Hollywood Director 1992

[Chapter 304: Dangerous Game]

After the party ended, Nicole Kidman smiled warmly as she greeted Link to say goodbye. She did not seem to intend to seduce him at all -- as if she had become a different person.

Once back in the car, Nicole Kidman's expression turned cold. She kicked the front seat in frustration, her face filled with resentment and humiliation.

Before the script meeting, she had planned to use the discussion as an opportunity to continue seducing Link -- to completely win him over and then find a way to make him submit to her allure.

However, just before the meeting, as she prepared to seduce Link, he glared at her. At that moment, Link's gaze and demeanor were terrifying, like that of a cold, ruthless king who cared for no one. It sent a chill down her spine, filling her with fear and panic.

She had heard before that Link was a workaholic who took his film projects very seriously, but she never expected that this workaholic could be so intimidating. After that single glare, all her amorous fantasies were instantly shattered, and she even developed a psychological shadow regarding him. The next time she saw him, it became nearly impossible for her to use her once provocative words and seductive gestures to lure him.

This change left her feeling extremely frustrated. On one hand, she began to seriously doubt her own charm; on the other, that one look had given her a deeper understanding of Link. He was not as sunny, gentle, and humorous on the surface as he appeared -- his inner self might have been darker and colder than a meteorite in the depths of a starry sky. What frustrated her even more was that, after glimpsing Link's true nature, she did not think of keeping her distance; instead, she became even more curious about him and couldn't help but want to get closer.

Nicole Kidman reluctantly realized that while trying to seduce Link, she had been deeply captivated by his unique aura -- so much so that she found herself unable to extricate from its spell.

...

Ring ring!

The phone rang, and Nicole Kidman snapped back to reality to answer it. It was Michael Ovitz calling to ask how things were going, whether she had managed to seduce Link, and if she had taken any photos. Nicole replied that she had not -- and that Link had told her he did not want to get involved with a married woman.

Michael Ovitz erupted in a tirade, cursing Link as a playboy and questioning his supposed standards, claiming it was all a bunch of nonsense. Nicole told him not to worry, as she was planning to try a different tactic to seduce Link.

"A different tactic? What tactic?" Michael asked.

"I meant that I would transform myself into a proper woman -- presenting myself in a normal, respectable way -- instead of acting like a shameless tramp. And remember when I suggested that Tom and Link should collaborate, maybe even become friends? I still believe in that plan. I hope you can persuade Tom once again to cooperate with our scheme," Nicole explained.

Lounging in the car with her long legs crossed and gazing out at the rapidly receding neon lights, Nicole's tone was calm yet determined. She did not sound as if she were doing Michael Ovitz a favor -- she sounded as though she were ordering him around.

Michael picked up on her tone, but he didn't mind. As long as Nicole managed to get Link into bed and snap some incriminating photos, nothing else mattered.

"Nicole, are you sure this will work? You mentioned before that Link refused to get involved with you because you were married. If Link and Tom became friends, then you'd be a friend's wife -- would he still go for you?" Michael asked, voicing his concern.

Nicole sneered, "Don't think so highly of Link. No matter how reserved he appeared, inside he was a lecherous playboy. He might not mess with a random married woman, but when it came to the wife of a friend, he couldn't control himself. Don't forget Winona Ryder -- I bet that before she split with Depp, she'd already exchanged more than just words with Link, even slept with him."

"Alright, Nicole, I believed your judgment. I would persuade Tom to collaborate with Link. In fact, there was an opportunity right now -- Columbia Pictures' film project Jerry Maguire had been handed over to Guess Pictures, and that role was perfect for Tom. I'll try to convince Tom to take that role and work with Link. Also, you need to step up your game; now the seven major studios were preparing to attack Guess Pictures and Link, and they needed a breakthrough. I hope you'll have good news on your end," Michael replied.

Nicole shouted in a sharp tone, "Michael, don't worry -- I was going to succeed in seducing that bastard Link. I would conquer him and ravage him, forcing him to kneel before me and willingly become my slave. Then, that bastard would never dare ignore my charm again!"

Michael seemed taken aback by her and quickly expressed his trust.

...

After hanging up, Michael shook his head. He had no idea how Link had so deeply offended Nicole that she now despised him -- but to him, that was good news. If Nicole was willing to go all out against Link, he was sure Link was in for a rough time. Michael eagerly anticipated Link's misfortune, even though Nicole planned to change tactics and use a bait-and-switch approach with Link -- a method that might work but would take longer.

After a moment's thought, Michael called Cameron Diaz to ask if she had managed to seduce Link. Cameron, also an artist under CAA and one of several beauties Michael had selected after Nicole's earlier failures, had been spending the past few weeks on the set of Hachi: A Dog's Tale with Link. They had frequently crossed paths, and perhaps there was a chance for her.

On the phone, Cameron told him she had slept with Link.

"Really?" Michael asked, standing up excitedly. "How many times? Did you manage to snap any photos of Link -- any evidence of him raping you?"

Cameron replied that she had slept with him more than a dozen times. She had initiated the seduction herself, willingly going to bed with Link, but she hadn't taken any evidence.

"More than a dozen times? Damn it, I told you the process wasn't important -- you just needed to take a photo of him sleeping, collect some of his hair and bodily fluids, and bring it all to me along with your testimony. I was certain I could frame him as a rapist," Michael shouted excitedly.

Cameron replied, "I can't do that. Link was an amazing man -- young, handsome, wealthy, incredibly talented, and so gentle and caring. In every way he was outstanding. I don't want to hurt him, and I'm never going to follow your orders to target him again."

"Damn it, Cameron! Have you forgotten that your contract was with CAA? If you disobeyed my orders, I'd blacklist you! I always kept my word!" Michael roared in anger.

Cameron retorted, "Go ahead and blacklist me. I'm now Link's girlfriend. My boyfriend is a billionaire, a world-class director, a film company owner -- the most powerful man in Hollywood, far more influential than you. With him, I'll never be short of resources."

"You! You!!" Michael shouted, his face turning blue with anger, forehead veins pulsing and his teeth clacking.

"Link not only provided me with resources but also money. I am holding a bank card he'd given me with a monthly spending limit of $100,000 -- amounting to $1.2 million a year. My fee for a movie was only $100,000, so even without filming, I had plenty to spend every year. Link was amazing. Michael, thank you for getting me that role with the Hachi: A Dog's Tale crew, and thank you for setting me up to seduce Link. After becoming his woman, I realized that everything was incredible --- like a dream come true. Michael, I truly thank you," Cameron said.

Her sincere, unpretentious tone had moved Michael. It had swayed Link before, and now it moved Michael as well. Michael swayed and slumped into his office chair, his vision momentarily shrouded in darkness as if night had suddenly fallen -- and it took more than ten seconds for him to recover.

Over the phone, Cameron continued to praise Link, declaring that he was the most perfect man in the world -- capable of exceeding all her fantasies about a man. All she wanted now was to maintain her beauty and a sexy figure so that Link would adore her even more.

Gritting his teeth in a hoarse voice, Michael said, "Bitch, you're celebrating too early. If I told Link that you were a spy I had planted by his side to manipulate him, do you think he'd still like you?"

"It's all right," Cameron replied. "After sleeping with Link for the first time, I felt it was wrong to keep it a secret -- so I told him and even asked if he would blame me. Link just smiled and said it was fine, even asking me to thank you for bringing this great beauty to his side."

Bang!

Before Cameron could finish speaking, Michael picked up the phone and slammed it onto the floor, his vision once again shrouded in darkness.

"Link, I would never let you off the hook!!" Michael shouted.

Outside the office door, the assistants shrank back when they heard their boss emit a shrill, owl-like roar.

...

"Link, have you reached home yet?" a text message asked.

"Almost there," he replied.

Then came another message: "I had already gotten home and was soaking in the bath -- the tub was filled with bubbles, except on my calves. Do you want to see? Oh, I nearly forgot -- I had promised to chat with you as a friend. By the way, the script meeting earlier had been really interesting. We've had many meetings before, but none as engaging as today -- I guess it was because you were there in person. It's still night, and I'm already looking forward to tomorrow's meeting. Regarding Dr. Chase, I have a new idea; shall we discuss it tomorrow?"

Ding ding~

When Link received Nicole Kidman's message, his car was nearing the Beverly Hills hillside villa. He replied briefly and then put his phone away as he walked into the mansion's lobby.

...

There were several women at home. Monica Bellucci, Lily, Jennifer Connolly, Sofia, Milla Jovovich, and Winona Ryder were chatting together.

Cecilia squatted in front of the television watching season seven of Garfield, holding three little kittens in her arms, while several puppies and kittens gathered around her. The little one watched the cartoon, snacking as she giggled continuously.

"Link, you're back," Sofia said as she saw him enter, stretching out her arms and throwing herself into his embrace.

"What's wrong? It wasn't as if we hadn't seen each other for months," Link replied, after embracing Sofia and kissing her. He then sat back on the sofa while the others gathered around in the brilliantly lit living room.

Sofia sniffed and said, "The third-week box office results for The Man from Earth had come out -- and they were terrible. The attendance rate was abysmal; this movie was doomed to fail."

"How much was the box office this week?"

"Only $420,000."

Sofia handed him the newspaper. The Man from Earth had been released in mid-January. In its first week, it had earned $158,000 from 12 theaters, with an average daily per-theater box office of less than $2,000. Both the attendance rate and overall box office numbers were dismal.

The reason, as Link had mentioned to Sofia at the preview, was that the film's content was too profound and its appeal too highbrow -- so the box office numbers were never expected to be good. Everything had unfolded just as he had anticipated.

Under these circumstances, most films would have abandoned a theatrical release in favor of a direct-to-video approach, but Link had insisted that the publicity department continue the promotion -- subsidizing the expansion of the screening scale. The staff in the publicity and distribution department had hoped for a miracle, but none materialized. In the second week, it played in 102 theaters and earned $640,000. In the third week, it played in 107 theaters and earned $427,000, bringing the cumulative box office to $1.21 million. Although these numbers might have looked decent, they were, in reality, very poor.

This was why Sofia had clung to him tearfully. It was her debut film, and with such dismal box office results, she was nearly falling apart.

"Sofia, don't be upset. The production cost of the film had been only $15,000, and with a North American box office of $1.21 million, that's nearly a 100-fold return. It's pretty good," Jennifer Connolly consoled her.

"Don't fool me," Sofia retorted. "The film's promotional costs had exceeded $1.5 million, and it had only grossed a little over $1.2 million. That was like buying box office numbers -- not genuine revenue at all."

Sofia was very upset. Before the film's release, she had known it wasn't suited for theaters and had braced herself for poor numbers -- but she had never expected the earnings to be so low, so low that it pained her to the core.

"But don't be too upset. This film had been greenlit by Link; he was also its screenwriter and editor. With the poor box office performance, he bore most of the responsibility while you were only partly accountable." Monica Bellucci teased, patting Link's shoulder.

"Yes, Monica was right -- it was all Link's fault."

"Sofia, don't be upset. This wasn't your fault; Link should be the one disappointed," Lily and Renee Zellweger, along with the others, also began to tease Link.

Link shook his head and laughed, "Don't jump to conclusions about whose fault it was. We'd anticipated from the start that the box office wouldn't be great, so we didn't have high expectations. However, according to the market research, films of this type sold well in the video rental market. Perhaps we could make a decent profit there."

"Really?" Sofia asked, wiping her eyes and looking at him hopefully.

Link reassured her, "Don't worry. The film had received positive reviews -- the newspapers were filled with praise for your artistic brilliance on display in this movie, even hailing you as one of the most promising young directors of our generation." Holding her close, he patted Sofia.

Upon hearing him mention the film reviews, Sofia immediately brightened. Though the film's box office performance had been mediocre, its critical reception was extremely positive. Many well-known film critics had taken to the newspapers to commend her, stating that the movie possessed great depth, was a classic soft science fiction film, and that it signaled that even the legacy of great directors like Coppola would live on. Still, Sofia knew that in terms of film technique and theory, she had been even more influenced by Link.

"Link, why did you come back so early? Had the script meeting ended?" Monica asked.

"Yeah, didn't you say there would be a party after the script meeting? Why did you come back so early?" another inquired.

"Nicole Kidman was there too; didn't you chat with her a bit longer?" 

"Haha, we were just betting on whether you'd bring her back tonight."

Jennifer and Renee Zellweger, along with the others, all chimed in.

Link shook his head and said, "What are you all rambling about? After the meeting, the crew had a little gathering at the hotel. I had just eaten and then returned. Nicole Kidman had nothing to do with it."

"Don't lie," Monica teased. "At the Golden Globe Awards last time, Nicole Kidman's gaze at you was so intense it could have pulled you in -- she practically wished to cling to you. Every time you looked at her, you never took your eyes off her. If she had taken the initiative to stick to you, would you have refused?"

Monica sat on a low table, crossed one leg, and joked with a beaming smile. The others laughed merrily, teasing Link that Nicole Kidman was eager to cling to him and that he was an insatiable lecher who would never pass up such a prize.

Exasperated, Link said, "Nicole Kidman is married -- I am not so unprincipled as to go after a married woman."

"So what if she's married? She was the one who clung to you -- it wasn't like you were trying to take advantage of her. Why do you care so much?" 

Monica covered her mouth and laughed, and the others continued to tease him.

Seeing that Monica was leading the mischief, Link decided to teach her a lesson. He pulled her into his arms, draped her over his shoulder, and carried her upstairs.

"Haha, this is going to be fun. Let's go take a look."

"Monica was in for it today."

Jennifer Connolly, Sofia, and Renee Zellweger hurried up the stairs from behind, eager to see the spectacle.

...

Cecilia, upon noticing the commotion upstairs, put down the remote and intended to go watch. However, before she could even stand up, Lily grabbed her by the ear and sent her back to the adjacent villa, insisting she quickly finish her homework and then resume practicing the piano.

Cecilia rolled her eyes and, fuming, sat down to do her homework. Lily successfully subdued the little girl, handed her over to the nanny for supervision, and then returned to the main villa. By the time she arrived, the bedrooms had already descended into chaos.

*****

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