Merciless

Ron's rejection was too harsh and direct, he didn't give Hugo any face at all. Joseph regretted bringing Hugo along and instinctively glanced at him, expressing his concern.

Hugo felt a bit innocent at this point because he had no connection with Ron personally, and it was only the first time they had met. So even though Ron rejected him, Hugo didn't think too much about it and simply felt that Ron was not giving him any consideration. When Joseph looked at him, Hugo's eyes blinked, and then he slowly drifted away to the side because he didn't know what the correct response should be at this time.

As a senior agent, Ron could not possibly "humiliate" the other party in front of Hugo, which was too impolite. So as soon as he finished speaking, he looked at Hugo and said, "Hugo, you know, this is not about you. It's just that the positioning of this movie "Basic Instinct" does not fit your image, so it's not appropriate."

This was a pure lie. Ron was not asking Hugo to act in "Basic Instinct", he was just inviting him to attend the premiere ceremony. It was like actors inviting their friends and family to attend a party or gathering, which had nothing to do with the theme or nature of the movie. Unless Hugo was still underage, Ron's argument made no sense.

Hugo's gaze had just drifted away and he didn't know how to respond to Joseph when he heard Ron's words. He immediately asked, "What is my image?"

This response caught Ron off guard, but he was an experienced person and quickly responded, "Youthful, energetic, healthy, and sunny." Although it was a random answer, it was quite accurate. After all, Ron had been Hugo's agent for six years and knew him quite well.

"Why can't I attend this premiere then?" Hugo asked, following up with another question, which was much more direct than Joseph's. Ron was at a loss for words and appeared quite embarrassed.

As far as Hugo was concerned, he had no idea what Joseph's arrangement meant, what occasions were suitable, what events would help an actor's image, etc. He had no experience in these matters and was naturally ignorant. However, Hugo was still interested in the premiere of "Basic Instinct".

Although he didn't like Sharon Stone, the movie "Basic Instinct" burst onto the scene and shattered countless teenagers' fantasies about relationships. The revealing scenes in the movie were unforgettable. Rumor had it that many top actresses refused to appear in the movie because of the excessive nudity, but Sharon, who was unknown at the time, undressed in front of the camera to win the role and became famous overnight.

However, in terms of artistic value, there wasn't much to discuss about this movie. Even though it caused a sensation around the world when it was released, both the lead actress Sharon and the director Paul Verhoeven never produced a representative work that could match "Basic Instinct" in their respective careers.

Hugo was curious about what the premiere of "Basic Instinct" would be like. Faced with Hugo's rapid-fire questioning, Ron was momentarily unable to answer, which made him somewhat angry. The young man who used to be easily controlled by him seemed to have lost control today. "As you know, we hope the premiere will be as grand as possible, and not all levels of actors can get a chance to attend."

This was actually sarcasm directed at Hugo's insufficient level.

Ron has been restraining himself. He was annoyed by the fact that Hugo, who left his wings, had come to him several times asking for help. He was not getting any income from helping Hugo now; it only increased his burden. Not to mention that after the Golden Raspberry Award, Hugo was in deep trouble. Helping Hugo was a losing proposition, and Ron was not so broad-minded.

Thinking of this, Ron's tone became even harsher. "The negative impact of the Golden Raspberry Award has not yet dissipated. Columbia Pictures doesn't want to associate its movies with the Golden Raspberry Award."

These two sentences were highly aggressive and hit the focus of Joseph's current concern directly. Before the release of "Scent of a Woman", Hugo, who carried the title of the worst actor of the Golden Raspberry Award, would unsurprisingly be ridiculed for a long time.

"Stallone will be disappointed to hear this." Hugo replied with a smile. In fact, countless big-name actors had won the Golden Raspberry Award in history, such as Laurence Olivier, Brooke Shields, Daryl Hannah, and so on. So Ron's words could be said to have indirectly hit a group of people. Of course, Hugo knew it was impossible. If Sylvester Stallone were to attend the premiere of "Basic Instinct", Ron would be delighted instead.

But when faced with Hugo's retort, Ron was not worried at all. Instead, he pulled out a contemptuous smile and said, "Say that again when you reach Sylvester's level." The implication was that Hugo wasn't good enough.

Ron's words were really ruthless, basically canceling the six years of friendship he had with Hugo Lancaster. Actually, for a senior agent like Ron, he had at least eighty clients under his wing and he couldn't take care of all of them equally. Naturally, he would maximize his profits and pay the most attention to whoever could bring him the most commission. The reason was very simple. For actors like Hugo, who were half-baked and barely surviving, Ron really didn't bother to communicate much.

Watching Hugo and Ron's exchange, Joseph, who was standing next to them, couldn't help but sigh at the drastic change in Hugo's attitude towards Ron. He had originally expected Hugo to be more inclined towards Ron, but when faced with Ron's rejection and rejection, Hugo did not get angry. Now, Hugo was even confronting Ron head-on, which was really surprising.

But at this moment, Joseph couldn't care less about his amazement. Ron's words were becoming more and more unpleasant and it was almost as if he was going to tear Hugo's face off. Joseph immediately stood up and said, "When Hugo reaches that level, he won't be standing here anymore." This sarcastic comment meant that Ron was not qualified to take on jobs for these big-name actors, and it immediately changed Ron's complexion.

"If it weren't for Hugo's 'outstanding performance' at the Razzies, none of this would have happened today." Ron looked like someone with a bad temper as he spoke. His impatience was no longer concealed, and it seemed like he didn't welcome Hugo coming to him at all.

This remark immediately made Joseph feel suffocated. If it wasn't for Ron persuading Hugo to attend, how could Hugo have gone to the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood? How could he have made a fool of himself and faced all the difficulties afterwards? Now, Ron was actually shifting the blame onto them, and it was really frustrating.

"After "Scent of a Woman" is released, you better not be jealous of Hugo's success!" Hugo saw Joseph getting angry for the first time in the past two months, even though it was after the Razzies and the provocation he faced during the audition for "Scent of a Woman". Joseph had never been angry before, but today he was letting out his frustration without holding back.

It was only then that Hugo realized that Joseph was also a young and impulsive young man. He was only twenty-eight years old this year, and his impetuosity and recklessness were still present.

"It would be best to have such a day." Ron sneered, looking disdainful. It was obvious that he didn't see a bright future for Hugo, otherwise he wouldn't have transferred him to Joseph. Previously, Ron wanted to maintain a good relationship with Hugo, but now he couldn't help but reveal his true emotions without any disguise. "If that's the case, you shouldn't have appeared here today and shouldn't have asked me for an invitation." With these words, Joseph was directly blocked on the spot.

"So, if you have nothing else, please leave." Ron resumed the high posture they had when they first entered, and directly drove them away. "I'm very busy, I still have three phone calls waiting for me to reply." Ron picked up the phone on the desk, pressed a button, and shouted into the hands-free, "Gary! Please ask Joseph and Hugo to leave. I still have a meeting." This direct eviction was a blatant contempt.

Faced with Ron and Joseph's sudden outbreak, Hugo himself didn't feel much, after all, he only crossed over halfway and didn't experience so much, so he didn't have such deep feelings. But looking at Ron's disgusted expression at this time, Hugo also had a sense of rejection: since they wanted to distance themselves, why bother to come to them?

Hugo pulled Joseph's arm and said calmly, "Joseph, let's go. Al Pacino and Jack Nicholson are waiting for Ron's reply. Don't disturb others' work." This sentence made Joseph unable to hold back and burst into laughter.

Although this was just a light sentence, it directly hit Ron's sore spot. Ron could now be called a top broker, but he didn't have a real top superstar under his hand. Michael Douglas, who had the best performance so far, was not brought up by him personally. To put it bluntly, his core strength had not been recognized by the industry. A real ace broker must have a case of pushing a newcomer to the top with his own hands, and Ron lacked this knock-on brick.

Joseph's laughter was like adding fuel to the fire, making Ron's anger explode, but he couldn't refute it, otherwise, it would only lower his own value. So he could only watch Hugo and Joseph calmly leave their office. Before leaving, Hugo even smiled at Gary and said, "Gary, Ron is answering Steven Spielberg's call. Please don't disturb him."

After watching Hugo leave, Gary looked at Ron with a puzzled face. Ron wasn't even on the phone, so he couldn't help but ask, "Spielberg?"

"Get lost!" Ron couldn't suppress his anger anymore and roared at his assistant.