"Hey, Catherine, you finally showed up." Brian looked up and saw the girl, immediately standing up and laughing as he picked her up. "Long time no see, you've become much prettier."
"It seems like, according to the surprise protocol, I should be the one running over and jumping into your arms, my dear godfather," Catherine said with a smile.
"Alright, since I stole your scene, how should I compensate you?" Brian put her down and playfully pinched her cheek as usual.
"I can't think of anything right now. Can I save it for next time?" The girl blinked.
"Of course—not." Brian laughed as he sat back down on the couch. However, Vincent, who was sitting on the single-seater sofa, said calmly, "It's alright, Cathy, dear. I'll make sure to remember for you."
"Hey, you really are father and daughter," Brian spread his hands. "Good thing Susan's not here, otherwise..."
Before he could finish, Susan's voice came from behind, "What is it? Is there something you need me for?"
"No, no, nothing at all." Brian quickly raised his hands in surrender. He had experienced the combined force of the Mason family trio enough times to be wary.
At this moment, Jennifer walked in. "Vincent, Mr. Sparrow is here. He's outside."
"Sparrow?" Vincent looked puzzled and glanced at Catherine. The girl shrugged. "I asked him to come. Someone from Warner Bros. will be coming over to discuss a script."
"Another script?" Brian asked, intrigued.
"Yes, why?"
"If possible, I'd love to take a look. Maybe I could give you some good feedback." Brian grinned.
"Unfortunately, dear godfather, the script is with Warner Bros. If you want to see it, you'll have to wait until they get here. But it's just a draft. Are you sure you want to see it?" Catherine found his eagerness a bit strange, but Vincent understood.
"He came here with a purpose. What purpose? You can probably guess," Vincent said, spreading his hands.
"Hey, Vincent, you can't slander me in front of the kid!" Brian raised his hands in mock surrender.
"I remember someone saying they'd be in Los Angeles soon, which was over two months ago. Two months isn't exactly soon, is it, Brian?" Vincent shrugged.
"I think this is a misunderstanding, Vincent. You know we're often busy. It's not easy to leave just like that. At most, you can say I'm unreliable, but you can't accuse me of having ulterior motives."
"Really, Mr. Benjamin? You didn't go to Long Island before leaving New York? You didn't listen to my father's sermon? You weren't entrusted with anything?"
"Damn it, why can't I go to Long Island? Why can't I visit old Mr. Kleist? What does that have to do with my purpose?"
Listening to her father and godfather bicker like children, Catherine shrugged and tuned them out. This wasn't the first time. She couldn't understand why her father and grandfather didn't get along. According to bits and pieces she'd picked up, her dad had been quite rebellious in his youth, had a falling out with her grandfather, and left home to start his own business. They had only begrudgingly reconciled later, but their interactions were still filled with sarcasm. She was curious about her father's past, but everyone kept tight-lipped about it. The few scraps of information she had were from her early childhood.
Jennifer walked in again, addressing Susan and Catherine. "The people from Warner Bros. are here. They're talking to Mr. Sparrow outside."
Catherine now understood why Sparrow hadn't come in yet. It was quite the coincidence. Susan nodded, indicating they could be let in, and then stood up. "Alright, the guests are here. Any issues can be dealt with later. Even if you two want to duel, I won't object tonight."
Vincent and Brian shrugged, pausing their discussion. Soon, Sparrow entered with two men in tow. One was tall and thin, with round glasses perched on his nose, while the other was slightly chubby, with thinning hair on his forehead. Both looked to be in their forties.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Mason." The tall, thin man shook hands with Vincent. "I'm Paul Tucker, deputy manager of Warner's production department. This is Bill Carter, our head script reader." Bill also shook hands with Vincent respectfully, clearly aware of the girl's family background from their prior research.
"Welcome. Since this is about you and my daughter, we'll leave you to it." Vincent smiled, then turned to Susan. "Dear, let's go to the garden."
Susan naturally followed her husband, but Brian sat down next to the girl, clearly interested in the proceedings. Vincent shrugged, leaving him be, and walked out with his wife.
Paul and Bill, not knowing who Brian was, chose to ignore him as Catherine didn't seem inclined to introduce him.
After everyone took their seats, Jennifer brought coffee and tea, serving the guests according to their preferences. The conversation officially began.
"Miss Mason, we received your script, and to be honest, we like it very much, so we'd like to buy it," Paul said straightforwardly, pulling out a prepared contract from his briefcase and handing it over.
As her agent, Sparrow naturally took it first. He skimmed through it quickly, finding no issues, then passed it to Catherine. However, Catherine didn't open it. She placed the contract on the coffee table, lowered her eyes in thought, tapped her fingers lightly on the armrest, and then looked up. "Mr. Tucker, did you read the entire script?"
"Yes," Paul nodded. "I believe it has elements reminiscent of Hitchcock's 'Rear Window' and a touch of Stephen King's 'The Shining'. Of course, these are well-integrated. Strictly speaking, this should be a psychological thriller rather than a horror film filled with gore."
Catherine nodded slightly and continued, "However, this script has several issues. The final act is handled too abruptly, and although there are many misdirections before the reveal, it doesn't fully explain everything in the end. If these aren't addressed, it could diminish the entire movie. Mr. Carter, as the head of the script review team, what do you think?"
"You can rest assured on that point. We have a professional team to supplement the details," Bill answered immediately.
"Including the rest of the script?" Catherine suddenly asked.
"Yes, we will have more professionals adapt it, like Mr. Robert Lees," Bill replied quickly. Paul wanted to stop him but it was too late, so he awkwardly cleared his throat.
Catherine shrugged, saying nothing further. From Paul's first sentence, she knew these people didn't believe she wrote the script. The psychological atmosphere and precise control in 'Hide and Seek' were impressive, especially the first half. The script's structure was also novel for 1991. To be honest, Catherine herself didn't think a young girl with limited life experience could write such a script, which is why she had been troubled when the script accidentally got sent out.
She could guess what Paul was thinking. Even if she was indeed the screenwriter of 'The Parent Trap', they probably believed it was her family background that placed Nancy's name below hers. As for 'Hide and Seek', who knows if someone else wrote it and had her copy and send it to Warner Bros.? Otherwise, how could she have forgotten to write the address and name?
"What Bill said is true. Miss Mason is still in school, so the script's details can be handled by us. Of course, Miss Mason will still be one of the credited writers," Paul said. Despite knowing some Disney executives praised the girl, he stubbornly believed her family background played a significant role.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Tucker, but I'd like to retract the script. To be honest, it's unfinished. If you truly want to buy it, could you wait until I finish it?" Catherine said calmly. Despite her reserved nature, she still found it hard to reject people outright.
Paul frowned, wanting to say something, but Brian, who had been sitting with his legs crossed, suddenly spoke up, "Cathy, how about letting me handle this script?"
"Handle it for you?" Catherine looked at him in surprise. "But, godfather, what would you do with it?"
"Jared ran into some trouble at Elwyn Cultural Communications. I asked him to resign, but he wanted another quarter because he's planning to acquire a mid-sized film company. If Mr. Tucker gives up this script, I think I can give Vincent this opportunity," Brian shrugged, but his face was full of playful smiles.
Paul's frown deepened but quickly returned to a neutral expression. In a calm tone, he said, "We're not looking to give up this script. So, Miss Mason, when can you finish it?"
"I still have school. I think the earliest I could finish is by the end of November," Catherine smiled.
Paul smiled wryly, "Then, could we have the right of first refusal?"
The girl glanced at her godfather and decided not to make things difficult. She shrugged, "Of course, no problem."