Chapter 20 - Chapter 20: All Men Are the Same… or Are They?

This was Milo's first Los Angeles residence. He'd lived here when he first arrived in the city.Later, when his brother Paladin came to visit, he'd been unimpressed. The house, nestled in the foothills, was too small, too close to the clamor of the main roads and Sunset Boulevard. It was, in Paladin's eyes, an unsuitable dwelling for his younger brother. He couldn't stand the thought of Milo being "subjected" to such a place.And so, Paladin had used his considerable wealth to purchase the grander, better-located estate at 9406 Crest Drive, high in the hills.Yet, this villa, dismissed by Paladin as cramped and inconvenient, was a veritable palace in Monica's eyes. Its location, even if considered less desirable by some, was still within Beverly Hills. And its proximity to Sunset Boulevard, a drawback for established stars and magnates seeking privacy, was a distinct advantage for a Hollywood newcomer like herself.The moment she stepped inside, Monica was enchanted. The polished floors, the high ceilings, the sweeping views—even if they were partially obscured by the lower elevation—spoke of a lifestyle she had only dreamed of.Milo had always understood the key to capturing a woman's attention: differentiation. He had to stand apart from the crowd. He could cultivate the image of a brooding bad boy, a witty charmer, a sensitive soul, a man of profound talent.Or… he could simply wield power and influence.A film studio owner, a wealthy heir, a man who could determine her access to coveted roles and offer her a Beverly Hills address—even if it was technically in the foothills—was an irresistible combination. It was a battering ram against which Monica's defenses stood no chance.And so, Milo enjoyed a pleasant few days, dividing his time between Zeta-Jones in his hilltop mansion and Monica Bellucci in the villa below.Monica, now completely at ease, revealed the full extent of the allure that had made her a legend in her native Sicily. Her near-perfect, curvaceous figure held Milo utterly captivated. More than Zeta-Jones, Monica possessed an intuitive understanding of how to please a man, a subtle art she practiced with a natural grace.Ultimately, however, Milo's experience and control proved superior. With a few well-placed moves, he had Monica thoroughly entangled in the web of their shared pleasures, leaving her breathless and craving more.Time marched on, and the start date for Milo's first film as producer and director rapidly approached.August 3rd, 1995."Angels and Demons" commenced filming on a Disney soundstage.To the news media, Hollywood was a constant cycle of productions beginning and concluding. A new film by an unknown director warranted little attention.While the film starred Tommy Lee Jones, a recognizable if not yet A-list actor, the rest of the cast, including the female lead and supporting roles, were relative unknowns.Even the reported budget of sixty million dollars failed to generate much buzz among the general public and the press.Compared to Tommy Lee Jones, wasn't Tom Hanks, fresh off his Golden Globe win for "Forrest Gump," a more compelling subject? Or Tom Cruise, currently filming "Mission: Impossible" and generating a constant stream of headlines, a more attractive figure? Or even Michael Jackson, whose repeated hospitalizations due to health concerns dominated the tabloids, a more sensational story?But unlike the general public and the media, the executives at various Hollywood studios reacted to the news of the film's production with remarkable uniformity: they were all curious. "We have to see what this is about!" was the general sentiment.This curiosity had little to do with Milo himself.The real reason for the attention was the current chairman of the Senate's Broadcasting Committee, a man whose surname happened to be… Blackburn.A remarkable coincidence, considering Milo shared the same last name."We don't know… we have no idea what he's trying to do," a Universal intelligence operative reported to studio head Elaine. "They say he's just playing around, chasing women, but he's actually invested thirty million dollars of his own money. Disney has confirmed it.""They say he wants to make money with the film, but he wrote the script himself, he's directing it himself, he's producing it himself… And before all this, we only knew him as a wealthy playboy, a spoiled dilettante…"A powerful East Coast family had arrived in Hollywood, and their scion was not just chasing starlets. He was making movies, with his own money.Even Hollywood, a town known for its ability to extract fortunes from Wall Street, was momentarily at a loss.This sense of bewildered fascination was shared by most studio executives across the industry.