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This is the Wednesday Chapter, 2 chapters ahead could be read at my patréon sites. Thank you...
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Al disembarked the plane and inhaled the dry and hot air of Los Angeles. Although it was fall season already, the temperature in Los Angeles was still warm, so much different from Chicago who began to get colder, and as a Californian, he couldn't really stand the cold.
John Mick came from behind and told him that aviation security had provided a special passage that was free from paparazzi.
He did not know where this paparazzi and reporters got the information, but his flight with using Pan Am, back to Los Angeles was leaked and the army of them was already waiting for him at the Los Angeles airport.
Any disguise he used would be futile, so he didn't wear it.
As for the shooting, it was not yet finished but he got one week break, and only the scene in Ferris Bueller's home was left for him to shoot.
Also, because of the shooting, Al missed the first week of the new term that should be held in early-September, he wondered if everyone in school missed him... Nah, maybe Billy would miss his fist.
(The bully in the previous chapter )
So with this one week break, he would go to school for a while and took care of some of his businesses.
Al sighed when he was thinking about how annoying his principal was who didn't give him any dispensation to shoot the film, then he remembered Robin Williams, they both named Williams but they were so different.
Al carried his luggage and went out of the airport with a special passage, but somehow, outside the terminal, he was swarmed by shutters and flashlights from paparazzi who knew there was a back entrance.
He ignored any of their questions, from serious to ridiculous ones. But one of the questions made him halted from his steps.
"Excuse me, Mr. Brandt, how do you feel about the theories that spread in some media about your parents that affiliated with neo-Nazi that made them got killed?" He looked at him and remembered that face, that was the face of the man who came with Jaid in Drew's custody accident.
If he was not wrong, he should be with Hollywood Stars, the supermarket tabloid who always slandered him from time to time.
He continued to walk and ignored them, but inside, his furnace burned as if he wanted to cook someone.
How did they know about his parents, and made up a story about their death, it was disrespectful of them. They could slander him but not his deceased parents.
'Patience Al, patience, let the gossip dispersed to thin air, no need to make any statements.' He kept repeating these words inside his mind.
John Mick hurriedly covered him from any harm from those vultures, more likely covered them from him exactly, then a BMW stopped in front of him, Al saw that it was Jason Barnes, who got out of the car and opened the door for him. The paparazzi became crazier after knowing Al would be gone, so Al hurriedly entered the car.
Insides, he saw Nancy Smith was there, his financial advisor, stockbroker, and Nidavelir Investment CEO who has been in touch with him by phone in Wall Street, New York.
"My moneymaker! long time no see, Nan!" Al opened his arms, waiting to get hugged, but he got no response from her, so he let down his hands in disappointment.
Nancy rolled her eyes when she heard him, the eccentric young man who somehow always made everyone smile, including herself. She was grateful for working with him, any investment he had done, ended in high return although some got a loss, fortunately, the loss was an insignificant one.
She also had become one of the influential females in Wall Street, people knew her that she invested in Apple, Coca-Cola, Berkshire Hathaway, Microsoft, etc. What people didn't know was the one who was behind her all the time was Al.
Uncountable peoples had been asking about Nidavellir Investment and her. They wanted to put their money in his company, but she slammed the door on the front of their face, saying that this was a private company of her boss.
His insight into stocks and start-up company was terrifying, look at Microsoft, the software company that they used to invest in.
With her quick-witted negotiation skill, they were able to secure 15% of the Microsoft shares. Although it didn't go public yet, Goldman Sachs Group predicted that Microsoft's worth could reach an astronomical figure when they go public in the future, and he owned 15% of it, so he would add another fortune to his worth.
Not only that, his brother Toby showed promising talent in business and stockbroking like Mary and him.
Is an orphanage supposed to produce these terrifying geniuses or only this orphanage? What did Mrs. Kate feed to these kids anyway?
"Well, Al, it supposed to be the opposite, YOU are my moneymaker, I could never get this far without your insight." She crossed her arms to her chest, enhancing her bountiful assets that was already had above average size than others.
Al gulped and his sight wandered to that holy place but he quickly snapped himself and looked at her eyes, hoping that she didn't realize it.
Almost all of Mary's friends that he met were terrifyingly good looking, if not, had a good figure. He wondered if beautiful people always attract each other.
"Thank you, Nan, but did you do what I'm asking for?"
"You mean that Yen thing? Yes, I already mortgage some of your stocks and got at least $150 million from Bank of America."
She worriedly looking at him, "Investing in foreign exchange currency is a gamble Al, are you sure it will succeed?"
"Of course, did you see the news, Nan? The US currency was growing too fast since the great depression and left other currencies far behind. My prediction is to balance this, the U.S. Government must be planning to depreciate its currency with some of the countries to enable the trade to go well."
She always got curious about how he got this observation stuff, "And why did you think it would be Japanese Yen?"
"Their economy is growing, so the US must be aiming for them, I'm sure of it. Trust me, the other country won't have a great significant change like them."
Nancy nodded and decided to fully trust him, he was the boss and a genius above it.
"Oh, how about the person you recommended to me? Is he trustworthy?" He asked her about the person who would handle the foreign exchange market of Nidavellir.
"Yes, his wife and my sister are colleagues. She seemed to trust her enough."
"Okay, but I don't want this thing going south, as you said, this is a gamble and I hope he won't fuck things up." Al glanced coldly at her, although he had known her for almost 3 years, the new guy was not, and he hoped he won't be trapped in any investment fraud.
Suddenly Nancy felt chill to her spine, those gazes of his scared her. She didn't know whether this was acting or no, but she sure will remember not to joke around when he had this look on him, it was scary.
Jessica and James also felt this, they sometimes saw him doing this for practicing the acting, but when he did this in a real-life, it scared them both.
Al saw that he unconsciously scared the hell out of Nancy and others, so he asked her another question to melt the ice. "How about things with Cisco and Stanford University?"
"Stubborn, like Microsoft and Apple founders, especially those Stanford University professors, but eventually, they lose in the face of capitalism." She smiled when she said this. "They need a fund for this, and Stanford and their investors gave them little."
"Good, keep in touch with them, make sure to get half of the shares, I believe the rise of the computer information technology is near." He laughed evilly that scared the shit out of Nancy and others.
He had another plan with Cisco, but he would meet them directly at Stanford.
Jason who was driving suddenly got curious when they talked about computers, and asked him, "Al, is Matrix thing will be real?"
He stared at James from the rear-view mirror and gave him a short answer, "Yep."
As the car passed by Los Angeles city, the situation in the car became lively when Al told them his experience while back in Chicago.
~~~
The next morning, Hollywood High School.
4 people got out of the school bus, two boys and two girls. The boys, one of them was fat and had African-American descent and another one was skinny and tall caucasian with glasses.
Two girls, one bit taller than average girls on her age and wore goth make up, and the other one got look of friendly neighborhood girls.
They were Anthony, Max, Ione, and Robin.
"So, got news from Al?" Anthony asked Ione and Robin.
"Nope, I didn't see that bastard since the Live Aid concert," Robin said grudgingly.
Anthony and Max stared at Robin confusedly, Ione then whispered to them, "She really misses him."
"I am not, Ione! It was you who miss him, your grandfather misses him!" She retorted and rushed out to the hall.
Suddenly they heard a familiar voice behind them.
"Hi guys, who said they missed me?"
Robin suddenly turned to where the sound was coming from and happy after seeing what she saw.
It was Al, complete with his Edward persona, a beanie, oversized grey hoodie, and thick lensless glasses.
"A-Ed!!" Everyone almost slipped their tongue, he was called Ed when he was in school and Al outside of it.
They approached him and engaged him in a group hug, except Robin who looked like she didn't care, but everyone can see that she was so eager to meet him.
They separated from the hugs, Al went over to Robin and hugged her personally, Robin just squirmed under his body.
After finished the hug, he turned to everyone and asked, "So... what did I miss?"
"Well Anthony just had his debut to do stand up comedy in one of the bar downtowns, Ione got another role, and I... nothing happened to me except my dad just bought me a new camera." He said the last one embarrassedly.
As for the last, everyone turned to Robin, nobody knew what she had done when they parted ways, even Ione didn't know it, Robin sighed, "I-I went to England."
Everyone was waiting for her to continue her words, but the bell of the first period was ringing, so they need to go to class immediately.
When they walk together, Anthony suddenly remembered something to tell to him, "Oh Ed, I forget to tell you something, the homecoming party will be held on next Saturday, make sure you bring your partner, and maybe, introduce me to some Hollywood chicks." He smiled knowingly at him and tapping his shoulder.
Al's steps halted, everyone saw Al was stopping, also stopped walking, they saw his face got ugly and said the word with distaste, "Homecoming...ugh."
To Be Continued...
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Produced by:
JJTS
Directed by:
Jarvis