Ch-73

~: "Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday, dear Troy,

Happy birthday to you!" :~

Steve sang along with Kathy, Evan, Jamie, Emma, and a few more of Troy's friends he had made on his film and theater sets. Steve was also holding a video camera, recording everything. Troy blew out the thirteen candles placed on the huge chocolate truffle cake, which was Troy's favorite. Everyone clapped loudly as all the candles were extinguished.

"Thank you for this surprise, everyone," Troy said gratefully. "Especially a day after the New Year's."

Troy was born on January 2nd, so his birthday fell right in the middle of the holidays. Most kids would hate that because their parents would be reluctant to buy them two presents, and they wouldn't be able to celebrate it with their friends at school. Luckily for Troy, that wasn't the case anymore since he had left school behind. It was a little difficult to get all the parents to send their kids for a day, but when you're the producer of [Harry Potter], it opens a few doors for you.

"Not at all, Troy," Emma Watson said softly. "How could we not come?"

"I'm here just for the cake," Jamie said shamelessly.

Emma hit him in the arm with a scandalized look on her face. "Jamie!"

"Ignore him, Troy," Evan piped in. "He's just being an ass."

"Okay, kids," Kathy cut in. "It's time for presents!"

Nodding in acceptance, Troy walked over to the pile of gifts he had received from his friends, which included toys, books, and clothes/accessories. Troy thanked every one of his friends for their gift enthusiastically, although Steve knew that Troy didn't actually like those types of gifts. He rarely played with toys that weren't video games. He had all the latest bestseller books in his library already, and he got free clothes and accessories all the time from brands to promote them.

Many brands employ this tactic by giving away free clothes to celebrities so that when those celebs wear those clothes, common people would follow in their stead and it would increase the brand sales. Essentially, all three types of gifts were useless for Troy, but he didn't let anyone know that.

"Finally, the last gift of the pile," Troy breathed out in slight relief as he tore open the box, only to find a unique gift for once. It had a bunch of music records from musicians like Britney Spears, NSYNC, Eminem, Linkin Park, and so on. He looked up at a grinning Evan and hugged him just like all his other friends. "Thanks, bro. I love it." This was a gift that he might like as compared to the others.

"No problem," Evan said in slight embarrassment after separating from Troy. It was so nice to see Evan finally getting more normal around everyone. What happened in September had shaken so many lives so quickly that Steve was worried that Evan would have PTSD for the rest of his life. Thankfully, he was mostly normal now, at least as per his therapist.

Troy then turned to Steve, "Can we have some cake now?" His greed was easily visible. Steve chuckled heartily at the childish glee he was displaying at the mere sight of the cake.

"You cannot," Steve dashed his hopes. "You are yet to open your mother's present."

Troy looked around eagerly, only to come up blank. "Where is it?" he asked.

Right at that moment, Kathy walked out the door and came back with a huge box that had a big bow attached to it. Steve knew how difficult it was to find a box big enough so that the gift could not escape easily.

Troy looked at the box skeptically before looking up at his parents with a raised eyebrow, "Why does the box have holes in it?"

"Open it," Kathy suggested. "Quickly."

Still a little hesitant, Troy gripped one end of the bow of the red box and pulled. The bow unraveled along the side of the box. Before Troy or anyone else could react in any way, a small Siberian husky pup with mostly gray fur and black highlights came running out and barked with a grin on its face, his tongue lolling out. His piercing blue eyes curiously took in his surroundings.

"Oh my God!" Troy squealed in delight as he picked up the little pup. "Is he for me? I love him already!" He hugged the little pup gently, who licked Troy's cheek in curiosity.

Steve couldn't help but grin from behind his camcorder that recorded that wholesome moment in its entirety.

"Yes, he's for you," Kathy announced with a grin. "Give him a good name."

"I will," Troy said in all seriousness, snuggling the little pup like a parent would their newborn. "Thank you, Mum, Dad."

"Oh no," Steve declined his gratitude. "It was all your Mum. My gift is a different one. I couldn't bring it here because it is too big, but I thought I'd show you a picture." With that, Steve took out the picture from his pocket that he handed over to Troy. The boy took the picture and looked at it in dumbfounded silence.

"Cat got your tongue?" Steve grinned. This reaction was even better than he was expecting.

"You got me," Troy began slowly, "A private jet?"

"Not just any private jet," Steve reassured him. "It's a Gulfstream V. Top of the line, with a range of more than 6500 nautical miles. You can fly from here to New York directly without refueling. Isn't that great? I know how much you hate those commercial flights, so this was the best alternative."

Before Steve could say or do anything else, Troy had released his new dog and jumped into his embrace, making the camera fall to the ground.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love it more than anything, Dad," Troy gushed excitedly.

Steve chuckled before patting his back, "Even more than your new dog?"

Troy looked indecisive for a few moments before saying, "I love them both equally."

"Good," Kathy said. "Why don't we all eat some cake now?"

As the kids all crowded around the cake, Steve couldn't help but think back to the last few months. [Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets] was a resounding success, both critically and commercially. It received rave reviews from the audience and critics alike and had already broken past the billion-dollar mark this week, on a budget of just $100m. Troy, who had a base salary for the film set at $5m, will personally receive upwards of $50m. Similarly, Steve will receive around a hundred million. Buying a private jet for a staggering $36m was more of a business decision than a personal one. Sure, it will help Troy fly across the ocean as he tended to do so frequently, but it will also help lower their taxes.

As Kathy distributed the cake and a return gift basket among the kids, Steve couldn't help but reflect on how drastically his life had changed since adopting Troy. Before Troy, he was barely making ends meet and had lost the motivation to make more films. Now, sitting on enough money to last ten lifetimes, with homes in the poshest areas of London, Los Angeles, and New York, along with servants to maintain them, Steve felt a sense of contentment he hadn't known before. Troy seemed to be the lucky charm that had transformed his life.

When the party wound down and the other kids had gone home, the tiny puppy Troy had received that day started running around the house, with Troy and Evan chasing after him.

"What's his name?" Evan asked Troy.

"I'll name him… Loki," Troy announced excitedly. "His fur is like snow, so he'll be Loki, the frost giant."

With the dog's name settled, Evan bent down to Loki's level and said, "Hello Loki. Welcome to the family."

Seeing his second son's enthusiasm, Steve smiled, though sadness flickered in his eyes as he thought about the tragedy Evan had faced at such a young age. He was grateful the boy had adapted to living with them so quickly, despite the initial challenges with child protective services. Nothing that some well-placed palm greasing cannot solve.

"Dad," Troy called out, standing nervously beside Kathy.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing!" Troy protested. "It's about what I want to do next."

Steve didn't need to ask for details. Ever since they had decided to pause Troy's acting career until the next Harry Potter installment, he knew this conversation would come eventually. He just hadn't expected it so soon. Steve turned to Kathy, seeking confirmation.

"Did he get offered another film?"

"Not just one. He's been offered over a hundred," Kathy replied. "He's read through several scripts, and we've narrowed it down to four that we think are the best."

Steve turned back to Troy, concern lining his face. "Son, we agreed to hold off on more movies until [Harry Potter 4]. We just need a bit of patience."

"Dad," Troy persisted. "You haven't even secured a director for the next film yet. Without a director, we can't even start pre-production."

"We're in discussions with five directors approved by Warner executives," Steve assured him. "It won't take long to finalize one. Once we do, pre-production will move swiftly. Most of the groundwork is already laid out; a good director will fit right in."

"Whatever the case may be," Troy insisted, "there will be a gap between the third and the fourth film. Actors often have projects in development for years before they're ready to be produced. If I want to ensure the next film is perfect, I need to be proactive and find the best script now. Delaying the decision could mean settling for a script that's already in production, compromising the quality and potentially my star power."

Steve shook his head, trying to reason with him. "You're overthinking this, Troy. Between films, you could come back and do [Billy Elliot] on the West End."

"What if my voice breaks by then?" Troy countered, leaving Steve momentarily speechless.

"Come on, Steve," Kathy interjected. "Troy has finished high school. Let him pursue what he wants."

"Fine," Steve relented, knowing he was outnumbered. "But what if we shot the third and fourth films back-to-back?"

Troy looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Steve smiled, explaining his idea. "I got this idea from Peter Jackson who made three [LOTR] movies on a fraction of budget of what they should've been. So I proposed to Barry Meyer that we shoot [Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban] and [Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire] back-to-back. Once filming for the fourth film wraps up, we'd begin post-production on the third. This could save us tens of millions, and with your growth rate, shooting both films over a year would align perfectly with your age for the fourth movie."

"What did Barry say?" Troy asked, intrigued.

"He's considering it," Steve replied. "We have a meeting scheduled next week in New York, where we'll finalize the director too."

Troy's West End run was ending soon, and after the holidays, he would join the original Broadway cast. A secondary cast had been trained for the West End, a difficult decision as it involved moving as a family, especially given Evan's personal connection to the location where his parents had died. Kathy had suggested staying in London with Evan, but the boy insisted on visiting to pay his respects.

"Who are the directors under consideration?" Troy asked, curious.

"I was leaning towards Guillermo del Toro, but he declined and recommended Alfonso Cuarón instead," Steve explained. "Other contenders include Mike Newell, Terry Gilliam, Kenneth Branagh, and M. Night Shyamalan."

"Shyamalan wants to direct this?" Troy asked, surprised.

"Everyone's interested," Steve affirmed. "They know this film could define their career if they handle it right. Who would you prefer?"

"Alfonso Cuarón," Troy answered decisively, surprising Steve given Cuarón's most well-known film, [Y tu mamá también], was a sex-themed film that Troy hadn't seen for obvious reasons. Sensing Steve's surprise, Troy continued, "I loved [A Little Princess]. His use of long takes and emotional depth is incredible."

Satisfied with Troy's choice, Steve nodded. "Alright, let's see how it unfolds. Meanwhile, start packing for New York."

"I will," Troy affirmed.

"Troy!" Suddenly Evan came running up to the three. "See Loki is following around me perfectly." Saying that, Evan started running the room, with the little husky on his trail, wagging his tail excitedly.

"Hey!" Troy shouted before running between the two and scooping Loki up in his arms. "He's my dog. I don't want him to imprint on you. Loki and I are going out to the backyard to play."

"No, you aren't," Evan retorted before running up to Troy, stealing Loki from him, and running out of the house.

"Evan!" Troy shouted as he followed him hot in his trail.

Steve turned to his wife, "I hope you remind them soon that the dog is not a toy."

"Don't worry too much," Kathy reassured him. "They will understand it soon enough when they have to feed him regularly or take him out to poo."

Steve had a mischievous glint in his eyes, "Why didn't I think of that? This would be so good for the boys if only they could take him out on a walk."

"You're so slow," Kathy grinned at her husband. "Why did you think I got this dog? They will learn responsibility, and have a companion for the next decade."

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