It was still daytime when Martin left the nightclub, driving Nicholson's extended Lincoln. The three friends who had just enjoyed some facial cleanser service were in high spirits.
Nicholson, putting on his sunglasses, shouted enthusiastically, "Let's party! Let's have a wild time. I can handle ten, no... twenty."
Leonardo, eyeing the delusional Nicholson, retorted, "I won't be attending your funeral tomorrow."
Martin, lowering the tailgate slightly, instructed the driver, "Let's head to my place." He raised the tailgate, adding, "I've got a few bottles of good wine. We can watch the Golden Globe Awards tonight and enjoy some eye candy."
Leonardo grumbled, "It's mostly a gathering of weirdos, not eye candy."
Martin teased, "You underestimate yourself. When you've had a few drinks, I'll call the beauties. How about Gisele Bündchen?"
Leonardo, a bit flustered, countered, "You think I'm afraid? If you can get Gisele Bündchen here..."
Martin, feeling responsible, interjected, "I'll cover all the expenses for your proposal and wedding!"
Nicholson chimed in, "Have you seen, Jack, Martin's acting like a nouveau riche, not caring about money?"
Martin leaned back in his seat, adopting an arrogant tone, "Why not let a newly-minted millionaire flaunt a bit?"
This playful exchange was a common sight when the trio hung out.
The Lincoln soon pulled up at Martin's home. They entered the living room to find someone already there.
Lily, in a professional apron and holding a carving knife, was sculpting a clay figure nearly half her height. Martin welcomed the two friends inside and asked Lily when she arrived.
Lily explained, "I came after lunch to help you tidy up your place. It was a mess. I figured I'd practice my sculpting while you were at it."
Martin introduced her to Leonardo and Nicholson, and when Leonardo recognized her as the Joker statue's original artist, Lily responded modestly.
Martin invited Leonardo to the wine cellar. Nicholson turned on the TV, where the Golden Globe Awards' red carpet coverage was underway.
Leonardo poured wine for the three of them and offered some to Lily, who declined due to her age.
Martin patted Leonardo on the shoulder and advised, "Don't try anything with her."
Perplexed, Leonardo sat down and joined Martin and Nicholson for a drink. Lily was about the same age as Nicholson's daughter Lorraine, and Nicholson commended her sculpting and thanked her for the statue.
Lily replied, "You're welcome," raising a can of Coke to clink glasses with Nicholson.
Leonardo was about to take a sip of his wine when he noticed Lily put down the can and picked up a sharp carving knife. She deftly wielded the knife, poking at the clay figure, creating holes in its vital points such as its eyes, throat, heart, and lower abdomen.
Leonardo's heart raced as he watched, and he quickly drank his wine to quell the unease. When Martin asked what was wrong, Leonardo dismissed it as a desire for more wine.
Martin refilled his glass, assuring him, "You can drink as much as you want. There's plenty of wine in the cellar."
Leonardo nodded, privately considering that those who grew up with Martin seemed a bit unusual. The three of them continued to sip wine and watch the Golden Globe Awards.
On the other side, Lily noticed that Leonardo had been startled. She decided to renovate the sculpture, pushing it into a storage room, tidying up the area, and said to Martin, "I'm heading back to school. Please be careful and try not to make the house such a mess."
Martin waved her off, saying, "No need to see you out."
After Lily departed, the three friends enjoyed their time watching the Golden Globe Awards, sipping wine, and discussing industry matters, which sometimes left them feeling uneasy.
As they discussed, they found the Golden Globes to be quite entertaining. Julian Schnabel won the Best Director award for "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," with prominent figures like the Coen brothers and Ridley Scott accompanying him.
For Best Actress, Julie Christie won, beating out Kate Winslet, who had been a frontrunner throughout the awards season. Martin raised his glass and clinked it with Leonardo, expressing his hope that Kate would win the Oscar. Leonardo responded with, "May God bless Kate," and Nicholson confidently stated, "Kate has won nearly all the significant Best Actress awards; she's sure to win."
Martin suggested, "Let's hold off on congratulating Kate for now. It's bad luck to open champagne mid-field."
Leonardo concurred, "You're right."
Tonight, the Golden Globe Awards had captivated a lot of attention, with the media's focus solely on the glitzy entertainment scene in Los Angeles.
Caroline, a Latina, had finished her work for the day and decided to visit a bar before going home. Since coming forward to accuse Brad Pitt, her life had improved significantly. The financial gain from selling news and paid interviews had elevated her family's living standards.
Caroline even began to see Brad Pitt as a good person, believing he had changed her family's fate. But, of course, she wanted more from him.
As dusk settled in, Caroline stepped out of her car cautiously. Security in this Latin neighborhood was subpar, with hardly any surveillance and many streetlights damaged.
While walking, someone called out to her from behind a lamppost, causing Caroline to stop and reach into her bag for self-defense spray. The man assured her, "Keep your distance. I won't get close. I just want to chat."
The man, wearing a hood that obscured most of his face, mentioned Brad Pitt's substantial assets and fixed assets, which Caroline was somewhat aware of.
The man's voice, hoarse and unpleasant, explained, "It's not that he doesn't want to pay you a substantial sum; he's dragging it out. He has enough assets to prolong the dispute until you can't take it anymore, and you'll naturally settle with him."
He added, "Don't forget, the Los Angeles police lifted Brad Pitt's restraining order."
The man then played a recording with Brad Pitt's voice saying, "I would rather give the money to the lawyer than give one cent more to those poor people."
Caroline, having worked as a nanny for Brad Pitt, recognized his voice and inquired about the man's identity.
The man claimed to be a kind-hearted individual who held a grudge against Brad Pitt and sympathized with the victims. Caroline refrained from asking further questions.
The man lowered his hat and walked out of the community alone, taking advantage of the darkening sky.
He passed by a garbage station, pulled the tape out of the cassette, and incinerated it to ashes with a fire.
The so-called quotes attributed to Brad Pitt, while authentic recordings of his voice, were actually lines from one of Brad Pitt's acting roles.
Half an hour later, Judy, who had just exited TMZ, sat in a coffee shop.
After sipping her coffee alone and waiting for a while, Ivan rushed into the coffee shop, pulled out a chair, and sat across from Judy.
Judy inquired, "What do you need me for?"
Ivan ordered a cup of black coffee first, then responded, "I recently purchased some equipment and changed residences, and I've run low on funds."
Judy, understanding the importance of this news channel, didn't hesitate. He removed his wallet, took out all the cash, and placed it on the table, saying, "Right now, this is all I've got."
Ivan refrained from touching the money and continued, "I want to make a substantial amount of money, even more."
Judy pulled her chair closer to Ivan and leaned in, asking, "What's the top-secret news?"
"Remember the agreement we made with Camille's lawyer?" Ivan spoke softly, "We assisted her in obtaining the right to represent Brad Pitt's victims, and she agreed to compensate us with a certain percentage of legal fees."
He went on, saying, "There are still many victims who haven't reached a final settlement with Brad Pitt. Can you find a way to increase their compensation so they get what they deserve? More money means higher legal fees for Camille and more commissions for us."
Judy furrowed her brow, "This is quite intricate..."
"Brad Pitt possesses a significant number of high-value assets," Ivan assured, "I've confirmed that several brands previously endorsed by Brad Pitt are planning to unite to sue him for breach of contract during his endorsement periods."
This was not a new development, as Cadillac had already made a fuss about it last year. Jody considered and remarked, "As the global image ambassador for many brands, strictly speaking, Brad Pitt's nanny scandal has indeed inflicted substantial damage on the reputation and image of these related brands."
Ivan clenched his fist and emphasized, "Big corporations are rushing to the frontlines to claim their share, and we should follow suit. If you manage to secure more, it'll be enough to keep us well-fed."
With significant potential profits on the horizon, Judy was willing to give it a try, asking, "Is your source of information reliable?"
Ivan assured her, "Absolutely reliable."
Judy made up her mind, stating, "I'm going to contact lawyer Camille."
She left the coffee shop and, without haste, got into her car. She made several consecutive calls, quickly receiving confirmation that Cadillac had just informed its Los Angeles attorney to restart the lawsuit against Brad Pitt for breach of contract.