On the other side, Jessica's agent turned pale, momentarily speechless from being rebuffed.
However, giving up on Jessica?
How could that be possible! Jessica had just latched onto Wayne, the "big tree."
Not to mention, the commissions she could earn from *Accepted* and the soon-to-shoot *Happy Death Day* would add up to several tens of thousands of dollars.
In 2000, that was definitely no small amount for any Hollywood agent.
"Alright, Jess, I apologize. I was just concerned about you earlier, considering how rare this opportunity is."
In the face of money, the agent swiftly chose to apologize.
Seeing this, Jessica's expression softened.
If possible, she didn't want to completely fall out with her agent, especially since the agent was from CAA.
Though CAA had been boycotted for a long time by Hollywood giants for infringing on the interests of producers with their excessive pursuit of package deals, it still remained the top talent agency with significant influence in Hollywood.
After a while, once Wayne was sure they had finished their conversation, he walked over with a glass of wine.
"Hey, sweetheart! Haven't you greeted the other guests? They're all here for you!"
"I can't help it; none of them are as beautiful as you~"
Wayne said, wrapping his arm around Jessica's slim waist and kissing her cheek.
He had to admit, Jessica's actions completely exceeded his expectations. She had actually given up her audition for *Apocalypse Dark Angel* for him.
This moved him and changed his original idea of treating Jessica as just a long-term fling.
On Jessica's side, when she saw Wayne wasn't flirting with the other girls at the party but came over specifically to see her, she couldn't help but smile.
Meanwhile, Sarah and Mike were working overtime after returning.
Especially Mike, who finally had a client as promising as Wayne. To avoid a repeat of the past, where clients jumped ship or were poached once they gained some fame, Mike was pouring all his energy into finding actors who would please Wayne, working through the night reviewing materials.
So by noon the next day, while Wayne was still enjoying the company of Mia and Jessica, Sarah called.
"I've contacted the director you mentioned, James Wan. His rates aren't high—just $10,000 for both directing and writing. He doesn't have any other projects right now and can come over anytime."
"Ten thousand, huh? That's quite cheap!" Wayne couldn't help but shake his head.
But he understood—James Wan, as an unknown rookie, couldn't demand a higher fee.
"Alright, let's meet at 3 p.m. You can bring him to my place," Wayne said after thinking.
"Got it, I'll reach out to him now."
"How about the budget situation?" Wayne asked.
"There's a bit of an issue with the budget," Sarah explained. "Even with your script fee set at $300,000, lead actor's salary at $1.2 million, co-producer's fee at $100,000, and Jessica's $750,000 salary, the production budget still only reaches $4.5 million."
"Megan Fox's rate for the female villain role, even with a 50% market increase, only brings it up to $50,000."
"So if we want to raise the budget to over $8 million, we'll likely need to replace her and bring in one or two B-list stars."
Wayne expected this, so he wasn't surprised.
In fact, that's why he hadn't told Megan Fox last night at the party that she'd be cast as the villain in *Happy Death Day*.
"Two is too few, get a few more."
Wayne continued, "I already had Mike prepare a list of actresses between 18 and 27, all above C-list. I'll check with him later. If the list is ready, I'll have him bring it over so we can discuss it this afternoon."
"See you this afternoon."
Wayne then called Mike.
Poor Mike had been working tirelessly since last night, organizing a pricing sheet for actresses and a list of top-tier supporting actors. He had barely slept for an hour before being woken by Wayne's call.
But Mike wasn't upset in the least. After gulping down a big cup of cheap coffee from the office breakroom, he packed up a stack of over 100 pages of material and drove to Wayne's estate.
"Thanks for your hard work, Mike. If possible, I'll try to use more of your other clients," Wayne said with a smile, looking at Mike, who was drenched in sweat and had dark circles as big as a panda's.
Mike, who had been feeling exhausted, immediately perked up at the promise. After all, he worked so hard to make more money.
"Thank you, Wayne. You're my most important client, so whatever you need, just let me know. I'll do my best to deliver!"
"Let me take a look at these materials first. Sarah will be bringing the director over soon."
As he said this, Wayne glanced at Mike again and noticed he was still wearing the suit from last night. "You probably haven't eaten yet, right? I'll have the maid prepare some food for you. After you eat, get some rest. You're my agent, and I've got a lot of important tasks for you. I can't have you getting too exhausted."
Without giving Mike a chance to refuse, Wayne waved to a nearby maid to have the kitchen prepare food for him.
Though it was just a small gesture to win Mike over, it touched Mike deeply. As a regular, unremarkable middle-aged man with little presence at the company, this simple act made a big impact on him.
"I won't be shy then."
At 3 p.m., Wayne met with Sarah and James Wan in the villa's sitting room.
As a newcomer, James Wan lacked the confidence he would later have, appearing nervous and, with his thin and dark figure, almost resembling a Southeast Asian laborer.
"Hello, Mr. Anderson."
"Hello, please have a seat."
After a brief introduction, Wayne began narrating the plot of *Happy Death Day*.
"The protagonist, Terry Taylor, is a college student. Her mother passed away, and her relationship with her father is strained, leading her to drink and party excessively."
"One morning, after getting blackout drunk as usual, she wakes up in the dorm room of a shy boy named Carter, who has a crush on her."
"Last night, Carter had found her passed out near a party and saved her from being taken advantage of, bringing her back to his dorm."
"To make sure she didn't choke on her own vomit, Carter stayed up all night taking care of her."
". . ."
"That night at 10 p.m., after getting ready, Terry hurried to her surprise birthday party."
"On her way, she passed through a deserted underpass and found a music box with 'Happy Birthday' written on it."
"The eerie sound of the music box in the empty underpass gave her a strange feeling."
"Though her instincts told her something was off, she rationalized that it must be part of the surprise her friends planned for her."
"But as she walked toward the music box, a long shadow appeared on the ground. Behind her stood a masked figure dressed in black, wearing a baby face mask."
(End of Chapter)