America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 218 Martin's Advantage

The heat of May in Los Angeles couldn't compare to the explosive gossip in Hollywood.

Following the Burbank High School incident in April, another Hollywood news story has gone viral, drawing nationwide attention.

The latest issue of People magazine has revealed that Brad Pitt has chosen to divorce Jennifer Aniston and will get together with Angelina Jolie.

The cover of the new issue features a photo of Pitt and Jolie's family.

The related cover stories, in the name of children and family, placed all the blame on Aniston for not having children.

The producers of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" also secretly stepped in and gave it a strong push.

On the increasingly influential internet, even widely circulated gossip articles have emerged.

"Child! Child!"

"During the five years of Pitt and Aniston's marriage, Pitt always wanted children, but Aniston was unwilling. She sacrificed family for her career, which ultimately led to the breakdown of their relationship..."

Don't expect the media to have integrity, stance, or a sense of justice. At times like this, they'll only profit from tragedy.

This isn't a political event, but rather entertainment gossip that the public enjoys.

A film's star power and the resulting curiosity can effectively boost its commercial success. Fox, which invested heavily in "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," saw its related reports overwhelmingly focused on Pitt and Jolie.

Angelina Jolie is a loving mother, and Brad Pitt is a man who loves his family.

Of course, only Aniston was injured.

The latter was equally decisive, cutting to the chase by publicly announcing her divorce from Pitt and delivering her famous statement about marriage.

"What I wanted was a relationship with the deepest loyalty from the soul, but he had the right to choose another way, so he chose to break up."

Aniston's withdrawal did not quell public opinion.

This shocking gossip even spread to Europe and America, and was discussed on the internet on the other side of the Pacific.

The coolest couple seems to have gotten together, and even their starring role in "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" has garnered a lot of attention.

Have you checked the online forums?

In his room at the Four Seasons Hotel, Martin looked at a movie forum and said to Julie, who was pacing back and forth, "There's a survey on recently released movies here. The number of people who want to see 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' has increased more than tenfold since last week. Based on my limited experience, I'm sure the film's box office will be pretty good."

Julie turned around and walked towards Martin, disarming herself as she went: "Teacher, it's all thanks to your teaching. I couldn't have done this without your guidance."

Martin knew perfectly well that he couldn't have a normal relationship with this scoundrel, so he simply asked, "Student, how are you going to repay your teacher?"

Julie knelt down in front of Martin, her hand reaching forward to grasp the belt buckle, but she didn't make any further move. Instead, she said, "Teacher, could you call Louise, Kelly, or Black? Even Annie would be fine, please! Please call them quickly!"

Martin, however, said, "You have to have the right attitude and posture when asking for help."

Julie instantly understood and went to unbuckle her belt. Just then, her phone rang. She didn't want to answer, but when she glanced at it, she saw that it was Pitt calling.

"Teacher, it's Pete. Should I take this call?" She glanced at Martin, her voice seductive.

How could an honest man like Martin do such a perverted thing? He said, "It's your decision."

Julie answered the phone: "It's me, what's up?"

Pete asked, "I'm at your door, and you're not home?"

"The paparazzi harassment was severe, making it impossible for the children to have any peace and quiet." Julie is a loving mother, so she used her children as a shield: "I temporarily moved to a hotel and stayed there before returning to Atlanta."

Pete asked, "Which hotel are you at? I'll come see you."

Aniston has announced her divorce from Pitt. In Jolie's eyes, Pitt has absolutely no charm, saying, "Do you want to bring all the reporters and paparazzi here? Let the children have some peace and quiet; they've been terrified of the reporters lately..."

Pete, still remembering his image as a parent who loves children, replied, "Okay, we'll talk about it when you get back from Atlanta."

After hanging up the phone, Julie was incredibly excited. She opened her mouth wide and pounced on him like a wolf.

Martin, an honest man, silently endured the perverted and proactive attacks.

It's really not easy to integrate into Hollywood!

The following day, the media frenzy continued, and the popularity of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" skyrocketed.

After attending the jeans' final promotional event, Martin met with Bruce and the two bodyguards chosen by WMA.

The two men, Duke and Murphy, were in their thirties, unremarkable in appearance, with clean backgrounds. They were professionally trained, skilled at spotting trackers, and were a popular type of bodyguard in Hollywood.

Normally, what celebrities hate most are paparazzi and obsessive fans.

The former is manageable, but the latter is quite terrifying.

Love at its deepest point will inevitably draw blood!

Duke and Murphy's daily job was to follow Martin at a distance and check for any abnormalities.

Before returning to the film set in Atlanta, Martin made a special trip back to his North Hollywood apartment.

The chubby Antonio sat under a parasol on the rooftop, sipping his ice-cold cola through a straw, while a tenant handed over his keys in front of him.

When the tenant left, his walking posture was quite similar to Scott's.

Martin waited a while until the tenant came downstairs before going over.

Antonio pushed a can of Coke towards him: "Please enjoy, Master."

Martin opened a can of Coke, took a swig, and said, "I really envy you. You enjoy life every day."

"You're not bad either. You've gotten this far without even using the business card I gave you." Antonio chuckled and pointed to the stairs. "That guy just now went to see Dr. Hyena multiple times, but to no avail, and had to leave Los Angeles."

Martin knew he was referring to the proctologist: "I also paid a heavy price, at least tens of billions."

Antonio thought of the two women who had sung at his apartment and said, "Your ass hasn't received billions in gifts, so you should have a good drink to celebrate."

Martin picked up his Coke and clinked it against Antonio's: "I'll be rolling in a few million dollars in a while and want to buy a house. Weren't you going to recommend one to me?"

Thomas has already reached an agreement with Coca-Cola on his endorsement fee of $1500 million over three years, to be paid in installments of $400 million, $500 million, and $600 million.

Real estate is a necessity for Martin; as an honorary citizen of Los Angeles, he should at least own a decent property in Los Angeles.

In addition, Martin plans to buy a detached house for Elena in Marietta.

Antonio, a long-established Los Angeles millionaire with a wide network of connections, asked, "What are the specific requirements?"

Martin explained in detail: "A detached house with a small garden, in a nice neighborhood, preferably with a reliable community council and neighborhood defense alliance."

Los Angeles isn't a safe place, and there's also the potential threat of Russians: "Location-wise, North Hollywood, Sherman Oaks, Malibu, Burbank, or Brentwood would all be suitable."

At this point, Martin thought of something and added, "Sherman Oaks is the preferred choice."

Antonio wrote it all down and said, "I'll keep an eye out for you. I definitely won't buy haunted houses or any other problematic properties. You know how rampant drug dealers are in this city. If you buy a house with something left behind by a dealer, it will be a huge problem."

"Then I'll leave it to you." Martin got up and went downstairs, saying, "I'm going to grab something, I'll be leaving in a bit."

Downstairs, Bruce had already taken some crocodile tooth pendants.

Jessica is talking to him.

Martin came downstairs, called her into the room, and said, "For the next two months, you and Emily have an important task."

As Jessica gained more experience, she gave up her dream of becoming an actress and became very proactive in her work: "Just tell me what to do."

Martin said, "You should organize the fans who frequently leave comments on the blog, divide them by city, and contact the active members of the fan club in Los Angeles to find suitable people to form a fan club in the local area."

Jessica understood: "I'll get started immediately."

Martin added, "Start with the major, densely populated cities."

Just like a brand's consumers, a celebrity's supporters also need to be cultivated and managed. As long as the core group remains at a certain size, the celebrity will have sufficient market competitiveness. Coupled with strong works, they will naturally reap more rewards.

This task is quite tedious, and Jessica is already racking her brains for ideas.

With someone to carry the load, Martin called Bruce and they left the apartment.

That afternoon, he and Julie appeared at the airport at the same time.

Martin waited at the security checkpoint.

With Jolie's arrival, the entire airport seemed to riot, with a large number of paparazzi rushing in and frantically taking pictures of her from a short distance away.

Just like when she arrived, Jolie held her youngest child in her right arm and held her eldest child's hand with her left, fully displaying her maternal demeanor to the media.

Whether the child will be frightened is not currently on Julie's agenda.

Afterwards, Julie met up with Martin, went through security, and entered the VIP channel.

Reporters took photos, but none captured any intimate or inappropriate actions or expressions between the two.

"Why didn't Pitt come to deliver it?" a reporter asked curiously. "Is there something wrong between Jolie and Pitt?"

Another person said, "These two are in the eye of the storm right now, how come they both appear at the same time?"

Some paparazzi speculated, "Do you think Angelina Jolie might be having an affair with Martin Davis?"

Almost all the entertainment reporters present shook their heads in unison. One of them said, "Why did Jolie steal Pitt? It's not just because Pitt is so charming, but also because of his status! This whole saga between Pitt and Jolie has been headline news in the entertainment section every day, and Jolie is in the spotlight again!"

Some agreed: "What does Martin Davis have to compare to Pitt? He's not good enough in terms of star power, money, or status. Unless Jolie is out of her mind, would she choose a minor celebrity? Even if there's a connection, it'd be a one-night stand at most. What does Martin Davis have? Good looks? Big...things?"

The paparazzi said, "I always felt that Julie wasn't quite right in the head, something was off, but I couldn't figure it out."

Entertainment reporters stopped paying attention to him and rushed back to write long articles to gain attention.

Psychological quirks like Julie's are mostly found in men.

Martin's advantage lies in having a large number of female companions.

(End of this chapter)