"This is just terrible, Vincent. I'm shocked at your parenting methods," Brian chattered incessantly. "If it weren't for me, God knows how long the little one would have hemmed and hawed."
Unfortunately, Susan and Vincent, who had just returned from the garden, were chatting and completely ignored him.
"Hey, I'm talking to you," Brian said indignantly. "If you keep this attitude, I might consider suing for guardianship and taking care of the little one myself."
Still ignored, the godfather grew a bit deflated, then angrily threatened, "Fine, I'll talk to Mr. Kleist about this!"
"What's going on?" Catherine, who had been seeing Sparrow off, returned just then.
"Cathy, don't you think that Mr. Paul was quite rude? They don't understand overly polite refusals. You should have declined him outright. There are plenty of film companies in Hollywood besides Warner," the chattering godfather finally found someone willing to listen to him.
"But they do want the script, don't they? Mr. Tucker is just a bit too suspicious," the girl said with a sweet smile. Her demeanor, combining innocence with a burgeoning charm, could be described as beguiling.
"Just a bit too suspicious?" Brian shook his head, wanting to say more, but the girl was already heading upstairs. He called out, "Hey, where are you going?"
"They're suspicious, right? So, I'll prove it to them," Catherine said, waving the manuscript she had retrieved from Paul Tucker. "I'm going to finish the script."
"You're really not considering my proposal?" Brian shrugged and asked.
"Proposal?" The girl blinked, "Weren't you joking just now?"
"Of course not. But Jared doesn't want to acquire a film company; he just asked for another quarter. Do you want to help him out? He's your uncle too, you know," the godfather said with a smile.
Catherine rolled her eyes and stomped upstairs. Brian gestured helplessly, saying nothing. After watching her disappear up the stairs, he turned to the Mason couple. "Well, I worried for nothing again."
"It's fine; it's not the first time," Susan replied with a smile.
"I think we should consider getting the little one a new godfather," Vincent said, drumming his fingers on the sofa armrest.
"That's not your call," Brian retorted, then suddenly waved his hand. "Alright, let's not talk about that. But Vincent, have you ever considered acquiring a film company?"
"Brian, that's not going to work," Vincent shook his head.
"Why not? If Cathy likes this, we should create a suitable environment for her. It's better than letting her wander around Hollywood," Brian shrugged.
"Do you think the little one would like that?" Vincent chuckled.
The godfather thought for a moment, then gave a firm answer, "No!"
"Want to hear my opinion, Brian?" Vincent suddenly said.
Brian made a gesture of invitation. Vincent and Susan exchanged a glance before Vincent spoke leisurely, "Until Cathy becomes an adult, no film company can sign a long-term contract with her. As her guardians, we can offer plenty of advice and, when necessary, help her reject certain things. So, during this period, all we need to do is guide her. If she still wants to pursue this after she becomes independent, then we would need a film and entertainment company. Of course, Cathy shouldn't know about this. So, we could choose to invest in the company she works best with. We wouldn't seek absolute control; our primary focus isn't on this. We'd ensure the other party's stake doesn't exceed 50%, while we collectively hold the other 50%. For instance, I could take 20%, Rose 10%, Frank 10%, and so on. Normally, we wouldn't intervene, but on matters concerning Cathy, we could band together to have decision-making power."
"Wow! Vincent, you really thought this through!" Brian exclaimed dramatically, then asked, puzzled, "Have you talked to Rose or the others? Do they agree?"
"If I invite you now, would you be willing to join?" Vincent smiled.
"Of course! Though it's a hassle, I like it. The little one is worth it," the godfather laughed heartily.
The Mason couple exchanged a smile. They were doing their best to help their precious daughter grow without serious harm. However, Brian's voice intruded again, "By the way, Vincent, did you talk to your father about this?"
A flash of discomfort crossed Vincent's face. "I don't plan to tell him."
Brian wisely closed his mouth, knowing full well the kind of situation it would create if Mr. Kleist found out. He changed the topic, "Alright, then what do you think about Jared's situation?"
****************************************
November passed seemingly uneventfully, with only a few minor waves in Catherine's life. At the beginning of the month, representatives from Warner Bros. visited to discuss the script for "Hide and Seek," and "The Parent Trap" received several award nominations. Although these were for smaller awards like those from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, each nomination led to a barrage of questions from her classmates. Catherine found it annoying but resigned herself to it since she had chosen to act in the movie.
By the end of the month, the unpublicized EP began to gain momentum, selling over a million copies in the last week of November and occupying top positions on various music charts. Radio play was also incredibly high, with the EP trailing only behind Michael Jackson.
Catherine, however, was indifferent. She couldn't believe she could come close to Michael Jackson's level, and she suspected that some of the figures provided by Mr. Sparrow from Disney might be exaggerated. Even as her classmates began discussing the songs, she remained unfazed.
But while Catherine didn't care, her fans certainly did. The mysterious "Miss C," who not only had a superb singing voice but also wrote her own songs, was incredibly low-key. Disney remained tight-lipped, saying only that it was Miss C's request, which only fueled fans' curiosity.
Then another piece of news leaked from Disney: "Je m'appelle Hélène" was originally a French song, and it was only at the record company's insistence that Miss C wrote English lyrics. After selling two million copies, a commemorative edition of the EP was released, featuring the original French version of "Je m'appelle Hélène." Despite fans criticizing the company for trying to make more money, many still bought it, and those who listened agreed that the French version was superior. Catherine, who had struggled to produce the English version, might have had mixed feelings if she knew.
However, Catherine remained blissfully unaware. Once she let go of something, she tended to selectively forget about it. She rarely watched TV shows about her music and never sought updates on EP sales or fan feedback through her parents. For her, the EP was merely a way to make up for inadvertently plagiarizing a song.
But while the issue of plagiarized songs could be set aside after releasing the EP, the problem of the plagiarized script was harder to resolve. For example, Paul Tucker, now sitting in front of Catherine with a gracious smile, said, "If possible, we would like to invite Miss Mason to play the role of Emily."
Americans are pragmatic, especially when you demonstrate your abilities. When Catherine initially used school as an excuse to delay sending the completed version of "Hide and Seek" until the end of November, it wasn't entirely due to her dissatisfaction with Tucker. As she had told her godfather, she wanted to prove herself to them.
While she knew that it was unlikely for a girl her age to write such a script, she decided to perfect it once it had been leaked. She was intimately familiar with movies she remembered vividly, having watched them countless times, and knew exactly where improvements were needed. Even for directorial techniques, she made notes in the margins of the script.
So when Tucker received the full version of "Hide and Seek," he was genuinely surprised. The earlier half-novel script had already been captivating, but the complete version was even better. Given that James Cameron had praised the young girl, and Disney had shown interest in her new script, Warner Bros. executives unanimously decided to buy the script and invite Catherine to play the role of Emily.
However, Catherine seemed uninterested in the role. After flipping through a few pages of the formally bound script, she shrugged. "I'm sorry, but I don't plan to take on this role."