Early the next morning, Carmen-Kaice looked radiant. She ordered breakfast to be sent to the room, and when Ronan finished getting ready, a hearty spread awaited them at the table.
Ronan walked over, lightly kissed Carmen-Kaice, pulled out a chair, and sat down next to her.
Carmen-Kaice said, "I'm not sure about your preferences, so I ordered a bit of everything."
Ronan picked up Carmen-Kaice's plate and asked, "What would you like to eat?"
"No need," Carmen-Kaice said, taking a plate of steamed vegetables, "I ate too much last night, so I need to control myself this morning."
Ronan understood that models often watched their diet, so he set down her plate and selected a few items for himself.
Watching Carmen-Kaice eat her greens without much enthusiasm and then gulp down a meal replacement shake, Ronan couldn't help but remark, "Being a model isn't easy."
Carmen-Kaice chuckled. "You get used to it," she said earnestly. "Women from our region tend to gain weight easily as they get older. I have to be vigilant."
Ronan remembered Estonia being one of the former Soviet Union republics, likely with a population somewhat similar to Russians, notorious for their intimidating grandmothers. But upon reflection, he realized Estonia was situated near the Baltic Sea, closer to Finland. Carmen-Kaice's blonde hair and green eyes suggested Nordic roots.
Before they could finish breakfast, there was a knock on the door. Carmen-Kaice went to answer it, and her agent, Daisy Brook, walked in.
Daisy immediately noticed Ronan, her expression momentarily souring, but she restrained herself from saying anything, simply telling Carmen-Kaice, "I'll be waiting for you in the hotel lobby. You have an hour."
After she left, her somber gaze swept briefly toward Ronan's direction.
Knowing Daisy was Carmen-Kaice's trusted agent, Ronan pretended not to notice.
Carmen-Kaice took out her makeup bag and sat in front of the mirror to do her makeup. "Don't mind her," she said while applying her makeup. "Daisy isn't bad; she just tends to overthink sometimes."
"No worries," Ronan replied, not letting it bother him.
Watching Carmen-Kaice put on her makeup and change clothes, Ronan felt a surge of impulse, but he reminded himself that she had work in the morning and suppressed it.
Carmen-Kaice changed into a light golden dress, exuding both beauty and sensuality with a hint of wildness.
Ronan lightly placed his hand on her shoulder and said, "Golden Goddess, will you be my girlfriend?"
Their physical intimacy the previous night had been almost frantic, but they hadn't had a chance to discuss their relationship.
Carmen-Kaice suddenly turned to face him. "Ronan, um… can we talk about this later?"
Her response caught Ronan off guard. He couldn't understand why she would say that.
In his mind, everything seemed to be falling into place.
Some people had described Western romance as first getting physical and then considering feelings afterward, like buying a computer based on hardware first and software later – if the hardware wasn't up to par, then it was hopeless.
Last night had proven that they were compatible physically, at the very least.
Before Ronan could recover from his surprise, Carmen-Kaice continued, "Ronan, don't get me wrong. I really like you, but you're in America, and I'm in Europe. I have to go back to Estonia frequently for business."
She paused before adding, "I don't want to deceive you, and I hope you understand. You and I are quite similar in some ways, focused on our careers. I can't give up my work in Europe and Estonia to come to America often, and you can't abandon your career in America to spend extended periods with me in Europe. We're both young and don't need to rush into decisions."
Ronan gently caressed Carmen-Kaice's face, smiling somewhat awkwardly. He didn't know what to say.
But he couldn't deny that Carmen-Kaice was speaking the truth.
Although young, Carmen-Kaice had ventured out alone from Estonia at the age of 14 to places like Milan, displaying considerable independence.
Ronan sighed. "This is the first time I've confessed my feelings to someone."
It was his first time doing so since arriving in Los Angeles.
Carmen-Kaice kissed Ronan lightly, without hesitation, and said, "Let's just keep things as they are for now. We'll let time decide about the future."
Ronan wasn't one to be indecisive. Just as he had decided last night to engage physically with Carmen-Kaice because he felt good about her, he made a decision now. "Let's leave it to time, then."
Carmen-Kaice had to attend a media promotion event for Dior, so Ronan didn't disturb her further. He simply called a taxi and headed back to Embassy Pictures. Along the way, Susan Arnold from DreamWorks called him to continue discussions on the sequel rights for "Blair the Witch."
Dealing with Carmen-Kaice's situation had dampened his mood somewhat. If he were a twenty-something greenhorn, he might have been depressed for days. But Ronan was mature and emotionally resilient. He didn't let his melancholy affect his work.
The negotiations with Susan Arnold and DreamWorks executives went smoothly, and they settled on a price of $12 million for the sequel rights.
Ronan felt like he had struck gold. DreamWorks and Susan Arnold felt the same way.
For less than a tenth of the North American box office revenue, they had secured full rights to the sequel. If all went well, this series could easily produce two films, or even go on to have five or six like franchises such as "Friday the 13th," "Halloween," and "Night at the Museum."
That morning, Susan Arnold signed a preliminary agreement on behalf of DreamWorks. The formal agreement would need to be drafted by legal professionals.
Ronan's mood lifted slightly. This $12 million was a pure profit from recycling.
In the afternoon, Robert Lee came to the company and looked at Ronan strangely when he saw him.
"What's wrong with you?" Robert asked. "You seem off."
Ronan rubbed his face. "Is it that obvious?"
Robert nodded. "You wear your heart on your sleeve." He remembered Ronan as an optimistic person and had never seen him like this before. Half jokingly, he asked, "Did you go through a breakup?"
Ronan took a deep breath and adjusted his mood. He said directly, "I confessed to someone this morning, and it didn't go well."
"The Estonian supermodel?" Robert had seen pictures of them in tabloids.
Ronan confirmed, "Yes, Carmen-Kaice."
"It's okay," Robert was good at comforting people. "You'll meet someone even better. When you become a famous producer, who wouldn't want to be with you? Even Julia Roberts would have a chance."
Ronan couldn't help but say, "She's too old."
Robert added, "There don't seem to be many outstanding ones from the 80s. Let me check. If I find a suitable candidate, when we're casting for our new film, I'll send her an audition invitation. As long as she's not dim-witted..."
"Alright, let's get back to business," interrupted Ronan, "How did you come here?"
Robert stopped joking and said seriously, "I got word that the Indians are in touch with Dream Factory again, this time from a grassroots foundation in Mumbai. They're apparently assessing the feasibility of investing in Dream Factory. The folks at Dream Factory recommended a TV series project about World War II to them, but the TV series script isn't finished yet, and the Indians want to invest in a big-budget film. So, this collaboration fell through for now."
Ronan immediately understood that the TV series project Robert mentioned was "Band of Brothers". Like Netflix, which he had been following closely, he had been monitoring the progress of "Band of Brothers".
Probably due to copyright issues involving the original work and the author, this project's preparation was very difficult. Not to mention formally initiating the preparatory stage, even the early planning was incomplete.
India's film and television industry is very developed, and the people from that foundation probably saw the difficulties "Band of Brothers" was facing.
Ronan asked, "Have the Indians left?"
"They've returned to Mumbai," Robert replied succinctly, "but Dream Factory hasn't given up."
Ronan thought for a moment and said, "Keep an eye on the news about Dream Factory's contact with the Indians. It's helpful for our future plans."
"Alright," Robert replied.
Ronan was well aware that Dream Factory becoming the seventh major Hollywood studio was not just talk; it was actually happening. From movies and television to animation and pop music, their empire was quite vast, aiming to build a complete industrial chain in a short period.
However, relying solely on the big three and the major shareholder behind them, Samsung Group, was far from enough.
Samsung Group holds one-third of Dream Factory's shares.
In a way, the big three were also borrowing eggs to hatch.
Ronan remembered that in a past life, Spielberg had successfully raised funds from India, although he couldn't recall the exact amount, it was around three or four hundred million dollars.
In this era, many developing countries in transition had produced a group of wealthy individuals. Due to various reasons such as national conditions, some of these wealthy individuals often couldn't find suitable investment projects for their funds.
Hollywood movies were still a prestigious symbol in many countries undergoing transformation.
After Robert left, Ronan took out his notebook and specifically noted down Dream Factory, Indian funds, Relativity Entertainment, and added "The Bourne Identity" at the end.
Relativity Entertainment was definitely going to expand, and expansion required funds. The revenue generated by "The Blair Witch Project" definitely couldn't be invested in the production of new films.
Solving the budget issue for "The Bourne Identity" film, the first choice was definitely to borrow eggs.
Having visited Abu Dhabi twice in a row, to prevent uncontrollable situations, the financing needed to temporarily shift targets. Indian investors were a good choice for the funding of "The Bourne Identity".
But Indians were very different from Arabs. The film industry in the United Arab Emirates was just getting started, while India's film industry was quite substantial, making them much harder to deceive than Arabs.
Ronan continued to supplement the previous plan.
Of course, the more precise the plan, the better.
It's best to find a third-party guarantor.