85. A Night To Remember. (II)

Disclaimer: The story takes place in an Alternate Earth with a slightly different timeline of events. So people may be born early, some may be born a few years later or maybe not at all.

This gives me more freedom to write characters as I want, also the characters in my story are obviously not an accurate portrayal of their characters. This story is a wish fulfillment story set in urban Hollywood so please don't take it too seriously.

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Recap of the Previous Chapter –

The chapter starts off with the POV of Anne, we see her fight her inner fears. She successfully overcomes her fear and settles it. The pov then shifts to Mark who gets dressed and talks Anne to a nice French restaurant where they have a good time and flirt around with each other.

Once they come back Anne changes into the lingerie that she bought especially to wear for Mark and make his night. After she goes to his Mark tells her his secret but it only causes her to be annoyed and slightly relieved as it wasn't a big deal for her.

Mark is very happy with her accepting to join his harem and they make love to each other for hours. After waking up, Mark dresses up and gives her a kiss and reluctantly leaves for work but not before leaving behind a thoughtful gift.

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–Quote of the Chapter –

If you know the enemy

and know yourself

you need not fear

the result of a hundred battles.

— Sun Tzu, The Art of War.

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~ Monica Bellucci's POV ~

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Date: Friday, 21th September, 1990

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Location: Near the exit of Eidolon HQ.

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Time: 07:25 pm.

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"I don't understand why you want us to go to the theater to watch it, Rachel." a blonde woman complained half-heartedly.

Her name was either Rylie or Ruby, she thought as she looked back at the other three following them. Unfortunately she wasn't paying attention when she introduced herself.

Though she wasn't worried as she could just ask Rachel later when they got in the car. These people were after all not her friends/colleagues but rather Rachel's.

"Yeah, we can just watch it in the test screening room for free, with no random people shouting at important scenes." A young man in his 20s said, as he made way with their group of five towards the parking lot.

Rachel, who was leading the group next to her, turned around to answer patiently. "We could.. Wade, but then we would be missing out on the proper experience of watching it in the movie theater."

"Also don't forget, we can also use this opportunity to collect real time data of the audience reception of our movie."

"And I for one really want to see how well the new smear campaign works against us." She explained her other reason for coming out to watch the movie.

Though her face lost its seriousness and turned into a grin as she replied, "But that doesn't mean we can't have fun. After the movie, we'll hit up a restaurant or bar later on my tab."

Upon hearing that the group burst out into cheers as they quickly made their way towards their vehicles.

After strapping in she couldn't help but ask, "Are you sure about footing the bill? You just got the car.. How much was it even?"

"Oh this big guy? Around $6570, Bob hooked me up with a guy who works at the dealership." She had a proud smile on her face.

"Sounds like à good guy. Wait, isn't he from HR?!" Monica asked surprised as back home, her seniors at the uni had told her to stay clear of the people from HR.

She chuckled when she heard her exclaim. Once she was out of the parking space she kept her eyes on the road as she replied.

"You must have gone through training as well right? How did the HR person assigned to helping you treat you?"

"Ahm, she treated me well. She even knew how to speak Italian and helped me around with understanding stuff that non Americans would find confusing."

"Do you think it was a coincidence? You thought it was just her right?" she now had a smirk on her face as she gave her a side eye.

"Is it not?" she felt a bit confused as she thought she got Amanda assigned to her by chance.

"There is a deeper reason than just money on why I recommended Eidolon to you, Monica." she replied with a proud smile on her face, they eventually stopped at a red light.

"Eidolon is a company that does its utmost to look out for its employees' well being."

She further explained her findings. "I tried to find out why that was, I didn't find anything. But after I asked Bob, he told me that it wasn't a coincidence and that he couldn't tell me much.

"It's because of the kind of confidentiality contracts they had him sign but just hinted that Mr. Spector is the one behind it."

"Think about it, Monica. How have the people in the company treated you?" she asked her that question and fell silent leaving her to ponder.

She sat there pondering at the things Rachel said and thought carefully about her interactions with the people working at Eidolon. After a minute, it finally clicked.

Ms. Evelyn or even Harry, who was Mr. Spector's personal lawyer, never patronized her. Despite the two of them being so far up the food chain that they shouldn't give much weight to her words.

In fact, she had expected the same from all the people she spoke to, from random colleagues in other departments to her own boss. She expected for them to not take her seriously, for having to prove her worth.

'Yet, they all listened carefully and gave her proper attention, and.. why, why am I so surprised?'

She was deep in thought as she recalled how many of the employees and even security guards smiled jovially at her as if she mattered. Even the people that didn't do that just ignored and left her alone.

The realization came like lightning out of a clear sky and left her stunned, halting her train of thought.

Monica knew why she was so shocked. Everyone had gone along with her idea about how to deal with the press release in some form or another.

She was not treated like a foolish young woman, nor was she dismissed as a pretty little thing either. Most of her colleagues had listened to her seriously, with due respect and none of it was feigned as far as she could tell.

Predictably, her boss was hesitant at first to allow her to be the representative of Eidolon at the press conference. But after giving a mock speech with her acting as the interviewer and with a little persuasion, Evelyn agreed.

A task which would have been pretty much impossible in other companies was done with relative ease as she had just trusted her.

It felt.. nice. To be acknowledged, to be seen. It felt.. good.

"I think I get what you're talking about. But how did you end up here? Did you work somewhere else before?" She couldn't help but ask, wanting to know a bit more about her friend.

"It's because the thing you said before felt like it came from experience."

"Hmm, It's only been a bit over 2 months since I have started working here at Eidolon. Let's just say that the place where I used to work before didn't treat me well." She let out a sigh of relief and stopped at a red light.

"I searched up many companies before I heard of a new entertainment company that was recently started by Marc Spector."

"I didn't know much about the boss except for a few of his books like Jurassic Park and Resident Evil that I had read. But who hasn't, anyways..."

"So, I didn't think much of it and just applied without really expecting much. As I had left my previous job after working there for less than a year."

"I didn't have much experience nor did I have any recommendations. I even saw many experienced people in the line of applicants."

"But to my surprise my interview went quite well and I got called in for work that very week for the job."

"It was only after I started working there did I realize why I got in while the more experienced people were rejected. Eidolon's marketing system is quite different from most of the other companies."

"It relies more on us being flexible and coming up with innovative ideas that are based on the prompts provided for the brainstorming session."

"Any bright ideas we come up with gets passed onto our seniors who then work on it and turn it into something feasibly applicable which is then sent to the boss."

"If Mr. Spector gives the go ahead then the plan is put into action."

"Wait, then won't your boss just take credit for your idea?" she couldn't help but ask as this was a very common problem in the corporate workplace.

"Well, not here at Eidolon. Here, credit is always given where due. Like after reading up about Mr. Spector and learning about his hobbies. I came up with a marketing tactic that my boss really loved."

"She worked on the idea with me the whole night to make it realistically feasible and then pitched it to Mr. Spector."

"He must have really liked the idea because he personally called me to his office and praised me for my innovative idea and even handed me a bonus that really helped me get this car."

"The difference in treatment over Eidolon and at my previous workplace is like night and day, Monica. It's why I so strongly pushed you to join Eidolon –"

She couldn't help but cut in there, wanting to express her sincere gratitude. "And I will forever be grateful for that Rachel. I got to lead a press release and even became a bit closer to Ms. Thorne who works as a manager for A-Tier actors."

"I can confidently say that I am now one step closer to my dreams and it's all because I chose to work here. Thank you, Rachel. I was new and alone in this city when I arrived."

"But with you as a friend, I don't feel so lonely anymore." Her eyes were a little wet so she gently dabbed the tears at the corner of eyes, trying not to ruin her makeup.

"Stop the waterworks, Monica. It's nothing to get this emotional about. It's just one good friend looking out for the other." Rachel replied, patting her shoulder gently.

"Now come give me a beautiful smile. You were a model before this right? We finally went out with some friends. Let's make it a night to remember." She said, trying to cheer her up.

"Thanks, Rachel. Let's make some memories. I'm so excited to see this movie, I still can't believe that in just 15 days it has grossed over 200 million dollars at the box office." she said with clear excitement in her voice as she dreamt about being given a chance to play a role in such a blockbuster movie.

"Also, don't forget to put in a good word for little old me when you meet the boss." She chuckled and knew that Rachel was joking when she said this but she definitely will do her best to repay the favor.

Rachael helped her understand herself and aim for an even higher dream. She won't just settle for being just a vase, no, she wanted to be remembered and appreciated by her fans.

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"2 tickets for Knives Out please." Rachel said, finally making it through to the ticket counter. But she was happy to wait because it allowed her group to interact with the crowd waiting in line and ask them about their thoughts.

They got to know if people have even heard of the allegations and if yes then what did they think about it. The place was still filled with people who were fans of Marc's work, people who were undeterred.

After entering the movie hall, they took their seats. Monica was to her left and a stranger was on her right, Rylie and others were on the row ahead of them just in front of them. She thought about gathering some data before the movie started.

The guy to her right looked to be in his late teens, he said that it was his 4th time watching the film. When she asked why, he simply shrugged and said that it had something new to offer every time he watched it.

He was quite eloquent for his age and told her that each time he saw the movie his mind focused on something new. Like the thing Blanc notices the first time he meets Marta or how the actions of people in flashbacks change depending on the narrator is something he found genius.

Then there were things he enjoyed each time he saw the movie, like - the beauty of the Thrombey house, the fantastic background score, the quirky characters of the Thrombey family and the comedic undertone of the plot despite this being a suspense filled murder mystery were some his favorite things about the movie.

She knew a Marc Spector fanboy when she saw one and oh boy was this a big one. But the way he had analyzed the entire movie top to bottom really intrigued her as it seemed like coming from an artistic standpoint.

When she introduced herself and asked him about it, he introduced himself in turn a bit embarrassed that he didn't say his name or ask hers.

"Hi, I am Rian Johnson. I am an apprentice in the workshop set-up by Mr. Spector to foster the training of new artists. I want to be a writer and director in the future, so of course I should be able to understand the work of my idol." He replied with a proud look on his face.

"If you were to pick one fault in the movie what would it be?" she wanted to see what his answer would be.

"Hmm." he thought for a while with his eyes closed.

Then he nodded to himself and faced her as he answered, "For me the biggest problem and best thing about this movie are the same."

"And what would that be Rian?" she asked the way he presented the issue really interested her.

"Marta Cabrera." he leaned a bit closer as he replied in a hushed tone but still kept a distance as he didn't want to invade her personal space.

"The actress who plays her - Ms Salma Hayek did too good of a job and the movie also puts a lot of focus on her. As we see her from Blanc's eyes. It's only at the end do we get to see an insight into Blanc's brilliant mind."

"The other times it's very subtle, the way he picks up clues without even letting the other person know that he is onto them. So even we the audience are left in the dark like the people he is investigating."

"This created the perfect balance and we got two great protagonists – Marta Cabrera and Benoit Blanc. Two very different kinds of people but quite likable characters that one can be rooted for and the other admired."

"Now comes the problem - if this was a standalone movie, then I would say that this is the best treatment the characters could have been given. But we know Knives Out is a series, a story that follows Benoit Blanc."

"So, all that emotional investment and character development of Marta seems a bit wasted considering she will never appear on screen again."

"I see. Thanks for the answer." She thanked him and looked forward to the movie that was about to start any moment now.

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Monica felt it all, while the movie played on, she tried to place herself in Marta's shoes trying to imitate her actions in her mind. It was a skill she recently learnt in her classes, it helped an actor to see how they would act in that role.

Unsurprisingly she found that feel short by a lot, she couldn't make those sad or terror-stricken expressions. Her's felt quite fake, neither could she make herself as Marta effortlessly did on screen.

She wasn't a film aficionado but it looked like it was done in one take so she assumed that those were real tears. The experience of watching Knives Out really blew her away, she had watched many movies before.

Both of Hollywood and European origin but very few came close to being as good as Knives Out to her. She had heard that the big boss Marc Spector was a genius, but to be able to direct such a movie at just 20 seemed unbelievable.

He was even younger than her by 2 years but he was already a world renowned author and now the director of blockbuster movies as well.

She had no idea how she would be able to get the attention of a man of his caliber, but she wasn't too disheartened as she knew that she still had some ways to go.

As she was thinking about Mark the climax, rolled around, watching Marta vomit at Ransom's was truly cathartic after watching him play the asshole the entire movie. But that just spoke volumes about the man who played the role.

Blanc's performance and showmanship stole her heart. No, she didn't fall for Johnny Depp, even though he was very charismatic and handsome as Blanc. Okay maybe a small crush did form, but what stole her heart was the "performance" itself.

She wanted to be in his place, to be front and center of a movie giving a breathtaking monologue that just steals the show.

But her skills weren't there yet, neither was she close to Marc, thankfully her little bonding moment with Evelyn gave her a ray of hope. If she could earn the favor of her boss, then she really had a chance to strike it big in Hollywood.

During the intermission, she talked around with a few strangers as well trying to gauge how they received the movie. Most of the feedback was positive though one British woman in the crowd was a bit peeved at her people being shown in a bad light.

A few were also bothered by the allegations laid out against them by the media. But only the one against Johnny seemed to actually bother them. As it was a very serious one of him being the co-owner of a club that alleged drugged teenagers.

In their meeting last night Harry had already told them that he would descend on these media houses like the wrath of god. And with the added help of Universal who wanted to protect their interests and gain the favor of a boss.

It would at best take Harry about a week to take care of the allegations against Johnny. Thankfully their reach only extended to the domestic market and the international box office of knives out will not be affected.

The premier in the UK went off really well and Evelyn, her boss expected them to cash in at least $20 million in the box office for their first weekend of release in the UK.

After the movie ended she felt this inner joy at the ending. Marta really won the game because she played by her own rules, because was a good person. That little heart to heart she shared with Blanc was her favorite moment in the film.

"So where to now?" Rylie asked as they gathered together and came out of the hall.

"Have you heard of Ichiraku's?" Rachel asked with a smile that said that she knew something that they didn't.

"Not really, sounds Asian though. Is it anyway good?" Wade asked skeptically, as he was a burger and steaks kind of guy.

"It's a new chain of restaurant that actually started by Mr. Spector himself featured in his new comic series – Naruto."

"I thought you didn't read comics."

"Yeah I grew out of the superhero phase of my life I guess."

"So how did you know about Naruto?" where asked being the resident comic book nerd.

"Well a guy I was talking to recommended the hell out of it, saying how good it was and that we should definitely give it a try."

"So how about it, do you guys wanna try eating a restaurant born straight out of a fiction that Marc Spector created?" Rachel was quite excited as she always liked to try new foods.

"Well now you really have piqued my interest. Let's go, I haven't really tried much asian before but I'll definitely give it a try." Wade replied interested in trying out something that the bigg Boss thought of in his comic book.

On the drive to Ichiraku's she listened to Rachel, as she told her about Naruto and how cleverly their Boss Marc had advertised it in the recent comic con.

When she asked what comic con was she explained that it is an event attended by people who love reading comic books.

Which were basically picture books about superheroes but it was something that their boss was changing as well with his new comic series that told a completely different kind of story than the average superhero and villain.

After hearing her talk about it she realized that there was very little that she knew about her boss and that more research was required. If she didn't even know what he did or what he was then how would she be able to get close to him and seduce him.

They pulled into the parking lot of a medium size establishment with a huge Raman bowl next to the Ichiraku's on their sign board.

They were led to a large table of six and then were each handed a sheet of folded paper, alongside the menus as the waitress introduced the place.

"Hello and welcome to Ichiraku's. Is this your first time eating with us?" She politely asked with a small bow, as she glanced around with a practiced smile.

"Yes this is our first time." Rachel replied, while she went over what the piece of paper contained.

"I see. A tutorial then. Don't worry, it's very simple." Looking at Rylie's alarmed expression.

"You just choose the kind of Ramen that you want from the menu and then fill out the form in front of you to customize your ramen.

"You can choose how flavourful you want the broth to be, it's level of spiciness, the texture of the noodle, the richness of the broth, what kind of toppings you would like to have additionally alongside it, that are not already in your chosen ramen or if you just want more of." She rattled off without a pause, smoothly like a well practiced TSA announcement.

"So, any questions." she asked again.

"Umm, do you serve alcohol?" Wade asked, she knew he just wanted to drink for free as Rachel was covering the bill.

"I am sorry, but we are an alcohol free restaurant. We also have a no smoking and no loud noises policy, only babies are allowed to cry and scream here."

"This is because we want our patrons to have a peaceful and relaxing meal. Thank you for understanding."

"I will be leaving now. When you're ready to order just press the button at the center of the table and a waitress will be right with you. I hope you enjoy your experience with us." She finished her explanation and gave another short bow with her and left.

"Wow, now that I noticed it's very quiet here." She said as she went through the menu she found that Ramen wasn't a foreign concept to her, because she thought it was like spaghetti in soup and toppings.

"Yeah, I thought maybe it was because of less customers. No I see why almost everyone is behind a booth" Rachel replied, seeing people quietly talk and slurp noodles.

"I like her." Wade replied, clearly smitten by the waitress.

"Yeah, you got no shot bro." Ben ruthlessly shot him down.

"Okay, let's decide quickly and order. I am getting hungry." Rachel said, not wanting to waste time as she didn't know how long it would take to prepare their orders.

After a round of discussion about how spicy the medium is or how rich the light option would be, she was ready with her order. From the menu, she chose the -

Tonkotsu (Pork) Miso Ramen.

From the options, she chose -

Medium flavor, firm noodles, light richness, regular garlic, char siu pork and mild spice. For toppings she went with a marinated egg, grilled mushrooms and narutomaki which were small fishcakes.

She didn't really expect much out of this as she was only here to socialize and was a firm Italian at heart. But when a pair of waitresses came in with their food and lifted the lid from their bowls.

The fragrance of that steaming ball of pork ramen just blew her away. It looked really good, with all the toppings laid out in a circle of the bowl. The waitresses asked them if they would like forks or chopsticks.

They all opted for the forks as they didn't want to fool around in front of food that smelled so delicious. She grabbed the spoon and went in to see how spicy or flavourful the broth was.

"Wow, hoo hoo, that is delicious." Wade tried the soup but found it was a bit too hot for him still.

And she would have to agree with him, the soup or broth is not too rich but still very delicious, the spice was just a little below her limit.

'Hmm maybe next time I could medium spicy' she thought to herself as she twirled the noodles with her fork as tried it. 'Mhm perfectly al dente, it's springy and grabs onto the soup really well.'

Another thing that really impressed her was that the noodles tasted really fresh, like the fresh pasta she used to enjoy back home sometimes, but with more of a bite to them.

After they were done Wade and Rylie wanted a refill, so they pressed the bell and the waitress arrived promptly. She left them with a free plate of "gyozàs" in the house. It was kind of like a stuffed pasta but instead of boiling it, it was fried on one side and steamed on the other.

The waitress said that if they would like to have more they can buy it from them at a discount or from their closest supermarket.

When asked about why the supermarket, she showed them a packet of frozen dumplings branded WELLNESS and explained how Ichiraku's and WELLNESS had the same owner so they sold it here as well to promote it.

She tried one of the dumplings as well, it was good. The waitress professionally explained the motive of the owner behind the brand one Mr. Spector.

"Mr. Spector wants to create a healthier option for the consumers, like the ramens at Ichiraku's have very moderate amounts of sodium, having the option to opt for less rich versions, high quality protein, etc."

"With the Wellness brand he has just upped the ante with their fortified soups, dumplings all of which contain zero trans fats, a good amount of protein and they even help boost the immunity to fight off cold."

"After there is nothing better to fight off the cold that is slowly setting in than a bowl of warm chicken soup. I've personally taken a few packets home with me, it's really good."

"If you would like to buy a few packets just head over to the Wellness counter. There you can even sample our soups hot to get a feel for them." After asking them if they would like anything else she again gave them a short bow and she left them to bring them their checks.

Impressed with the waitress, Rachel decided to leave a nice sizable tip. Tipping was another thing that was weird to her, Rachel told her that it was given because the businesses only paid minimum wage to the servers.

So it depended on the customers' generosity to pick up the slack and after decades it had become such a customary thing to do that no one questioned it.

But they were in for a surprise, because it was just the healthy yet delicious and fully customisable food that Ichiraku's did differently.

After the bill was brought their waitress actually told them tipping wasn't really required as they weren't paid minimum wage but a good salary. Though tips could still be accepted if they insisted, which they did and praised her for the great service.

When they head over to the Wellness Counter, they were surprised how cheap the prices of the soups and dumplings were. Rylie being the ever curious of the bunch couldn't help but ask about this, the guy manning the counter grinned and replied.

"Our boss believes that tasty and healthy food shouldn't cost so much that it can't even be afforded by everyone. He wants everyone to enjoy the products from Wellness, we even donate our products to homeless shelters and orphanages based on our sales."

They each took a few packets of pork dumplings and chicken soup with them as they left, satisfied with the food and happy to have found such a good place to eat and got to know a little bit more about their Boss.

What had only been an coincidental visit, would eventually become one of her favorite places to eat when on a cheat day.

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~Third person POV~

Jess could be seen driving on a highway, accompanied by Mr. Hallett, to help her broker a deal. This had all started when she began reading a book that came out just last year called Ghost Hunters by Ed Warren.

The book wasn't anything to talk about, but the story it told held a lot of potential.

It was the story of a couple, Ed & Lorraine Warren, the two were paranormal investigators and authors associated with prominent cases of alleged hauntings.

Edward claimed to be a demonologist, author and lecturer. His wife, Lorraine, claimed to be a clairvoyant and a light trance medium, whatever that was. When dealing with anyone, whether for business or personal reasons, Mark advised them to follow a rule.

"Knowing your enemy is half the battle won." He would say it in a mock-aged voice, stroking his imaginary beard, but it still didn't take away from the seriousness of the matter.

His advice always proved useful, like this time before she went to make a deal with Ed and Lorraine. She had their background history properly investigated by PI's who were on Mark's payroll.

After investigating for two weeks, they returned with the kind of dirt on the couple that most people would kill to keep away from the eyes of the public. She got to know that Ed was a pedophile who had a sexual relationship with Judith Penney.

Now, after knowing such dirt on someone, she would normally report them to the police. But the couple were in contact with some powerful people from the church and there was a lack of physical evidence other than testimony from Ms. Penney.

She wasn't even sure that Ms. Penney would agree to speak out against Ed in court to prove his crime. So she would have to let the alleged pedophile and physical abuser go. But what this investigation did was that it gave her perspective of how they truly were on the inside.

After a few weeks of shooting the knives out they had been out for dinner with the inner circle gathered together. There Mark had laid down a rule of thumb for them that they were to never work with an asshole or a bad person knowingly.

If the Warren couple had been decent human beings then she would have gone for a deal where they would have made the adventures of the couple into a movie. It would have been a complete win-win situation.

But after she came to know about their past history, she knew Mark would never agree to work with them. Or even want to give them credit for the movie that they will eventually create.

She personally did not want them to be involved in the movies as well or have them gain any credibility or popularity from their movies they make.

So she discussed the same with Harry a few days ago. He had suggested for her to get the adaptation rights to their story with a full creative freedom clause.

And then just write the same story but better with new characters who are ghost hunters, just like the Warren couple. It was an idea that really appealed to her, so she had Harry draw up an airtight contract for it and had taken their best negotiator to broker a deal with the two scam artists.

She didn't want them to come after them for any kind of claim, money, or credit for the story of the film they would make. This was because, after reading the story of the Warren couple and a few other books about similar kinds of horror incidents, she had gotten a brilliant idea.

In their recent get-togethers, Mark told them about his plans with the MCU. He told them how he planned on creating a cinematic universe of interconnected films that would tell a bigger story.

Then he would bring together characters from the different movies that exist in that shared universe and put them together on the big screen for the people to enjoy. It was a very ambitious project that needed proper planning and careful execution to be done properly.

But she knew if there was anyone in this world who could pull it off, then it would have to be Mark. Now just like Mark she also wanted to create a horror themed cinematic universe with different kinds of ghosts, demons, monsters, strange demonic artifacts, etc.

They will all share the same protagonist or may just exist in the same universe. She was really excited to start on this new project of hers that she wanted to be done with this deal with Warren's as soon as possible.

She could see the lights of their houses were still on.

"Mr. Hallett, thank you for taking time to come with me for this meeting." She thanked the middle-aged man again, who had agreed to travel across the country with her from LA to Connecticut.

"It's no big deal, I know, I would sleep easy knowing that trash like them weren't able to take advantage of you." He had a kind smile on his face as he took his bag and got out of the car.

Mr. Hallett was actually a freelance hire at Eidolon and could have easily said no to her request. But when she explained to him the bad history of the Warren couple and how she was intent on keeping their grubby hands away from any movie they would later create, he was moved.

He agreed to help her broker the deal, he even taught her how to talk to people like these, who are experts at scamming people. He told her to let him do most of the talking, but she should try her best not to show any interest in their book or story in any way.

She just needed to appear disinterested, as if they were just one of the many horror writers whose stories she will be drawing inspiration from to write the story of the movie, and the rest will be taken care of by him.

And the play began, they had already called in earlier and made an appointment to meet regarding this very deal. So Mr. Warren had been expecting them, but he had no idea what was coming his way.

Mr. Hallett had been one of the best negotiators in LA for almost a decade, and it showed as he completely dismantled any point Mr. Warren would raise to get an advantage in their conversation.

Mr. Warren hoped for them to make a direct adaptation of their book and was even willing to give up a lot of money just to have himself be portrayed as the protagonist of the movie or show.

Mr. Hallett was careful in putting him down as they didn't want to reveal the actual reason behind them not wanting anything to do with them and just be done with paying an upfront fee.

Obviously Ed argued that it is 2 to 3% of the movie budget, but Mr. Hallett shot that down as well with a cheque for 2 million dollars. He told them that they could encash it right now and took out the documents they would need to sign.

Lorraine immediately had greed in her eyes, this was actually money upfront. The temptation was really, the documents were quite simple as well. Mr. Hallett explained to them that they will get the full adaptation rights to their stories, with a full creative freedom clause to create content out of.

The fact that they could create multiple movies or pieces of content was made known to them and also the fact that they would have nothing to do them or with what they do with it. Basically he politely told them just take the money and shut up.

His parting words towards them were kind though, as he recommended them to invest the money well, as it would be enough to take care of all their needs if invested well.

"Thank you, Mr. Hallett." She was happy to finally get the adaptation rights for their stories.

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The contract they had signed was completely airtight so no matter how much they croaked later on in courts, it won't matter. Even though it was done with this very intent, Jess didn't know that she had just saved Eidolon from having to go through a multi-million dollar lawsuit in the future.

The horror universe she was trying to create actually existed in Mark's past life; it was called – The Conjuring Universe and was famous for being one of the most well liked horror movie franchises till the time Mark eventually passed away in his previous life.

The franchise had been commercially successful, having grossed a combined $2.1 billion against a combined budget of $208 million, becoming the highest-grossing horror franchise to date. Though the franchise suffered from mixed reviews.

Maybe with Jess at the helm being guided by Mark and supported by the other writers at IWA. The Conjuring Universe will turn out to be a critical and commercial success.

This would a night that Jess would always remember, it was the night that changed her life drastically. Bringing her to heights she never imagined reaching or even dared yearning for.

Jess for one was very pleased, as even though it wasn't much, it would provide a good base for her the plot of her movies to be based on. She decided to write the rough plot for the first movie and then pitch it to Mark.

It would be her surprise gift to him, and after getting his feedback she would work on writing the rough outline for the Horror Universe she was going to create, though she wasn't sure if she should include mythological monsters and myths.

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— To be continued…

{Authors note: This chapter was basically and attempt to write a chapter with no appearance from Mark and basically focusing the story on the side characters like Monica and Jess . This chapter also focused mostly on Monica because she is going to be one of the next main Love interest for Mark that I am going to focus on.

I want to show a bit of character depth so that the people can understand what kind of a person she is, what her motives are what her dreams are, jer interactions with friends etc. and with jazz we got to see the first steps she is taking to create the Conjuring Universe in this new world.

This chapter got delayed by almost a day because of me having to rewrite some parts of the chapter and also because of me losing some progress that I made while writing it because of a glitch with the webnovel app. It has made me decide to write on the word document app exclusively from now on because it is more reliable. And then transfer the finished chapter to the web novel app later when I want to post.}