[Chapter 73: The Executioner]
West Hollywood, Eric Emerson's personal studio was about to be opened.
Hawke and Edward arrived early to help out. The house had been rented while casting for actors, a two-story building that came with a yard. Hawke was setting up the largest conference room with Edward, planning to host a small celebration after the opening.
Eric was out shopping and parked his car by the entrance on his return. As he got out to retrieve some items from the trunk, a beautiful woman approached swiftly.
Maria Collins came at Eric with intensity, exclaiming, "Eric Emerson, you ruined my life!"
Eric instinctively took a step back, recognizing her as Miller Collins' wife. Maria was furious, almost frantic, demanding, "Why did you do this? Why?"
A number of pedestrians had turned their heads in their direction. Not wanting anyone to know about his harassment by the man, Eric pointed toward the gate and said, "Let's go inside and talk, inside."
Maria followed him into the yard, her eyes red with anger. Her husband faced significant setbacks in his career and was about to encounter a series of difficulties, making her the butt of jokes from the media and many others - she felt utterly humiliated.
After hearing Eric's name from Henry, Maria had found the casting notice and tracked down the studio according to the address. As they approached the house, she could no longer contain herself, yelling at Eric, "Executioner! You're a murderer! I once had a loving husband, a lively child, a happy family, and now you've destroyed it all!"
Hawke and Edward exited the conference room, walking quickly toward the disturbance.
Maria remained on her moral high horse, accusing Eric: "You're just a butcher who destroys other people's families; you're about to kill a woman and a child under ten!"
"No, that's not what happened," Eric protested. "It's not like you think..."
But Maria spoke much quicker than he could defend, standing solidly in the victim's position, "Do you know how my daughter is treated at school? All her classmates ridicule her; she has to hide alone in the bathroom. She's not even ten years old!"
She yelled, "This is all your fault!"
"No, this is your husband's fault!" Hawke interjected as he approached. "If your husband had been loyal to your marriage and family, instead of messing around, none of this would have happened."
He was merely pointing out the obvious. Hawke's words came fast and sharp, hitting the target every time: "For the past few years, haven't some brown-haired, long-faced, tall men often been around your husband? Didn't you ever think that those men had done things with your husband on camera? Did it never cross your mind that your husband had cheated?"
Maria recalled the male friends her husband often associated with, and the fierceness of her accusation dimmed. "No, he wouldn't do that! He promised me it was the first time, just pure curiosity..."
Hawke chuckled coldly: "It's easy to confirm; just take a stick and poke around. See if Miller's tight like his mouth!"
Maria suddenly felt nauseous and dry heaved several times.
Hawke continued at a steady pace: "You and your child are victims? That's a big joke. Where were you when my friend was harassed and slandered by your husband? Where were you when my friend was arrested?"
Maria remembered the strange way Miller had looked at Eric when she met him before. At the premiere of The Scorpion King, Miller even kicked Eric's seat.
Maria crouched down, overwhelmed with discomfort.
Hawke recalled the four short gang members sent by Miller and said, "Take my advice: find a lawyer and file for divorce immediately. Miller Collins has lost numerous endorsements and is about to face breach of contract lawsuits. If he loses, how much of your assets will remain?"
His words struck straight to the heart: "Don't forget, you have a daughter. Without assets, how can she receive a good education? Do you want your daughter to end up on the streets?"
Maria, having been a wife and a mother, felt awakened. Suddenly, she stood up, all her discomfort vanished. She glanced at Hawke, turned around, and walked away without saying another word.
Before, she talked of divorce lightly, but now she was serious about it. As for that scoundrel Miller Collins, she thought; disgusting! Let him rot!
...
In the yard, Eric looked shamefaced and said to Hawke, "I'm not really good at arguing with people."
Hawke smiled, "Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses."
Edward was quickly typing on his phone, adding, "Like our boss, great at sharpening tools but not at using them in battle."
Hawke turned to kick him but noticed Edward typing. He asked, "What are you doing?"
Edward pointed to where Maria had disappeared, saying, "She's getting a divorce and will get a big chunk of cash; I'm definitely keeping her on my backup list."
Hawke was speechless. "You're quite the character." He reminded him, "You still haven't dealt with Deborah."
"I'm happily in a relationship with Nicole; things are stable for now. I can't act unethically and juggle two relationships," Edward said confidently. "Once things are over with Nicole, I'll make my move on Deborah; she can stay on the sidelines."
Just as Eric was about to ask for Edward's advice, Katherine came in from outside. He quickly adjusted his demeanor and greeted her with a bright smile. The two shared an enthusiastic kiss.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony for Emerson Film Studios took place on schedule. In addition to Hawke, Edward, and Katherine, Eric also invited Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia. The latter had also brought along Caroline Jones.
...
The ceremony was quite simple, and afterward, everyone gathered in the conference room to eat and chat.
Eric took a call, found Hawke, and whispered, "Kevin Lee asked me about a role. I think we should keep our promise."
Hawke, not being knowledgeable about film production, didn't want to intervene: "If you think he's good for it, use him."
...
At that moment, Johnson approached to toast Hawke.
Hawke clinked glasses with him, saying, "Congratulations, The Scorpion King is about to hit over a hundred million at the North American box office."
"Thanks, you really helped a lot," Johnson said, beaming. It was impossible to downplay his success in Hollywood.
...
After a bit of chatting, Hawke noticed Caroline heading out alone. He waited a moment before following her out.
He stepped out of the conference room just as Caroline was coming back from the restroom.
Hawke seized the opportunity to ask about the latest on Sarah Parker and Broderek: "Miss Baa, let's talk for a few minutes."
Caroline extended a hand, pointing at her Chanel, then at Hawke's plain casual attire: "People of high status charge for talking to a country bumpkin."
Hawke pulled five dollars from his wallet and handed it to her: "Let's chat for five dollars."
He pushed open the door to a nearby office, stepping in first.
Caroline smirked slightly, folding up the five-dollar bill and stuffing it into her purse, before following him into the office and closing the door behind her. "The latest news about the milk scandal? That was you, right?"
Hawke asked, "How did you know?"
Caroline pulled out a chair and sat down: "People at Fox are saying that Megan Taylor is hot right now because she has the support of the West Coast Entertainment Studio."
Hawke recalled, "How are your two clients doing on Fox's talk show?"
"With me around, it's going smoothly, of course," Caroline raised her chin. "I linked them to People magazine, and once their baby is born, People will buy the exclusive rights to the baby photos for a whopping $1.5 million."
Hawke had seen that kind of deal before. Remembering how much Brad and Angelina's first baby photo had sold for, he asked, "What do your clients do? I don't recognize them."
Caroline looked at him incredulously: "You don't know Steve Nutt, the star player for the Los Angeles Dodgers? His wife, Daisy Nutt, is also a famous model; the media calls them the American Beckham and Victoria."
[T/N: Inspired from Alex Rodriguez (A-Rod) and Jennifer Lopez (J.Lo) in real life.]
Hawke realized, saying, "I don't pay much attention to baseball."
Caroline seized the opportunity to tease him: "Almost forgot, you're a shepherd from Wyoming."
Hawke's comeback was simple and effective. He pulled out his phone, turned on the speaker, and played the recording Edward had sent him: "Baa, baa, baa...", the sound was clear and melodious.
Caroline's face darkened as if water would drip from it: "You bastard, I'm going to kill you!"
Hawke poured her a glass of water, saying, "Drink this and cool down."
Caroline snapped, "Delete the recording!"
Hawke hurriedly pressed buttons on his phone: "Deleted."
Returning to business, he asked, "Enough teasing, let's talk work. Did Sarah adopt the proposal I sent you last time?"
Caroline's expression brightened considerably: "She used some of it. I facilitated connections, helping Sarah to reach Lancome and Estee Lauder among others. The negotiations for skincare products are looking really promising."
*****
https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.