Lory Takarada sighed and rubbed his temples. 'This shouldn't be this hard, they should be together already' he thought. 'I have been working on this relationship for over a year and this is all that comes of it?! Should I send them on a trip together, get her jobs that match his, trick them into dating?' He rubbed his temples even harder. "I CAN'T DECIDE!" The last bit he screamed aloud.

Sebastian, clothed in his usual turban, stuck his head around the corner. "Sir."

Lory scowled "What is it now? Can't you see that I am trying to make a very important decision here?"

Sebastian wasn't fazed. "You asked me to bring you Mogami and Tsuruga's files?"

Lory brightened up in an instant. "Of course, of course, set them here." Sebastian set the files on the couch next to the President of LME and left as quietly as he had come.

Lory paused his 'Lovely Love High School 3' game and picked up the thicker of the two files. Opening it, he stared down at a picture of the twenty-two year old actor who was currently Japan's most eligible bachelor. Tsuruga Ren. Ren, as always, worked diligently and gave the best results, but was making no progress on the love front. Sighing, Lory set Ren's file aside and picked up the smaller one. Mogami Kyoko, stage name Kyoko. A newbie and the first member of his LoveMe Section, her talent was surprising. In less than a year she had skyrocketed to having major roles in not only PVs and commercials, but also on game shows and TV dramas.

But, like Ren, she has made almost no progress when it came to love. Lory frowned. He had worked very hard to get them closer by assigning them the role of the lovey-dovey Heel siblings. But it didn't seem to be working as well as he would have liked. He needed to come up with a new strategy and fast.

He was shuffling through their papers absentmindedly when something caught his eye. He pulled out the sheet of paper and stared at it, his brows knitting together in one of rare expressions or concentration.

The words on the paper stared back at him. "To Tsuruga Ren, we would be honored if you would agree to take part in a joint TV drama and subsequent movie production of 'Paradise Murder.' This project is a joint production between entertainment agencies in both Japan and the USA. We have left details of this project with a Mr. Sawara of the LME agency. We hope that you will agree to work with us on what is sure to be a worldwide sensation. Sincerely, Janet Smithens, Vice President of Human Resources and Communications, Silver Rain Entertainment."

Lory, a smile spreading over his face, rifled quickly through Kyoko's papers. He was sure that he had seen the same paper in her file, he was sure of it… ah. Lory pulled the paper out triumphantly. It was the same letter addressed to Kyoko.

Ecstatic, Lory dialed Sawara's number. The man picked up the phone on the third ring. "Sir, you do realize that I am not on the clock right now? It's past midnight!"

Lory laughed. "I have a question to ask you. The joint project with Entertainment, can you tell me about it?"

"Now?!"

"Of course!"

Sawara sighed. There was no stopping the president when an idea got into his head. "The file is on your desk. I gave it to you three days ago. You need to authorize it before I can give the job offers to our talents."

Lory hung up without saying goodbye, and ran into his study, searching for the file in question. After about 20 minutes, he found it under his newest plan for a Valentine's Day bash, despite the holiday still being months away. He read over the proposal, his smile growing. It wasn't a bad plan, and the publicity for LME would be great. Looking up, he checked his world clocks that hung on his wall. If he remembered correctly, his old friend had mentioned to him about being selected as a candidate to star in this new drama. Chuckling, Lory picked up his phone and dialed the number in front of him.

It rang twice before he heard "Silver Rain Entertainment, How can I assist you?"

"My name is Takarada Lory and I am the President of LME in Japan. I would like to speak with whoever is in charge of your new drama Paradise Murder."

"One moment please, while we verify this call." There was a long moment of silence before he heard "Your request has been verified, please hold while we transfer your call."

A monotonous beeping could be heard as his call was being transferred. He then heard a brisk voice answer the phone.

"Smithens."

"Hello, my name is Takarada Lory, President of LME in Japan. I am calling about your offer to us about the new drama Paradise Murder. I have looked over the file and I believe it will be not only a beneficial project for both of our companies, but also a big hit. May I ask what you had in mind for this project?"

"Well, Mr. Takarada Lory, I am glad that you have accepted our proposal. We want to experiment with how an American crime drama will flourish in Japan if the plotline is acted out by famous Japanese actors. The shoots for the TV drama will be shot in Japan, and the movie scenes will be shot around the world. Since this will be primarily a Japanese drama it will be composed of primarily Japanese cast and crew. However, we will send over at least one actor, a producer or director, a cg specialist, and a costume-makeup artist to assist. The movie will mostly be in Japanese with some English portions. Since you fully agree to this, I will send you a copy of the electronic contract for you to look over and sign."

Lory's computer on his desk started to sing about love, signaling that he just got a confidential email. Lory opened the file and read it quickly, absently listening to the soft humming that what emanating from his phone. Satisfied, Lory signed and dated the document and sent it back to Smithens.

"All right, I have received your contract and it is now verified. I will send over the scripts and cast listings for you to review and assign to the proper individuals. Please note that your company is not the only entertainment company working in collaboration with us and as stated in the contract, any inter corporation conflicts are not to affect the film's progress in any way. Do you have any questions?"

"Yes actually. I was wondering if you could allow my company to house and care for your people when they are here in Japan."

"…That is a somewhat unusual request, Mr. Takarada. I would have to take it up with the boss but I do not see any problems with this arrangement, but may I ask why?"

Lory laughed. "Not at all, my dear, not at all! A good friend of mine told me that she was one of the actor candidates for this film. I owe her a great deal and wish to repay her."

Lory could hear Smithens' voice grow hard. "So are you stating that you have agreed on the condition that your old friend be our representative actor?"

"Oh no my dear, I am not forcing you or your company into anything. I simply wish to be kind."

Smithens chuckled. "She told me what you were like but I didn't believe her. Since you have already signed and submitted the contract, I can tell you that Ms. Carlita Monterro is our representative actor. She is the one who suggested that we extend a partnership to LME. We agreed with her after looking into your company's reputation and relations. Now, President Lory, is there anything else I can help you with?"

"No, no, my dear. I do not believe so."

"Well, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. The press conference announcing this joint production will be in three weeks in Tokyo, and our people will arrive shortly before that. Shooting should begin in no more than 6 weeks from now. Please send in all actor information before the press conference. We will send you our people's information, as well as their arrival information, before that time as well. It has been a pleasure talking to you and on behalf of Silver Raincloud Inc., we hope that this production will be a success."

Lory smiled and hung up. Grinning he looked up at the clock. Four in the morning; the perfect time to call her. Reaching once again for the phone, he dialed the all too familiar number.

The phone rang twice before a woman answered.

"WHAT!?"

Lory winced slightly at her tone. "Now Cara, is that any way to greet an old friend?"

"Yes it is Lory, especially when that old friend calls so early in the morning! What do you want?!"

"Early in the morning?" Lory glanced at a clock on the wall. "But it's almost noon there."

"Yeah, but I was at work all night. Now tell me what was so important that you had to wake me up?"

Lory chuckled. "I have a proposition for-"

"No." Cara cut him off. "I will not marry you so that you will have an excuse to come to California and waste time in Disneyland."

"You're so mean Cara, and that wasn't what I was going to ask you."

"Then what?" Cara asked, exasperation and irritation creeping into her sleepy tone. Lory could hear her get up and walk around. She had started pacing. "What is so important that you have to wake me up early in the morning without caring about my fragile state? You know I cannot function unless I sleep! So if you aren't trying to sneak into Disneyland using me as an excuse, what in God's name-"

"I need your powers of cupid."

He could almost hear her snap out of her irritation.

"I'm listening."

Lory grinned; this was going to be great. "Well, you see, it goes like this…"