On November 13th, a hint of coldness lingered in the air.
As Eva stepped out of the airport, she spotted a familiar figure right at the exit.
Of course, from Lyman's perspective, it should have been like this.
Amidst the crowd, a stylish and stunning woman in a white blouse paired with straight-cut cropped jeans walked toward him. Her chestnut hair was pulled back in a stylish manner, and the exposed ankles were adorned with high heels. Her straight and alluring long legs drew attention effortlessly.
"Lyman!"
She exclaimed with delight, setting down her suitcase and throwing herself into the embrace of the man before her.
Oh god!
Under the slightly envious gazes of bystanders, they exchanged a passionate kiss.
Alright, perhaps it was because his fellow men were bursting with jealousy.
Lyman, who was under the scrutiny of several pairs of eyes, didn't dare to take another step into the proverbial minefield.
"Thank you for coming to pick me up. Did you wait for long?"
It had been a while since Eva had seen Lyman, and her mood was quite beautiful upon their reunion.
"No, it's actually you who dressed so lightly. Aren't you cold?"
"Wasn't it warm on the plane? So I took off a layer."
"Let's go then, John is still waiting outside." Lyman took the suitcase from her, held Eva close, and walked toward the airport's parking area.
He really had to get moving before the single folks' death glares killed him. Terrifying.
Kissing in public, did they think there was no FFF branch in the United States?
Once in the car, Lyman said to John, "To the flagship store of Dior."
John promptly started the car.
Tonight was the celebration banquet for "Saw". Taking advantage of the opportunity, they were going to pick out Eva's gown beforehand.
"Are you coming with me to choose?" Eva asked excitedly.
"Of course." Lyman wrapped his arm around her petite waist and said earnestly.
"...How about this dress?"
"This color is pretty good. Let me try it on first."
"..."
Perhaps all women were born shopaholics. Two hours passed, and they were still in the Dior store.
Silent beside him, John watched as Eva continued to discuss outfit options with the store manager.
He finally asked, "Have you two confirmed your relationship?"
"Yeah, haven't you known for a while?"
Lyman replied, puzzled.
"Not that. I mean, have you prepared to let the media or everyone else know about your relationship?"
Lyman glanced at John but remained silent.
"I've seen too many couples break up because their private lives were scrutinized excessively. You're a director, perhaps not as much under constant attention as a celebrity, but don't underestimate the paparazzi. If you keep hiding it, it won't affect your feelings for each other. I mean, you don't need to be overt about it. She's not part of the core team behind "Saw", and we don't really have a good reason to explain her involvement openly."
"John, do you understand women?"
"Well, not really."
"She needs to be acknowledged, and she also needs a sense of security. Staying mysterious may be suitable, but have you considered how Eva feels about this? The day before yesterday, she called me and mentioned that her mother wants to set her up for a blind date. At her age, she also needs to consider her future, you know?"
Lyman looked at John earnestly.
"Alright, I understand. From now on, I'll personally take care of her personal matters. I'll have a chat with Kevin Huvane."
Eva's economic contract was also signed with CAA, but it was of a relatively ordinary kind. On the other hand, John was already a senior agent. If he took over, it would undoubtedly be very beneficial for Eva.
"Thank you."
"We don't need to talk about these things between us."
John glanced at Eva, who was still choosing dresses, his concern evident in his expression.
As he had said, couples breaking up and getting back together were common in the industry. He had also seen cases where the female half was affected after a breakup, struggling to recover.
Lyman was extremely talented, and his acumen in the film market was terrifyingly high. His movies always performed well, but that was also why John, as his agent, was particularly wary of Eva affecting him.
His future, their careers.
Lyman's future was closely tied to John's future, and he didn't want to see any adverse factors emerge.
However, first and foremost, he respected Lyman's choice.
Hopefully, they would have a lasting journey together.
"Lyman, how do you think about this outfit?"
"Let me take a look..."
...
The celebration banquet for "Saw" was undoubtedly luxurious, as they had booked an entire private club in Beverly Hills as the venue.
As for the attendees, apart from the core team of the movie and some high-ranking executives from Paramount, there were also plenty of stars from CAA and other major talent agencies.
Sherry Lansing was originally among the top-tier power players in the industry, so naturally, many were willing to network with her.
Lyman, on the other hand, was representing Firefly Films in collaboration with Paramount for the sequel of "Saw". CAA had put a lot of effort into supporting Lyman; most of their clients had some connections with him. Therefore, they wouldn't hesitate to have their talents attend the event.
Speaking of an aside, the sequel of "Saw" had been confirmed as an internal packaged project within CAA. They provided personnel to form the production team, and for this, they could receive an additional 10% share of the film's profits. It's only fair to provide incentives if you want people to put in the effort. Furthermore, Lyman's willingness to share a portion of his profits was also a reason for CAA's strong support.
In this industry, as long as people don't hog everything for themselves, then everyone can be friends.
Lyman was well aware that he didn't have deep roots in the industry. So, aside from teaming up with CAA, he wouldn't offend Paramount. As long as there were no irreconcilable conflicts, he would still grant them the distribution rights in the future.
The same applied to EuropaCorp.
By evening, Lyman arrived at the venue with John and Eva, and they coincidentally saw James with Leigh inside.
Glancing around the venue, which was still being set up and with the scheduled time not yet arrived, Lyman curiously asked some of the crew members present, "Where's Jason Statham? Why didn't he come with you guys?"
James explained, "He's in France filming a movie, something called "Transporter". It's a collaboration between EuropaCorp and the production side. You didn't know?"
Alright, it seemed Lyman had been too occupied.
Luc Besson had personally informed him about this. René even represented their company in investing $4.8M.
Moreover, this was a series of movies, with the first one released around 2002, featuring Jason Statham and Shu Qi. It was a joint production between a filming team from Hong Kong and EuropaCorp.
After the decline of the Hong Kong film industry, many talents had flocked to Hollywood for their careers.
People like John Woo had also come during that period.
It could be said that Hollywood's action movies being so smooth and magnificent owed much to these experienced film talents.