Chapter 274: Weird Customer

In the morning, Martin prepared a spread of breakfast: toast, omelettes, bacon sandwiches, and more.

Blake descended from the upper floor, stretched, took a seat at the dining table, and sampled the omelette on the pristine porcelain plate. She remarked, "It smells wonderful."

Martin poured two glasses of coffee and replied, "I've been working out a lot lately, so dig in."

Blake proceeded to transfer an omelette from the plate onto Martin's, emphasizing, "You've been loading up on protein, so have some more." With a playful wink, she added, "I get my protein fix at night. You can afford to go easy in the morning."

Martin inwardly sighed; when a woman took the wheel, men often had to step aside.

Blake took a bite of her sandwich. It wasn't the taste that mattered; it was the joy of having her boyfriend cook for her that intoxicated her. She couldn't help but express, "Having such a loving breakfast every morning when I wake up would be incredible."

Doing this occasionally was enjoyable, but making breakfast every day could become a burden. Martin didn't want to fuel her unrealistic fantasies, saying, "I'll whip up breakfast for you whenever I have time."

Reality set back in, and the two had known each other for so long. It seemed as though it was the first time Martin had made breakfast.

Neither of them typically prepared breakfast; it was usually Old Bu who took care of that.

Changing the subject, Martin inquired, "When are you leaving? Should I see you off?"

Blake replied, "No, let's head to the airport together after the crew gathers." Blake was currently confirmed to star in a film and a TV series. The film was about to commence shooting in Louisiana. "We were together for a few days, and now we have to part again."

For a star actor, meeting and parting was a daily routine. Martin expressed with relief, "I'll be leaving Los Angeles soon to shoot on location."

"The story of 'Never Ending' is entirely set in New York," Martin elaborated. "We secured a tax rebate quota for the entire shoot, so it's all taking place in New York."

Blake said, "I'll come to see you when I have some downtime."

Martin agreed, "And I'll drop by your set when I can."

After breakfast, Martin retrieved Blake's luggage from upstairs and accompanied her to Beauvet Street in Burbank.

Eric Lively took the luggage that Martin helped unload, waited for their farewell, and then went into the studio with his sister.

Blake stood at the door until Martin got into the car.

In the background, her brother, Eric, pointed out, "His scandals have been all over the news. Aren't you concerned?"

Seemingly oblivious to her brother's comments, Blake paid him no mind.

Eric continued, "He even had a showdown with Brad Pitt over Jennifer Aniston!"

"Martin won, and that's fantastic, isn't it?" Blake responded, her mind clearly not in sync with her brother's. "I have excellent taste. I've found a handsome man with infinite charm!"

Eric was left dumbfounded, unable to speak. After a moment, he pointed a finger at Blake, stating, "You call that good taste? He's clearly a scoundrel!"

Blake warned her brother firmly, "Keep it down; don't speak ill of my idol."

Eric was exasperated, exclaiming, "I can't even with you."

Ignoring her brother, Blake encouraged, "You need to get ready for your role. As an actor, you have to be committed and diligent."

"I've been an actor for how many years?" Eric retorted. "I'm older than you, and my only problem is a lack of opportunities! As long as I get a good role in a good show, I can easily surpass Martin Davis!"

Blake sighed, finding her brother utterly delusional.

Eric shook his head, secretly thinking that his sister had a terrible judgment.

...

Century City, WMA.

As soon as he arrived at the office, Thomas arranged meetings with several senior company executives.

At ten-thirty, he entered a small conference room promptly.

Whitesell and Arial Emmanuel were waiting for him.

Seated, Thomas went straight to the point, saying, "Yesterday, Maha Darkhill, the executive agent representing CAA's Brian Lord, made direct contact with Martin. It's clear that they intend to poach Martin to CAA."

Whitesell, responsible for the company's day-to-day operations, took charge of the issue. She asked quickly, "Did Martin inform you about it?" The client's attitude was crucial.

Thomas answered at this point, "Martin informed me unprompted."

Whitesell breathed a sigh of relief.

Arial Emmanuel, on the other hand, appeared concerned. WMA had recently recruited Halle Berry from CAA, and CAA was now aggressively pursuing Martin.

The deal would be a huge loss even if they were to exchange one star for another.

Ali issued a warning, "This might be CAA's retaliation for us poaching Halle Berry, or it could be a direct targeting of Martin. Thomas, don't take this lightly. The commercial value of two Halle Berrys is not equivalent to one Martin."

"Martin still wishes to continue our collaboration. After all, we've been together since his early days," Thomas emphasized his personal association with Martin, not the company. He had to secure his own interests first, to avoid being replaced by the company's executives.

Continuing, he said, "But CAA has promised him resources on par with Brad Pitt, and an agent's commission of just 7%..."

Whitesell couldn't help but express her frustration, "Those CAA bastards are violating the rules. This will only make stars more arrogant and their agents more ruthless."

WMA successfully recruited Halle Berry, whose career suffered a serious setback following the failure of "Catwoman." There was no improvement at CAA.

On the flip side, Halle Berry was known for frequently firing her agents. When her career hit rough patches, her agents inevitably shouldered the blame.

Both Thomas and Ari remained silent. As frontline entertainment agents, they understood that the Entertainment Act and industry regulations typically protected the interests of clients.

Contracts were limited to a maximum of three years, and clients had the right to unconditionally terminate the contract if they didn't secure a corresponding job within six months, among other protections.

Ali got straight to the point, asking, "Is Martin considering leaving WMA?"

Thomas assured them, "I can guarantee that wherever I am, Martin will be there!"

As seasoned agents in the industry, Ali and Whitesell both recognized that Martin's influence extended beyond the film industry into entertainment. Thomas could see that as long as Martin was his client, there would be limits to what WMA could offer, while other companies could provide more.

He had the confidence to discuss with the company's top management, "Martin is an LA hero and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This stature alone can help his movies pull in $5 million in the first week of the box office!"

Whitesell considered carefully, "If we provide the conditions now, how can we improve his treatment as he continues to rise? What if he becomes a superstar or even a megastar one day? Should we charge only 1% agent's commission? This will have a domino effect. What will happen to our other clients?"

Ali turned to Thomas, inquiring, "What's your perspective?"

Thomas emphasized, "Martin is unlike ordinary actors. His influence spans the entire film and entertainment industry. How many Hollywood actors can bring tens of millions of dollars in investment to a project like Martin?"

He reminded Ari, "Elijah Wood and Hayden Christensen are stars of their own, but Martin is in a different league. 'The Hills Have Eyes' may be a small project, and 'Wanted' was a relatively unknown property, but it earned over $100 million in North America!"

Whitesell interjected, "Changing the commission structure before becoming a quasi-superstar could set a precedent that..."

Thomas interrupted her with more urgency, "Aren't you worried about losing such a crucial client?"

Ari intervened to conclude, "The company's share of Martin's business has been lowered from 10% to 8%. Furthermore, he will receive quasi-superstar treatment within the company."

Thomas expressed satisfaction, saying, "I'll relay this to Martin."

Ari clarified, "If he needs to use company resources, he must inform the company in advance."

Thomas assured him, "Absolutely."

Whitesell chose not to add anything further.

Ali had his reasons. Martin's ability to initiate and pull people into projects was invaluable to WMA. It opened doors for smaller stars and new actors. Losing Martin to external competitors was a real concern for Ali.

He added, "When Martin is ready to sign a new contract with the company, inform me. I'll have a thorough discussion with him."

Thomas was vigilant. It wasn't just about guarding against external poaching; he now had to be wary of internal competition.