America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 140 What must be seized must be seized

On the villa's terrace, Louise, dressed in a figure-hugging silk casual outfit, sat at a small dining table, enjoying a steak dinner with Martin.

Martin cut off a piece of roast meat, put it in his mouth, and said, "The chef's skills are excellent, and the meat is very good too."

Louise ate in small bites, swallowing the food in her mouth: "Italian quinoa steak. I know you like meat, so I specially called a chef over."

Martin savored the delicious meat: "I really don't know how to thank you."

Louise didn't eat much. She picked up a napkin to wipe her mouth and said bluntly, "Didn't you bring me a souvenir?"

Martin reached into his pocket, clenched his fist, and held it out to Louise.

Louise looked on with anticipation.

Martin loosened his grip, and a pendant fell down, with a polished, white, and smooth crocodile tooth hanging from the cord.

Louise was so angry she wanted to hit someone: "You gave me a ride once already."

"It's different. Last time it was an Australian saltwater crocodile," Martin declared confidently. "This time it's a Morerell alligator."

Louise picked up her glass, stared at Martin, and looked as if she were about to throw it in his face.

Martin stopped teasing her, took back the pendant, pulled out a notepad, and pushed it to Louise: "There's only one for now." He then pulled out a small totem pole: "The Mayan lucky totem."

Louise simply took the notepad, glanced at it, and beamed: "Martin Davis, you've paid back a small portion of the debt you owe me."

"Can I pay it all back tonight?" Martin said seriously. "One-on-one, I guarantee I can pay it all back."

"Get out of here." Louise ignored him and began studying the new formula Martin had given her.

Martin decided not to disturb the international bartender for the time being and continued enjoying his dinner.

As darkness fell completely, Martin finished his dinner and picked up a damp towel to wipe his hands. At that moment, lights came on outside another villa across the street, and he could vaguely see someone walking into the tennis court.

From a distance, I couldn't hear any sounds, only see blurry figures.

Louise put away her notepad, glanced back, and said, "You've heard of my neighbors, the Olsen family, Ashley Olsen and Mary Olsen, right? This is the house they bought."

Martin looked away. "The famous Olsen twins, of course I've heard of them." He asked, "I saw in the gossip media that they have a younger sister?"

Louise nodded: "Elizabeth is in high school."

Martin stood up: "Let's not talk about them anymore, shall we go downstairs?"

Louise came over, took Martin's hand, and led him downstairs.

Martin asked, "I saw in the Screen Actors Guild's bylaws that anyone who plays a supporting role of a certain size is entitled to a share of the film's post-production revenue each year?"

Louise simply stated, "This is the treatment under the agreement between the Screen Actors Guild and the Producers Alliance. Even without signing a revenue-sharing agreement with the production team, members of the guild will still enjoy the post-production revenue stipulated in the agreement as long as their roles meet the requirements. The percentage is very low, but the post-production copyright revenue is astonishing. To put it simply, last year the North American box office was less than 10 billion, but the copyright revenue exceeded 100 billion."

She added, "Do you know who won her over first? It was Reagan when he was president of the Screen Actors Guild, the same guy who was almost killed by Jodie Foster's admirers."

Martin said, "Among actors who transitioned to politics, Reagan and Schwarzenegger were the most successful."

Louise nodded slightly. "It'll be difficult for Schwarzenegger to advance further; he wasn't born in America." She teased Martin deliberately, "What, you want to go to the White House?"

Martin laughed and said, "Then I'll press the nuclear button, boom—"

Louise leaned against the stair railing: "Should I kill you beforehand?"

Martin tilted his head back: "Come on, I won't resist."

The battle to defend Earth has begun.

…………

Robert's income has increased this year, and he has also gained fame in Atlanta's acting circles.

He rented a new house in a middle-class community in the west.

After getting up and washing up in the morning, Robert makes a cup of coffee, eats a simple breakfast, opens his notebook, and previews the day's work.

More and more Hollywood film crews are coming to Atlanta to shoot, and Gray Film Studios has signed two major production teams.

Although the main cast was all finalized in Los Angeles, many minor roles and extras were recruited in Atlanta, which further boosted Atlanta's acting market.

The Mariette Community Theatre Troupe is about to undergo a major change, with its director, Jerome, intending to transition into becoming an agent.

Robert will serve as the training director at the new company.

Actually, my job hasn't changed much; I'm still teaching people how to act.

After drinking most of his coffee, Robert closed his notebook, took out another small notebook with a line written on the cover: Coke!

He's old and has a bad memory, so he takes it out and looks at it every day.

Not only Martin, but also other actors who were close to him in the theater troupe would be offered Coke by Robert when they went to audition.

It's unclear whether it's due to the cola or because all the interviewees were from Gray Film Company and its partners, but the success rate of the ceremony was 100%.

After Robert finished eating and drinking, reviewed the ritual once more, put the notebook away, stood up, stretched, and muttered, "Should I start a Coca-Cola cult? To experience being a cult leader?"

He only thought about it for the time being, then picked up his bag and went out to prepare for work.

Just as he closed the door, a beautiful Cadillac pulled up outside; it was his favorite model.

The Cadillac was parked on the side of the road, and a young man under 20 years old got out of the driver's seat. Robert looked at him and felt like he had seen him somewhere before.

Harris recognized Robert immediately; his large head was too conspicuous. He walked over and said, "Good morning, Robert. My name is Harris. Martin sent me."

Robert remembered seeing him with Martin before and replied with a smile, "Hello, what can I do for you?"

Harris said, "Martin asked me to bring you something."

Robert paused for a moment, then realized what was happening and looked at the Cadillac.

Harris came up to him and handed him the car keys: "The car is yours now, the paperwork is in the glove compartment."

"It's too expensive." Robert's eyes were fixed on the Cadillac. "This... is too expensive."

Harris handed him the keys: "Martin told me to tell you that because of you, his chances of getting the audition have increased by at least fifty percent. You have to take this."

Robert grasped the key, heeding the call of his heart: "Okay, okay, I'll take it."

"The goods have been delivered, I should go now." Harris didn't linger, walked a short distance, and got into a black BMW 7 Series.

Robert recognized the car; it used to be a Martin.

Robert thought of calling Martin, but after calculating the time difference, he figured Martin was still asleep, so he didn't make the call.

He drove the new car into the garage, or he drove the old car.

In a couple of days, I'll find a suitable opportunity to drive the new car to the theater troupe again.

Sitting in his car, Robert thought of something crucial and called a Coca-Cola distributor, saying, "Help me collect as much 03 Atlanta Coca-Cola as possible."

The person on the other end asked curiously, "What's different about the 03 Coke?"

The secret of the Coca-Cola Cult was known only to Robert and Martin. Robert didn't intend to tell anyone else, so he made up an excuse: "Last year's batch of syrup tasted exceptionally good, making the Coca-Cola extraordinary."

…………

Los Angeles, Sherman Oaks.

As the sun rose, Martin and Louise, dressed in sportswear, went for a morning run along the road on the south slope.

After walking around the nearby park, Louise stopped back on the street, hands on her knees, panting heavily: "I can't take it anymore, I can't take it anymore, wait for me a moment, let me catch my breath."

Martin turned back and pulled her up: "Don't stop, walk slowly."

Louise let him lead her, making excuses for herself as they walked: "I was the one doing all the moving last night, I used up a lot of energy, otherwise..."

Martin asked, "Next time, do you need me to film it and then precisely calculate who moved longer?"

"I'm warning you, don't do anything reckless," Louise said. "You're younger than me, it's normal for you to be in good physical condition."

Martin remembered something and said seriously, "You should drink less alcohol; excessive drinking accelerates aging..."

These words stirred up a hornet's nest, and Louise stopped in her tracks: "You mean, I'm old?"

Martin meant well: "Just a reminder, don't actually become an alcoholic."

A car pulled up and stopped next to them. The passenger window rolled down, and the blonde girl in the driver's seat waved: "Louise, it's rare to see you up this early."

Louise glanced at the chubby-cheeked girl in the passenger seat: "Has Hall Middle School started?"

Mary Olson pointed to Louise: "Elizabeth, Louise is our neighbor."

Elizabeth greeted them politely.

The sisters left quickly, and the car headed towards North Hollywood.

After breakfast, Martin and Louise went to Warner Bros. Studios to continue post-production work on Alexander the Great, aiming to make the film as commercially viable as possible.

Martin went to another post-production studio; "House of Wax" had reached the stage of adding pre- and post-credits.

Unexpectedly, I ran into Thomas as soon as I entered.

Martin pulled out the Mayan lucky totem that Louise had rejected and handed it to his agent: "A little gift, a Mexican specialty."

Thomas took it. The item wasn't expensive, but the fact that the customer was thinking of him made him feel inexplicably good. "It's very nice. I'll find a special place to store it later. When you become a big star, these will become treasures."

Martin thought to himself, "You really are an agent," and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Thomas said, "I came to the promotional meeting for the show, and Paris Hilton's agent demanded that her name be listed second in the credits. Absolutely not! Eliza Cuthbert is the undisputed lead actress, but her most important role after that is Nick, played by you."

Martin agreed: "We must take what we need to take. This is your responsibility."

It was simply part of an agent's job, and Thomas readily agreed: "Don't worry, I won't let them succeed."

Martin encouraged them: "Keep it up, beat them!"

Thomas clenched his fist and entered a conference room as if he were about to go to war.

Please note that starting last Friday, due to unforeseen circumstances, the author undertook extensive revisions to previous chapters. These revisions have since been rejected and need to be revised again... I can only try my best to maintain two updates per day without interruption.

If 40 out of the first 60 chapters survive, that would be a good result. Thank you all for your support.

(End of this chapter)