96. The Talk of the Show and a Guardian Angel.

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.

Please remember that this story is a wish fulfillment story set in Urban Hollywood with some Fantasy elements because of the system's shenanigans so please don't take it too seriously.

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Opening Author's Note:

Sorry for the delay in uploading this chapter, can't be helped as I was a little preoccupied with rewriting chapter 2. But that isn't the thing that's important, I just saw on the news that one of my most favorite mangaka passed away.

Akira Toriyama, the creator of DBZ died a few days ago, because of a blood clot in his brain. Dragon Ball Z was my first anime and even though I grew out of it and stopped following along. It will always be something special to me.

Thank you Mr. Toriyama, for creating DBZ. You'll forever be remembered, hope you rest in peace.

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Recap of the previous chapter –

Chifuyu has dinner with her father where she finds out why her father still sometimes accompanies her to the meeting. She is interested in Mark's operations in Japan and tasks her assistant sakura to find all she can.

After Mark's departure, Sakura comes to her with a complete file and then narrates to her all that Mark did while in Japan and how much he approximately spent.

Through their POV we see that Mark is no a co-owner of Studio Ghibli, has started his own animation studio, has bought the adaptation rights of Godzilla, has bought a triage of video game studios and combined to form a mega studio - Square Enix Tecmo (SET).

He is also the co-owner of Shueisha, bought the adaptation rights for Dragon Ball Z, Hajime no Ippo and TV show based on super sentai, he also bought kobe wagyu farm, a poultry farm and a huge orchard.

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– Quote of the Chapter –

Nightmares never last.

One day you wake up,

and they're gone.

– Akira Toriyama (Creator of DBZ)

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~ Rian Johnson's POV ~

(Marc Spector Fanboy and aspiring director)

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Date: Monday, 1st October, 1990.

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Time: 06:57 pm.

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Rian was currently seated on his living room sofa along with his cousin Nathan and younger brother Aaron. Despite them being 3 to 4 years younger than him, he was pretty close with them.

The thing in common between them being that they were all huge fans of Marc Spector. They were buzzing with excitement, barely able to hold in their jitters as their eyes lit as they talked amongst themselves, discussing what points the host would bring up, as they waited for the start of a radio talk show.

It was a radio talk show called the Daily Dose Of Pop Culture, which they were so early waiting to start. Rian wasn't a regular listener but he did tune in from time to time.

Just last week he and his friends had even voted for Marc's Eidolon Entertainment and their comics to be the topic of discussion on the show.

And it wasn't just him and his siblings waiting eagerly around the radio, as it was a common scene that evening as many of Marc's fans or mostly just fans of his comics tuned in to listen to the show.

The host always shared some behind the scenes information that nobody else knew of as he was an industry insider and had many contacts. So they hoped he would reveal some new information or even tell them what the Spector was up to and had been cooking for them.

In yesterday's show the host had revealed that Comics from Eidolon Publications had won the poll with the majority of the votes. So in the next episode, Eidolon comics and one of Mark's works will be the main topic of discussion.

His younger brothers weren't really interested in the show before but with Eidolon being the main talking point this time. It also made them buzz with excitement as they sat together to listen about what the RJ had to say about Mark and his work.

As they sat together eagerly waiting, the radio finally crackled to life and they could hear the RJ excited voice come from the speakers as he introduced himself and his show.

"Good evening everyone. This is Sam Reich, I am your host and this is your daily dose of pop culture. Welcome to the show."

"Tonight, we are going to be talking about something really interesting and might I say even game changing for the comic book industry. I hope you guys are ready."

"Game changing?!" his little brother exclaimed, excited beyond belief.

"I knew he would know some behind the scenes details."

"As the winner of the Topic of the Day poll, today's topic is Comic books, but especially from Eidolon Publications. We'll also be talking Eidolon because I got some exciting information that I feel like you guys would want to know."

"If you would have asked me just a few months back what I thought about comic books and the comic book industry in general."

"My reply would have been – it's already dead or it's at least on its way towards that path with one foot in the grave. I know some might think that's too pessimistic but that was the truth."

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"So.. what changed.." Sam paused after saying that to build tension. He could see the excitement on his producers' faces as the numbers of listeners kept growing. They were a popular show and would get thousands of listeners, but he felt like tonight a new record would be set.

"I know some of you dear listeners might not have heard of him or some of you might even be a bit bored or annoyed at hearing his name again but he's at it again. If you guessed Marc Spector, then you would be correct."

This immediately brought a fond smile to the thousands of fans that Mark had tuning into the show. Even some of his employees at Eidolon were listening to see how they would fare on the show.

"Three of his books - Ben 10, Invincible and The Boy's had already been adapted into comic books and even if not by him, they're still his stories and to be honest with you dear listeners they are some of my most favorite comics that have come out in recent years."

"Their release also heralded the beginning of shift of focus of comic book stories from just superheros to other things like fantasy, apocalypse and even sci-fi."

"Now, I don't know if guys know this about me, but I used to be a huge Marvel fanboy at heart, used to read up all the different series, even collected those so-called special edition comics and trading cards.. What a scam.. hehe."

The listeners who feel the joy Sam had as he recounted his cherished memories and felt happy for him at the beginning because they did the same as they were fans of comic books as well.

But as he reached the end of the sentence his voice turned bitter and disappointed and it reflected their feelings as well, because they also felt like they were scammed by comic books.

"Ah, the bad ol days." He said with a chuckle.

"Now, the first thing about Marc is that he doesn't like doing things half baked, if he's involved in something, then it better be the best they could bring."

"Marc Spector is not just a name my dear listeners, to us fans of the Spector, he is a brand that runs synonymous with quality."

"He has never missed once. All his books have been a hit and now even his movie that is in the theaters has outperformed the movies of every other Hollywood studio for 4 weekends straight and has been at the top of weekend box office earners list."

"So, now that he is in the comic book industry do you guys think he would be satisfied with doing things the way others have been? Absolutely not. I can tell you a way to identify a comic from Eidolon without even looking at the front page."

"It's very easy, just judge the art, the artstyle of Eidolon comics just blows anything that's currently in the market to hell. I don't mean to offend any comic artists but the difference is night and day."

"Every single panel of their comics are drawn so beautifully that I feel like I could frame it and hang it on my wall. If you get this feeling as well, then you don't need to hold back any longer, just head down to your nearest Eidolon Store."

"You can commission any panel you want to be made into a poster and they make it into a metal poster for you. Thats sturdy and easy to hang as it comes with a magnet so no damage to your wall with nails or faded posters."

"This is not a paid advert, I am just a satisfied customer."

"Anyways, let's move to Marvel Comics, after Marc had bought off the entirety of Marvel Comics, the media couldn't stop laughing at him for his foolish decision."

"Ridiculing him for spending millions just to buy a bankrupt company that has lost all its credibility with its readerbase. Well they forgot one thing even if Marvel doesn't have that credibility Mark Spector has that in spades."

"The moment he bought Marvel Comics, there has been a shift in the company policies and work style. But I won't bore you with that, let me tell you the changes Marc made that directly impacts all the Marvel comic fans.

"Many of the predatory practices of the company to release special editions of comics was stopped, he discontinued many of the trash storylines that nobody liked and the artstyle improved as well."

"BUT."

"Interestingly enough it still doesn't match up to the level of artstyle that the Eidolon Comics have, at first I thought of brushing it off as a non-issue, that maybe Marc didn't have enough good artists at Marvel."

"But, my instincts told me otherwise, so our team looked deeper into the issue and we noticed something really interesting. Something that made me even more certain of Marvel's invitable comeback."

"What did he find?" A listener asked while sitting at home sipping hot chocolate.

"But before I reveal that, let's talk about Secret Wars, it's a new Marvel storyline that's written by Marc himself in an attempt to connect different storylines that still remain."

"Yes, the Elusive Spector has dipped his hands in writing Marvel comics as well." he said, with a fond smile on his face, as a fan of Mark's works.

"A thing about Mark is that he is very deliberate in the names he chooses for his projects. The Secret Wars storyline contains quite a big secret but that is just my speculation.

"I am not 100% certain about it but I am certain enough that I am willing to bet money on it. I think the Secret Wars is leading Marvel comics towards a reboot."

"And I couldn't be happier, there are so many plot holes, continuity issues and just straight out bad writing that Marvel comic storylines are plagued with that I can't help but feel happy at the thought of Marvel getting a reboot."

"Now it's not officially been confirmed but from what I have heard from inside sources and my instincts as a comic reader. I am pretty sure about my bet."

"I know, I know it's still too early to be hopeful but as I have said before this Secret Wars storyline is written by Marc Spector himself."

"According to insider information, Marc had paid somewhere in the ballpark of 80 million dollars to complete the buyout of Marvel comics. I know it sounds like an insane figure to spend on a dying company."

"But maybe.. just maybe, god I hope that Mr. Spector is able to save Marvel comics from its downturn."

"His storytelling capability truly shines in this series as it beautifully subverts expectations. While still giving every character that's featured in it, its own arc."

"The Secret Wars series has just turned everything on its head and it fills me with hope for the future of Marvel comics going forward."

"Till now only two issues of the Secret Wars have been released, from my sources I've come to find out that they will be maintaining this pace and this storyline will probably end with 8 issues in total.

So by the end of this year the Secret Wars will come to an end and hopefully with it we'll get to witness the rebirth of Marvel. Now I talked about a better artstyle but Marvel is still not matching up to the artstyle of the rest of the Eidolon comics.

Well, we combed through the entire two issues of Secret Wars multiple times and found that slowly the artstyle is improving. Its more noticeable if we compare the first panel of the first issue and the last panel of the second issue.

Now this small easter egg only strengthens my belief in my reboot theory and I even believe that by the next 6 issues the artstyle will slowly keep improving and by the end of the secret was to catch up to the level of the rest of the Eidolon comics.

"Also I heard another rumor but still one is a wild one and still pretty far away so if it turns out to be wrong please don't come after me." he said in a joking manner.

Marvel might be planning to hold their own comic-con in January at the venue of the San Diego comic-con. This news is just a rumor and I have got no proof to back it up."

"I have just heard of it being talked about between two employees and even they sounded unsure if it would actually happen so please don't hold too many expectations out of this one."

"But still I can't help but look forward to what the Spector has planned for Marvel Comics."

"Now this is all I had for you listeners in regards to Marvel but it's not the only comic series Marc is putting out."

"But before we get to that, time for an impromptu history lesson, but do not worry, dear listeners, for I promise to keep it a short and sweet one."

"Now, I know many of you guys don't know about the Comics Code or the CCA, well for those hard core comic book fans who don't."

"The CCA is an alternative regulation for comic books and it enables comic publishers to self-regulate the content of comic books in the United States."

"Sounds good right, but sadly it's authority was abused, have you ever wondered why American comic books are mostly about Superheroes?"

"Why is that? Do we only like to read stories about superheroes?" This question really made some people think about what the reason could be. Thankfully they didn't have to wait too long.

"Well, here's your answer. It's partially got to do with the stranglehold CCA created on publishers and artists, it stifled any mature or adult elements to be part of the comic books like horror, crime thriller, gore, etc."

"Now, great artists like Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko still found a work around for this and that was Superheroes. They hid mature elements and themes behind the guise of a superhero comic book."

"But doing so also made them be bound to superhero comics, now that you guys have some background understanding on the CCA you will realize just how much they've been holding back the comic industry."

"Just because a story is featured in a comic doesn't mean it's only for kids or even that it was made with the intent of keeping kids in mind."

"Marc's Eidolon Publishing from its very inception actually stopped using the CCA code and instead operated under a self create code that is more flexible and allows for the publishing of all kinds of content in their comics.

"This gives them more freedom of choice and creativity when writing new stories and the outcome of this change is.. drum rolls please." he says as he presses a button the sound effects of drum rolls start playing.

"DOOM."

"If you guys haven't heard of it or read it yet, then do check it out. It is a new offering by Eidolon Publications written by Marc Spector himself once again."

"What can I say, the man is simply a beast. DOOM is a hard-core, R-18 comic series filled with graphic brutality, gore and all the badass awesomeness one can pack into a comic book."

"But wait, there's more, I'm sure you've at least heard about it if you haven't read Naruto. It's written by.. you guessed it, Marc Spector, once again. Just how many stories does this guy have in his head, I have no words to describe this man any more.."

"When the news came out that Marc Spector is going into Hollywood and directing his first movie. Many questioned if this meant he was taking a break from writing, the man instead did something no one thought possible."

"He published enough stories to rival that he had written in the decade since his debut as a writer. Here's a list of all that he has written both official and unofficial this year."

"Officially he has written – Two volumes of the Legends Of Runeterra, the Vinland Saga, Halo, Naruto, Doom, Marvel's Secret Wars and the third volume of Resident Evil."

"Now here's the unofficial list, these are just rumors that I've heard from my sources so I'm not making any claims of this unofficial list to be correct."

"He has written the script for at least three feature films, the storyline for another comic book that is currently under production, it is rumored to be a superhero title as well but not under Marvel."

"Now let's talk about my current favorite comic book and it is from Eidolon Comics and if you guys guessed Naruto, well here's to you." He played the "salute" soundtrack.

"Naruto as its name suggests focuses on the story of a boy named Naruto who is in training to become a ninja or a shinobi as they say in Japan."

"I know it must be a little confusing for the listeners to understand what shinobis and ninja means to speak in more simpler terms."

"Basically they are assassins and mercenaries for hire but they are people who mostly focus on stealth and deception."

"I told you it was going to be different, didn't it? Anyways this is just the beginning as Mark took inspiration from the real world to create this land of fantasy."

"The village hidden in the leaves has a monument that greatly resembles Mount Rushmore, despite claiming to be hidden. I know it's funny but still somehow they remain hidden."

"These ninjas, at least from what I have learned from reading the five chapters that are out yet, are basically assassins combined with mages or wizards who are able to use elemental magic as well as other kinds of magic to boost their power."

"The power scaling is pretty weird but it's very interesting and something I've never seen before. But Mark also does a really great job in explaining how things work and I'm surprised to say this but it makes sense."

"The way he categorizes the magic that the ninjas use into different subjects that the ninjas in training can learn from the academy is also very well thought out and put together."

"The story starts off with our protagonist Naruto, an orphan who is seen being kicked out from the orphanage at the tender age of five."

"It's brutal, he's called names and treated very badly by the people of the village he's a part of. His only respite is being given help from a ramen stand owner named Teuchi and his ramen stand is called the Ichirakus."

"If that name sounds familiar it is because Mark has created a chain of restaurants with that exact name that serve the very same dish that Naruto loves and lovingly calls the food of the gods."

"Naruto's story despite taking place in a world of fantasy feels very real, with Naruto slowly uncovering the secrets behind why so many people of Leaf Village hate him, why his teacher's try to sabotage his training, why he has so few friends and more."

"The story, despite being beautifully written and spectacularly drawn, felt very safe to me, that was until the most recent chapter."

"When I went out to my closest Eidolon store to buy it, the store clerk asked to see my ID."

"When I asked him why, he told me that the latest chapter of Naruto is R-18 under E.A.S because of the graphic violence and gore in it and he wasn't allowed to sell it to anyone under the age of 18.

"E.S.A is their own seal and it stands for Eidolons Seal Of Authority."

"I'm so glad to see that they were checking IDs, it shows just how seriously they take their policies and take measures to enforce them."

"But the amount of 15 and 16 year olds I saw outside the store trying to convince or bribe an 18 year old to buy the comic book for them was just too hilarious." The host chuckled as he recounted the incident.

"Still this just goes to show how a comic book of a young boy who is shunned by his village wants to become the hokage when he grows up, that is his dream, it is so endearing."

"Despite being a ninja and deception being a necessity in his trade, our protagonist - Naruto has sworn to never break a promise and never run away from his problems for that is his nindō."

"Nindō is their way of ninja life, their motto or belief.

"Naruto to me, was like a breath of fresh air in the stagnant near dead superhero saturated comic book industry that's slowly trying to make a comeback."

"And at the forefront of that comeback is Eidolon Comics with their steadily growing catalog of comic series so do give them a try if you like reading comic books or are a fan of Marc Spector."

"Now we will be taking some questions from the listeners so let's see what we have been asked here."

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~ Unnamed person's POV~

(Yet to be identified)

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Date: Monday, 1st October, 1990.

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Time: 09:57 am.

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She didn't really know how it all turned out like this, she knew her life wasn't going well. But she didn't think it would turn out like with her head bleeding red, suffering from a concussion, the car she was now trapped inside dangling from the edge hanging on the rails of the bridge.

As this sense of desolation enveloped her, she tried to recall how she got here, into this situation where her bastard boyfriend had left her off to die alone. She felt like she was drowning with no safety net in sight but she wasn't the sole bearer of that fault.

Her childhood had not been one of the prettiest things, her parents separated, she lived with her mom and step-dad. She wasn't really mistreated but she felt alone, worthless even, hating herself for nonsensical reasons.

Even though her father left her, his imprint on her has stayed for life and the only thing she ever felt like she was good enough for was also something he taught her. She thought maybe if she pursued that field of work maybe he would acknowledge her.

Tough love it was..

She always felt isolated in school amongst the children of some of the area's affluent families because her mother had a more modest income. Not that she ever thought less of her mother for it, she knew how hard her mother worked for her and her brother and she was proud of her for it.

She was teased by other students, who targeted her for being extremely thin and for wearing glasses and braces, thought she looked weird. In an attempt to instill confidence in her, her mother insisted she take up modeling.

Her early attempts at modeling, at her mother's insistence, unfortunately proved unsuccessful, shattering whatever self esteem she had left inside of her.

She transferred schools again, wanting to have a fresh start in High School, where she put on a gothic punk outsider persona to protect her fragile self, wearing all-black clothing, going out moshing, and engaging in knife play with her live-in boyfriend. The very same who had left her in the car to die, alone.

She even dropped out of her acting classes and now aspired to become a funeral director, taking at-home courses on embalming and funeral arrangements procedures. As a teenager, she found it difficult to emotionally connect with other people and as a result she hated herself, and even hurt herself.

She found it funny that she who was learning the trade to work at a funeral home would end up in one so early on in her life. But maybe it was her mistake in selecting her partner, even though she had tried to stop him, to slow down but he just didn't listen.

Sadly, he didn't listen, the road was wet and the speed too high for him to control and in the blink of an eye the car swerved out of control and now here she was dangling at the edge one step away from death.

Darkness was creeping up on the edges of her eyes as she felt them get heavy, she heard the grating noise of the car's undercarriage grind against the railings as it was slowly slipping off the bridge.

But her instinct to survive kicked in as she gathered her last bit of strength to shout for help but it came out in a pained gasp that she wasn't even sure anyone heard, "I do-nt want to die, ple-ase someone help."

She already had tears streaming down her face when her life flashed before her eyes. It made her regret it all, regret dropping out of school, regret stop following her dreams, regret mixing with the wrong crowd, regret disappointing her mom, regret choosing the wrong guy, reg-

Her train of dark thoughts stopped when she heard a grunt of exertion as the car miraculously stopped moving and she looked back and met the most vibrant green eyes she had ever seen in her life.

And for some reason she felt safe, like this person who had swooped in like a guardian angel won't let anything bad happen to her on his watch.

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~ Mr. Kim's POV ~

(Mark's Head of Security)

Their boss was looking very happy to finally be back in America, he knew it was mostly because of his need to get back to work and start working on his next films.

They were just 30 mins away from the studio and all looked well when suddenly he saw a silver chevette speeding towards them in the rearview mirror.

He could see from the way the car was swaying the driver was either high or drunk or maybe both, he saw that there was also a second female passenger in the car as well.

She looked like she was trying to placate him to get him to slow down before he caused an accident. But unfortunately, it was too late.

The car suddenly sped up trying to overtake the car in front of them, the drunk lost control and swerved straight into the railings of the bridge and almost burst through, their car was halfway stuck balancing on the railings, at the mercy of lady luck.

He then saw something that chilled his heart, he saw the driver get out of the car, he looked out of sorts, but he got to his feet and decided to book it. It was then that Mark finally spoke up.

"Kim, stop! Tom please go after the SOB. Eva, can you call 911 and stay inside? The rest of you follow me, we got a girl to save."

He spoke with the tone of confidence and surety of a man who knew that no matter what he was gonna save that young woman. But he could also feel the underlying anger at the man for leaving her behind.

No sooner had he stopped the car, Mark was out, in the few seconds that he took to get out, his boss had already covered half the distance between their cars. He knew that Mark had been holding back in the spars but this.. this was insane.

He didn't think he had seen anyone move that fast before, a car had stopped in the middle of beeline Mark making towards the car wreck.

He kept his eyes on him as he ran after him to catch up and saw Mark just jump and lunge effortlessly over the car that he looked like he had been doing parkour for years.

His stride didn't falter as he landed, not even slowing for a single second and in a few more seconds he reached the car that was slowly slipping off the railings. He watched Mark wrap his hand around the back tire and grunted as the car miraculously stopped slipping away.

Not putting much thought to it and writing it off to the adrenaline coursing through his veins, they reached the car and started to pull the car back onto the bridge.

"Hold steady." It was all he said as he broke the side window with one punch, using the space he made as leverage he moved to the side of the car as he kept pulling the car.

When he made it over to the front side, he tried to open the door but it didn't budge. Wasting not even a second he once again punched the window breaking it open, putting his arm inside the hole he made he felt around for a second and opened the door from the inside.

"Miss, you're going to be okay, can you move? Please grab my hand. Everything's going to be okay." His voice was calm and gentle trying to cajole her into reaching out.

He saw her reach out her thin bony arm, she looked a little malnourished, Mark gently pulled her forward with one arm as let go of the car.

It was at that moment that he understood just how crazy Mark's strength was as the moment he stopped pulling.

The car became almost twice as heavy, he stopped holding onto the car as well and watched it slide off the railing and drop down into the river.

The girl had her arms wrapped around Mark's neck as she wept, while he tried to hold her still, he put her down as he checked her head's injury.

There was a nasty gash that was bleeding but nothing that looked life threatening. It was only now that he noticed Mark wasn't wearing his mask, in the hurry it might have slipped his mind to put it on.

"Shush, it's gonna be okay. We got you out, I am Mark. What's your name?

"An-angie." was all she could muster as she quaked from fear.

"Angie? thats a nice name." he had a gentle smile as he patted her back, as her cries slowly died down.

"Don't worry, Angie, we have already called the ambulance." she just nodded and fell silent as she gazed into his eyes.

"Till then lets stop you from bleeding" he said towards us, Bob immediately moved forward being the medic amongst them.

"Hello, I am Bob. Don't worry, I will fix you right up." He said, taking out a handkerchief to clean the gash and stop the bleeding.

"Angie, can you tell me your legal name?"

"Why?" she sounded afraid.

"The police have already been called, we'll need to give them your name as an involved party." She looked like she was gonna have a panic attack.

"Don't worry, you weren't the one driving, we all saw it. You even told him to slow down. But he just didn't listen, did he?" Mark said gently in a calm voice that put her at ease as he patted her head.

He noticed that Mark had also put on his mask. The girl just nodded her head but then had a surprised look on her face "How do you know that?"

"I will tell you if you tell me your name. How about it?" Mark asked again in a playful manner, he could tell that Mark was trying to distract her from thinking about the accident.

"Okay.. but can you promise to not call my parents on me?

"I think it's a little too late for that now angie.."

"Yeah.. I understand. My name's Angelina Jolie."

"Hi, Angie, I am Marc Spector. Don't worry about anything my guys here will take you to the hospital and hand that guy to the police."

"Can you come with me? I am scared."

"I don't kn-" Mark looked like he was going to reject.

"Boss, I think you're better off going with her. Your arm.." Bob couldn't help but point out the fact that Mark was bleeding from his knuckles.

He would be surprised if he didn't, the man had punched straight through a car window in a single punch.

"Ah fuck, Eva's gonna have my head for this, I'm telling you." Mark lamented at his fate, while the rest chuckled quietly.

They got Angie to tell them her mom's phone number and gave it a call but unfortunately nobody picked up.

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..

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It was a silent ride to the hospital but he could tell that Eva was angry and she wanted to lash out but she was reigning it in because of Angie and the EMT in the ambulance.

But he knew it wouldn't be long, so he didn't think about delaying the inevitable. The moment they had taken Angie away and what a surprise that had been, he didn't even recognise her at first.

She was 15, rail thin and looked like she was going through her goth girl phase in life, he even saw signs of self-harm and malnutrition, was it an eating disorder or just lack of funds.

He had just sat down with a nurse, who was removing the shards of glasses from his knuckles with a forcep when she was done removing all the shards of glass. She wrapped his knuckles in some ointment and gauze, and finally left.

Seeing her leave them alone, Eva finally let loose, unable to hold back any longer.

"Mark, have we gone insane?! WHY would you do something like that? why would you put yourself in harm's way?!" She was a little loud but thankfully she didn't scream, it was a hospital after all.

"I am sorry for worrying you." He just replied sincerely.

"Sorry, won't cut it, Mark. You aren't just responsible for your own life anymore Mark." His sincere apology already took the wind out of her sail, but she didn't want to let him go easily.

"You are responsible for the livelihood of hundreds of people, you are now their boss. If something were to happen to you all of them would be left jobless."

"Okay forget about them, what about me.. huh if something were to happen to you.. what would I–"

She exhales after her outburst, taking a deep breath to center her mind.

*Inhale*

*Exhale*

"So please promise me that you will never do something like this ever again."

"I am sorry, Eva, but I can't. I won't be suicidal, but if I can help someone I obviously will if it won't cost me much.

"And this," he said pointing at his fist,"this aint even a scratch. I will be fine in a few days."

"Why did you do it?" She asked again one thing to know what was going inside his mind.

"I did it because it was the right thing to do, it was the anger that came over me when I saw that man run away while leaving Angie alone to die."

"Seeing her left alone to die as she despaired of her end just felt wrong, I couldn't see that happening in front of my eyes and not do something about it."

"To be honest my body just moved on its own, I relayed orders as fast as I could and then I ran, the adrenaline pumping through me as I ran faster than I have ever pushed myself before."

"As I reached the car and tried to help her, I saw the relief and gratitude in her eyes and it made me realize why I was trying to save."

"Well, other than the reason that it's the right thing to do or that she was betrayed and left for dead."

"I knew in my heart what the answer was.. I did it simply because I knew I could save her and this isn't my ego talking."

"I knew for a fact that if I put everything in it and pushed myself, it would be enough to save her life."

"I never was in mortal danger, I knew I would get hurt but nothing that could ever threaten my life and in return I knew.. I.. I could save her and–" he said with conviction, he wasn't a hero but if he could help someone and not lose much then he would definitely do it.

"And so you did." She finished his sentence, as the anger gave way to a look of pride on her face.

"And so I did." He admitted.

"Again, I am truly sorry for worrying you Eva. But I won't apologize for trying to save her, for it was the right thing to do." He sincerely apologized one last time but then also made his point.

"You're right, but all I ask of you is please try to put yourself first." Eva conceded but still requested him to look after himself.

"I can promise you that," He replied with a smile.

"Good, then let's go and see how that girl you saved is doing." She said, happy to have gotten that promise out of him.

"Sure." he replied and followed behind.

— To be continued…

In the next episode of The Crowded Roo–

*Cough* *Cough*

I meant in the next chapter of Hollywood: Head-Hunting System.

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Word Count: 6076 words (after excluding the disclaimer, opening Author's Note and the closing Author's Note.)

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Closing Author's Note: Apologizes for not delivering this chapter yesterday, I was tied up in a social convention and also in rewrite of chapter 2. Thankfully it's now done so I can fully focus on writing the new chapters.

If this weird wifi outage doesn't hinder me again, I promise to upload the next chapter on schedule. The next chapter will be uploaded on Monday around 70 hours of the posting of this chapter.

Anyways if you like my work then please comment let me if you liked the chapter, leave me some cool ideas, suggestions and vote with power stones. I love you guys and gals for reading my work and supporting my dream. I hope you all have a beautiful day. Stay safe and healthy.

New chapter upload schedule: 1 chapter every 3 days.}