82. Consequences, Untold Horrors and Evolution.
Results of the Previous Poll: Wow, the results really left me a bit stunned. Rarely have I ever seen such a one sided poll before. There was only 1 question in the previous poll and I am glad to see so many votes. Thank you.
♦ What should be the result of the court case for the trademark infringement case for Nirvana Pictures?
Option 1. Win the case completely and retain ownership of the trademark.
Votes – 51 (readers) + 2 (me) = 53 (total) Winner.
Option 2. Lose the case but drag it out and also not have to pay any compensation because of successfully proving that Knives Out's box office success had nothing to do with Nirvana band's brand name.
Votes – 1 (and even this was just a reader giving me a suggestion for the name of the new studio that Mark would personally lead. So technically it should be 0 but that looked a bit wrong so we rolled with the 1.)
Also before I end this note I would like to address something here. The poll was very one sided and I love it the readers chose the option that I personally wanted to go with as well.
I keep saying your votes matter and it does because every action of his will have a CONSEQUENCE. Especially the ones I ask you guys to vote for. For example – Mark losing the case could also been good in a way.
Since it will make him look weak, the enemies might underestimate him and he might have an easier time. But now, because of our choice, the story will dynamiclly change.
For example - because of people not underestimating him maybe the movie he will try to make will face problems like getting permission to shoot in public areas, permits, etc. who knows it's Hollywood after all baby.
Anyways there is a poll at the bottom of the chapter once again this one is a bit more important, so please don't forget to vote. It matters.
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Recap of the Previous Chapter —
The chapter opens with the pov of David the watch commander observing Mark's performance of Experience. He is then joined by Mr. Kim who is now Mark's new head of security, they share a brief conversation before Kim leaves.
The POV changes to Eva in Eidolon HQ with her going over the contingency letters Mark had left with her. Harry joins her as well, the talk a bit but are then joined a woman who is Mark's new secretary/legal aid. She is revealed to be Monica Bellucci who recently joined in at Eidolon.
They discuss how to handle the situation together and after Harry asks if they could trust her. Monica speaks frankly and tells them about her dream to be a heroine. The scene then changes to show Anne, she grateful to finally talk to her mum again.
She then listens to his performance on the radio and cries a bit touched by the soulful music. When he arrives she tells him about what happened and they share a hug. The pov shifts one last time to show Rachel Hale a new hire at Eidolon going through their financial literacy training.
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– Quote for the chapter –
The Angels are coming for you, but listen. Your life could depend on this.
Don't blink.
Not even for a second.
Blink and you're dead.
They're fast, faster than you can even imagine.
Don't turn your back.
Don't look away.
No matter what happens.
Don't blink.
Good luck.
— The Tenth Doctor.
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~ Third Person's POV ~
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Date: Friday, 21th September, 1990
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Location: At Eidolon HQ, in the Conference Hall.
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Time: 10:05 am.
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After two weeks of being hired at Eidolon, Monica couldn't have been happier for having the opportunity to work at such a nice place. The pay was good, the work culture was inviting and her colleagues were friendly as well.
Having arrived in LA just a month ago, she had been on the lookout for an affordable apartment. It was on her third day of house hunting that she met her now roommate and friend, Rachel Hale.
Rachel had a cheerful and sunny personality with an optimistic outlook towards life. She was also quite trusting of her, despite learning about her status as a new immigrant, she had treated her kindly.
Perhaps it was because of that, when she mentioned that she was looking for a job to sustain herself while taking acting classes, Rachel recommended trying out at Eidolon.
With her qualifications, looks, and skills, Rachel was confident she wouldn't have a hard time getting in. After a few rounds of screening and a thorough background check.
She secured the position of a legal aid/company representative. It wasn't much, but she was earning well and it helped to pay for her tuition and living expenses with a little left over to save for a rainy day.
A few weeks back due to the firing of two secretaries, there were openings for new vacancies. She had applied for it as well, not thinking much of it.
To her disbelief, she was actually promoted to the position of a secretary/legal aid for Marc Spector, the owner of the company, himself.
The plan she had devised upon learning about her position under Marc Spector was already bearing fruit. It was to integrate herself in his life and slowly seduce him and earn his favor.
Now standing behind Ms. Thorne as she addressed the media for their press release, she couldn't help but admire her.
Despite being a CAA employee and just Mr. Spector's manager, she had her own office and significant influence in Eidolon. She even held an advisory executive role due her close friendship with the boss.
However, before she could form any prejudices against her. Ms. Thorne had completely won her over with her impressive ability to handle the day-to-day operations of Eidolon in the absence of its owner.
Even the sudden barrage of accusations against their actors and Studio trademark didn't make her break a sweat.
Instead, Ms. Thorne used her contacts in CAA to pull together a high-profile press announcement the very next morning.
It was a testament to her capabilities that despite the short notice, she could spot journalists from almost all the major media houses in the crowd.
This was a declaration of war against their enemies, to make them understand the consequences of messing with Eidolon.
The plan didn't just involve going after the media houses for defamation cases but also for the future decline in the box office.
"Ms. Evelyn. Hello, I am from the Daily Statesmen. Is it true that you have intentionally copied the brand of Nirvana, a popular Rock band to drive ticket sales?" a middle-aged man asked after introducing his affiliation.
Her boss was completely unfazed by the stupid question. She replied back with sass, "Mr. Clark from the Statesmen. Please speak with reason; we didn't even advertise with the name of Nirvana Pictures in our ads or posters."
"From the very beginning, the name of Knives Out, our movie, was connected with the parent company that is Eidolon Entertainment and Universal that had aided us with the distribution and marketing of our film."
"Nirvana Pictures is just the production house behind it. It is only after someone watches our movie will they come to know about this information, so we simply couldn't have used Nirvana's name to drive our ticket sales."
"Next," she said after completely dismantling the man's entire question with logic and cold hard facts. She didn't even pause for a single moment or give her opponent a chance for rebuttal.
After answering a few more questions with professional ease and dodging a few trick questions, she stopped taking any more questions and stepped off. She came near her and whispered, "good luck."
Why? Well because it was now her turn; her boss could have easily handled it alone. But they needed a formal representative from Eidolon as well and thankfully, her efforts to get on the good side of Ms. Thorne had finally paid off.
This press release was being recorded to later be used by the media houses under Universal, and this would be her first time appearing on TV.
'Barely a month in America and I am already doing a press release on TV, that has to be a new record.'
"Here, at Eidolon, we take these allegations very seriously. These allegations are not based on facts and are only made to garner public attention and cause a sensation so that they can sell their 'story.'" She said this with air quotes, with a hint of derision in her voice.
"They don't care how much damage they're going to cause to the reputation of our clients or to the box office revenue of Knives Out." With a short sigh, she trudged, selling the underdog story to garner sympathy.
"Now, let's do some fact-checking. Mr. Depp had been a nominal owner of The Viper Room, one out of three, in fact, for about 2 years now since its opening."
"But it is only after he has become the face of a blockbuster movie that these cases popped up out of nowhere." She shook her head at that statement, as if to show her dismissal.
"Mr. Phoenix was a drug addict who has now turned a new leaf in life and decided to clean up his act."
"He is now a contributing and productive member of our society. To throw dirt at his name because of his past in an attempt to turn people away from him is just horrible."
"But let's move on, because we all know the allegations against our clients don't end here. Ms. Hayek has been accused through hearsay of sleeping with Mr. Spector in exchange for the role of Marta."
"It's Disgusting."
"To insinuate that a woman of her caliber would fall so low as to sell her body for a role. These newspapers should be ashamed of themselves."
"Now, we've all known, once is a chance, twice is a coincidence but a third time? Now that's what I call a pattern." She said with a sly smirk as she thought back on last night of how they came up with it.
This small speech of hers had something they had deliberated over last night for over an hour. Until eventually Ms. Thorne just gave up and called the big boss to make the final call.
But instead of Mr. Spector, it was her boss's only remaining secretary, Rose, that picked up the call. She could hear Evelyn mutter that she should have called the personal number instead.
But when she explained the situation Rose seemed to already have the answer for them. It seemed like the foresight of her new boss, Mr. Spector, had also predicted this dilemma of theirs.
He left her a message to tell them that they could subtly insinuate that foul play and underhanded means had been used. But they must never outright confirm things, as long as they do that they should be safe.
Operating in Hollywood came with a lot of hidden rules, but Mr. Spector seemed like the guy who already had most of it figured out and could navigate around this treacherous minefield.
"No more questions and thank you for coming in at such short notice." She gave a short yet polite bow from her head and had the press meet come to an end.
---
After the press meet, she met up with Ms. Evelyn to discuss some other things. When she entered her office, she seemed to be looking through some papers with an excited and joyful smile on her face.
"You look quite happy, ma'am," she said politely, even though she wanted to ask a question. But she didn't want to look impolite, so she stymied her curiosity.
"Ah, yes. Monica. Come, come, have a seat. I was just looking at the second week's box office earnings of Knives Out that just came out. Here, take a look." She passed her the file to take a look at it herself.
"Thank you. Ma'am," she said, with another bow.
"Oh. Please. Stop that; you make me feel old and boorish. Call me Eva or Evelyn, whichever is more comfortable for you," she replied playfully, admonishing her for being overly polite.
Monica nodded her head and then opened the files to see the latest data. Last she had heard of was the second weekend box office of the movie.
And that had already surpassed expectations and expert estimates to reach a whopping 150 million dollars in just 10 days of its release from the 6th of September to 16th.
The heading of the article read –
• Breakdown of the Daily Box Office Revenue of the 2nd week of Knives Out from Sept. 14th to Sept. 20th:-
- Sept.14th, Friday — $15.46 million.
- Sept.15th, Saturday — $17.13 million.
- Sept.16th, Sunday — $19.71 million.
- Sept.17th, Monday — $13.25 million.
- Sept.18th, Tuesday — $11.3 million.
- Sept.19th, Wednesday — $10.6 million.
- Sept.20th, Thursday — $9.7 million.
• Knives Out Domestic Second Week Box Office Collection (Sept 14 - Sept 20): $97.15 million.
• Knives Out Cumulative Box Office (till date): $104.5 million + $97.15 million = $201.65 million.
• Weekly Top 10 Domestic Box Office Ranking (Sept 14 - Sept 20):–
1. Knives Out — $97.15 million – by Eidolon Entertainment.
2. Postcards from the Edge — $8.76 million – by Columbia.
3. Ghost — $6.6 million – by Paramount Pictures.
4. Death Warrant — $5.34 million – by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).
5. Presumed Innocent — $4.2 million – Warner Bros.
6. Darkman — $3.9 million – by Universal Pictures.
7. Flatliners — $3.2 million – by Columbia.
8. Young Guns II — $2.38 million – by Twentieth Century Fox.
9. Problem Child — $2.14 million – by Universal Pictures.
10. Taking care of business — $1.6 million – by Walt Disney Motion Pictures.
"Santa merda! The difference.. it's just too big.. it's no wonder we are being targeted as if we are Public Enemy No. 1." she couldn't help but gasp after taking a look at the box office numbers.
"Yeah, unfortunately, we are still just a small studio. The only reason we are still able to hold up and fight back is because of Universal, CAA, and Mark's connections in Hollywood."
"Even though he has enemies, he has also made quite a few influential friends, who won't sit back if his enemies cross the line. But it's also why we need to be careful that we don't cross that line as well," Evelyn replied in a reassuring tone, trying to instill confidence in Monica.
"What is this line exactly, you speak of, Ms. Evelyn?" she couldn't hold back her curiosity; she wanted to know the deeper secrets of Hollywood.
Eva just stared at her until she realized her mistake. "Sorry, I mean Evelyn.."
"Better. Now, here's the simpler version of it…" she had a pleased smile on her face as she began explaining the many unsaid rules of Hollywood.
While she was filing away the important points of this explanation, she made up her mind to check out the movie - Knives Out for herself.
She wanted to see for herself just how good the movie that Mark Spector directed himself was.
Maybe she could also invite Rachel and a few of their colleagues to foster a better working relationship.
---
~ Back in the first-class section of a commercial airplane ~
~ Mark's POV ~
Things had been going really well for him, especially the part where Anne reconciled with her mum due to him unintentionally giving her an excuse to do so. It genuinely made him happy.
Before his machinations and manipulations, were not something he enjoyed, but it had led to Anne and her daughter Jess living better lives. However, after merging with a fragment of the essence of the Harem King, his control over his body reached a supernatural level.
He could now tap into his subconscious mind, read parts of it. Vani theorized that this skill's evolution could grant him even greater control. This newfound control, even at a such a basic level, shifted his worldview significantly. He realized he enjoyed being in control, not just of his life but of others as well.
As his wealth and influence grew, the feeling of power became intoxicating, especially as the barrier between his conscience and subconscious mind thinned. He accepted that he might not be an inherently good person, he also recognized that he had a desire to be good, to do good, but never at his own expense, he decided to make it a goal he would strive for.
He wouldn't harm the innocent; perhaps manipulate them for personal gain, but he'd ensure they ended up with better lives. This balance between good and evil intrigued his mind, occupying his thoughts as he shaded a drawing in his old diary.
---
Meanwhile, Anne glanced at Mark, lost in thought, sketching something in his diary. Curious and with little else to do, she leaned in to see what he was drawing. It resembled a stone sculpture of an angel, hands pressed against its face as if hiding tears or crying.
"What are you drawing, Mark?" she poked his shoulder.
"Hmm?" Mark's thoughts broke, and the hand shading the angel's wings paused.
"What are you drawing? Is that an angel?" she asked.
"Oh, this. Yeah, I call it the Weeping Angel," he replied with a smile.
"Is that a sculpture?" Intrigued by the drawing and Mark's skill, even in pencil, she admired how he shaded it to resemble stone.
"Nope. More like an alien or a monster," he teased, handing her his diary, saying, "Here, this is the beginning of their chapter."
"Okay," she said, turning the cover to see the diary's name.
«Untold Horrors: Volume Six»
"Untold horrors, volume six?" she asked, looking at Mark.
"I'll tell you later. Read the story," he answered, teasing.
"Fine. Hmph." She turned away with a pout, beginning to read the story of a time traveler and his companions encountering the Weeping Angels.
As she read, she couldn't help but visualize the scenes. Even in these casual notes, Mark retained his meticulous storytelling, setting up the background of the story.
The protagonist wasn't the space-time traveler, as she initially thought. Instead, it was Sally Swallows, a spunky, book-smart academic woman, and his friend Harry.
The monsters, the Weeping Angels, advanced upon the duo in the blink of an eye. Mark's skill in conveying urgency through written words captivated her, especially in building tension.
"The Angels are coming for you, but listen. Your life could depend on this. Don't blink. Not even for a second. Blink, and you're dead."
"They're fast, faster than you can ever imagine. Don't turn your back to them. Don't look away."
"And no matter what happens. Don't blink. Good luck. It's on you now" The genius time traveler's words echoed through the screen of a TV that Sally's friend, Harry, had fixed, leaving them to face this unknown horror.
---
"Aww, it ended too soon, but that was bloody good! Mark?" She called out as she saw him reading a book called The Intelligent Investor.
He never really stopped learning or trying to improve himself, it was one of things she knew about him from the letters and really loved about him.
She shook the sleeve of his shirt to grab his attention. He put down his book on the extendable tray and turned towards her, asking, "You finished it?"
"Yup, just now. It was brilliant, a bit short, but I definitely had a good time. The suspense is still eating me up inside."
"I really want to know how the story ends. You're just teasing me with this cliffhanger" she pouted as she said that hitting Mark's bicep in mock anger.
"I am glad," he chuckled as he leaned forward and removed a stray piece of fabric from her hair.
"Thanks," she tried not to blush and immediately thought of something to say to change the topic.
"This is just volume six?" she asked about the thing that had grabbed her interest before.
"Yup, I got five more that I completed before this." he was nonchalant as usual in his reply as this wasn't a big deal for him.
"How? How do you come up with them?" She was a bit baffled by Mark's creativity and really wanted to know how his brain worked.
"Hmm," He looked up in thought for a few seconds.
After a few seconds of thinking, he looked at her and asked, "Anne, have you ever had nightmares?"
"Yes, when I was a child and then when.. I got.. I separated.." she hesitantly admitted.
There was a short silence that Mark broke with an understanding smile, he patted her head and did his best to reassure her with his sincere words. "It's alright, I am here with you now, everything's going to be just fine, I promise."
"I have nightmares as well. I still do.. sometimes. Most people have nightmares but when they wake up they forget what exactly it was that scared them so badly."
"I am a little different though. I almost never forget what I see in my dreams. All the volumes of the «Untold Horrors» are actually filled with horror born from my nightmares."
"Doesn't it bother you? Remembering your nightmares so vividly..." She was concerned for his mental health and peace.
"It did before but I found a pretty good coping mechanism," he replied calmly, relieving her of her apprehension.
"Your diary?" she asked, wanting to know how it helped him.
"Yup, I don't know why or how, but writing down my fears and putting them to words seems to free up my mind and stops me from thinking about it too much," he said.
"You could create an entire anthology book series with these volumes," her sincere admiration was clear to see on her face.
"Thanks, but it's more of a hobby and freestyle writing for me. A few of these aren't given a proper story, with me just filling in their background and capabilities." He then explained to her why he didn't want to turn this into a full-blown novel series.
He leaned close and whispered. "Instead, I actually plan on selling these volume books as free-to-use monsters by any amateur writer who wants to try their hand in the horror genre."
"But with only a small condition that my publishing house, Eidolon Publications, will have a priority of acquiring the rights for publishing said book if it's up to our standards. Basically a right of first refusal." he had a roguish grin on his face as he ended the explanation.
"Wow, spoken like a true business. Mr. Spector." she had a smirk on her face as well as she whispered back in his ear.
"Careful now. Also, I will have to attend a press meet over there before we can go and do our thing." He then explained how he will have to swap back places with his bodyguard who is currently pretending to be Marc Spector.
"Our thing?" she asked what her mind was on, despite his explanation that sounded like it was borne out of a spy espionage movie.
"Yeah, I am gonna wine and dine you like a gentleman vying for the lady he is trying to woo and then tell you the secret I have been keeping from you. After that, it will be your call, Anne."
"Whether to slap me on my face and call me names or to accept me for who I am, a flawed, hypocrite who fell in love with you." He whispered in her ear and then leaned back on his seat and took back his diary as if thinking what he was going to write next.
"Then that will be great actually because till now I have been thinking of you as some kind of Mr. Perfect or as close to it as someone can ever be."
"A flaw would make you seem more human, more real even, I don't know if you know but you give off this aura like you're like an aristocrat or like a king even and sometimes, I-I just.. can't take m-my eyes off of you."
She sputtered and blushed at the end, indirectly admitting her affection for him once again, this time completely sober.
She didn't let her insecurities or doubts hold her back though as she continued to pour her heart out.
"And to be honest, I really don't think there's anything you could tell me now that will turn me away, Mark."
"You're one of the kindest people I know, you're even great with kids despite just being 20 and Jess likes you as well."
"How are you so perfect? Is there anything you can't do?" She looked frustrated as there was a man who seemed perfect for her but who thought of himself as not good enough for her because of a secret.
"I can't fly an airplane." He told a lame joke trying to break the moment and hide.
"Also, no one's perfect, Anne. You should always remember that everyone has their secrets and soon you'll know mine."
"I hope it's soon; this wait is killing me." she said as she looked in his eyes with confidence that her faith in him won't be broken.
"Soon." He had a hopeful look on his face as he said that and then went back to reading.
While simultaneously thinking about how to tell her about his intention of creating a harem that very night after they reached Paris and he was done with the press meet.
---
After reaching Paris, Mark took her to the private lounge belonging to the business. He glanced down at his watch, 'hmm, 6:23pm 2 more minutes till the agreed time to swap.'
'Where's the washroom?' He looked around a bit as they walked trying to spot it.
'Ah. There it is.' It was the place where they had decided to swap places, with his bodyguard Steve who was posing as Marc Spector currently.
"I will be right back in just a minute." after telling the codeword he left.
It would be his bodyguard that would be coming back to take to the hotel instead and he would go on ahead for his press meet with Johnny and Salma.
They had decided to not waste much time in Paris and do one big interview with all three of them present together for it. Mark was all for it because it allowed him to have more time to spend with Anne.
After four minutes, Mark exited the washroom but this time disguised as Marc Spector. He nodded to his bodyguard posted outside and then made way towards Rose.
Out of the corner of his eye he could see Anne staring at him longingly.
'Soon.' he thought inside his head as he walked away.
'I have the lucky halo, I have also subtly nudged her towards expecting a big shock from my secret. It shouldn't be that difficult for her to accept the idea of me having a harem. but..'
There was still one thing he feared, it was the fact that her husband had left her. Left her to raise her child all alone and he knew for a fact that she was still scarred from that experience.
He had no idea what kind of reaction she would have when he revealed his secret desire, he also knew could easily avoid all this drama by simply having sex with her once.
The abilities he had gained from the «Harem King» would easily allow him to almost mind fuck her into submission, into agreeing to be a part of his harem.
But maybe it was because of his inner humanity, his morals that thought of her as a friend or maybe it was the fact that it was something he didn't want to do to someone who he wanted as his partner eventually.
'I truly am a hypocrite.' he admitted to himself in his mind.
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"Mr. Spector, it's a pleasure to have you here with us today. I would like to wish you and your group a warm welcome from the french."
"Thank you." they all chorused back with smiles.
"I want to know what you think about the over the top titles the American media has given you, from being called the God of Stories to being called the Elusive Spector?"
A young man in early 30s asked him an easy question to start off the press meet/interview.
"Well, I think it's their way of showing their love and appreciation. I don't really care as it has no negative affect on my personal life. These titles do give me a few ideas for my future stories though."
"Ms. Hayek, are you really not in a relationship with Mr. Spector?" a middle-aged woman asked the hot topic that her boss had asked her to cover.
"No, unfortunately not." Salma replied with mock sadness giving away an obvious hint.
"Unfortunately?" the lady journalist didn't hesitate to ask.
Salma painted a picture of her as the enamored girl being turned down by her love interest to protect her from their enemies.
"He turned me down, wanting to keep things professional between us. At least till the time this movie release is over, he did so to protect my reputation. Now for this very reason my name is being dragged through my media back home."
"Mr. Depp, what was going through your mind as you gave the performance in the finale? How did you prepare for it?"
"There wasn't really much in mind except for showing the world that I am here.. oh wait you guys don't really have the context for it to make sense."
After saying that he gave a brief description of how Mark was kind enough to give him a tour of the set himself and inspired him to show the world that he was taking the stage.
To have that special charisma that would make everyone just lose themselves watching his performance.
"Marc. When you came out of the airport, you spoke in french with the reporters there and spoke it really well. Did you learn it in school?"
Mark decided to reply in french. "Nope I taught myself. My elective language was Spanish. I just like learning new things and keeping my mind active, so learning new languages is kinda like a hobby of mine."
"Truly a genius." the journalist replied in admiration and sat back satisfied with the answer.
Mark was about to call off the interview as it had already gone on for over an hour and he was running quite late already.
"Marc, Last question, please." an old man stood up to ask. He had been content till now to just observe and hadn't asked a single question.
"Sure, go ahead. But this has to be the last, I am getting late for a prior appointment of mine." Mark said, trying to be patient for the old man's sake.
"Of course. Mark, you're a role model for youth around the world. At such an astonishingly young age you have achieved so much and believe you will achieve even more in the future. Do you have any advice for the youth? Any words of wisdom you would like to share."
"Hmm, I guess this will do" Mark muttered as he thought about all the different proverbs and sayings he had heard in the past few decades of his life.
He gathered his voice and tried to project his kingly aura.
"Be curious, but not judgemental.
Be decisive, but not reckless.
Be cautious, but not stagnant.
And always remember,
never do things half hearted,
give it everything you've got
because that's all
that really matters in life."
The crowd stood up and clapped in appreciation.
"Thank you and I hope you all come to watch Knives Out in the theaters." saying that he took his leave with Salma.
Johnny left with his own entourage, Mark just requested to go light on the alcohol if he partied. As they still have a charity fundraiser event tomorrow at noon.
"Salma, I am sorry but I can't be with you tonight. You remember the friend I told you about in the UK." He asked, trying to gauge her reaction.
He had already informed the two women in his life about Anne before he left on the tour.
"Wait, did you bring her here with you?" she asked with an annoyed expression on her face.
"Does it bother you?" He asked, as he felt bad about making her feel uncomfortable.
"No, it's just that I lost a bet to Eva, ah that bitch will gloat about knowing you better and hold it over me for at least a month or two." she pouted as she said the reason behind her annoyance.
"Phew thank god. I thought you were having second thoughts about us together." He was relieved at her being cool with Anne's presence.
"No! Mark. I love you and nothing's going to change that, it's just I miss hanging out with you.. you know." she had a forlorn look on her face.
"I know, I do too mi amor." He said as he went in for a kiss and promised to make it up to her later.
-----
He was on his way back to the shared room that had been booked for him and Anne under the name Spencers.
Ditching the paps was a more difficult task due to the heavy traffic but he managed and was on his way to his room.
When he heard a system ping.
[Mark, your Unique Skill – Character Evaluation has had another evolution, two of your older skills got a small upgrade.
You got a new skill as well that will make keeping track of all the progress you're making easier. This one being an active one, it allows you to view your own status page.
To use it just think the words 'status page' with the thought of using the skill and it will activate.]
'Hmm, interesting, let's give it a try and see how detailed it is.'
'Status Page'
[ – Status Page –
Real Name - Mark Spencer.
Aliases Used - Marc Spector (pen name), Bob, etc.
– – – – – – – – – – – – –
Physical Characteristics:
Gender - Male.
Age - 20 (exactly 20 years, 2 months and 21 days old).
Height - 6.2 ft (1.8m or 188 cms).
Weight - 205 lbs (93 kgs).
Eyes - Irises: Emerald green.
Hair - Dark Brown.
– – – – – – – – – – – –
Occupations: Novelist, Businessman, Director, Scriptwriter, Producer, Singer, Musician and Illustrator.
– – – – – – – – – – – –
Titles Earned: Genius/Prodigy, God of Stories, Polygot, Versatile Superstar and The Elusive Spector.
– – – – – – – – – – – –
Affiliations:
1. Owner and Lead Writer of Immortal Writers Association.
2. Owner of Eidolon Entertainment and affiliated subsidiaries.
3. Leader of the Inner Circle.
4. Graduate of the New York Film Academy.
5. Co-owner of The Red Lotus.
6. Elusive Shadow Leader of the Overwatch Initiative.
(click to expand)
– – – – – – – – – – – –
Base of Operations:
Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, New York, Austin, Houston, Dallas, London, etc.
(Click To Expand)
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Businesses Owned:
1. Eidolon Entertainment and affiliated subsidiaries.
2. Crown Ventures & Estates. (95% stake)
3. Marvel Entertainment. (100% stake)
4. Hanna Barbera. (61% stake)
5. Games Workshop Group. (66% stake)
6. Ichiraku's. (95% stake)
7. WELLNESS. (95% stake)
8. Middle Earth Entertainment. (100% stake)
(Click To Expand)
– – – – – – – – – – – –
Citizenship: Dual - American and British.
Education: Master of Fine Arts in multiple fields such as - Filmmaking, Screenwriting, Producing and Cinematography from NYFA.
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Net Worth: $ 2.3 billion.
– – – – – – – – – – – –
Perks List:
«New» Prodigal Learner – 15% boost to learning new skills (stats under 60) and 10% boost to master older ones (stats over 60).
Item's In Use:
1. Character Template (A-Tier Item) (½ used) – Steven Spielberg.
2. Multilingualism Package (A-Tier Item) (5/10 used)
– – – – – – – – – – – –
– Skill Tree – (click to expand)
– Inventory – (click to expand)
Hunting Points – 1HP ]
'Hmm, interestingly my networth is definitely way higher than what I expected it to be. Maybe it takes the part of the box office I will receive in the future into consideration as well, atleast the Box Office my movie has already earned.'
'Damn, that 1HP looks bad.' he frowned in thought thinking about ways to raise HP quickly.
'Vani when will I be rewarded for Knives Out? It's already earned me over $200 million, has it still not crossed the threshold for earning me the HP reward?' He asked wanting to earn some HP quick.
[Mark, the way the HP reward for movies are calculated is completely different from other creative works. The HP reward is directly tied to box office, you filmed and released Knives Out before the tutorial ended.
Lucky for you, because the HP reward will be based of the rates before the Tutorial's end, which was 2HP for every $100 million your movie earns. But now that the tutorial has ended any movie you make will get you 1HP for every $100 million it earns at the box office.]
'Wait, that doesn't make sense, aren't books just better then.. No. Books have an upper threshold limit of 5 hunting points whereas movies are able to scale much higher.'
'If I made Avengers Endgame and it earned me, 2.8 billion dollars I could make 28 HP in one movie.'
'Also the lower threshold for it earn me points is also lower just $100 million. All my movies will definitely cross it, except maybe a few art films. So every movie of mine should earn me some HP.'
'Vani, I remember you telling me that the threshold for my creative works like books, comics, etc. will increase. But what about the HP I am rewarded? I hope that it at least stays the same.'
[Yes, Mark. The HP amount you're rewarded will stay the same. The books earn you 5HP and every issue of a comic book earns you 0.2HP; but only if and when they cross the threshold.]
'Woah last bit was omnious but still thanks, that's a relief to know.' he let out a sigh of relief.
'hmm, let's expand the skill tree.'
[ – Skill Tree –
♦ Unique Skills –
• Harem King's Template (S-Tier, Passive/Active Skill) —
A fragment of the Legendary Essence of The Harem King. Allows the user to obtain the following perks –
• A body just above the peak of your species in ability.
• Provides the user with a Greater Willpower to go beyond your limits and tackle any foe.
• Provides the user with superhuman level stats in endurance, flexibility, dexterity, senses, stamina, vitality, libido and ability to disregard pain to a certain extent.
(Click to expand)
• Character Evaluation (II) (A+Tier, Active/Passive Skill) – Allows the user to gain the following skills that help the user to see through lies and always know what kind of intention the other person has towards the user and more.
1. Character Panel (Active Skill) – Allows the user to see the character panels of the scanned person. «New» Range limit of 5 → 10 meters.
2. Lie Detector (Passive Skill) – Reveals if someone lies to the user. (Restriction: currently doesn't work for telephonic conversation or written letters)
3. Karmic/Moral score (Active Skill) – It's a tally of someone's life experience, of all their good and bad deeds. Can be used to judge a person's morality.
4. Emotion/Intent Sensing (Active Skill) – Allows the user to sense the intent or emotions of the people they choose. It's an active skill that Mark must deliberately use. «New» Range limit of 5 → 10 meters. Can only be used on 3 people simultaneously.
«New» 5. Status Page (Active Skill) – Allows the user to see their own status page and take note of how they are making progress with real time changes for the skills and helps keep track of things happening around the user.
• Cloak & Dagger (I) (A-Tier, Passive Skill) –
Reduces the chances of success when someone tries to spy on the user or gather information about them. The user also becomes aware if someone is tracking or spying on them, alerting them to things like hidden mics or cameras in any setting.
♦ Professional Skills – Direction Skills «New», Production Skills, Novelization Skills, Entrepreneurial Skills, etc.
♦ Special Skills – None. ]
'Expand the Direction Skills please, Vani' he asked wanting to see what was new.
[♦ Directorial Skills –
1.Creative Vision: 81.4 {95}
2.Aesthetic Cinematography: 78 {92}
3.Crew Leadership: 86 {98}
4.Set Coordination: 77 {93}
5.Character Blocking: 79 {97}
6.Performance Guidance: 70 {96}
7.Artistic Communication: «New» 67 → 69 {94}]
'Hmm, the stats of my arts comm. skill's increased by two even though I didn't work on any new movie. I guess writing books, works as well to increase it, but just gives lesser returns.'
'Lets check out what I still have in my inventory. Vani show the inventory please.'
[Ofcourse, Mark. Here is a list of the items that still remain in your inventory. Please do note that just like before only system items can be stored in the inventory.
[ – Inventory –
1. Event Modifier. ×1 (A-Tier Item, 1 time use)
2. Event Modifier. ×1 (B-Tier Item, 1 time use)
3. Knowledge Script. ×1 (B-Tier Item, ⅗ times used, 2 uses remain)
4. Knowledge Script. ×1 (E-Tier Item, 1 time use)
5. Specialized Knowledge Script. ×1 (C-Tier Item, 1 time use):
Specialisation – TV Shows.
(Only the first season of the TV show.)
6. Specialized Knowledge Script. ×1 (C+Tier Item, 2 uses remain):
Specialization – Acting.
(Avg. Acting skills stats - 75)
7. Optimized Knowledge Script. ×1 (S-Tier Item, 1 time use):
Specialization – Movie Franchise.
(Restriction – The selected franchise cannot have more than 8 movies.) ]
'Hmm, I already have enough knowledge scripts to last me atleast a year or two. I might buy the new specialized ones that are now available in the shop.'
Mark had finally reached the floor on which his and Anne's rooms were, he decided to get separate rooms so as to not appear overconfident. He walked over to the door of his room when the next to him opened up.
It was Anne and she looked damn fine in her red cocktail dress. It was strapless cocktail dress that was elegantly designed and perfectly showcased a flattering outline of her curvy milf body.
It hugged her curves in all the right places, showing off her cleavage and toned legs. The dress was shorter on one side, giving him a sneak peek at those beautiful thick thighs of her.
The front featured a tasteful opening that revealed her toned legs that made his mouth water. The dress extended longer at the back, gracefully ending at her calves, creating a stylish and sophisticated look.
"Someone's looking pretty. You going out somewhere miss?" he asked joking to break the sexual tension that kept increasing between them.
"Yeah. I am waiting for my yet to be boyfriend to arrive." she replied with sass, crossing her legs and leaning on the door frame to accentuate her curves.
"Boyfriend. Woo must be nice. Lucky guy." he found himself staring at her thighs.
"Well, he won't be if he late by 10 more minutes." She immediately straightened herself with a pleased smile, happy that he found her beautiful.
"Well give him 5 and he will be right out with you." He immediately rushed into his room to take a quick shower and change into a 3 piece white suit.
Deciding to go with an omega seamaster for the casual look, he went to go pick up his date for the night.
— To be continued…
In the next episode of Highschool Dx–
*Cough* *Cough*
I meant in the next chapter of Hollywood: Head-Hunting System.
---------
Poll –
♦ 1. Next chapter will feature an R18 scene between Mark and Anne. So here are the options –
Option 1. Write a short scene of around 600 to 800 of their date and then smut.
Option 2. Write a nice detialed lengthy scene of around least 1.5k to 2k words. Showing POV's of both Mark and Anne in the scene.
Please vote with a +1 against the option you like more.