[A/N: 200th chapter, congrats to us! Thank you for sticking by the story! And I'm trying my best to keep the story entertaining :)]
As soon as they walked into a corner, Lincoln addressed Ian.
"It's so good to see you young man in person, finally. I've heard a lot about you, and trust me, more than half of them were good." Lincoln said with a smile on his wrinkly face.
"Ah, the other half, and please, let me get you a drink," Ian said while he nodded.
In no time, Ian called a waiter and brought champagne, which Ian thought hopefully could make the conversation easier. 'Not like the man who was supposed to introduce us is here anyway'
"So, Mr. Lincoln, what about the other half?" Ian asked with a smile.
Lincoln took a sip from the drink and smiled at Ian. "Just the things that a guy at your age would do. Scandals… Which somehow are worse than the other. So, tell me, young man, what would you need help with?" Lincoln asked finally getting into the conversation Ian had dreaded for.
At first, Mason introduces someone else as in replacement of his, and Ian who had just seen the name in headlines and conversations and knew nothing about the man was left confused.
"Well, for now, I've everything under control-"
"That's what I thought." He cut him off shortly and took a sip from the glass. "Let's talk about something more interesting, have you ever fallen in love?" he asked.
At the sudden question, Ian felt sweat covering his hands. The foreign feeling took over his head and he couldn't think of anything more but gulp the entire campaign down.
The old man who sat across from him noticed the sudden change of behavior.
"Mhm, I know that," he said in a coarse voice and smiled at him. "You know what, if I'm being honest, I don't care about my career anymore. It was fun while it lasted, for all the twenty-five years of working, under and above people. Now I want to have a long vacation like Mason does, and son, look at me," he said gaining his attention.
Ian felt weird at the conversation. He was uncomfortable—uncomfortable in ways that he never felt or needed to address.
"I lost my wife yesterday. Ask them what I'm doing here, today. I wouldn't know words, but you know what… If you're in love, or at least you know you like someone more unusually than you normally do, go for it. Of course, sex is great when it's different people, in different ways, and different beds. But when it's that person, it's meaningful. Take your chances, and before I say any more deep shit, I'm going to need a huge break," he said, stood up, and walked away in the next second.
-
"How has the night been for you?" Jeff walked towards Ian and had the neutral fake smile that he [resent for everyone plastered on his face.
"It was okay, joyous, and well… Christmas, what have you been up to, Jeff?" Ian asked back.
The war between the two men was civil. Jeff didn't want to address it publicly as he didn't want to ruin his reputation since things could go fine for him if Ian agreed to his words at the right time. Ian wanted time to establish himself in the industry, after what he had in mind.
In short, they both were waiting for the perfect opportunity.
"Ah, the usual stuff. Oh, meet Mrs. Sanson, who is also a huge fan of yours,"
A lady who looked like she had tried her best to dress herself up for the evening walked behind Jeff and smiled through her fake eyelashes.
"Oh wow, nice to meet you-"
"Yes, and I read both the books of PJ, I'm sure my kid loves them too, nice to meet you too-" she kept on saying and realized that her words came out as a stutter.
"Alright, why don't we take a seat?" Jeff suggested as Ian was already seated. "I have to offer you something, Ian. And I think, with all the happiness flooding around in your house, and heart, it's the best time for both of us to get into an agreement," he muttered.
"What is your offer exactly?" Ian asked back.
"Well, the next movie of yours, whatever you're planning, the one with all the cars… I'd like the distributions to turn around. From Renner Studios to Goofy. If not, I have another offer, for your next movie-"
"I'll think about it, excuse me."
Ian stood up from his chair and walked away without wanting to hear anymore. That man was someone who always wanted things he can't have, and someone who always armed for Ian to work under him—with his influence, and the name of his company; Goofy.
"Heck with him- Hey, Raelynn," Ian said to Raelynn who was a few steps away from the Christmas tree and had her eyes planted on the tree as if it was something special.
"Oh, you got me there almost. People are enjoying the party, it seems." she said, looking around at everyone. Some were dancing, but the majority were talking with each other.
What more could you expect from a party where more than half the top Hollywood participates? Deals, offers, suggestions, merging, fights, and whatnot.
"Yeah, they seem to be, indeed. What about you though? What are you thinking?" Ian asked while he stood beside her to watch the lights of the Christmas tree.
"Well, it doesn't matter what I want to-"
"Do you want to have dinner with me sometime?" Ian asked as soon as Raelynn started to talk. She stopped in her tracks and looked at Ian who was smiling at her.
"What? Are you asking me out?" she asked back.
"Is that a yes? If so, trust me, I've better ways to say yes. And yes, I'm asking you out. I mean, I don't know if you felt it, but I've been having feel-"
He couldn't get to complete his sentence when Raelynn pressed her lips to his. It was for a quick second, but when she pulled back, his heart was thumping harder than before.
"Yeah, I'd love to. And we were standing under the mistletoe, fuck, I'm so corny," she muttered and walked away with a sly smile.
Ian couldn't understand what just happened.
'Sure I've kissed hundreds of women, but that… Fuck!'
The rest of the night went by in a blur. By the end of it, Raelynn, Niko, Mason, Ian, and some other few people were left by the fireplace of the mansion, talking to each other, smiling amongst themselves.
"...And you know, Felix was this close to smashing the car on the red one, as he was tired from all the shooting," Ian said and laughed along with others, who had the same reaction.
"Ahahahha… Bro, no joking but who thought shooting a movie could be this difficult? Who in the fucking life thought? Excuse my words, I;m a little drunk. But it's all… Cut, retake… It's not good, I need more emotions, and again, and again, and again…! Wow, it felt good to finally let it out!" Felix said while everyone laughed.
"It's the beauty of it. You put all the pieces together and get a good final cut that everyone is proud of, Ah, reminds me how beautiful my job is," someone from the team said while laughs erupted again.
"Ian, this is going to be the worst time to ask, but what are we going to do after fast and furious?"
"First of all, it's the Fast and the Furious. And trust me, I have worked enough for at least fifty more years if I lived that is. Or if not, I'd assign and get people to do them or something," he said and realized how true it is.
The movies, series, and books in his memory library deserve the recognition it gets in this universe. The people in the world deserve to know them, and Ian somehow felt responsible for it.
"What's your biggest fear of making movies?" someone else asked.
"I guess, maybe not getting the perfect shot. Or, time delaying something like that. Ah, directors have many fears. And trust, I don't even know where to begin,"
"WE SAW THE KISS!" Niko yelled and giggled like a kid.
The room went silent but his giggles were still ongoing.
"You're wasted," Raelynn mumbled and smiled as to say she was sorry.
"It's okay. I like her–I like her, and I want to see where things would go. I don't want to make things complicated, so it's all easy and simple for now. Is that all the questions we've today?" Ian asked making everyone groan.
"We're gonna miss you, uncle," Ian said after everyone went silent for two minutes.
That was true. Regardless of all the stuff that happened for the night, Mason's retirement was the biggest thing that bothered him.
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