beginning of everything.

Scene 18, take 5.

Billy's role was straightforward; he just had to follow a short script. He had to take a quick lap in the pool, and while doing so, he would be signaled to approach Winona, who would be waiting in line for a towel to dry off after coming out of the pool. He would then approach Winona and give her a brief smile.

His blond hair, accentuated, clean-shaven face, though not very muscular and not in shape like some of those who participated in the casting, follows an exercise routine and healthy lifestyle as much as a young man who exercises three to five times a week and tries to follow a diet. However, Billy stands out entirely as an actor with above-average acting skills.

The director decided that the scene would be improvised as much as possible, with some scripted lines and some fear about not failing in the conversation.

-Hey, - Billy/Leon said, giving Winona a fresh smile, focusing first on her pink lips.

-Hi, - Winona/Finn replied, giving a quick smile. Both seemed nervous.

-It's really hot, - Winona sighed.

-It is, but you can take a dip. I'm afraid I don't know you; you're from out of town, right? I hadn't noticed you, - Leon/Billy commented.

-Yes, I came here for a while, two months to be exact, - Winona replied.

-It's great to have you here, - Leon/Billy commented, offering one of his most radiant smiles, one that was always said to be fabulous.

-Yes, of course, - Winona replied, somewhat intimidated, or that's what she seemed to imply, stopping to look at Billy's physique, then turning her gaze away. After a while, Billy's smile grew wider as she made eye contact, and he leaned slightly forward, a basic gesture in flirting.

-Ah... what's your name? - Winona asked, tucking a hair behind her ear.

-Leon. And you? -

-Finn, - Winona replied.

-Ohhhh, I see. From Finland? -

-No, from my great-uncle, but yeah, I'm Finn. -

-It's beautiful, like 'the end.' 'Fin,' the end in Spanish. All endings lead to you, - Leon/Billy responded.

-Cut, - the director commented.

...

All the extras breathed calmly; being immersed in the role was more complex, especially because sometimes they were asked to do activities that were questioned by the filming team.

-This is the shot, - director Jocelyn Moorhouse commented. Setting up each shot from different angles, each shot had six cameras from various perspectives. The work was meticulous; none of the cameras could be seen by the others, with blind angles and short takes, the director needed to keep a quick track of each activity.

-You've improved noticeably, - Winona commented, surprised by Billy's focus. She now doubted her level of acting. Perhaps that's why she hadn't won the Oscar that Billy had mentioned so much in the last three days.

-Thank you. You always have a deep insight into acting, but you need to keep improving, and that's only achieved by competing with good actors. I learned a lot from Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, and Julie Delphi; they taught me different acting techniques. I asked, and, well, I challenged myself a bit, - Billy commented.

-What do you mean? - Winona asked, on the verge of exploding. She hated being underestimated. She had had great roles with multiple people, with great performances. For example, now, she has decided to act with genuine legends.

Pretentious!

"You're misunderstanding my challenge. I mean, let's act together, practice, and challenge each other in the program. Let our talent be exposed by the way we act. I have the script in my briefcase; do you want to take a look?" Billy commented.

-We'll talk later, -Winona said, cutting him off completely.

The extras ran back and forth, making some adjustments to the set and getting the thumbs-up from the assistants, while Billy took his position in the pool. The idea was to smile confidently and move with assurance. As he took a step, the next shot began to roll.

Scene 19, take 1.

Billy took a break in the shade, feeling the drops sliding down his slender body as he took a moment to catch his breath. His eyes focused on Winona; her milky legs were beautiful. He paused at her figure, capturing a rebellious glance from the way nerves lit up Finn, who simply offered a small smile, trying to ignore Billy's shameless behavior completely.

In character, Billy gave short smiles to some of the extras walking around the pool.

-Hey, Finn, - Leon/Billy commented.

-Leon, how's it going? - Finn/Winona replied.

-Well, good to see you. You've been somewhat absent, - Leon replied, combing his wet hair back as he stretched his neck upwards, looking relaxed.

-Ah... I'm a bit worried, but I'd like us to get to know each other better. I'm here for three months, so maybe we'll have some time to hang out - Finn commented, nervous due to Billy's intimidating posture. He gave off the vibe of a lion eyeing its prey—satisfying.

-I'd like that, - Billy/Leon commented, reaching his hand towards Finn's leg. With a delicate touch, he caressed her thigh, and she was startled. Even though it was just a finger, Winona's gaze dropped to her thigh, her cheeks flushed red.

-We could eat something... delicious. Maybe a picnic, - Finn suggested.

-La vie sans amour, c'est comme un jardin sans soleil, - Billy commented in French, a proverb he had used and known for a long time.

-Oh, it's French, - Winona remarked.

-It is, my beautiful carnation, - Billy commented, getting closer to her and taking the lock of hair that always fell in place behind her ear. This gesture was Winona's, not Finn's, the character she was playing. She looked completely surprised, and in just a minute, Billy succeeded in tempting Winona. Although he improvised some parts, he used his body language as a means to drive Winona wild.

Unlike Billy, Winona had her heart pounding in her chest, biting her lip. And like a professional, she lowered her head and nodded vigorously.

-Yes, -Finn/Winona gestured.

-Cut, - the director commented, and everyone took their places. Billy stretched his body, managing to shoot all the scenes in the countryside pool in less than a day. It was simply fantastic for all the participants. They nailed it.

...

-You're just shameless, - Winona commented, somewhat furious at Billy's behavior. He was taking advantage.

-What are you talking about? I'm just doing my part. If you're angry at my acting style, you should know that the role calls for Leon to be a passionate, charming, and somewhat shameless young man, - Billy replied.

Among all the actresses, there was something she liked about the black-haired woman above Gwyneth or Mili Avital. The way she fascinated the woman was different, beyond something trivial. It was her way of being that amused her; the readiness to get angry in such an innocent way was magnificent.

-You're impossible. I can read the script; I just hope it's as good as you say, - Winona commented.

On March 8, 1995, there was a significant drop in Marvel's stocks. The constant problems and the February closures with negative sales published a painful newspaper indicating that Marvel sold fewer than 100,000 copies in February. The blow to Marvel's stocks was a progressive fall, just as Ronald Perelman found a trick in his finances, and the board pressured Ronald Perelman to act graciously about it.

The arrival of poor sales, along with the egregious errors of the collectible cards, the athlete strikes, and at the same time, overproduction as investments in numerous bets, the pins started to fall.

-You shouldn't worry; we've received some good news. The bank is willing to lend me money to sustain the company. I already have a viewpoint on what we should do in the coming months. This is just a minor setback. If we have faith, we can triumph, - Ronald Perelman commented, not denying the unwillingness of each of the partners. He lost Stan Lee when he let go of all the artists, but they were ungrateful, demanding more and more money. He lost Avi Arad when he showed weakness.

-We have faith that things will improve, - Isaac Perlmutter commented, the true juggler of the company.

On one side, two people were eagerly awaiting the opportunity they were waiting for, while one advocated for creating a Marvel that followed the basic schemes, Avi Arad, who only saw a more measured way to enrich himself. As CEO, he had made some money through his contracts; if he could bite more shares, it was just something he wanted.

Meanwhile, Stan Lee notified Billy Lux Animation of the situation. Avi Arad informed Karl Icahn to track Ronald Perelman's actions, who, despite having blind faith, was not foolish. He held onto how he would revitalize the company. For now, they weren't bankrupt, but most likely, the suffering would be more painful in the coming months for all involved.

However, Avi Arad considered Karl Icahn's involvement as an outside investor, and his first plan was a merger with his company, Toy Biz. But with Billy's counsel that Toy Biz was just another flaming wheel, it's possible that Stan Lee would warn against the bad deal with Toy Biz.

...