America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 839 Cash on Delivery

Burbank, headquarters of Disney Studios.

"Disney's schedule is packed this year, and it's not appropriate to release a popular sequel like 'John Wick 3' during the holiday season."

In the office, Alan Horn handed Martin a schedule and said, "The preliminary plan is for the film to be released in mid-May or mid-June next summer."

Martin glanced at it and said with a smile, "Either is fine. This way, the crew will have more time for post-production. Allen, you can arrange it."

Allen chuckled and asked, "Did you gain anything from your trip to Ukraine?"

Martin casually remarked, "It's not in the movies. Their popular culture is quite different from ours. However, there is a TV series starring Alexandrovich, the male lead of 'Napoleon's Beauty Gate,' called 'Servant of the People.' If Disney is interested, they could try importing it for ABC."

"You have a demo tape, right?" Seeing Martin nod, Allen said, "Let's do a test broadcast first, but don't have too high hopes. The series is even more exclusive than the movies."

"Give it a try." Martin certainly knew this.

Apart from a few closed-off countries and regions, North America is arguably the most exclusive film and television market in the world. Very few foreign-language films achieve good commercial success, and many famous European or other films receive only lukewarm responses in the North American market.

Therefore, many famous overseas directors, when entering the North American market, simply abandon their native language versions and shoot films in English as the first language, and then use a large number of Hollywood or English-speaking actors in the filming process.

Luc Besson is undoubtedly a typical example of this.

Martin made a phone call, had a sample of "Servant of the People" sent to Disney, and asked, "How's the preparation for 'Beauty and the Beast' going?"

This is a major production project jointly invested in by Disney Studios and Davis Studios.

Allen said, "The script was finished, Bill Condon was cast as director, and we were about to start casting. Someone recommended Emma Watson to me."

Martin stated bluntly, "Emma Watson is out of the question. In any movie she's in, people will subconsciously think she's Hermione Granger."

Allen nodded: "That's what I think too."

As the second-largest shareholder, Martin naturally wouldn't hold back: "I recommend someone, Saoirse Ronan, the female lead in La La Land. Her singing and dancing are both top-notch, making her perfect for the role of Belle."

Allen remembered the actress: "Let her audition." He thought for a moment: "How about this, the audition is scheduled after 'La La Land' is released. If the film does well at the market, it will be a plus for her."

Martin replied, "Yes."

The two chatted for a while about the release of "La La Land," which is scheduled for its North American premiere in November, before Thanksgiving.

Half an hour later, Martin came out of Alan Horn's office and went downstairs to go to the studio.

I took the elevator downstairs, and a few people came in from the fourth floor.

One of the women was short, with a full head of blonde hair and a curvaceous figure, like a bombshell.

Scarlett was a little surprised to see Martin: "I didn't expect to meet you here."

Martin smiled. "Hi Scarlett, I just went to Disney Studios."

He looked at the large, fat man among them: "Aren't you going to introduce him?"

Scarlett quickly said, "Martin, this is Luc Besson. Luc, this is Martin."

Luc Besson extended his hand to shake Martin's: "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Martin casually remarked, "I'm a fan of yours; *Léon: The Professional* is one of my favorite movies."

It wasn't appropriate to say much inside the elevator.

Upon arriving on the first floor, Scarlett Janssen whispered a few words to Luc Besson and deliberately lagged behind.

When Martin came out of the elevator, she said, "Do you have time?"

Martin nodded slightly: "If you have something to invite me, of course I have time."

"Long time no see, let's chat for a bit." Scarlett led the way into the waiting area in the lobby.

Martin followed.

The two found a secluded spot to sit down.

Martin casually asked, "Are you planning to work with Luc Besson on a film?"

"It's a science fiction movie with a very interesting script. It's about a woman who transcends to become a goddess." Due to the commercial confidentiality clause, Scarlett only said this briefly before changing the subject: "I am the female lead. I came with Luc Besson this time to promote the distribution rights to Disney Studios."

Martin could roughly guess what movie it was, and asked, "How did the talks go?"

Scarlett shrugged. "Let's talk about it slowly." She approached Martin not about the film, but to ask, "Has anyone been giving you trouble lately?"

Martin has been having quite a few troubles lately, and I can't help but wonder if what she asked is related to Michelle Bryan?

He smiled and said, "I have a lot of trouble every day. What are you referring to?"

Scarlett stated directly, "My ex-husband, Ryan Reynolds, falsely accused me of having an affair with you during our marriage. I was outraged and said that we had, that we spent a night together in Boston, and that's not entirely wrong."

Martin shrugged, looking helpless.

Scarlett knew she had gone a bit too far, and said, "I'll make it up to you later, somewhere we can find a place."

Martin couldn't refuse her kindness, so he nodded slightly. Recalling what had happened in New York, he asked, "About when did your ex-husband's affair occur?"

Scarlett thought about it carefully, then looked at her phone's call history and gave a time.

Martin knew immediately that it was the day after his altercation with Justin Bieber and Ryan Reynolds.

Scarlett, displaying her ex-wife traits, specifically reminded Martin: "Ryan Reynolds is a very vengeful and patient man. He'll stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Don't underestimate him just because he's only a second-rate star."

Martin listened attentively and then asked bluntly, "What has Ryan Reynolds been up to lately?"

Scarlett said, "He's working on a movie, a character in X-Men, and I heard he's been repeatedly thwarted at 20th Century Fox, but he hasn't given up. It's like he's preparing some kind of party to curry favor with the Fox executives."

Martin noted it down and said, "Deadpool, I think? I remember he played that role in 'Wolverine'."

"Maybe." Scarlett winked at Martin. "If you're going to deal with him, let me know. I'd love to see him suffer."

Martin said, "Don't drag me into your ex-spouse's conflict."

Scarlett smoothed her blonde hair and said, "You're so boring..."

“No, this isn’t boring.” Martin stood up and gestured for her to leave. “He didn’t do anything to me; on the contrary, I was messing with his ex-wife.”

Scarlett pinched Martin's arm: "Are you still trying to mess with me?"

Bruce drove the car to the door, and Martin opened the door, pushing Scarlett into the car: "Wouldn't it be very disrespectful of me to say I don't want to?"

"Of course!" Scarlett emphasized, "Even if it's just for basic courtesy, you're going to mess with me today."

Martin had no choice but to take Scarlett to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Beverly Hills and they went into his long-term suite there.

Before getting down to business, Martin gave Bruce a few instructions outside the door: "Get someone to keep an eye on Ryan Reynolds immediately. That bastard might be a threat to us. Let's see how things go."

Bruce nodded: "I'll have someone do it right away."

Scarlett grew impatient and called out from inside the room, "Martin, where's your manners? Aren't you a gentleman?"

To protect his reputation, Martin quickly returned to his room.

Scarlett Janssen, who is not yet thirty, deserves such courtesy.

Scarlett's bathwater is now very popular.

In a few years, when Scarlett Johansson becomes Mrs. Spielberg, Martin won't be so polite anymore.

Perhaps feeling a little guilty for unintentionally causing Martin some trouble, Scarlett took the initiative and made Martin truly understand the extent to which a Hollywood actress could go when she wanted a man to enjoy himself.

At the peak of her emotions and rhythm, Scarlett even took out her phone and insisted on taking a photo with Martin to keep as a memento.

Martin didn't want to be in the public eye with her, so he only let her take a close-up photo of the two of them.

Scarlett had no choice but to post a close-up photo of the two of them, both flushed and sweating, on Twitter.

…………

Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles.

Ryan Reynolds sat on a high stool in front of the living room bar, phone in hand, looking around the $400 million house.

This is the mansion he bought when he married Scarlett Janssen; at the time, he put in a tremendous amount of effort.

Today, it is one of the few fixed assets that Ryan Reynolds owns.

Agent Kewell then came in from outside and placed a document on the bar.

Ryan Reynolds glanced at it and asked, "Sold?"

Kewell nodded: "Sold for $365 million to a star from Mexico."

Ryan Reynolds opened the document and examined it closely. It had the signatures of a lawyer and an accountant. He took the pen from his agent and signed his name on it.

"I'll hand it to the real estate agent." Kewell picked up the documents and glanced at his watch. "We can stay here until six o'clock in the afternoon."

Ryan lay on the bar counter: "I'll be by myself for a while."

Kowell first dealt with the house sale; only after selling the house would he have enough money to throw a big party.

Michelle Bryan has already informed them that the goods have arrived in Los Angeles.

Ruian also needs to expedite the payment of the second installment.

Kewell went to see a real estate agent.

Ryan lay on the bar, lost in thought for a while. Like many people these days, he took out his phone and started scrolling through social media. As soon as he opened Twitter, he saw that his ex-wife Scarlett Jansen had posted a new message, so he casually clicked on it.

The phone screen flashed, and Scarlett's tweet popped up with a seemingly normal title—"It feels amazing to work out with Martin Davis!"

The tweet was accompanied by a photo of Martin and Scarlett's heads together!

Ryan glanced at them and couldn't help but curse, "You two are a pair of adulterers!"

The two people in the photo have messy hair, dazed eyes, flushed faces, and sweat on their foreheads.

Having spent years in Hollywood, Ryan could tell at a glance that these two weren't working out; they were clearly fooling around together.

His ex-wife's affairs are none of his business.

But Ryan immediately thought of his last phone call with Scarlett Janssen; the two of them had gotten together when they got married.

And what happened in New York.

Ryan was in a frenzy, but there was nothing he could do.

Given his status and position, there was nothing he could do about Martin Davis.

"Damn it!" Ryan lost all interest in scrolling through social media, turned off his phone screen, and slammed his fist on the bar. "I can't be this unlucky forever! And you can't be this lucky forever either!"

Now, he was even more eager for the Deadpool role and to impress 20th Century Fox.

Ryan couldn't sit still any longer, so he got up and left the house. Seeing that Cowell had finished negotiating with the real estate agent, he said, "Let's go."

The two got into the same car.

Ryan started the car and drove to Beverly Hills, saying to Cowell, "Contact Michelle, I need to see her."

Kewell immediately made a phone call and said, "She's at the usual place."

Ryan drove straight there and arrived at the gate of a mansion near West Hollywood in Beverly Hills. After Kewell made another phone call, the security guard opened the gate and let him in.

After parking the car, Ryan went to see Michelle alone.

He passed by the pool surrounded by beautiful women once again, then entered the villa and went upstairs. On the open balcony on the second floor, he saw Michelle Bryan wearing a yellow dress.

Ryan pulled out a chair and sat down, asking, "Has the goods arrived?"

Michelle gently stroked the emerald on the ring: "Yes, after many twists and turns, thankfully there were no accidents, and it arrived in Los Angeles smoothly the other day."

Ryan asked anxiously, "When can we use it?"

"Please be patient, wait a little longer." Michelle said with a confident and charming smile, "The cargo that came over is in its raw state and still a bit wild. I need to tame it. You wouldn't want your guests to get hurt by the cargo, would you?"

Ryan understood immediately and said, "It's absolutely necessary. My client is of high status and cannot be allowed to be harmed."

Michelle said, "Rest assured, even the wildest horse will become a docile lamb in my hands."

Her expression suddenly turned serious, and she asked, "When will you give me the second payment?"

Ryan tried to negotiate: "You're asking too much, could you...?"

Michelle raised her hand to interrupt him: "If you don't want it, the deposit is non-refundable, and I'll transfer it to other customers. These are all in high demand."

Thinking of her missing subordinates, she added, "Do you know how much I've sacrificed for this batch of goods? So many of my long-time employees have never come back! I haven't raised the price at the last minute, which is already out of consideration for our business reputation."

Ryan didn't really know, but on second thought, the risks involved in this kind of business were probably very high.

He thought for a moment and said, "I'll give you the second payment within two days, but before that, I need to see the goods. As the buyer, I have the basic right to verify the goods."

"Okay." Michelle had a condition: "The goods aren't here. Only you can go with them. You can't have direct contact with them because the goods are not yet tamed. You can only look at them through the window."

Ryan replied, "Let's go now."

Michelle made a phone call, and someone immediately came up and led Ryan downstairs.

Ryan told Kewell to wait there for the time being, and then drove after the other party away from the mansion.

Someone sat in the passenger seat with him the whole time, and before leaving, asked Ryan to turn off all electronic cameras, including his cell phone.

On the second-floor balcony, Michelle's smile vanished. She had a subordinate call Lynch again, but the phone remained switched off.

After Lynch went to Ukraine, the first batch of goods arrived in Los Angeles smoothly, but then an unexpected situation arose in Ukraine.

Michelle and Lynch went missing, a fact revealed through the media. The Ukrainian Security Service had taken action and dismantled a human trafficking ring.

A wildly popular celebrity in Ukraine is making waves, constantly influencing Ukrainian public opinion and putting pressure on the Ukrainian authorities to continue investigating the matter.

Michelle wasn't worried that the other party would trace it back to her. Even if they found out it was related to her, so what?

Do the Ukrainians want to punish the Americans? What a joke!

The only pity is that Lin Qi was such a capable subordinate.

Michelle's phone rang at that moment.

She answered the call, and a voice came from the other end: "Jeffrey asked me to ask you, what's going on with your people? They've caused such a commotion in Ukraine! Now Ukraine and the surrounding areas are under intense scrutiny due to public opinion, and our supply channels have been severely affected!"

Michelle said, "I don't understand what's going on either. All the information I've received comes from the media, and my subordinates sent to Ukraine are all out of contact..."

The other end warned, "Although the Ukrainians can't do anything to us, we must be careful about the impact on public opinion. Cut off all contact with them! These people have most likely already been arrested by the Ukrainian Security Service, and may even have been turned against us. They are no longer trustworthy."

"I understand." Michelle hung up the phone.

Aside from being caught in an FBI sting operation, this was the biggest setback she had ever suffered in her career.

Fortunately, the goods the customer ordered arrived.

Michelle is a madam with a strong sense of professional ethics.

…………

The three cars left Beverly and arrived in southern Santa Monica.

There is a private marina here, specifically for mooring yachts, and there are also some warehouses nearby.

One of the brick-and-mortar warehouses, which had a yard, had a logistics company sign hanging on it and looked perfectly normal.

Ryan Reynolds followed the men into the warehouse, past several piles of goods, and a door leading to the basement opened. The four of them went down the stairs.

The basement was brightly lit and guarded by armed men.

Ryan Reynolds then realized that Michelle's influence seemed to be much greater than he had imagined.

But he wasn't worried because the stronger Michelle was, the safer the deal would be.

"This way," someone called out.

Ryan followed the people inside until they reached the end of the not-so-long corridor.

The man pointed to the innermost room and said, "The people are all inside. Go and take a look, but don't disturb them."

Ryan tiptoed to a glass window and looked inside through it.

The first thing I saw were three girls with typical Slavic features, fair skin and beautiful faces.

In front of them were instructors who seemed to be training them with simple commands and actions, seemingly to reinforce their obedience.

Having seen it with his own eyes, Ryan was relieved.

(End of this chapter)