[Chapter 56: The Legendary Champagne Pop]
On Sunday, the William Morris office was bustling as usual.
Dany received a fax and rushed out of the office, swinging open the door to the adjacent conference room with a loud bang.
Inside, Hawke, Johnson, Edward, and Caroline were deep in conversation, all turning simultaneously to look at the door.
Hawke reacted quickest: "The data's in?"
Dany nodded, her voice hoarse as she reported, "The Scorpion King's opening weekend box office numbers are in -- $14.55 million on Friday, $16.21 million on Saturday, and today's expected to be around $11 million. We'll definitely surpass $40 million by the end of the weekend."
Hawke was the first to applaud, standing up and giving a fist bump: "Congratulations, Mr. Box Office Champion!"
Johnson fist-bumped Hawke and then hugged him, shouting, "We're the freakin' box office champions!"
After releasing Johnson, Hawke turned to embrace Dany Garcia.
Caroline stepped back, exclaiming, "Hey, hey, hey! Count me out. Your cheap clothes are going to ruin my Chanel."
Hawke didn't even glance her way, opting to hug Edward instead.
The others in the room celebrated by hugging each other, with Caroline remaining on the sidelines, which left her feeling oddly excluded.
Johnson came in for another fist bump with Hawke, saying, "Your plan was unconventional and wild, but I gotta say, it really worked!"
Dany added, "Universal Pictures' most optimistic estimate was a max of $35 million for the opening weekend. Now we're looking at $40 million!"
Johnson remarked, "What an unbelievable experience."
Caroline couldn't contain herself any longer and interjected, "Hey, everyone, we should pop some champagne!"
Dany instructed someone to fetch the champagne.
Johnson personally went out and returned with multiple checks.
He handed one to Hawke: "The remaining $50,000 check is here."
Hawke glanced at it before stuffing it into his pocket.
Johnson then distributed a gift package to everyone present based on gender. He noted that he was new to Hollywood, with limited connections and power, and said, "The success of this project was all thanks to you all. I prepared a little gift; I hope you like it."
Dany eagerly opened her gift box, revealing a Rolex ladies' watch.
Caroline had one too, but in a different style.
When Hawke unwrapped his, it was a classic gold Rolex.
Even the usually quiet Edward received a Rolex.
Hawke accepted it without hesitation: "Thanks."
Once the champagne was popped, the atmosphere in the conference room became quite festive.
However, now that the final payment was received, it signified the formal conclusion of the contract between the West Coast Studio and Johnson's team.
Hawke raised a glass with Johnson and seized the moment to inquire about new opportunities: "What's going on with that Allison Faith you mentioned last time?"
Johnson replied succinctly, "The new record label is collecting songs for her; she's trying to write some. Right now, it's a preparation phase; it's not time for heavy promotion yet."
He added, "I have informed Joanna about your operations; if they need anything, they'll call you."
Hawke didn't press further and motioned for Edward to leave with him.
...
Once in the lobby, they heard the sound of high heels approaching quickly, and Caroline appeared from behind: "Country bumpkin..."
Hawke halted: "Miss bleat, what do you want?"
Caroline was still hung up on the issue: "Did you delete the picture?"
Hawke sighed, "I told you, the only thing in the photo was the wall."
Caroline raised an eyebrow: "I don't trust you." She stretched out her hand. "Give me your phone. I need to see it to believe it."
Hawke remembered that Caroline was Sarah Jessica Parker's publicist and came up with a plan, signaling Edward quietly: "You go first, mumble like a sheep."
Edward quickly activated the recording function on his phone.
Sure enough, Caroline, conforming to Hawke's expectations, acted shamelessly, opening her crimson lips like a bleating ewe: "Baa! Baa! Baa..."
The sound twisted and turned, much like a woman in the throes of pleasure.
Hawke said, "You can see my phone, but I need to check yours too. How do I know you aren't sneaking pictures of me?"
Caroline hesitated to give hers up; however, after making sheep noises, she couldn't back down without feeling foolish.
She fished out her Motorola, unlocked it, and handed it to Hawke.
Hawke then pulled out his regular Nokia to give to her.
There was nothing incriminating on it at all.
Caroline quickly flipped through her album and soon found a picture from the corresponding date, seeing it only showed the wall of the conference room -- no camel toes at all.
Meanwhile, Hawke smoothly located Sarah Jessica Parker and Broderick's private contact numbers in the Motorola's contacts, jotting them down.
After Caroline finished looking through the photos, she returned the phone to Hawke: "Mine."
Hawke handed back the Motorola and waved: "See you."
...
Caroline tossed her head back, hoisted her Hermes bag, and strutted out the door on her red high heels, swaying her nice posterior.
Before she reached her car, Sarah Jessica Parker called, inviting her to dinner that night to discuss some of her personal publicity plans for the upcoming promotional cycle for Sex and the City.
Caroline returned to the office, pulling out her pre-prepared publicity plan to familiarize herself with it again.
She devised a comprehensive personal publicity plan for Sarah Jessica Parker, ready to roll out once the promotional activities for Sex and the City in Los Angeles concluded.
Sarah Jessica Parker was dissatisfied with her current success and expressed her desire to return to the film industry. During their dinner, she made a request to Caroline to put forth a full effort to secure a nomination for Best Actress at the Golden Globes during the upcoming awards season.
A prestigious award like that could significantly advance her career.
For Caroline, it was a good sign for clients to have ideas and requirements, as that was how public relations firms earned their money.
...
Sherman Oaks, hillside mansion area.
The night was deepening, and Hawke sat in the driver's seat, raising his binoculars to check out Sarah Jessica Parker and Broderick's mansion a few dozen meters away.
Suddenly, the lights on that side went dark.
Hawke continued to observe using the streetlights for visibility but didn't see any cars coming out.
Suddenly, red and blue lights flashed as a patrol car approached.
Hawke knew he couldn't avoid it and decided not to escape. He told Edward to stay in the car and remain still, pulling out the card Megan had given him before getting out of the vehicle.
The patrol car pulled up nearby, and a patrol officer stepped out. Seeing Hawke's face, he asked, "Got into trouble?"
Hawke held the card with one hand for the officer to see: "My car made a strange noise earlier, so I came to check it out."
The officer aimed his flashlight at the card, recognized it, and asked, "Need any help?"
Hawke smiled: "I've got it under control."
As the officer prepared to return to his vehicle, he courteously added, "Call 911 if you run into trouble."
The patrol car drove off with its lights flashing.
Hawke glanced at the card in his hands; it was quite useful.
He got back into the car and continued to observe, saying, "Let's head back. Today won't yield any results."
Edward started the engine and drove forward: "Boss, if I had parked here myself, it would've been very troublesome."
Hawke understood and replied, "No need to keep watching back there. Let's mix in at the Sex and the City event and see if there are any leads."
He pondered for a moment: "Tomorrow, let's check out the theater hosting the event to familiarize ourselves with the venue."
"We covered a news story on Sarah Jessica Parker once before." Edward, who had met Hawke this way, asked, "Are we doing it again?"
Hawke definitely couldn't share the full truth, saying, "Last time, all the trouble landed on Downey jr.. Sarah Jessica Parker was forgiven by Broderick and barely affected. I think this couple is abnormal; we might uncover a bigger story. The thrill of infidelity is immense, and Sarah Jessica Parker wouldn't pass up the chance. Following her should yield some results."
This was a topic Edward excelled at: "Right, once a woman strays, she can't stop. I've seen it."
Hawke asked, "What happened?"
Edward, the formidable figure, suddenly fell silent.
...
The following morning, Hawke appeared as an ordinary moviegoer at the Burbank Nova Theater.
He entered the ticket hall, browsing the movie posters, finally standing in front of the promotional poster for Sex and the City.
That evening, the fan meet-and-greet for Sex and the City was set to occur there, with all the key creative staff, including Sarah Jessica Parker, in attendance.
Hawke confirmed the time was correct and then checked the seating chart, noting that aside from the main entrance, there were two emergency exit routes.
One of those connected backstage, inaccessible to regular attendees.
Hawke approached the ticket booth and purchased two tickets for the following afternoon, with one costing a hefty $39.90.
Regular movie tickets ran about $7.
The production team wasn't counting on this to be profitable but rather viewed it as a filtering process.
Not many casual fans would be willing to drop that kind of money.
When Hawke received the tickets, he noticed a note stating that no filming equipment would be allowed inside.
He left the theater but didn't immediately drive away, instead circling around the theater to scrutinize every exit.
*****
https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.