America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

The pickup truck turned into the parking lot, and Martin looked toward the small building not far away, where a gathering of paparazzi clustered around the entrance.

These guys have incredibly keen noses.

Los Angeles, where every resident is an actor, is equally abundant with news informants.

Bruce made a phone call and said, "Mene's agent Munir and the lawyer are already inside."

Martin opened the door, got out of the car, and walked toward the office building with Bruce, ignoring the paparazzi, and entered the building.

After stating their purpose, a clerical staff member immediately led them into an office.

Munir and the lawyer were waiting there.

Martin asked, "Is he alright?"

Munir replied, "He's fine, he can leave once the bail is paid."

Martin directly asked, "How much is still needed?"

"I've contributed a part, and Mene's portion from his film earnings is still there," Munir quickly added, "We're short 5,000 US dollars."

Martin wrote a check for 5,000 US dollars and handed it to Munir, who went with the lawyer to handle the bail procedures.

Some time later, the two brought Mene out.

Seeing Martin, Mene hung his head, "Boss..."

"As long as you're okay," Martin led the way outside, "Let's leave here first."

He also warned, "There are paparazzi and reporters outside."

Mene slowed down slightly, "Boss, you and Old Cloth go ahead, I'll come out later."

"Meet at the fitness center in North Hollywood," Martin said, and he and Bruce left first.

As the two got into the car, Mene was just coming out of the building, sending the paparazzi into a frenzy, practically shoving their microphones into Mene's mouth.

Bruce, with a heartless laugh, said, "He's snatched the headlines again."

Martin shook his head, "That's one headline we could do without."

Arriving at the fitness club, Bruce booked a private rest room and after a short wait, Mene and Munir walked in together.

Martin ordered some drinks and snacks, "Make yourselves comfortable."

With a morose expression, Mene lamented, "Victoria has no professional ethics; not only did she play me, but she also turned me in!"

Martin remarked, "Catfishing, huh."

Bruce knew quite a bit, "The FBI does that often, baiting drug dealers or perverts with fake news online..."

Munir interrupted, "The lawyer, that bail intermediary, he said that Mene has been too enthusiastic in the Paris incident and has been on LAPD's radar for a long time."

Martin asked Mene, "I remember you said you never took her money."

Mene, feeling helpless, replied, "She secretly slipped 100 US dollars into my pocket this time, and I didn't even notice! 100 dollars, I'm worth just 100 dollars!"

Bruce asked, "Didn't they ask about anything else? Like the club you frequent?"

"No," Mene said, "Someone warned me not to talk nonsense, mentioning my 'nuclear weapons' inside could get me killed without understanding why, so I didn't say an extra word."

Bruce said, "Good, you didn't do anything foolish. Don't let outside propaganda confuse you, they don't always play by the rules."

Martin asked Munir, "What did that lawyer say?"

After asking carefully, Munir said, "In the end, it will probably be a hefty fine, probation, and community service."

Martin reminded Mene, "You'd best stay away from that club, keep it low-key for a while, and don't get caught on the wrong foot again."

Mene nodded somberly, "Boss, I'll listen to you," he promised solemnly, "I'll repay you that money as soon as I can."

Martin waved it off, "Go to auditions when there are opportunities, and when there aren't, you help the crew with the pre-production planning work."

Munir, just a small-time agent, kicked Mene lightly and said, "I'll keep an eye on him. If he dares to mess around again, I'll sell him off to Mexico!"

Mene, who had been played till they were bored and then turned in, seemed to have lost his usual bounce, "I'll report to the studio tomorrow."

Munir left first.

After Mene left the fitness center through the back door alone, he looked back and murmured to himself, "I thought the boss would abandon me."

He wouldn't hesitate to work for Boss Martin, even if faced with 20 men over fifty. More than that, however, would require some thought since his life would be on the line.

Inside the rest room, Martin couldn't help but comment, "LAPD is playing pretty dirty."

Bruce shrugged, "Public funds for pleasure and relaxation, you didn't think all LAPD officers were both law-abiding and ethical, did you?"

Martin smiled, "Of course not."

Because it hadn't been long, he still remembered a news story where the Los Angeles authorities had publicly or rather, leaked the names and details of all LAPD undercover officers.

What a colossal blunder that was; those LAPD officers in special positions were probably questioning their life choices.

Bruce said again, "A friend from the military told me that the biggest gang in Los Angeles is the LAPD."

The next day, with the cooperation of a professional agency, Mene registered and established a separately accounted "Wanted Order" studio, which rented a small sound stage at Warner Bros. Studios.

With the acquisition of comic book rights, screenplay fees for Michael Bradette, and various other expenses and contingency funds, Martin had already invested $700,000 into the project, which would all be included in the film's production costs.

Factoring in labor, management, and other miscellaneous costs incurred during this period, the investment would be at least $2 million.

In Hollywood, this was definitely considered a fair price.

For conglomerate projects operated by big companies like Warner Bros., a film with a production budget of $50 million wouldn't be embarrassed to report $5 million in management costs to the other five players in Hollywood.

Martin knew he needed to climb higher, to build a brand reputation for good word of mouth, and couldn't be excessive.

Frankly, even swindling required a brand and strength.

After the announcement for recruiting a director and action choreographer, the studio quickly received over 20 resumes.

The majority of the names, Martin had never heard of, and they had no notable works to their names.

He did not dare take the risk of employing a director without a proven track record of success.

In this regard, Martin could only discuss with Louise.

Louise, wearing black-framed glasses, seriously went through the director resumes Martin had brought, and directly said, "There might be directors among them with talent, ability, and dreams, but they haven't proven themselves, so their talent is worthless. If the investment were only a million, we could take the risk, but with tens of millions of dollars at stake, we pass on all of these people."

Martin, who had been tested from dreams to reality in his previous life, agreed with Louise's statement, "I would rather spend more on a director's fee to hire someone with a track record of success than risk employing talented newcomers."

He asked, "How about John Woo? He's very good at directing action movies with gunplay."

"John Woo from Harbor City?" Louise pondered carefully before shaking her head slowly, "He has a very strong personal style, especially in gunplay films. Do you think he would make a fresh and cool gunplay action film, or another John Woo-style genre film?"

Martin had seen far too many John Woo-style action films.

In that moment, he seemed to see doves fluttering before his eyes, majestic churches, and the dance-like romance of movement mixed with gunplay.

Martin said, "The latter is more likely."

Louise reminded him, "He's a mature director who has been famous for many years; his style is already set, and change is difficult. Moreover, forcing change is unpredictable."

Martin nodded: "I understand."

At this time, Nicky knocked and entered, saying, "Thomas Ryan is here."

"Thank you." Martin stood up from Louise's office and went downstairs to Davis Studio.

Thomas was waiting in the inner office, and upon seeing Martin, he said, "Nothing important, I just dropped Oscar Isaac off at the studio for an audition and was passing by, so I thought I'd come to see how things were going."

Martin sat on the sofa and said, "I remember he's another one of your clients?"

Thomas specifically mentioned, "Latino, completely different from your style."

Martin nodded and took the opportunity to stoke Thomas's fire: "A few days ago, Mike Vogel's agent Pinto approached me."

Thomas said, "The snake incident has nothing to do with you..."

He cut himself off, suddenly realizing something, and his face showed slight tension. He quickly regulated his breathing and forced a relaxed question, "About your agent contract?"

Martin spoke bluntly, "Exactly. Pinto wants me to choose him as my exclusive agent when my contract expires. Also, he promised to get me a lead role in an A-list big production by top director Ridley Scott with 20th Century Fox."

Thomas couldn't help but grip the armrest of the sofa tightly; he didn't have the capability to secure a lead role in an A-list production.

That was Ridley Scott, whose last epic film "Gladiator" not only was a box office hit but also helped Russell Crowe ascend to the throne of Oscar Best Actor.

Even as Thomas's mind raced, he was at a loss for words: "Martin, he's just leading you on..."

"I turned him down!" Martin declared righteously, "I've never forgotten that when I first arrived in Los Angeles, it was you who helped me steady myself and settle down here."

Unexpectedly, Thomas felt a weight lift from his heart.

Martin's words rang out powerfully: "Thomas Ryan, we are a golden duo!"

Thomas suddenly felt as if he owed Martin something. A lead role in an A-list production! Martin would at least have a chance to compete.

And what about Thomas? He couldn't even find an opportunity to compete.

Thomas bit his lip in private, making a resolution he had never felt before: "Martin, I promise you, within a year, even if I have to sell my ass, to keep company with old men and old women, I will secure you an important role in an almost-A-list production! I swear!"

He couldn't make his claims too grandiose because almost-A-list was the highest he could hope to reach.

Appearing nonchalant, Martin said, "Just do your best."

As the fire was lit, Martin wasn't all talk; he was ready with action: "If 'Wanted Order' gets off the ground, and there's a suitable role for any of your other clients, don't hesitate to ask."

Thomas smiled and replied, "No problem, I won't be shy."

Martin inquired again, "Does the company have a suitable action director who specializes in gunplay?"

"I've put the word out, but no responses yet," Thomas pondered for a moment. "There are many director clients at the agency; the biggest names like Eastwood and Michael Bay, and Mel Gibson don't even come into play, but Tony Scott and Guillermo del Toro, and well-known ones like Brad Bird and others, I've notified all their agents."

Martin knew this was not something to rush, saying, "Keep an eye out at the company." He emphasized, "A director with a proven record in the same genre."