[Chapter 55: Zero Times and Numerous Times]
Inside the cinema, Hawke Osment pressed down the seat and took his place first.
Beside him, Eric Emerson also sat down.
In the same row, a woman frequently glanced over; it was Joanna.
Edward Connor turned his head and flashed a grin, showing two rows of white teeth.
Hawke leaned in and whispered, "Man, you're too extravagant, aren't you?"
Edward, fully convinced he dominated in this area, spoke in a tone of impartment, "Boss, you don't get it, do you? Look at me, I'm currently dating Nicole from the shelter, but emotions can change on a dime. I gotta plan for the future, right? I can't just break up with Nicole and be homeless, can I?"
He continued earnestly, "So, I need to have a backup lined up; Deborah's a candidate, and Joanna could also be a possibility."
Hawke could only respond, "You really are forward-thinking; no wonder you're the man saving the world."
At that moment, Eric chimed in, "The show's about to start; quiet down."
Hawke fell silent.
...
The lights dimmed, and the big screen lit up.
In the row behind them, Miller Collins watched the artsy guy in front of him, feeling restless as if he were sitting on needles.
Everyone around was focused on the movie, while someone in the dark propped their legs up.
Miller stretched, his long legs accidentally kicking the seat in front of him.
Eric felt a vibration beneath him, as if something bumped against his chair, and he turned quickly.
Miller hastily said, "Sorry, I accidentally kicked your seat."
The other guy had a good attitude and proactively apologized, so Eric could only say, "No worries."
Maria, noticing the disturbance, asked, "What's wrong, honey?"
Miller pulled his feet back, "Just accidentally kicked the front..."
The little commotion quickly died down, and everyone returned to the film in silence.
...
After the movie, enthusiastic applause erupted in the theater, but the clapping from the audience lasted no more than two minutes.
Eric thought to himself, this batch of moviegoers lacked professionalism.
After the crew thanked the audience, Hawke, like most people, exited the cinema.
Katherine returned home alone.
Hawke, Eric, and Edward headed to a nearby bar to grab a drink.
After the premiere, many guests chose to swing by for a drink.
"Look over there, that British girl is hot," Eric kept signaling with his eyes, "She's good-looking and has a great body."
Hawke turned to take a look and said, "That's Rachel Weisz, the lead from the Mummy series. If you like that type, go for it. Remember, you're a director; supposedly, the belts of actors are looser around directors."
Eric shook his head, "Her current boyfriend is also a director."
Edward suddenly interjected, "Which director? That's such a public offense!"
Hawke and Eric exchanged confused glances, not understanding the situation.
Edward continued, "Originally a public asset, now that director's turned it into a private possession. Is there no sense of public morality?"
Eric was shocked and asked Hawke, "Where did you find such an elevated talent?"
Hawke quickly raised his drink to hide his face, saying, "Special industry, special talent."
Eric thought about Hawke's studio and subtly pointed at Rachel Weisz, "How do you dig up exclusive stories from this kind of star?"
As they discussed work, Hawke became serious, saying, "A star getting drunk in a bar counts as news, but the value is pretty limited."
He pointed at Edward, "If the Savior smashes her and gets it on tape, that's a six-figure super scoop."
Edward hastily shook his head, "She's not divorced and doesn't have kids, no interest in smashing her."
Hawke glared, "It was just an example, do you understand?"
Eric felt he understood a bit more but also felt like he was losing it: "Every industry has its own ways."
His creative inspiration suddenly sparked by Hawke and Edward, he exclaimed, "Can I come to you guys to experience life and use your industry as a backdrop to create a work?"
Hawke appraised him briefly, thinking what a free laborer, then replied, "If you want to experience life, you can come anytime, but just so you know, you'll have to ask Katherine for a salary."
Eric answered, "After I finish the first draft of the script, I'll come to you for the experience."
"Anytime." Hawke agreed.
Because Katherine was quite controlling, Eric received a reminder text, and the three of them didn't stay too late, leaving within an hour.
...
The next day, the equipment Hawke ordered arrived, including a laptop, a video camera, hard drives, and digital cameras among other electronics.
After passing his test, Hawke set Edward up with a kit to help the Savior save the world.
The gear was secondhand, coming from a now-defunct indie media studio.
Hawke handed it over to Edward, saying, "Get familiar with it as soon as you can; these are exclusively for you from now on."
He specifically reminded him, "If you capture high-value scoop news, be sure to make copies of anything you upload from the camera, and don't carry the copies with you."
Edward had seen how Hawke operated and assured him, "Don't worry, boss."
Once Edward spent the entire morning familiarizing himself with the new gear, Hawke sent him out to scour the streets for valuable news.
He hoped Edward could make back his daily expenses.
Hawke then busied himself organizing materials, preparing to apply for a California firearms permit to carry a gun legally.
There was a set procedure for that, and Hawke Osment had a clean record, so as long as he followed the routine, he was likely to get approved.
...
Then came the new work tasks.
For the studio to blossom, they needed to keep making money.
Hawke knew the income from merely waiting and shooting news was limited; the real profitable stories for the studio came from in-house productions.
Hawke's priority remained his four major targets.
Robert Downey Jr. had become a peanut in a serve of calamari.
Hawke surpassed expectations for this first target.
Following the easy-to-difficult pattern, the second target was Matthew Broderick, an executive and producer at Ackerman Films.
Shortly after arriving in Los Angeles, Hawke managed to get close to Broderick.
He captured a shot of Robert Downey Jr. having a secret affair with Broderick's wife, Sarah Jessica Parker.
But the outcome was far from ideal; Broderick didn't divorce Sarah Jessica Parker as expected. Instead, he took a stand to defend his wife, portraying them as a loving couple.
Hawke thought that this couple probably resembled the former Beckham's and Victoria's dynamic, bound together by interests.
He guessed their public harmony was just a facade.
Dig deeper, and there were bound to be sensational stories.
Hawke rifled through his collected materials; Sarah Jessica Parker had appeared multiple times with Broderick during the promotional activities for the new season of Sex and the City.
As a front-line star, Sarah Jessica Parker had far more public information available than Broderick.
Given the successful experience of using Deborah to lure Downey, Hawke decided to target Sarah Jessica Parker.
When it comes to women cheating, there's either once or countless times.
Especially a starlet without a belt to speak of.
Hawke searched the web and found out that the Sex and the City crew had recently planned a major event in Los Angeles.
Sarah Jessica Parker would also be attending.
Hawke noted the time and place, planning to join in on the fun.
...
Before the weekend arrived, The Scorpion King opened nationwide, and Hawke kept an eye on the movie's information.
If the film performed well at the box office, he would similarly benefit.
That was capital at work.
At the same time, it could bolster Johnson's confidence in him, daring to recommend West Coast Media Entertainment Studio to friends.
*****
https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.