Chapter 23: All At Once

On Thursday, Simon arrived at Griffin Grocery early as usual.

Following yesterday's press conference, the packaging deal for "The Butterfly Effect" was almost set in stone, with contracts to be signed over the next week.

According to Hollywood's screenplay transaction processes, Simon would receive an initial payment of $140,000 for his first draft and a down payment for the option on the next two screenplays within a week of signing the contract. The remaining $60,000 would be paid out as Simon made required revisions and polished the script according to the film company's requests.

The first $140,000 was enough to start production on "Run Lola Run." Thus, Simon had already informed Roger that he would resign from Griffin Grocery after completing next week's work.

After a busy morning, around 9:30, Simon, standing at the cash register, saw Roger Griffin hurriedly coming from the office at the side of the store, holding a newspaper.

Noticing that Roger was heading straight towards him, Simon asked as the middle-aged man approached, "Roger, what's going on?"

Roger Griffin didn't immediately respond. Instead, he eyed Simon up and down curiously before handing him the newspaper and pointing to an article, "Simon, this isn't about you, is it?"

Taking the newspaper, Simon glanced at it—it was the "Los Angeles Times"—and then noticed the article Roger was pointing to.

"What is 'The Butterfly Effect'?"

Simon's first thought was how familiar that question sounded.

He then read the article.

The article started with recent events at WMA, perhaps because the story had already been widely discussed. Peter Butler, a journalist from the "Los Angeles Times," decided to take a different approach by focusing on the content of "The Butterfly Effect" script.

What surprised Simon was that Peter Butler had managed to trace the origin of 'the butterfly effect'. In an era without internet search engines, achieving this was no small feat.

After spending some time explaining the meaning of 'the butterfly effect', Peter Butler speculated on the plot of "The Butterfly Effect." Combining the choice of Brian De Palma as the director and other information, he concluded that the film was likely a crime thriller triggered by some catalyst.

If that was all there was to the article, Simon wouldn't have cared much.

Peter Butler's guess had little to do with the actual content of "The Butterfly Effect."

However, what unexpectedly caught Simon's attention was that Peter Butler mentioned his name in the article and expressed curiosity about the surname 'Westeros'. He claimed he had searched through many sources and couldn't find any information on the surname, suggesting that 'Westeros' might be an original creation, a very interesting one at that.

Seeing Simon frowning slightly at the newspaper and not speaking for a while, Roger Griffin couldn't help but snap his fingers near his ear, "Simon?"

Simon came back to reality, smiled at the middle-aged man, and said, "Roger, I might need to take a day off tomorrow."

"No problem," Roger Griffin nodded, although Simon's demeanor had all but confirmed it, he still couldn't help but ask, "So, it's really you in there?"

Simon handed back the newspaper to Roger, nodding, "Yeah, it is."

Hearing Simon's confirmation, Roger Griffin, who was still a bit startled, waved the newspaper around, making a whooshing sound, and asked, "So, that middle-aged man the other day, he's that WMA Vice President mentioned in the papers, uh... what's his name? And now, you've got $200,000?"

Simon looked at the somewhat stuttering Roger, laughing, "Well, $200,000 isn't much for you, right? When the store does well, that's about how much we make in a day."

Although Griffin Grocery wasn't on the scale of Walmart, it was ideally located in the bustling center of Santa Monica and did quite well.

Roger Griffin, however, shook his head, still somewhat wistful, "Revenue and profit are not the same, and besides, I earn my money the hard way, not as easily as you."

As they were speaking, several customers came over.

Noticing the queues forming at the other cash registers, they stopped their conversation. Roger Griffin even moved to another vacant register and proficiently took on the role of cashier.

Busy until 3 PM, Simon clocked out and biked to the WMA headquarters, buying a copy of today's "Los Angeles Times" on the way.

Arriving outside Jonathan Friedman's office, Simon greeted Owen Wright first.

"Simon, what brings you here?" Owen Wright showed a warm smile upon seeing Simon, then pointed to Jonathan's office door, "Wait a bit, Jonathan is talking with Sean Young."

"Sean Young, Rachel?" Simon wasn't sure.

Owen Wright pulled up a chair next to his desk for Simon, confirming, "Yes, Rachel."

Simon was somewhat surprised to learn

 that Sean Young was Jonathan's client.

Aside from her stunning role as the replicant Rachel in "Blade Runner," Sean Young didn't have many other standout performances.

Moreover, it was said that she was quite difficult to work with; many in Hollywood disliked collaborating with her. Eventually, after a brief stint of fame post-"Blade Runner," her career quickly faded.

Simon also remembered that due to her dwindling career, Sean Young had made a scene outside the Warner Bros. studio during the production of "Batman Returns." She demanded to be cast as Catwoman to make up for her missed opportunity in the first film, due to a riding accident. Instead, she earned a reputation as a 'Hollywood madwoman,' shattering many people's image of the goddess Rachel.

Remembering all this, Simon said to Owen Wright, "Speaking of which, I still don't know who all of Jonathan's clients are. Owen, can I see the list?"

"Sure," Owen Wright nodded, pulled out a folder from his desk drawer, and handed it to Simon, "You can take a look."

Simon took the folder and began flipping through.

The first page featured a veteran actor named Robert Duvall.

Simon had some recollection of him, but it was still only a vague familiarity.

However, the brief stated that Robert Duvall was not only the 1984 Oscar winner for Best Actor but also had three other Oscar nominations. By that count, he might be considered Jonathan's highest-profile client.

Continuing through the folder, Simon found mostly older male actors in their forties and fifties.

This wasn't surprising to him.

The Hollywood film industry had experienced a lull lasting over twenty years due to competition from television.

With the film industry in a downturn, opportunities were fewer, leading to an aging star system as everyone vied for the limited roles available, slowing the turnover of talent in Hollywood and generally aging the profile of top stars.

As Simon flipped through nearly half of the folder, other than the soon-to-be collaborator Brian De Palma, he only found another relatively familiar actor, Billy Crystal.

Moreover, Simon's own resume was placed last among Jonathan's male clients, followed by several Hollywood directors.

The list continued with a string of veteran actresses, which Simon quickly scanned, finding Courteney Cox's name towards the back.

He was about to casually hand back the folder to Owen when the last page caught his attention with the name of a girl.

Her ID photo showed a short-haired girl.

After glancing through her profile, it seemed she had no film credits yet, only some stage experience, indicating she was likely a newcomer Jonathan had just signed.

Thinking it over, Simon waited for Owen Wright to finish a call, then spread the document in front of him and asked, "Owen, what's the deal with this girl?"

Owen Wright put down the phone, looked at the girl's name on the document.

Sandra Bullock.

"Sandra, ah, Jonathan just signed her last week, recommended by Sanford Meisner in New York, a very promising newcomer," Owen Wright explained, then looked at Simon with a teasing tone, "You like this type of girl? I happen to have a portfolio here, want to take a look?"

Simon chuckled and shook his head, "I was thinking, maybe she could try out for the female lead in my movie."

"Is that so," Owen Wright knew about Simon's plan to shoot an experimental film, his tone becoming more serious, "Well, she's free these few months because Jonathan plans to have her start with some TV roles next spring before transitioning to movies. But Simon, if you want a female lead, I can recommend a few with more experience, and they won't be too expensive if we negotiate well."

"No need," Simon shook his head, took out his address book from his backpack, and noted down Sandra Bullock's contact details, "I'll contact this girl first."

Owen Wright didn't press further, saying, "Call me if you need help."

As they were speaking, Jonathan's office door opened, and a woman in a black cinched-waist dress stepped out—it was Sean Young.

However, Sean Young's mood was clearly very poor, her face an ice queen's mask. She glanced sidelong at the standing Simon, her steps not pausing as she quickly left, heels clicking.

Jonathan followed Sean Young out of the office, watching her disappear down the corridor, then turned to Simon, gesturing towards the empty space in front of him with a serious tone, "Simon, this is Ms. Young."

Simon approached, shook hands with Jonathan, and said, "Didn't think you were one for cold jokes?"

"Just a bit of self-entertainment," Jonathan managed a wry smile, but offered no explanation for what had just happened.

Ordering Owen to prepare coffee for them, Jonathan led Simon into the office, sitting behind his desk to start the conversation, "By the way, Simon, about Cour

teney, I was actually planning to have her as the female lead. However, she just passed the audition for the live-action 'He-Man' movie by Canon Film Corporation. It's a $20 million project, and the secondary female role is also a good opportunity. So I've switched the female lead in 'The Butterfly Effect' to Elizabeth."

Simon had vague recollections of "He-Man" as a recent animated series, but he merely nodded and responded, "That sounds great, neither opportunity is wasted."

Jonathan, hands clasped, looked intently at Simon, "So, what brings you here all of a sudden?"

Simon showed Jonathan the "Los Angeles Times" article, saying, "Jonathan, have you seen this?"

Jonathan took the newspaper, glanced at it, and nodded, "Owen showed me this morning. I think this should be good for you, right?"

Simon shook his head, pondering, then said, "Jonathan, there's something about my past before I came to Los Angeles that I think I need to explain to you first."

[Note: The next chapter will be updated this evening. Also, thanks to everyone for the recent tips, recommendations, and comments. New books are challenging and need encouragement. I'm known for being a bit verbose to ensure the quality of my writing. Rest assured, I'm committed to continuing this story, aiming for two updates daily.]