Your comments, reviews, and votes really help me out so much and they make me super motivated to keep working on this story! Thank you! Pat**on : ilham20
The dinner party was held at a Caribbean spot that specialized in seafood and tropical fruit.
There were no fancy gimmicks—just a heavy hand with the spices, which suited Leon's palate perfectly.
"Thanks for everyone's hard work. Don't be shy, order whatever you want—tonight is on me," Scooter Braun announced, greeting Taylor's team members warmly.
Despite being an outsider, he was acting like the host of the party.
"No need," Taylor rolled her eyes, refusing to give him any chance to show off.
The vibe between the two had been off from the start.
No matter how hard Braun tried to strike up a conversation, Taylor simply ignored him.
The rift between them dated back to the Kanye mic-snatching incident in 2009.
Rumor had it that Kanye, drunk as a skunk that night, only caused that infamous scene because he was egged on by his manager, Braun.
Braun had manufactured the whole thing just for the traffic and hype.
If it weren't for Scott, the boss of Big Machine Records, Taylor and Braun wouldn't even be sitting at the same table.
Leon wasn't particularly interested in their complicated drama; he just kept his head down and focused on cracking his lobster.
Taylor glanced at him and flashed a mischievous grin. "Leon should pay."
"Me?" Leon looked up, pointing at his own nose.
"Of course~ Your movie is exploding at the box office. Isn't it only right for you to treat everyone to a big meal?" Seeing his expression, the smile on Taylor's face widened.
"Sorry, forgot my wallet." Leon lowered his head and went back to his lobster.
"You are even stingier than the media says," Taylor sighed.
Just as the two were bantering like a couple, Braun stepped in at the wrong moment to interrupt.
"It's truly a miracle that a black movie could pull those box office numbers. It seems your talent in film is just as impressive as your talent in music."
"Thanks," Leon replied flatly.
"Talent? Mr. Leon's talent for hype is what's truly top-tier," Scott sneered coldly.
As the boss of Big Machine, he had always been wary of Leon.
He didn't want Leon getting too close to his money-printing machine, Taylor.
Braun continued, " If you have any ideas for filming movies in the future, get in touch with me. I know a lot of people in the film industry. A movie I invested in is coming out next month too~"
"A movie you invested in?" Leon put down his knife and fork, looking interested.
July is the most brutal month for the North American summer box office.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, Captain America: The First Avenger...
Every single one was a big-budget, major IP production with a budget over a hundred million.
Braun touched his tie, seizing the opportunity to flex. "I threw some money into Captain America. Not much, just 20 million dollars."
His smug expression seemed to mock Leon: The pocket change I toss around is enough to shoot two of your ridiculous hood movies.
Investing in Captain America was indeed something to brag about.
The superhero market was on fire. Paramount Pictures, the distributor of Captain America, had tasted blood with the Iron Man project.
Getting in on an investment like that was basically printing money; that was the market's fanatical attitude toward superhero flicks right now.
In this scenario, random idle capital didn't even qualify to get in the door.
Seeming to notice Leon's confusion, Braun continued, "Mr. Redstone of the ViacomCBS Group... I maintain a very good personal relationship with his daughter, Ms. Shari."
"If you have any film projects you want to collaborate on with Paramount in the future, just give me a holler."
Braun smugly showed off his connections, basking in the admiring gazes of the crowd.
Only Taylor couldn't be bothered to give him a straight look.
Sumner Redstone was absolutely a rainmaker in Hollywood, standing at the very top of the pyramid.
He was the controlling shareholder of the mass media conglomerate ViacomCBS, with a net worth exceeding ten billion dollars.
And that group controlled Paramount Pictures, the CBS network, and multiple cable networks.
Shari, as his successor, was currently the undisputed head honcho at Paramount.
"Thanks for the offer," Leon admitted internally that he was a little jealous Braun could eat off the superhero movie plate.
Without special channels, you could only watch from the sidelines.
But he quickly adjusted his mindset.
Superhero movies weren't the only way to get rich; the results of Straight Outta Compton were already excellent.
According to IMDb predictions, the opening numbers for Captain America would likely exceed 100 million dollars, which wasn't that much higher than Straight Outta Compton.
A budget of over 10 million dollars in exchange for an opening six times that amount—Leon was already satisfied.
"Ignore him. I don't like that guy; he's always self-righteous and very cunning," Taylor whispered in Leon's ear, close enough that he could feel her hot breath.
"Yeah... he doesn't look like a good guy either." Leon remained wary of Braun.
A cunning operator had to be guarded against.
"Want to go for a walk?" Taylor pointed to the beach in the distance.
"It's pitch black, what is there to see?"
Taylor didn't give Leon a chance to refuse; she grabbed his wrist and walked toward the beach.
Aside from the moon and the tide, there was nothing here. It was completely silent.
Taylor bent down, took off her high heels, and stared at Leon. "Hold these for me."
"Carrying shoes again?"
Leon looked resistant; this was the second time she had made this request.
"You can't be a jerk all the time, you have to be a gentleman at least once~" Taylor's eyes hooked onto Leon like a fox.
"Fine~" Reluctantly, Leon took the sweat-stained high heels.
He inadvertently discovered a secret about her feet. "They're actually so small..."
"What's small?" Taylor was sensitive to that word, subconsciously glancing at her chest.
"I said your feet. They're only a size 8.5." Leon grinned wickedly. "I always thought they'd be about the same size as mine~"
Their heights were almost identical, so scientifically speaking, their feet should have been similar.
"Who's the same size as you..." Even though he wasn't talking about private parts, Taylor suddenly blushed.
To hide the expression on her face, she whipped her head around and started skipping barefoot on the sand.
Under her white dress were Taylor's long, straight legs.
glowing white in the moonlight.
"This woman's legs are the real deal..." Even though it wasn't Leon's first time observing them up close, he never got tired of looking.
"I love the night view of Miami Beach~" Taylor looked back, her face beaming with a smile.
It was pitch black all around; Leon really couldn't see where the beauty was. He smiled and warned, "Stay away from the water."
"Don't worry~ I'm a strong swimmer~" Taylor lifted her head like a proud swan.
"Really? I heard there are a lot of sharks in these waters," Leon spread his hands. "Can you outswim a shark, 'strong swimmer'? By the way, sharks are nocturnal."
As he spoke, he suddenly stomped hard on the sand.
The sudden noise made Taylor scream.
"Leon!" Seeing his cheap grin, Taylor's pale cheeks flushed as red as a ripe tomato.
After a bout of playful fighting, the two walked side by side on the beach. This kind of "solo date" initially made Leon very uncomfortable.
Fortunately, Taylor didn't bring up Robbie the entire time.
They talked about funny stories from her childhood and their views on music.
When talking about her parents, Taylor looked proud. Her father was a former stockbroker at Merrill Lynch; her mother, although a full-time housewife, had previously served as a marketing executive for an investment fund.
This family environment gave her a privileged life from a young age, allowing her to pursue her music dreams without scruples.
At 11, she got the chance to audition at a record company.
Leon stayed silent as he listened. From any angle, Taylor's parents didn't seem like shrewd financial professionals.
The fact that Scott now held partial copyright of Taylor's works was ultimately caused by her parents.
For short-term benefits, they had sown the seeds for future bad karma.
"I don't seem to have ever heard anything about your family," Taylor suddenly shifted the topic to Leon.
The name "Street Jesus" was always at the center of the entertainment storm, and Leon's past had long been dug up by everyone.
But there had never been a report on his family situation.
"My family?" Leon was a bit surprised. "My mom makes great chocolate..."
"Really? I hope I get a chance to taste it someday!"
"No problem..." Leon wanted to satisfy Taylor, but the premise was that he had to actually have a mom in this world.
---
When they returned from the beach walk, the vibe between the two was clearly different.
Even a fool could see the change.
Taylor was practically glued to Leon. Except for not linking arms, their intimacy was no different from a couple.
Scott couldn't suppress his murderous gaze, staring daggers at Leon.
Before parting, Taylor whispered meaningfully in Leon's ear: "Thank you for what you gave me today~"
"Gave you what?" Leon had a head full of question marks.
Taylor always put on a tsundere act, speaking like The Riddler.
"Inspiration," Taylor said. "I feel like I'll have new work very soon~"
---
Four days later, Leon finished all his performances in Miami and couldn't wait to return to New York.
Around 5 PM, the Apocalypse Music headquarters was already packed with people.
Due to the schedule conflict with Miami, the filming team hadn't properly celebrated the opening week's box office results yet.
"We did it, Bro~" Seeing Leon, Davis was the first to rush up and hug him tightly.
Thanks to the success of Straight Outta Compton, he had truly stepped into Hollywood and become an actor.
He could even barely count as a movie star.
He successfully shaped the image of Ice Cube on the big screen, receiving unanimous praise from the media, who thought he possessed a "wild beauty."
Leon had inadvertently fulfilled the promise he made at the Brownsville subway station, taking this ngga to soar to success with him.
"Alright, dammit." Leon broke free from the hug. "Don't act like a damn homo."
After everyone vented their excitement, Leon picked up a glass of whiskey and walked over to James Wan.
"We did it, James."
"I knew we would succeed, but I didn't expect to succeed like this!" James Wan's joy was no less than Leon's.
Straight Outta Compton broke his personal record for a director's opening weekend box office.
He was one step closer to the status of a top-tier Hollywood director.
"The box office champion this weekend might still be ours; the party continues." Leon patted his shoulder. "Our biggest rival this week is Super 8. Fxxk, what a ridiculous name..."
"It is a pretty stupid name..." James Wan laughed out loud.
As a Malaysian , he immediately got the joke about the name sounding like a cheap motel chain—or worse.
The newly appointed legal consultant, Luca, was also at the celebration. With his nimble tongue, he quickly mingled with everyone.
He suggested to Leon that if he wanted to continue digging deep into the film industry, establishing a film company was quite necessary.
Currently, Leon owned Apocalypse Film & Entertainment, but it was just registered to deal with the Film Association's processes—basically a shell company.
As long as he continued to develop in this industry, conflicts with distributors would be inevitable.
Just like how Paramount and Marvel Studios bickered over IP ownership.
Getting this company truly operational as soon as possible would significantly improve competitiveness within the industry.
The carnival lasted until ten at night, and people started to trickle out.
Having just finished a heavy schedule of commercial performances, Leon also felt very exhausted.
Just as he was about to leave, Ariana hugged him from behind, cooing, "Do you want to come to my place tonight~"
"Maybe not tonight..." Leon turned around and petted Ariana's head dotingly.
Rejected, Little A couldn't hide the disappointment on her face.
"Tonight, we're going to a special place!"
With that, before Ariana could react, Leon grabbed her wrist and walked out.
He drove the Porsche 997 across the Brooklyn Bridge.
Although Ariana didn't know where they were going, her head was already full of fantasies.
When they passed an adult-themed hotel, she secretly gasped, I haven't been to that kind of place yet...
When the car skirted Central Park, her face burned hot. Are we doing it right here?
The June weather was just right, and Central Park never lacked brave warriors at night.
Finally, Leon drove into the Tribeca area of Lower Manhattan.
The purchase contract had been signed long ago. The moment he returned to New York, he arranged for finance to wire $12 million to the agency.
He successfully got the keys to the new house.
"Wow~ This place is amazing~" Even Ariana, who came from a wealthy background, was mesmerized at first glance.
The apartment had a total area of about 4,500 square feet, split over two floors, featuring four bedrooms, four bathrooms, and a private terrace with a glass roof.
The spacious double-height living room had excellent lighting, with floor-to-ceiling windows stretching to the ceiling.
In the center of the living room was a hanging fireplace, surrounded by top-tier custom leather sofas and art deco pieces.
The bathroom was also designed with floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing one to soak in the tub and drink wine while admiring the Hudson River night view.
Buying a house in America meant it was move-in ready; the open kitchen was equipped with various top-tier appliances.
Gaggenau ovens, Sub-Zero refrigerators, and a long Italian marble island.
Overall, while it might not be a mega-mansion, it was definitely the lifelong pursuit of Manhattan's business elite.
"Come here, Little A." Leon stood in front of the living room's floor-to-ceiling window and pulled open the curtains.
Holding a wine glass in his left hand, his right hand naturally wrapped around Ariana's waist.
The Hudson River, the World Trade Center, the Brooklyn Bridge...
These New York landmarks that often appeared in Hollywood movies were all in full view.
Ariana stood on her tiptoes and lightly pecked Leon on the cheek. "Let's go to the bedroom... I want to..."
"Bedroom? No." Leon shook his head, hugging Ariana tighter, his eyes like a greedy wolf. "Tonight, we do it right here!"
"Here?!" Ariana's mouth instantly formed an "O" shape.
Leon didn't give her time to process her emotions; his right hand naturally laid her down on the carpet.
Ariana was flustered, glancing occasionally at the scenery outside the window, her eyes glassy.
In a trance, the seal of her slip dress was easily broken by Leon.
Under the witness of the Manhattan skyline, he completed the "Grand Opening" of this house.
---