Weird slip up

The crisp autumn weather of November in Los Angeles was accompanied by clear skies. Despite the chill of early winter carried by the sea breeze from the west coast, autumn lingered, with gentle winds causing a slight tightening of the skin. One could feel the mingling of autumn and winter in this coolness.

After finishing the morning radio recording, Hugo and Joseph drove together to the company headquarters. The promotion of "Scent of a Woman" was coming to an end, and their schedule was gradually becoming less hectic.

In the early 1990s, the North American film market was not as competitive as it is in the 21st century. After 2000, the competition intensified, with over a hundred films being simultaneously screened in theaters within a week. Consequently, the competition in promotion was also intense. However, nowadays, there were barely twenty films released in theaters each week, reducing the competition in promotion. The promotion for "Scent of a Woman" had already lasted for more than three weeks, which was considered quite long.

Upon entering the headquarters, Joseph and Hugo first went to the seventeenth floor. As Hugo arrived, the office staff warmly waved and greeted him. In comparison to the upper floors, the atmosphere downstairs was more lively. The brokers and agents on the middle and lower levels were more united and friendly. Of course, this was in the absence of conflicting interests. When personal interests come into play, it is uncertain whether the situation would become as desolate as on the upper floors. Perhaps, until interests clash, the upper floors would be as harmonious as the seventeenth floor.

After confirming at the front desk that he didn't have any phone messages, Joseph went to his own position and made a call to Universal Pictures to confirm the next week's promotional schedule. He then gestured to Hugo to enter the elevator again. Hugo watched as Joseph pressed the button for the twenty-third floor and couldn't help but look puzzled. "Are you going to see Ron?" Ron's office was on the twenty-third floor.

"No," Joseph shook his head, showing no significant change in expression. After experiencing the past year, Joseph's attitude towards Ron had gradually changed. "I have something to discuss with Rick Rosen."

"Big Rick?" Hugo was familiar with the name. It was Rick who helped them find the rented house. As a token of gratitude, they had invited Rick to a dinner at their shared apartment.

Joseph nodded in confirmation. "He said he wanted to see me about something, so I'm going to check it out." The elevator quickly stopped on the twenty-third floor. Joseph said to Hugo, "I'm not sure what it's about, so you can sit here and wait for a while." As this was a brokerage company, essentially a service intermediary, clients could visit at any time, and each office had a lounge area with sofas. So it wasn't difficult for Hugo to find a place to sit.

Watching Joseph walk toward the left side, Hugo realized that Rick was on the same level as Ron, as he also had his own spacious office. Hugo hadn't noticed it before, but Rick was not only low-key but also modest. In fact, he had a touch of a gentleman's demeanor. Because of this, Hugo jokingly said to Alex, "This kind of personality won't attract clients." In the world of brokers, a strong personality was necessary to take control of the situation. However, it seemed that things were different now.

Sitting on the sofa, Hugo pondered his own matters when suddenly a staff member approached, carrying a cup of coffee. She stopped next to Hugo, and with two packets of sugar, asked, "No milk, right?"

Hugo didn't immediately react and simply nodded. The female staff member bent down and placed the coffee on the sofa, her pencil skirt accentuating her figure. Then she flashed a bright smile at Hugo before gracefully turning and leaving.

What's going on? Previously, whenever he came to the company, such a situation had never occurred. Not to mention making coffee, even acknowledging his presence was rare. But today, not only did someone bring him coffee, but they also remembered his coffee preferences and even threw a flirtatious glance at him. Hugo's smile curled up at the corners of his mouth. It seemed that not only the seventeenth floor, but also the twenty-third floor had changed their attitude towards him.

It was hard to believe that the success of "Scent of a Woman" could bring about such a significant change. Indeed, the entertainment industry was the most realistic, cruel, and straightforward place. People were quick to lift you up or put you down.

Hugo picked up the coffee, and the rich aroma enveloped his senses. He took a sip, savoring the bittersweet taste that danced on his tongue. It was truly an indulgence. Through the misty coffee haze, he gazed at the orderly corridor and caught sight of an incredible figure.

It was a set of sleek black attire, with a unique and sharp cut that accentuated curves while exuding a sense of femininity. It was clearly a high-end custom design. Although Hugo wasn't familiar with the back view, his previous self was all too familiar with it. The alarm bells in his mind told him: this woman was Tracey Jacobus.

And at that moment, the man facing Tracey turned out to be Ron. These two not only knew each other but were also quite familiar, a fact that Hugo had always been aware of. After all, one was his former agent, and the other was his former "girlfriend". Hugo had collaborated with Tracey and Ron on four consecutive films before. But the question remained, why was Tracey visiting Ron now? Was it for a collaboration project, or did she have another motive?

Just as Tracey bid farewell to Ron, she performed a perfunctory gesture and then headed in Hugo's direction. Ron, standing at the office door, didn't linger for long and turned back. But Tracey had only taken two steps when her gaze fell on Hugo. A smile, half-playful and half-enigmatic, curved on her face as she looked at him, without any evasion or pause, their eyes meeting.

Tracey wasn't conventionally beautiful, something Hugo had noticed when he assessed her in the corridor of the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York. However, he couldn't help but admit that while time had left its mark on Tracey's face, it had also sculpted her temperament into a more mature one.

Unlike their previous encounters, today Tracey didn't avert her gaze from Hugo. Instead, she looked at him openly, even stopping her steps in front of him. She smiled, a smile that carried a hint of amusement, and cast her eyes upon Hugo.

This took Hugo by surprise because in their previous encounters, Tracey had acted as if she didn't know him. Yet today, she didn't continue to do so. The position she stood in made Hugo feel somewhat uncomfortable. Tracey was standing, while he was sitting, and she looked down at him with a sense of superiority and disdain.

Hugo stood up with the coffee in his hand, immediately gaining an advantage in height that made Tracey slowly raise her head, looking up at him. Tracey was somewhat surprised by Hugo's composed reaction, but quickly wore a knowing expression. She smiled and said, "Long time no see."

Hugo pursed his lips, a subtle curve forming at the corners of his mouth. His faint smile seemed to suggest indifference towards the matter at hand. "Long time no see."

Tracey clearly didn't anticipate Hugo's composure. Her gaze lingered on the slight smile at the corner of Hugo's mouth, and after confirming that his smile wasn't deliberately contrived, she quickly lowered her head and chuckled. With this action, she concealed the emotions in her eyes, and when she looked up again, she regained her composure. "Good luck. I heard from Ron that "A Few Good Men" has already set its premiere date. I hope everything goes smoothly this time."

Hugo's brow furrowed involuntarily, "My agent is Joseph Gibbs." He didn't understand why Tracey mentioned Ron, and Lang even brought up his premiere. It didn't align with Ron's usual style.

Tracey raised an eyebrow slightly, paused for a moment, and then smiled apologetically. "My bad." After saying that, she nodded slightly at Hugo and continued walking, moving away from him.

As Hugo watched Tracey's departing figure, he was filled with confusion. On one hand, he was puzzled about the reason Tracey mentioned Ron. Was Ron somehow involved in his affairs, or was it just his overthinking, and their conversation was merely idle gossip between Tracey and Ron during their small talk? On the other hand, he was puzzled by Tracey's attitude. What exactly had happened between her and his previous self?

What could be certain was that Tracey and Hugo's separation was definitely unpleasant. However, whether Tracey abandoned Hugo or Hugo betrayed Tracey and chose to leave, remained unclear. Judging from Tracey's attitude now, in the previous two encounters, she had shown some complexity but was relatively cold, treating Hugo as a stranger. Yet today, Tracey took the initiative to greet him, and her gaze changed twice, but her underlying emotions were inscrutable. And in the end, she bid farewell in a cold manner, not even saying a simple "goodbye".

Hugo truly couldn't find a clue. This memory segment had never been integrated, so he couldn't explore it. However, relying on his intuition, regardless of what happened before, it was clear that Tracey had no intention of making things easy for Hugo now. That was beyond doubt. From the evasive rejection of "A Few Good Men" to the act of ignoring him in the hotel corridor and now the subtle power play, it's evident that Tracey has gradually positioned herself against Hugo, and her determination was growing. Hugo felt a sense of unease.

Whether this was Hugo's misconception or the actual truth, who knew really?

Hugo looked at the coffee in his hand and suddenly lost half of his interest.

"Hugo, Hugo..." Joseph's voice came from the right side. Although he lowered his voice, it still sounded abrupt in the quiet twenty-third floor. Hugo turned his head and saw the joy radiating from Joseph's face, and standing behind him at the office door was the thin man, Rick. "Come over here! Quickly." Joseph waved his hands towards Hugo, his excitement shining faintly between his eyebrows.

Hugo was somewhat surprised. The fact that Joseph and Rick were discussing something that involved him was unexpected.