anticipated this reaction, and said with a smile, "Mr. Charles, don't be nervous, these are just ways to express our sincerity."

"You are currently in the rising phase of your career, and you need money, resources, and some people who can truly protect you."

""

"Although Reagan's side seems to be making a lot of noise right now, they haven't really taken their place in Washington, D.C."

He paused for a moment, his tone becoming more meaningful.

"And we, the Donkey Party, still hold the reins of power."

This statement went beyond mere appeasement; it even carried a subtle threat.

Charles looked at him, and the expression on his face gradually calmed down.

Then, without saying much, he simply apologized, making sure to save face, before slowly turning around and leaving the private room.

Behind him, Matthew Grant squinted and looked down at the suitcase.

After leaving the private box, Charles returned to the backstage area.

By this time, the place had quieted down considerably. The actors had all gone to the dressing room to change out of their costumes, and it was getting late; the theater was about to close.

Of course, there is actually a second half tonight, which is a celebration banquet to mark the successful completion of the premiere.

Although there are still several tour shows to go, the celebration banquet is something that depends on everyone's mood.

Director Clara was clearly in a very good mood tonight, and with a wave of her hand, she informed everyone.

As the male protagonist, Ciel naturally needs to attend.

But before that, there was one more thing he had to do.

He found a theater staff member, got a landline phone, dialed a number, and then called.