Chapter 249: Chance Encounter

"Last night's accident was probably caused by a loose screw on the front wheel. I've fired the mechanic responsible for the maintenance of the Batcycle, and the props team will conduct a thorough check on all Batmobiles and Batcycles today."

At the Kendall Hotel's restaurant, Joe Silver, the producer of "Batman," reported to Simon about the Batcycle accident the night before. Although there were no serious consequences, the front wheel of the Batcycle had detached, which was highly unusual, and Simon wasn't going to let it go easily.

After nodding in response, Simon asked, "What about the media?"

Such an accident, if leaked, could inevitably cause some trouble.

Simon wasn't worried about the local Australian media, with the Murdoch and Fairfax media dynasties, both investors in Cersei Capital. However, he had no influence over international media.

"Some paparazzi took blurry photos from a distance. I've negotiated with our team in Los Angeles to arrange interviews and retrieve the negatives," Silver explained. "Also, some media called asking questions, but we've handled it. This afternoon, we'll have Ms. Golino make a public appearance to eliminate any speculation."

Filming a big-budget movie like "Batman" is a process filled with continual problem-solving, and it's rarely smooth sailing.

Since the start of the production, Simon had increasingly appreciated the benefits of choosing Melbourne as the filming location. Australia's more relaxed filming environment and the powerful influence of the Johnston family had provided much convenience.

After breakfast, Silver left to attend to the day's filming, and Simon returned to his suite to begin his workday.

It was March 21st, Tuesday. In Los Angeles, it was still Monday.

Over the past weekend, another new film from Daenerys Entertainment and Highgate Pictures, "Sisters," starring Jennifer Connelly, was released. Positioned as a youth sex comedy, it opened in 617 screens and earned $3.25 million in its first weekend, with a projected $5 million for the first week and an estimated total North American gross of $15 to $20 million.

Following "City People," "Sisters," with its $3 million production budget and equal marketing costs, performed excellently. Simon added another point to Ella Deutschman's score.

However, with the successive "moderate successes" of "Blue Angels," "City People," and "Sisters," the media had started to suggest that Daenerys Entertainment was losing its edge. Although these three films were not Daenerys' main focus, Simon was happy to see Hollywood harbor such thoughts.

Daenerys' dominant box office performance the previous year had put a lot of pressure on others. If they couldn't cushion the impact, it was hard to predict what might happen next.

After these three films, Daenerys would continue with "Ghostbusters II" and "The Sisters Guild" starring Winona Ryder, both left over from New World Entertainment. Neither had much appeal, which would allow Hollywood to breathe a sigh of relief.

In the study, Simon was discussing company matters with Amy over speakerphone while reviewing documents from Los Angeles.

After concluding the main discussion, Amy mentioned Meg Ryan's desire to settle her option contract dispute with a $2.5 million compensation, Simon replied, "Let it be $2.5 million. That's a decent number. Don't ask me about these things in the future."

CAA had initially demanded a $5 million salary for Meg Ryan following "When Harry Met Sally," but negotiations broke down, and Daenerys Entertainment demanded the same amount in compensation.

This was unlikely from the start. Even as an A-lister, Meg Ryan's typical salary for leading roles was around $2-3 million. After taxes, her actual earnings would be lower. $2.5 million would drain most of her earnings from her next two films.

Moreover, as expected, she starred in "The Rocketeer."

From Simon's memory, the original "The Rocketeer," given its high production and marketing budget, only achieved mediocre box office returns. With Tom Cruise and Meg Ryan now headlining, it was still hard to predict its future success.

And Simon was not optimistic about Meg Ryan's prospects in this film.

Following the successes of "Top Gun" and "Rain Man," Tom Cruise was at the peak of his career. He had started shaping all his movies into "Tom Cruise films," leaving little room for other actors to shine unless they were heavyweights like Dustin Hoffman.

In the original timeline, Universal ambitiously sought to create the "Universal Dark Universe" inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the project mostly collapsed after "The Mummy." The original plot, which equally showcased the mummy princess and the male lead, was transformed into another "Tom Cruise movie" under Cruise's extensive rewrites.

This was his talent. Such an approach maximally benefited Cruise himself. Whether the movie succeeded or failed, if it meant overshadowing him, then failure was inconsequential.

In Simon's view, "The Rocketeer," set to start filming next month, was likely to share this fate.

Riding the popularity wave of "When Harry Met Sally," Meg Ryan might secure a good salary, but her chance to stand out in the film seemed slim.

Around noon, after finishing his call with Amy, Simon closed the latest film database development proposal from Nancy Brill and, noticing his assistant Jennifer tidying his desk, remembered something and asked, "Easter Sunday is coming up. Are you planning to go back to the U.S. to spend it with your family?"

Jennifer looked up at Simon and shook her head, "It's too far. I've already called my parents, and I won't be going back this time."

As she spoke, Jennifer maintained her gaze on Simon, who suppressed the urge to touch his nose, internally sighing at his once innocent and shy assistant's newfound cunning.

It was tricky. Easter was a significant Western holiday and a time for family reunions. Simon would undoubtedly be spending it with Janet at the Johnston mansion. While his relationship with Jennifer was tacitly accepted by Janet and ignored by other Johnstons, bringing his assistant to the family gathering would certainly stir up drama.

It would be a provocation. Considering Raymond Johnston's pride, getting kicked out would be the least of Simon's worries.

"How about we have dinner together on Saturday night?" Simon suggested.

Jennifer continued tidying the desk, "Everyone's planned a trip to New Zealand for the weekend."

"I wasn't aware?"

"Would you join us?"

"I'll think about it."

Jennifer rolled her eyes at Simon and left the study without another word.

After she left, Simon finally touched his nose and chuckled wryly before leaving the suite.

His driver was waiting downstairs. Simon was headed to Johnston Holdings' headquarters to have lunch with Janet, who was managing Cersei Capital there, and then spend an hour on Cersei's trading information before returning to work on "Batman."

Johnston Holdings' headquarters was a conservative 22-story light brown building on Elizabeth Street, overlooking the Yarra River. Though not very tall, the entire building was Johnston property.

As Simon entered the exclusive elevator and pressed for the 22nd floor, it unexpectedly stopped at the 8th. The doors opened to reveal Veronica Johnston, dressed in a black OL suit, her blonde hair tied back, holding a stack of documents. Her typically distant demeanor melted into confusion upon seeing Simon.

After an awkward moment, Simon stepped aside, and Veronica mechanically entered the elevator.

The doors closed, and Simon was enveloped in a familiar fragrance. The elevator continued its ascent, and neither mentioned Veronica's destination, which she seemed to have forgotten.

When they reached the top floor, Veronica realized she had arrived at the wrong place. She glanced at Simon, waiting for him to leave first before returning downstairs.

Instead, Simon invited her to join them for lunch. After a moment's hesitation, Veronica agreed, careful to control her emotions to avoid suspicion from Janet.

In the Cersei Capital office, Janet was furiously scolding someone over the phone, creating a tense atmosphere among her colleagues.

Seeing Simon, Janet smiled, ended the call, and was about to embrace him when she noticed Veronica following him. She immediately went to her aunt, hugging and cooing affectionately, much to Simon's bemusement.

Veronica gently pushed Janet away, explaining, "I ran into Simon in the elevator and thought we could all have lunch together."

"Of course," Janet replied, unaware of any subtext, and took her aunt's arm. "Simon scared you last time, so he owes you an apology. Oh, shall we eat out?"

Veronica glanced at Simon. They usually dined in the building, but Simon agreed to go outside, considering the potential for misunderstandings.

The three left for lunch, with Janet happily linking arms with both Simon and Veronica.

Back in the elevator, Simon asked, "What happened earlier?"

Janet vented about a fund manager's mistake that cost Cersei Capital $6.5 million in potential earnings, threatening to fire him if it happened again.

Lately, with rumors of the Bank of Japan raising interest rates, the Japanese stock market was volatile. Many believed a rate hike would mark a turning point for the overheated market, leading to active trading, especially in fluctuating bank stocks.

Simon's initial conservative approach with Cersei Capital had evolved under Janet's daring high-frequency, high-leverage strategies. She even reduced the Nikkei 225 futures long position to $5 billion to free up funds for other trades.

Cersei's investors only saw weekly net asset value reports, remaining confident due to consistent profits. However, they would be nervous if they knew of Janet's risky tactics. She once lost $36 million in two hours on a currency hedge, only to recoup it later that afternoon.

Part of Simon's role was to rein in Janet's wilder impulses, preventing her from losing control in her pursuit of thrill.

The latest statistics showed Cersei's net asset value at $1.85 billion, a profit of $280 million. If this trend continued, Simon believed Cersei could more than double before the Japanese market turned.

They left Johnston Holdings for a nearby decent restaurant. The lunch went smoothly, thanks to Janet's mediation.

Veronica's typically cold demeanor didn't seem out of place at the table. To avoid burdening Simon, Janet didn't delve into Cersei's operations, keeping the conversation light and somewhat harmoniously strange.

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