Chapter 107: Boy Band is Back

The bus departed from Los Angeles International Airport, taking a direct route to Burbank Warner Studios due to Hart, Carrington, and others' strong insistence, bypassing the hotel altogether.

Martin had rented a professional dance practice room within the studio premises.

The boy band couldn't contain their excitement, eager to reunite with their "daddy."

Upon arriving at the studio entrance, Hart and Carrington instructed the guys to grab their food and led the way into the studio, following Bruce to the dance practice room.

Bruce pushed open the studio door and spotted a familiar figure stretching. Hart, who had come well-prepared, was the first to dash forward.

Hart took a few strides and, taking advantage of the smooth floor, knelt down. He extended one hand behind him, tightly gripping a whiteboard marker, and with a flourish, drew three lines on the floor, mimicking a bar.

Carrington and the other handsome young men soon followed suit, each drawing three lines with markers.

Hart opened his arms and tried to embrace Martin's legs. "Daddy Martin, do you think you'll get a perfect score this time? Look, we're kneeling on three bars!" The previously pristine dance studio was now utterly chaotic. The markings on the floor were joined by smudges and footprints. Martin, irritated, wished he could strangle someone. "Brothers, get out your guns and shoot these marks. They're bulging."

Hart shielded his rear end with his hands, saying, "No way! Keep that pervert away from us!"

Brian, another handsome member of the group, chimed in, "We've been living in fear of Bob's terror in Atlanta, and now we're threatened by Bob even in Los Angeles."

Bruce slowly raised his right hand, smoothed back his coat, and reminded them that civilized behavior was preferable.

Seeing that Bruce was about to intervene, Hart quickly lowered his head, sighed in relief, and began wiping the floor with his sleeves. He urged the others to join in, saying, "Hurry up and clean the floor. If you make Martin's daddy unhappy, do you still want to appear on TV?" Eighteen young men transformed into eighteen cleaning crew members.

Mene, who had been observing, was taken aback. What kind of people were these? Shameless and utterly devoid of dignity!

He pondered, "Am I overly sensitive compared to these guys? Are they here to rob the boss or what?"

Mene immediately rushed to the neighboring room, fetched a white towel, squatted down, and began wiping the floor.

Martin disregarded the antics of these fools and took a few steps forward, approaching Annie. He gently embraced her and said, "Teacher Annie, I'll be relying on you again this time."

Annie responded, "The club is covering the expenses." She smiled and asked, "How many days do we have?"

"Twenty days," Martin replied with precision. He added, "I won't do anything else during these twenty days; I'll focus solely on training."

Annie surveyed the dance studio. "You already have the basics down. Practicing one routine for 20 days should suffice."

Bruce brought additional towels from the neighboring room and distributed them to Hart, Carrington, and the others, instructing them to restore the floor to its original condition.

Martin suggested, "You should head back to the hotel and get some rest. We'll start fresh tomorrow."

However, Annie placed her backpack down and said, "No need; it's a good opportunity to loosen up after a long flight."

Hart turned around and exclaimed, "We can't wait any longer!"

The others voiced their agreement.

Menei felt a growing sense of trepidation, sensing that his position was rapidly dwindling. He had once stood second only to Bruce, but now it seemed he was retreating to the farthest horizon.

He discreetly approached Bruce and inquired, "Brother, what's going on with them? Why do they idolize the boss so much?"

Bruce explained, "They all starred in 'Zombie Stripper.' That movie tripled their tips. Now, they're following Martin to an award ceremony. Can you imagine how much their tips will skyrocket?"

Mene's mind quickly grasped the situation. "I'm traveling with them?"

"Absolutely," Bruce confirmed, offering a fitting description, "They're the darlings of middle-aged and elderly women."

He gently patted Mene on the shoulder and assured him, "Those fools will return to Atlanta after the awards ceremony."

Mene breathed a sigh of relief, relieved that he wouldn't have to contend for the boss's favor with another guy.

Annie and the sportsman team changed into their dance attire and, along with Martin, began their training. Over six months of professional fitness and body shaping had greatly benefited Martin's performance.

He had taken a non-feminine approach to his public image, portraying himself as a sunny individual off-screen.

In the evening, Martin booked a small restaurant in the hotel to host a gathering with the group of guys from Atlanta.

"Our club's business is booming," Hart enthused as he sat in his chair. "The boss opened a branch in East Atlanta and even added a motel and a sex toy store next door, offering our goddesses a one-stop service."

Carrington chimed in, "Our income has increased significantly, and we've all moved into a middle-class community."

Martin raised his glass and proposed a toast, saying, "Here's to our lives getting better and better!"

Everyone raised their wine glasses and downed a full glass.

Hart added with excitement, "I'm engaged. Do you know what gift I want to give my fiancée?"

Mene quipped, "You can't pluck a star from the sky and give it to her."

Hart refilled their glasses and clinked his with Mene's, saying, "You know, man, have you ever heard of the Atlantic Astronomical Society? It's one of the largest astronomical societies in the United States. I bought the naming rights to a star from them and named it after my fiancée. I'm giving her a star!"

Martin recalled that the Atlantic Astronomical Society was founded by Harris Carter and asked, "Who did you buy it from?"

Hart struggled to describe, "Uh... a girl who volunteers in astronomy, looks like she's fifteen or sixteen, long legs, ample chest, tall, and strikingly beautiful. Girls these days seem to have grown up on hormone fed meat and prodruce, so they are really well-developed."

Martin knew what Hart was hinting at.

The following day was filled with dance practice, and the group dispersed before nine o'clock. Hart and the others stayed at the hotel while Martin and Bruce returned to their North Hollywood apartment.

As they entered the second-floor corridor, the door diagonally opposite opened, revealing Jessica. This time, she appeared quite serious and didn't cause any trouble. She said, "Someone left you a package. Since you weren't home, Antonio left it there. Don't forget to collect it from the mailbox on the first floor."

"Thank you," Martin replied.

Bruce swiftly retrieved a small cardboard box from downstairs.

Jessica appeared to want to say more but was pulled back into the apartment by Emily.

Bruce whispered, "Looks like they've become more cautious."

Martin took the box, opened the door, and went inside. Bruce followed, pouring himself a glass of ice water from the refrigerator.

"Sent from Atlanta," Bruce reminded him.

Martin inspected the shipping label, which indicated Clayton Community.

He asked Bruce for the saber he had with him. He opened the box, revealing a long object wrapped in black cotton.

Bruce was curious, "What's this? There's another photo."

Underneath the long object was a photo. Martin picked it up, and it was a picture of Lily.

Bruce asked, "Isn't this Elena's sister?"

Martin nodded, confirming, "Yes, this is Lily."

As he spoke, he began to unwrap the long object.

But as soon as Lily's name came up, something felt amiss.

What could Lily have specifically mailed to him?

The black cotton wrapping was unwound, revealing a bluish-white humanoid horn sculpture.

Martin examined it closely and noticed that it vaguely resembled him, except it had a grin from ear to ear and a red nose, akin to a clown.

Bruce had just taken a sip of ice water when he saw the sculpture. He choked and coughed violently, nearly laughing while doing so.

Martin's face turned grave. Thankfully, only Bruce was there. If this had happened in public, he would have been embarrassed.

"What have you done to people?" Bruce managed to stop coughing and said, "Seriously? Even a pervert like me thinks you're a stinky piece of crap and a pervert!"

But it didn't faze Martin. "It's just a simple hand-carving, Bruce. Your mind is too dirty; it's just a clown."

Bruce was about to make another jest when Martin decided to deliver a low blow. "I heard from Hart that Sophia might come to Los Angeles. Will she be looking for you?"

The scar was exposed, and Bruce turned and walked away, saying, "I'll go get the gun, but don't lock the door!"

"I'll wait for you to come back," Martin replied.

Bruce, fatigued and disheartened, left without looking back.

Martin examined the figure carved from bison horn more closely. Apart from the clown-like features, it was impressively well-crafted.

It had been meticulously polished, with apparent signs of handmade craftsmanship.

Martin packed it back into the box and noticed a note behind Lily's photo.

"I'm gifting you my special carvef piece. I hope your life in Los Angeles is as unique as this carving."

Martin clenched his fist, but there was no one in front of him, so he settled for tapping it against Lily's photo.

He stowed away the photos and horn sculpture in the box where he kept his cherished gifts.

Inside the box, there were also crocodile teeth.

Would every woman he knew receive such a gift?

It appeared that someone was behind this...

The following night, Martin met up with Wes Craven and others for drinks. During their conversation, Craven mentioned that he and Alexandre Aja were collaborating.

Of course, it wasn't a conflict but rather a merging of ideas and creativity.

Both of them had ideas for a horror film and, upon discussion, discovered their similarities. So, they decided to join forces and work on a single project.

Craven had promised Martin the male lead, and Alexandre Aja expressed his interest in collaborating with Martin, aligning perfectly.

Both directors specifically told Martin that when they started writing the script, they wanted him to join the discussions to ensure a perfect match between actor and role.

With Wes Craven's reputation in the horror genre, securing funding for their project wouldn't be a problem.

However, Martin still had alternatives if things didn't pan out.

He could summon Atlanta's Great talent.

Following that, Martin devoted all his energy to dance training, aiming for an outstanding performance on stage.

As the Saturn Awards ceremony drew near, he took some time to order formal wear and dance costumes, and he asked Bruce to rent a luxury car for rehearsals at the awards ceremony twice in a row.

With sponsorship from the Strip Club, Martin's budget and finances were in good shape.

On May 15, 2004, the 30th Saturn Awards ceremony began at the Avalon Theater in Los Angeles.

The alliance leader would repay it even more quickly.