Hollywood King

by Cui Shi yi

1-128

5. 129

Hollywood King #Chapter 129: Chapter 125 Couple Stuff! - Read Hollywood King Chapter 129: Chapter 125 Couple Stuff! Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT

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"Wait… Crazy, Stupid, Love is released!" Merlin shouted at the top of his lungs making his entire college friends wince.

"My ears! Dude! You know you are louder than a fucking bell! And I already got tickets for us, last Tuesday!"

"You pre-booked?!"

"You pre-booked?!"

"You what?!"

"Fucking heaven!"

The entire friend group was surprised that 'one' person had the brains to book all of their tickets.

"Bro, I thought you hated rom-coms? And, the Friday night out was supposed to be a thriller movie. Sixty-nine-thirty three. It was released last Monday too, what are we gonna do? Because I still want to watch the thriller movie. It's from a subordinary of Goofy. And, that is something… is trending these days!"

"Bro, not just that sixty-nine thirty-three, did you even watch the clips of the premiere? Even Noah Lincoln was there. What are the odds of Ian Renner making Noah act in another movie of his? I mean, the dude has quite a good idea when it comes to good actors. Also, have you ever seen how Scarlett acted in Batman?! I can honestly keep going on and on about Ian's movies because a hardcore fan in here!"

"We know. You haven't stopped talking about Ian and his original skills forever. Also, even the titles of the movies are kind of really original… Crazy, Stupid, Love…"

"How many tickets did you even buy? You know that I don't go anywhere without my girlfriend right?!" Another guy who was listening to the whole thing questioned, while still tapping on his screen.

"Yeah, p*ssy! But, I'm sorry, your girlfriend last time called me a bitch for stuffing myself with popcorn. Therefore, I made sure I left her out from the count!"

The other people's eyes turned to the person who just confessed his thoughts.

"Alright! Focus. Who watched La La Land?!" One of the men asked while some nodded, and two frowned.

"You both haven't?!"

Both of them shook their heads.

"Well well well, it's a rom-com, but a musical. No shit, but that's one of the best rom-com to ever exist! Like, in that… there's no happy ending but the journey was happy. It's realistic as heck and based on Hollywood. How about this, we do tonight's night watching La La Land, and tomorrow is the movie right… We can go watch it tomorrow?" He asked while all of them nodded.

"I'm not even kidding when I say, I'd watch this movie again. The music, dancing, and the way it was carried out are really impressive. As you all know, I'm a hopeless romantic, I can only wish that Crazy, Stupid, Love is better than that!"

They watched the movie for the rest of the night. Although the two men who hadn't watched the movie had interior doubts struggling about it considering that it was a rom-com, after the movie ended, they all had one thing in common.

"Let's watch Crazy, Stupid, Love."

"Still, no tickets for your girlfriend unless she writes a 1000 words essay on how to talk to your friends, a.k.a us."

Everyone groaned at his words.

-

Online.

After the premiere, the pictures, videos, and interviews were almost everywhere.

It was not because the celebrities were well-dressed and the premiere was held quite grandly, but also due to how the celebrities had given positive feedback after watching the movie.

On U-Tube and Nwitter, there was this video clip of two celebrities including Alexa, Chad—who acted as Lucifer in the series, and Alexa's date, explaining a scene to the reporters while laughing among themselves which went viral.

"My favorite part was… If you don't want spoilers, skip this video. But the lawn part is hilarious! The way the entire story was entangled from one person to another, and then the conclusion hit hard thinking—Ah, can I swear?... Yeah, the conclusion is like, Ah fucking hell! This is stupid and so fucked up! Like- I can never imagine it happening in real life, yet so hilarious and messed up!

Also, during the entire process, Chad was snorting like a pig while laughing, which made me laugh even more. This premiere is going to be something very interestingly tattooed in my mind!" Alexa talked to the camera.

"Hello, yes, the question is…. My favorite part… Overall, how the movie portrayed things to learn. Not gonna lie, Ian Renner is one of a kind in the industry. I'm sure the praises y'all get to hear about the man are never-ending. But also, all in all, his ideas, movie direction is like—seriously praise-worthy."

"Wait, you're not a British?!" The reporter asked right away.

"Bingo! What took you so long though? I have mentioned it in so many shows when the people go super duper surprised at my accent."

"Hehe… Yeah, it was quite surprising. But, back to the question, what were the lessons you were talking about?"

"Yeah, so … Number one—well these are going to be long ones, hope we are the final people you interview. But number one, Don't lose sight of who you are as a man. Remember that you are a man. Don't blame others for your misfortunes. Take responsibility for your actions and for who you are. Don't whine and don't make excuses. Number two, Be better than the gap. Ryan says this in the movie. So watch it to know. Number three, Details matter. Every. Little. Detail. Matter. Last but not least, Attitude and confidence are everything! So, what I can say for everyone who is listening is…. If you're a man, be a man."

Chad said while raising the glass of champagne in his hand. Alexa and her date nodded and clapped.

The theory of 'man' could have gotten in the wrong senses to sue Chad, but what he was saying was based on the movie. And in fact, it was common not just for men, but also for every person as an individual.

The comments that were written on U-Tube for this video were quite impressive. The temptation for people to watch the movie basically multiplied by thousands.

[@Loveaddicted.No]

I don't know where to begin with! The whole thing about the premiere is starting to fill up my recommendation list. So, I just clicked this because I saw Chad with a huge smile and a total fan of Lucifer. Now, I want to watch Crazy, Stupid, Love so BADLY!

[@Yourmommas.apple]

No one:

Literally no one:

Lucifer Morningstar: I learned things, and so should you. Be a man.

[@JeffreyRolls]

I went to the premiere. Ryan and Scarlett were so cute! I wish someone would put up that video because trust me, it is worth watching! They were so close and whispering and all that couple stuff! Can't wait to watch the movie!!

[@LAlover]

What- Why?! This video is e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e! Not that I'm complaining but man… Steve Carell was hilarious during his interview! Who saw it?! I want someone to put it up… Please! Also, Chad…. The dude's accent is hotter than my entire face!

It was just a few hours after the premiere. Because how the entire premiere was live telecasted almost everywhere, the people were already going crazy.

Ian's lucky factor with this movie was how there was no other competitive movie released on the same date.

The entire Hollywood spotlight was on Crazy, Stupid, Love.

Although there was a single movie that had the release dates closer to Crazy, Stupid, Love—since it was a horror movie, it wouldn't be much of a problem considering the genres never collided.

It was only a matter of fact till the word gets spread throughout Hollywood about how good the movie would be.

Then naturally, everything else comes to their side.

-

In Culver City, in a two-story house, there lived a couple who have married exactly seven years ago.

With no blessing with kids, their marriage was on the verge of splitting. Both of them were frustrated whenever they were with each other.

Yet, one of them still had undying feelings. The husband.

"Hey honey, I'm home!" He said and walked inside the house.

There was no response from her. Walking inside the house which was neatly arranged, he saw that she was watching the television while the snacks were in her hand.

"Mhm," she hummed.

"How was your day?" He asked.

This has been ongoing for almost two years. Yet, they didn't want to separate because of how they kept trying for a kid.

"Alright-" She said with a mouth full of snacks.

"Hmm…" He said and walked around the kitchen counter.

"So, can we talk?" He asked.

She nodded and turned the television off. They didn't hate each other, but simply the spark was gone.

And when two love birds tied the knot of marriage, the next step which would keep their marriage successful is a kid. The situation was unlucky, yet they both were loyal to each other for the sake of their pasts.

"Is everything okay?" She asked. Although she was the one to bring the topic, 'divorce' from time to time, his eyes looked serious.

"Yeah, honey, do you remember the last time we went on a date? Like an actual date… Not just your mom's or my mom's. But just the two of us?"

She shook her head.

"I have a surprise!" He said while taking the tickets for the first show in their local theatre.

"Wha- What?! Are you for real?!" She asked enthusiastically. "I… I have been thinking about asking you out for a date for the month. I'm sorry I didn't bring that up, but you're working so hard, and I didn't feel like making things harder for you. But a movie sounds perfect to me…"

She said and took the tickets.

'Crazy, Stupid, Love' The ticket had the name of the movie which made her grin stupidly.

'She is the same as she was,' he thought and smiled at her.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Captain TC, has finally turned on the 'Vote with PowerStone' sign.

If you haven't already done so, please click that 'vote' thing on your screen. Also, make sure to put your seatbelt in so that you'll get the next update as a notification in your screen panel.

If you are seated next to an emergency exit, and on the verge of shutting your phone off, just know that the director (Ian) you have been following for months, is now about to take a flight to reach the crown of Hollywood.

We remind you that this is a non-smoking flight. Smoking is prohibited on the entire aircraft, including the lavatories. Tampering with, disabling, or destroying the lavatory smoke detectors is prohibited by law.

If you have any thoughts about our flight today, please don't hesitate to let the author know, since she loves to know your thoughts and ideas.

Thank you!"

[Final system notification before take-off: Join the discord server, so that the landing might be easy with no bumpy phase; https/discord.gg/DGPX5QzRqv]

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The movie was finally out.

Five words explain more than five thousand words to elaborate on what was going through the minds of Hollywood fans.

There were a few different reasons which made the fans hype up the movie. The main reason was how Ryan and Scarlett had acted and made people's curiosity increase about the little game they participated in, and then the incidents that happened in the premiere took a huge turn.

"I'm glad that we invited all of them. And considering how Jeff had a straight face throughout the night, I can understand what was he thinking," Ian said for Mason to hear.

Mason said nothing but nodded.

A few seconds passed, and the silence was from time to time disturbed by the tapping sounds of Ian's keyboard.

"I think the premiere went too great that I can imagine the numbers of the first twenty-four hours. I can even bet on it, no joking."

"Haha… I know uncle. But again, I'm pretty sure this movie would give a great beginning if people watch it till the end. Avatar trailer would make people run wild in interest. It's new. It's fresh, and my main focus is on the reaction to Avatar instead of Crazy, Stupid, love,"

"Yeah, that makes sense too. Have you thought about our plans to open the branches of our company? We discussed this the other day."

"Well yeah, uncle. But for that, I have to request something," Ian said making Mason frown in question.

"What is it?"

"I need to buy all the shares of the studio. I mean, the majority of the shares. But that too, only if you're willing," Ian said knowing that Mason would make Ian the majority shareholder.

"Hmm… What made you come to his decision?" Mason asked.

"Well, uncle. Don't take the idea in a bad way, but I honestly am planning to extend the name of Renner Studio. The plans I have in mind are huge and I want to have the majority of the shares so that I could make my own decisions."

Mason smiled at his words. "I was thinking of doing the same thing, Ian. I'm not getting younger either, although this company shares would be yours after I retired, I agree with you. I just wanted to see your reaction if I asked why you want the shares. And the plans you have in mind, I'm sure they'll be great as every idea you have.

I was your yes-man, and while you shared what you wanted me to do, I was thinking of retiring at the end of this year too. All I wanted was to see the studio shining once again as it used to. But I gotta see it getting even better than your dad and I could have ever done. All thanks to you, so… We'll arrange the papers to shift the share ownership to you." Mason said with a smile that stretched the wrinkles on his face.

Ian nodded and smiled along. "You were more than a yes-man, uncle." He said.

It was true, Ian did not know who Mason was before his entire life was reborn into another body. But to achieve his dreams, Mason was someone who helped to build the staircase which Ian had to climb.

Which was also why hearing Mason's words, stung a corner of Ian's heart.

They both kept talking about old days and new days yet to come. Nevertheless, they both had smiles while they walked out of the office room that day.

-

At Kaykay theatre, San Diego.

Outside the theatre, among the crowd of people who were already in the queue to watch the movie, there was a girl who wore a plain black t-shirt with a black pair of jeans.

She looked as if she was in the runaway show to define the word, 'gothic'.

-Hello, no mom.

-Yeah, the thriller movie. The queue is kinda long.

-Am I sure for what?

-Oh, no, let me ask.

She tapped the shoulder of the guy who was in front of her.

"What's the movie this queue is for?"

"Hello there, the movie is by Ian Renner. Starring Ryan Gosling, Crazy, Stupid, Love."

"Okay–"

-You heard him, right?

-Okay, I'll call you.

And then, she had no choice but to wait in the queue. It wasn't because she had 'no choice in the literal meaning, but she wanted to watch the movie in which the queue was longer than any movie she watched.

"Where are you from?" The guy turned back and asked.

"Anywhere but where you came from. Walk forward," She said and looked away.

'I wish there was a girl in front of me' She thought to herself. Yes, she was not into guys.

They were finally inside the movie theatre, and the movie began.

-

At Railway Theatre, Bakersfield.

The theatre for the movie was already filled, and it was almost the end of the movie.

"Hey, Nanna."

"Hey, Robbie."

"Hey, Nanna."

"Hey, cutie."

"WHAT THE HELL IS A NANNA!?" Jacob asked in confusion.

"It's me, I couldn't pronounce Hannah when I was little -- wait, so how do you know my dad?"

...

The entire crowd laughed loudly. Some of the crowd had their hands placed on their mouth covering from laughing loudly, and some of the others already were in tears.

The best part is yet to come, yeah?

"Dad, this is my boyfriend, Jacob."

"No. No. No. No." Cal, a character in the movie said loudly.

...

"Ahahahhahahahhahha!" A fat man in the audience laughed loudly making everyone around him—and in the entire theatre laugh their literal ass off.

After a few good minutes of laughter, the scene changed to where the cops came and tried to calm the situation.

"Look, I'm just gonna write domestic disturbance reported but all clear, okay? Cause honestly, I don't even know what to put down here."

"Just... simmer down, okay? We all have arguments, but if you're gonna fight -- just do it inside. Keep it in the family, okay?"

That final statement was it.

Jacob snarfed down a laugh and Cal glared at him.

...

"Oh my God! I can't….Ahahhaaah! My favorite scene so far!" Another woman was loud while laughing.

"I'll kill you!" Carl, which was a character said in the screen while the cops shrugged at each other.

And that was what anyone would call, meme-material.

-

By the time around 1 am to 3 am, Nwitter was blowing up. The ongoing trends were too hilarious and serious to ignore.

[@Isleptwithyoumother]

Hands down one of my favorite movies of all time. It's HILARIOUS with a dramatic side that perfectly intertwines. The characters are thoughtfully intertwined with each other and the storyline is not easily guessed. Unlike many movies where we as the audience know what's happening before the characters do-we find out things as they do it's both amazing and memorable. The acting is incredible and I have and could watch it again and again!

End of the review, go people go, watch #Crazystupidlove #Newrelease #IanRenner

[@Seriously.no]

Love is unpredictable, unexpected and above all, crazy! A recently divorced man tries to find himself after losing his wife and hoping to find love again. @Ian Renner, if you're seriously reading these or at least has any idea of what we're talking about…. This is so good! #crazystupidlove #watch #hollywood

The trending hashtags were #CrazyStupidLove. It was no joke how every one of the American's Nwitter was literally invaded with that hashtag.

Hopping on the trend, wanting to grab more attention, Ian nwitted, typing a thank you to each and everyone who had enjoyed and shared their feelings.

[@Ian Renner]

Thank you for all the tags, and by the first day itself, I can say how many of you loved the movie. It was really wonderful to see all these reactions. If you still haven't watched it, let me tell you…. Go watch, #CrazyStupidLove.

10.1k people re-nwitted

45k likes

7.5k people replied

One hour and even Ian's nweet was trending. What. An. Opening.

-

It's A Movie website was known to be the main website that reviewed every new movie. IAM was something that saved money for the common people, letting them know if the movie was trash and IAM was also a website that brought so many good movies closer to the people, making them fall in love with them.

Out of all the reviews, Ian who had been scrolling online websites and reviews caught a review, which he liked and pressed 'like' along with 5k other people.

- Review by the director, R. M. Jan

An all-star cast leads this modern-day take on Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, with all the wrong people falling in love, giving the audience an insightful study of amour in all its various complexities.

I was first introduced to the talents of Scarlett in a superhero movie called As the Batman Begins. I could never have predicted that she would go on to grace the big screen. But grace it she has, and this film showcases her wide range of emotional expression.

Micheal Rick is delightful as the outspoken, plucky eighth grader. Steve Carell's character truly tugs at your heartstrings, especially in the very poignant scene where he is standing in the backyard of the family home, and watching as his wife calls him to get instructions on how to turn on the water heater, which he can see was an excuse just to phone him.

With clever dialogue and lots of dry humor, this is a fun and relaxing way to spend an evening. Highly recommended. You will not be disappointed! 5/5 stars.

A/N;

Man! I had quite an eventful day. Tired asf!

hope everyone is doing fine! share your thoughts. let me know what you wanna read in HK, so I can write them :))

don't forget to vote with powerstones!

support the author by subscribing to my -/TC_L

also, join the discord server, there are many characters, you can even meet me. I'm pretty chill :))

Ah, have a nice day/night! take care people!

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[Support the author by subscribing to the - page; also read 6,7, or 12 advance chapters! -/TC_L]

The word of the trailer of Avatar being released was everywhere.

"People are so curious about Avatar. I mean, more than half of the reviews are based on how surprising and good the trailer looked. I wouldn't be surprised if Avatar hit one million box office numbers in a day. Like, that is how good the movie did." Niko was talking with Raelynn.

Their offices were the closest among the others.

"Ian is very smart. The focus was already on Crazy, Stupid, Love. And then, this brought even more attention. I'm genuinely surprised and shook by how these reviews are," Raelynn said while scrolling down her tablet where many reviews were about the movie release.

"Yeah, see this one!"

The trailer at the end… When I thought the movie couldn't get any better. And, that looks really fantastically fantabulous. I can't wait till its release. Ian Renner was that one very needed person in the industry of Hollywood for how much he had done to the industry. And the trailer looked extremely fresh, and as a movie editor, I myself can't wait till I get to taste the entire movie. Looking forward, really.

"This was not the first one by people in the industry, you know. Like, there were already many comments from directors, actors…Ah, the names just kept getting better. But, Avatar… I know it's going to be special."

"Yeah, the movie is fresh. Like animated cartoons do exist, but an animated movie… The technology we used, that's a very fresh idea. Things just keep getting better—" Niko said while his palm was placed on his cheek. " —Can I please get two cups of coffee? Plain and Iced."

"Coming right up," The woman from the other end of the intercom replied.

"Isn't Ian dating? I mean, he is successful in every way. Is there any glimpse or a hint about him having any sort of affair?" Raelynn asked looking directly at Niko.

"Are you interested?" Niko asked back with a smile curling up on his face.

"What? No," She chuckled. "I'm just curious. Like, he is successful yet—"

"The thing is Rae," Niko cut her off shortly. "He IS successful. Yes. But still, according to him, there's more to achieve. Ever noticed how original and fresh his ideas are?"

"I appreciate them ALL the time."

"Exactly. And this is barely the start. He has so many plans to do with this studio, and his own career as well. A love interest would be a distraction, and I'm not saying Ian is goal-oriented, but until he reaches where he wants to go with his career, there's a high possibility he won't settle."

"That explains a lot… No chance for me then," Raelyn wiped fake tears.

They both laughed together and were interrupted by their coffee.

"Here you go, and here." The worker who brought the coffee said with a pleasant smile.

"Thank you" "Thanks"

"Anyway, back to the main topic. What do you think about the script Ian gave in the morning? He was planning to get another director to work on it, but we can talk about it right?" Niko said while taking a sip from his coffee.

-

"No dude, I'm not into romance or some shit. But many fans are taking up on the fact Ian's new movie trailer is at the post-credits of the movie. And, that movie, is a collaboration with Goofy."

"Huh, say what?!" The guy wearing a black coat was clueless.

"Don't tell me you didn't read the reviews before coming to nag me about being a lovesick puppy,"

"What more can I even say—"

"It's not even what's important. Many say the VFX team of Goofy did a GREAT job with the movie. The trailer spoke a lot. And from what I know, Goofy's VFX team is one of the best in the world. I mean, every banger Goofy has ever released has a huge part to do with VFX and CGI."

"Using your analytical skills, huh?"

Both the men were from an analytical department in a certain company. The breaks they get from time to time were rare. And even during them, the first thing the 'guy' who knew about the trailer wanted to discuss was the new craze shining over the heads of Hollywood fans.

"It was pretty simple, to be honest. And, I was really hoping that it's worth the time. Not like we get full weekends off. My cousin was talking about the trailer non-stop."

"Yeah well, dude… Let's watch the movie this weekend."

The other guy just nodded.

He was a huge fan of movies. It was mainly because how movies were an escape from the rough reality.

His job was not easy, all he had to do was spend time analyzing and processing data.

What more could help such a person other than a good movie and popcorn?

-

Savannah Theatre, Santa Monica, California.

"It was a rocky road by the way," Tracy said on the large screen in front of the audience.

"No!"

As they were joking and arguing about what flavor the ice cream was, the camera pulled back.

Off to the side, Robbie stepped away from his friends and watched them enjoy one another's company.

He smiled.

The camera faded out.

THE END

"Oh wow…"

"That was gooooood!" Another person yawned.

"Ah! It's over!" Another person put their hands up above his head and yawned.

"Dude, drop the hands, the show is not over!" One man behind the rows shouted at the man.

"What?!"

Intense movie playing on the screen_

Every pair of eyes turned to watch the screen. Some were dumbfounded, and some were anticipating.

"Jake Sully?"

A rough voice came through the speakers, as the man on the screen opened his eyes.

"I'd like to talk to you about a fresh start, in a new world," As the words were narrated in the background, a handsome man in a wheelchair was shown making his way through people.

"We're making a difference."

A man in a suit was talking.

"...I told myself I can pass any test…"

The entire story started to unravel through its mind-blowing scenes. The scenes that Ian thought would grab attention, started to play in little clips.

The music was intense and made hearts beat faster.

"...You should not be here!" It was Zoe's character.

"Fuck!"

"Man…!"

"Look at that…!"

People whispered among themselves.

"Goosebumps for god's sake!"

FROM IAN RENNER

The name Ian appeared in a mysterious blue color, zooming outside the focal point.

THE DIRECTOR OF

HOME ALONE

BATMAN BEGINS

LA LA LAND

Many people were clutching their own hands. It was intense. The entire audience was paused while the names came to the screen in a blink with scenarios of aliens, fighting, guns, running, growling….and whatnot.

"They've sent us a message! That they can take whatever they want!" The voice narration echoed yet was clear.

"AND WE WILL SEND THEM A MESSAGE!"

"THAT THIS… THIS IS ALL OURS!"

The music kept getting louder and louder.

Finally, Jake's Avatar jumped to one of the dragons while it carried him away with a loud wind-gushing noise.

AVATAR

The music dropped.

Written and directed by,

Ian Renner

In cooperation with,

Goofy. Inc.

July 1st.

Avatar movie. com

The screen blacked out. The lights of the theatre turned out. Everyone was in the same spots as they were before, yet their minds were 'literally' blown away.

This was the first time any director had ever introduced another movie by the release of a movie.

Some were already waiting for it, and others were simply shaken by it. A good kind of shook.

"Wooooooooo!"

"That was so good!"

A cheer erupted in the crowd. People clapped and some were already recording the trailer from the movie's end.

"I can't believe it! The technology…. Wow!"

"Shivers! Shivers! Shivers! Fuck!"

"Man…. Aliens! Oh my God!"

-

The goofy company, the office of the CEO.

"I can't believe this is working so well!" Jeff Sanson was talking to his assistant.

The assistant just nodded at his words.

Jeff stood up from where he was and walked around the office. The numbers in the box office for Crazy, Stupid, Love were hitting their peak.

And the word among the general public about the trailer of Avatar was already doing an amazing job.

"Sixty-nine-thirty three… It got into the top 5 movies at the box office. The director was talking about how he'd like to have a word with you tomorrow, should I schedule it?"

Sixty-nine-thirty-three was a thriller movie that was distributed by Goofy. Although the director was different, team B of VFX had a huge role in the movie.

Nevertheless, it was right behind two positions where Crazy, Stupid, Love was. But the real deal would be when the thriller movie takes over Crazy, Stupid, Love considering how Goofy already made plans to buy extra screenings for the movie.

"Ah, sure. Do it…" He said with his eyes on the standing library in his office. He was thinking. "Ian Renner… This is something I should have expected." He talked to himself. "Seeing the man's debut, his ideas are very…."

"Original," His assistant completed the sentence.

"Yeah, original."

Jeff said and smiled to himself.

-

A/N; One more chapter coming up! To get another bonus chapter all you gotta do is, support HK by voting with a Powerstones!

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[Mature content ahead!]

"Please come in, Scarlett. How have you been doing?" Ian asked adjusting his chair so he was straightaway facing Scarlett.

"I've been doing great, thank you. The box office numbers are quite high within the first forty-eight hours, so it is a great achievement, I can say."

She smiled wearing her Junoesque red lipstick.

Ian cleared his throat, noticing how her tongue glided across her lips.

"Yeah, so what I wanted to say is… I have another role for you. The lead of my next movie, the script would be ready within a week or two,"

"I'm down."

She said right away. Ian frowned at how straightaway she gave the answer even without thinking what sort of a role it would be.

But for her, Ian was someone for who she was thankful for her entire career. From where she was before—crying in the streets due to the failed auditions to a B-ranked actress in just two movies.

Therefore, she respected him a lot. Yet, there was this feeling bubbling up in her from time to time, which she couldn't let go of considering what she had in mind for Ian.

"What if the story was bad? You really should give it a read once, don't hurry?"

"You have proved to everyone in the industry that whatever idea you have in your mind, is worth executing to a movie, series, or any sort of entertainment source. Because that is why I think you are so talented. And, I'm honestly down to any movie idea you have in mind because for all I have said yes, I gained nothing but more and more career points in the industry. So, why not?"

'Even at first I was reluctant at the idea of sleeping with this man in front of me, but now…. I'm not sure.' She thought to herself.

"I think you are one of the best workers in the field," he begins then, eyeing her carefully. "A generous, kind person, but also tough as nails. If you want something, you grab it and you get it, but you're not a cutthroat. I appreciate that."

With a smirk, Scarlett slowly puts her hand to her chest and carefully opens the top of her neat, classic blouse.

"That's about my personality. What about my looks?" She could swear there is a sheen of sweat on Ian's forehead.

"I don't exactly think it's an appropriate topic to touch upon," he dodges, making Scarlett flash a grin and step closer. Ian moves on his chair away from the table, and Scarlett stands in front of him, her ass touching the hardwood.

"Would it be more appropriate if I showed you more to talk about?" she inquires seductively, opening another button.

"You definitely are a classic, Scarlett," Ian says, staring at her chest, as he realizes what she is trying to do.

"Because I'm trying to seduce a director?"

"Is that what you're trying to do?" he teases with a smirk.

"I guess I'm that obvious," she acknowledges, making Ian chuckle. "Is it working though?"

"You have no idea," Ian glances at his crotch, and Scarlett gasps as her gaze immediately follows his. The bulge in his pants leaves no room for doubt. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes, now, how about we do that classic thing then?" Scarlett suggests, barely able to contain the prickling excitement in her.

"Which one?"

"You know, the one where the boss and the employee fuck on the table?"

In response, Ian finally leaves his sitting position and stands right in front of her. Without further questions or games, his hand slides into her hair and his lips claim hers.

It's everything she imagined and more, the way his lips devour hers as she does her best to respond in sync, and his tongue dives into her mouth and explores it with passion.

"Oh, Scarlett," Ian says once his lips leave hers, but only to kiss her again between words. "Why do I think you've waited for this for so long?"

"Maybe because it's true?"

"So we do the classic thing then?"

"Oh, yes."

Scarlett bites her lip as she hastily unbuttons her blouse the rest of the way, then shrugs it off her shoulders. Ian follows up, getting out of his shirt. His pants are the next thing discarded, simultaneously with her skirt, then their boots.

When Scarlett reaches behind her to open her bra, Ian stops her with a firm grip.

"Allow me," he says almost pleadingly.

With a smirk of understanding, Scarlett lets him do the job. Ian doesn't rush, seeming to savor every moment as he unclasps her bra and slowly peels the laces off her shoulders, then carefully discards the item and drapes it on the back of his chair.

"You have such glorious breasts, Scarlett," he declares, making her blush with pride. Her breasts are one of the areas in her body she likes the most, and Scarlett appreciates the acknowledgment.

"Hope no one barges in," Ian joked.

"Mhm… Don't worry," She said with a slight chuckle.

Then his lips are on her right nipple and she gasps in satisfaction. Ian's steady hand cups her other breast while his hungry mouth explores the right one, and Scarlett is glad to bury her fingers in his short hair.

"Tastes so good," Ian mutters. "Such a delicate skin."

Scarlett moans when his mouth closes around her left nipple and he sucks at it, then his fingers descend to her panties and Scarlett moves a bit to grant him access for taking them off.

"Damn, you're beautiful," he praised, staring as Scarlett widens her legs, then he kneels in front of her and throws her legs onto her shoulders. "So pretty," he continues, just to then swipe his sharp tongue across her folds.

The feeling is so pleasant that Scarlett can hardly sit anymore, so she lies back on the table, propping herself up on her elbows.

Ian maintained a steady grip on her sides as his tongue did wonders to her sensitive areas, and Scarlett knew it was only a matter of time before she would come. She starts losing her breath when Ian inserts one finger inside her, then another, and thrusts them in and out as he sucks at her clit.

"More, yes, like this," she mumbles, encouraging him to not stop until she reaches her peak. The heated tension in her whole essence gradually becomes unbearable, and then it snaps, an extremely powerful release taking the whole of her into forgetting everything else in the world.

Somewhere in the back of her mind Scarlett knew she had never come harder than at this moment, sprawled out on her boss' table. And the incredibly hot director exhales smugly, his face still near her throbbing center.

"Good, Scarlett," he wondered then, and she propped up higher to stare at him, her vision slightly clouded by her happiness.

"Perfect," she says, then glances at his tented underwear.

"Want anything else?" Ian teased, looking at the same place.

"You know damn well what I want," Scarlett answers.

Ian puts her legs down and stands up, then assists Scarlett in taking off his underpants. His cock is fairly large, fully hard, and immediately needed in her pussy.

"Got condoms?" she asks, and Ian reaches into the drawer.

"Always prepared," he says, rolling the latex onto his penis.

"Waiting for this?" Scarlett teases, the suggestion making her heart race faster than it should.

"For you," Ian lied right through his teeth, but the moment felt right to say. Scarlett isn't in the mood for any real thinking at the moment though.

"Then give me what you got," she says, spreading her legs as wide as she can in her sitting position.

With a grin, Ian lines himself up with her and pushes in, and Scarlett clutched his shoulders to keep him closer.

"Lie down, Scarlett," he instructed, pushing her to settle with her back on the table again, and Scarlett gladly obliged. Settled above her, he begins to thrust. Slowly at first, just to pick up the pace as Scarlett wraps her legs around his waist and her hands around his back.

"Oh," she groans in satisfaction, feeling Ian's cock hit the special spot inside of her, making her see stars with each move. It's everything she wanted and more, and Scarlett is beyond happy to let herself be lost in the pleasure.

Ian is obviously in the same state, taking her with abandon, grunting and groaning as his pace becomes wild and the best sort of crazy. Scarlett relished in it, in the slick and comfortable slide of his cock between her walls, as Ian surpassed all of her expectations with his sexual skills.

Her release washes over her in a wave, making Scarlett cry out in delight as her whole body slackened into the bliss, and just a couple of thrusts later Ian follows, stilling with a groan and releasing an exhale of satisfaction.

"You're bloody brilliant," he groans as his cock leaves her depths and Ian stands in front of the table and helps Scarlett sit up.

"So, are you" she laughs, leaning in to kiss him again. "Another round?" she asks as she glances down at his still hard cock, her eyes twinkling with excitement.

"I can do this all day if you like, babe."

"Now, that's more like it," Scarlett smiled smugly. "Just for you, Mr. Renner," she said as she got up and bent over the table, presenting her gorgeous ass to him, shaking it a little. "Pound me, till I can't move anymore!"

Ian didn't waste any more time, as he lined himself again and thrust inside her sweet, tight cavern again eliciting a scream of pleasure from the gorgeous redhead.

A/N; Scarlett and Ian... Who thought? Y'all for sure ;)

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Red Marine Restaurant, Beverly Hills.

After their little moment in Ian's office, they agreed to talk about the movie, plot, and the role that Ian had in mind for her.

Although it had already been thirty minutes since they both walked in from the main entrance, there was no awkward pause or silence after everything they did during the daytime.

"...As I was saying, I'll explain and go through the movie… the basic idea of what it is going to be, and then let's focus on your role."

"Yeah, sure." Scarlett agreed while sipping the glass of water that was in front of her.

"Excuse me, sir," A waiter interrupted them as soon as they were ready to talk about the movie script.

"Thanks." "Thank you." Both of them thanked him politely, while he kept the dishes they had ordered for the dinner.

The entire restaurant was silent. Although there were talks, chit-chats, and different whispers spreading among people who sat in different places, the environment wasn't too noisy or loud. It was perfect to talk about a movie—something Ian always looks forward to.

"Enjoy," He said politely while walking away.

"Hmm… Yes, so, the movie genre is a romantic drama—" Ian said while he served her food first, and while talking he kept serving himself food too. What could possibly go wrong with seafood—allergies? Scarlett said she had none. "I would not be the one who is directing. Yet to decide that. And, the story is basically about an incisive and compassionate look at a marriage breaking up--and a family staying together."

"Hmm… Interesting," She said while nodding.

"Charlie, a New York-based director and his actress wife Nicole, which is the role I have planned for you… are getting divorced. She takes their son Henry and goes to her hometown of Los Angeles to shoot a TV pilot, and despite their agreement to not use lawyers, hires high-powered divorce attorney Nora. The most contentious point is living in LA or New York - Charlie believes they are. New York family and Nicole had always wanted to go back to LA and Charlie never listened to her. When his back gets up against the wall and unable to win New York residency for Henry, Charlie hires an aggressive attorney Jay leading to the fight getting extremely vicious and personal. Eventually, the two settle, Charlie takes some directing jobs in LA, Nicole becomes successful and Emmy-nominated for her own directing and the two are able to balance their new arrangement wistfully." Ian explained to her.

"That is… Realistic. With proper production, I bet it can turn out to be wholesome."

"Yeah, and the main questions of the movie revolve around…. Why are love's wounds so deep, and cruelly painful? In the end, is love always forever?"

"That is smart to ask. How about the character Nicole? What is she like?"

"Yep, I was getting right to it," Ian said while sipping from his glass of water. "Nicole is… As you have already guessed, independent. But there's more to her. Her character is portrayed to be very caring, but not particularly strong-willed. When she's not focused on raising Henry or on honing her acting in Charlie's plays to perfection, she mostly abides by Charlie's decisions. In the process of the divorce, Nicole is beginning to find her voice as an actress, mother, and independent woman."

"Wow… I feel her," Scarlett said after chewing on her food—mouth closed.

-

"Did you get the shot?"

"No, her back is turned towards us… Ah, can we move to the other side?!"

"OH… FUCK! LIFT ME UP!" The reporter with the camera fell into the bush outside the restaurant.

"Watch where you're going, dude. We can't risk our story. This is going to be groundbreaking."

Camera clicks* *Camera clicks x 2*

"Ah, perfect. She is pretty close. I mean, Ian always goes for the prettiest ones… Did you see them kissing? Maybe when I was looking away?"

"N-no, I don't think so. They'd make cute babies–"

The glare of the other guy made this dude shut up in an instant.

"Ah, Ian held her hand… Take it, take it, take it!"

Camera clicks*

"Fucking perfect—"

"Excuse me, sir, what are you both doing here? Are you a reporter? Let me call security. This is a private area,"

A waiter came running towards them while the reporters ran backward to where their car was parked.

Nevertheless, the waiter who took a few steps forward to watch what he was watching, saw that they were looking at Ian and Scarlett. 'Oh Shit!' he thought and made a quick mind task to let them know before they leave.

No matter who comes in and out of the restaurant, it was partially their duty to not let them have a bad moment of any sort. And the waiter knew that if he didn't let Ian know about what just happened, there was a high possibility things could get worse for Scarlett—he was a Hollywood fan himself.

-

"...Ahaha, I can't believe there are still rumors flying around everywhere about me and Ryan. I mean, they did the same about Christian and me after Batman. But I wonder how long it'll take for it to die down," Scarlett said while taking a sip from the wine that Ian had just ordered and brought.

"Well, the thing is… Those are pretty normal."

"I know, but imagine every interview you face… 'Are you dating this person?' 'How is it going with the name of the person they assume?'. It gets really annoying after a point, not that I complain—"

"It's no fun either, I get you."

After saying that to Scarlett, Ian saw a waiter standing a few feet away, looking at them—his body expressions showed that the waiter was waiting to say something. Since their food was over, he was standing afar, and Ian frowned.

"Uh- excuse me. Give me a second." He stood and walked towards the sink. The man stood a few feet away. "Hey?" Ian asked, taking him totally off-guard.

"Y-yes, sir. Mr. Renner right? Sir, I'm a huge fan of yours. This behavior is not allowed while I'm on duty, but there's something I gotta say to you." He said while looking here and there yet was talking in just above a whisper.

"Thank you, and it's alright. I'll take care of something like your manager comes up. What is it that you wanted to tell?"

"There were reporters outside the restaurant. They had cameras and everything, also I'm pretty sure this would go viral tonight or tomorrow. And, when I was getting closer to them, I think it was already late and they had taken plenty of pictures of you and Ms. Scarlett. So—"

"Ah I see, thank you so much for letting me know," Ian said while digging into his pocket and tipping the waiter.

"Oh no no-"

Ian smiled in return and placed it on his hand.

'And well, I've got to say to her' He thought while scratching the back of his neck in uneasiness while walking towards her.

"I've got to tell you something—"

"Reporters were here, weren't they?" Scarlett asked with a smirk. Ian wasn't shocked or surprised. Scarlett. Was. Smart. He knew it.

She was also aware of how the rumors of Ryan and Scarlett would die down after the public became aware of the dinner with Ian.

-

The next day, it was no coincidence but the day of voting.

After months worth of campaign, it was finally the day when a lot of things for Christopher Grey would be revealed.

The man was not bad at all. Unpopular opinion, not all politicians are bad. On the good side, there was Christopher. He had done lots of good things for many people including kids, college students, and then for the public in general.

Yet again, what he lacked was people to back him up.

For his luck, and Ian's fortune, he found Ian. As this was mentioned quite a few times, the deal they had was two ways.

"It's the polling day, isn't it?" Ian asked cheerily as he walked inside the office where Mason, Raelynn, and Niko were seated.

"Sir, you have a few emails you need to attend to. Also, Mr. Grey called twice. He said it wasn't something urgent, yet wanted to talk to you," Murphy said for which Ian nodded.

Murphy walked out with his tablet.

"Ah, the dude must be nervous. This is his first proper election." Ian said. In his mind, he thought about what possibly would be Ian's future if Christopher won the election.

He had his own plans—nothing evil, for your information. Yet something that could possibly help Ian to come to the top of Hollywood.

"Yeah, try giving him a call. We can all go to the election stations together. Everyone has registered right?" Mason asked while the two nodded.

Ian walked outside the office to attend his call.

"It is going to be an interesting day, I feel it," Raelynn said while taking her phone from her pocket.

"Hmm… Elections are always fun until someone fuck the state over. But yeah, Christopher is a nice man, I was not paid for this advertisement."

"He should've. You were good."

-

A/N; Vote using powerstones to keep HK going! You can also join the discord server to see character images hang out with me! Hehe, have a nighty night, folks!

Ian and Scarlett... Scarlan? Or... Ialett?

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12.17 a.m.

'Ah, why do I always want to complete scripts at night?!' Ian scolded his nocturnal self.

Leaning back in his chair, he turned his head left and right to stretch.

Looking at the screen in front of him, he realized that he was nowhere near the end. 'This is going to take some more time, might as well as bring a coffee to keep company.'

Ian's thoughts were completely a mess. His mind library was being updated every now and then, keeping things neat, yet the headache he get while going through it was unbearable. It was almost the same while rewriting scripts.

Walking down the stairs, the lights turned on, and all Ian wanted was to make a cup of coffee that could keep him alive and kicking until he decides 'that's it for today.'

While walking and making his coffee, he was thinking about the actors for the movie itself.

Since he was always the casting director, he had to make sure the perfect role was taken by someone who could build up the character in their own way.

Ian never wanted to just 'copy' the movie from his original world, but he wanted to add his own touch to whatever he created.

After creating a few movies and getting both positive and negative critics, he realized that it was not just about fulfilling the wishes of the people from his previous world—especially not just taking the points of the previous world people, but also adapting them to fit this world.

The people in this world had their own views on movies based on popular movies.

Nevertheless, he knew experimenting with movies could possibly bring out more good in Hollywood—the major experiment would be Avatar, which was supposed to be released within one month.

-

"What is this even?" Mason asked as he shook his head scrolling down the internet.

Mason was in his office alone. And yes, for the shock after reading the articles, comments, and everything, he was shocked.

There were pictures of Ian. But not alone, with Scarlett. They were laughing, holding hands, and talking over the meal they were sharing.

Mason couldn't help but smile at the pictures. He was aware of what kind of a young man Ian was, playful, and romantic yet responsible for his actions, which was also the reason for his smile.

'I'm pretty sure the dude knows what is going on behind his back' Mason thought while trying to read the comments which were both positive and negative, yet the old man also knew these sorts of scandals are stuff that the Hollywood fans looked forward to.

"Can I come in?" his assistant's head peaked through his door.

"Yeah, come in, please. What happened?"

"Mrs. Bird is here. She said she wanted to discuss something in hurry, and the meeting was totally unplanned. Also, it was something about Resident Evil, can I let her in?"

"Yeah, sure. I don't have anywhere else to be right?"

-

Ian was going through vivid emotions after reading the comments everywhere about his little scandal.

Even after two years of being and working in the industry, he still had the habit of knowing what people thought of him, and most of the time… the comments were pretty good.

The fans—especially girls, were head over heels for how talented, charismatic, and good-looking the young director is.

What made Ian laugh was how every time reporters found their way to get something out of every little time he spent with a girl in public. 'They truly have some sort of talent' he thought.

SCARLETT JOHNSON, IAN RENNER; ON A DATE?

The Hollywood fans found another situation to obsess over. Ian Renner the young resident director, talk of the town, the influential young man who climbed his way to the top and continuously kept proving that he deserved to be on top, was found in the Red Marine Restaurant with Scarlett Johnson.

Scarlett Johnson was an actress who was almost invisible in the industry until Ian found and proved her talents.

Revealing that much could possibly open many eyes and give different ideas.

Check the pictures for yourself —-- (Pictures of Ian and Scarlett)

Scarlett Johnson, first came in front of our eyes as Rachel in Batman Begins which was also a movie written and directed by the award-winning director, Ian Renner.

But the question is, did they sleep together? Are they dating? Is this why Scarlett keeps getting roles in movies directed by Ian? Can we expect Scarlett to be in future movies by Ian? (Trust me, the questions are endless)

If the spotlight was to be pointed towards Scarlett, recently there were MANY rumors about how people assumed that Scarlett and Ryan were dating. The way they looked at each other, talked at each other, and even how they behaved in the interviews were taken into notice and the word was spread.

But with this….

The article made Ian almost choke in his own saliva. He was laughing inside due to how the writer had made Ian and Scarlett appear to the public. What made Ian laugh more internally was how he had expected the article to be.

[@Marinewhat: That is one lucky girl over there. If Ian is giving roles considering how good they were in bed, trust me, I give good—ifykyk. Also, I don't think more than half of this article is true. But whatever, good news ]

[@Selena.Twinkle: Now this is going to stay here for a while. Also, she is very beautiful. He is very handsome. Ship name anyone? Ialett? Scarian? Weird]

[@Skyisnotbluebutgrey: Imagine Ian reading all of our comments- haha.. I love you man, date whoever tf you want. We support you, and she is talented so there's nothing to complain about….]

[@Serendipity.wholesome: Yuck, what?! No. A huge ass NO. I don't wanna see this combination, and rather than this… I'd love it if Bale and Scarlett were together. How many actresses were with Ian? Shameless?]

The comments were filtered, yet there was negativity among the supporters. And that was normal, what are we talking about again? Hollywood. This also meant, do not expect 100% support because there's no such thing.

-

It took around two-three days for the hype of Ian and Scarlett's scandal to die down.

It happened only because another actress effed hard while making herself look like a fool in front of the public–on the road. Explaining it from scratch, a B-grade Hollywood actress got into a fight with a person when they had mentioned how poor her acting was.

And that fight became a huge thing which made even top magazines talk about it—making the noise of Ian and Scarlett die down.

But something else kept everyone occupied already. The election results.

This election for the senator position was going to be extremely different from the elections of the past few years and everyone knew it. The parties who held the utmost power inside the public died down considering how the elector Christopher came to the top with the marketing campaigns.

During every one of those, he hadn't forgotten to show what sort of plans he had in mind for the State, which took almost every participant by surprise; because no other elector had straightened up with the guts to truly proceed and show what they wanted to uplift in the State. But Christopher did.

Yet, that made many people get mind-blown. Their views changed, perspectives changed, and especially, their sides changed.

"Good evening, This is breaking news. RCM News now projects Christopher Grey as the winner in this special California Senate election tonight. Christopher Grey, the projected winner beat the candidate, J. F Moor, who had the highest percentage of votes in the last poll—but during the official poll of this year—Christopher Grey succeeded in being the projected winner in the election with a difference of 57,689 votes. The votes are still being calculated. But, Christopher Grey is building the lead.

Let's go to James Parlour at the big board, with the latest number of votes. James Parlour, what do we have?"

"Alright Mike, so what just happened, the votes just counted were around 5000 votes. It was about a third of the remaining votes in California. Christopher won 91% of the votes of the new votes that just came in. So, it pushes Christopher for 51%. Again, still, more than ten thousand votes are to come in California.

You can see the dramatic effect of these updates from the Cali updates shown. There are still votes to come in, and potentially according to estimations, it would be beneficial to Christopher Grey. The opportunity for him to build that lead is north of 50, 000.

And, if we see this, I think it is easily proven. It seems clear right now, how the percentages are because Christopher had built a good lead. A 1.5% threshold can make the margins cross, but realistically, Christopher is the potential winner for now."

Switches off to the black screen*

Ian knew his investments were not at bay. And it was the best news he got so far during the day, which also gave me the confidence to have a peaceful sleep.

Yawning while stretching his hands, he walked up the stairs, to get the sleep he looked forward to.

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At Renner Studio, Head Office, California.

Ian Renner was currently reading and checking the financial statement of the month, considering it was payday.

"Excuse me, sir. Mr. Grey is here," Murphy said with an excited smile.

"Send him in," Ian reciprocated the smile.

Walking in, Christopher had a huge smile plastered on his face. As he was elected as the Senator of California this morning, the next place he traveled was to see Ian.

"Ian." Christopher walked around and pulled Ian for a hug.

"Congratulations, senator. Good to see you right after taking your position."

"I just wanted to say a quick hello. How have things been going?" He asked and took a seat in front of Ian.

"Everything is normal."

"Crazy, Stupid, Love was really a nice watch."

"You watched it? Now that was unexpected," Ian said raising his eyebrow.

"Ah well, what's more, unexpected is how the votes kept increasing from the start. And since I achieved what I waited for, the party will happen tonight. I'll see you then?" Christopher asked.

"Yeah, sure. You look extra young today."

"Haha… Happiness makes people young. And the thing is—"

"Huh?" Ian saw a doubt dancing in his expression.

"Well the thing is, during the entire process, with the campaigns and everything, my colleagues were extra surprised. And, obviously, almost everyone knows you helped me a bit, but the help I received was not a 'bit'. So, I have a feeling that they are going to dig up stuff about our connection. And that is a given."

"Hmm, is that so? They asked from you or are they doing it behind your back?" Ian asked wanting to get quite a grasp of the situation.

If this would eff Christopher up, this would affect Ian's reputation as well.

"Not really, but I have connections in the places they work and stuff. So, I got to hear things. Can't really blame them, the suspicion is legit when I hyped up my campaign. What I'm scared of is that, what if other candidates are connected to this? This would be a huge thing." Christopher said with his expressions more serious than ever.

"Well, don't worry. I have an idea. Tonight's party would not be held at yours but mine. Renner Mansion at Beverly Hills is something basically everyone knows. Would it be hard to spread the word?" Ian asked.

"Not really, but what's your plan? Is this some sort of—"

"Hmm… A formal charity event. But the main theme would be a party to celebrate your victory and to raise funds. During this, I think I can get a hold of some of those colleagues of yours, and make deals."

"Uh, are you sure about this?"

"Yeah, I'm. As I said before, this could benefit both of us, so if you're okay with it, let's hold the function. I can talk with the Charity foundation, so the entire event would be legit." Ian said with a smile.

Christopher understood this. He nodded, "Sure. Are you busy right now? Or can we go grab a coffee?"

"Ah, we don't wanna be seen yet. I'll invite you for lunch later." Ian said with a smile.

Ian knew that even Christopher was aware of the situation, and he asked just to show his generosity, considering it wouldn't have been fair if he just left.

-

Everything was ready for the charity party.

Since it was not a party for a bunch of teenagers, the entire mansion looked gorgeous.

Glass gold was everywhere, and the long table with chairs was neatly kept.

The event was held to raise funds, and Ian had the idea of donating a sizable amount to a few colleagues of Christopher, who wanted to pay close attention to how Christopher had made his dreams come true.

With the clock striking 7.30, guests started filling in.

In a while, many politicians, powerful and from Christopher's political party started to flood the mansion.

Mason, Valerine welcomed the people to the party. Powerful people like the Attorney General of the state of California, the representative of the 3rd district, and senator of the New York City were invited.

That barely summed up who Christopher had invited. Considering all of them were from Christopher's party, Ian had requested Mason and Valerine to take good care of them until Ian arrived.

The party started after a while, and Ian was fashionably late. Since it was a private party, the security was tight and there were no paparazzi involved.

But once he came, he wanted to grab the attention of the people present. At Ian's command, Valerine went ahead and tapped the glass from the spoon.

Clink Clink Clink Clink*

Eyes turned to look at Ian.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I'm Ian Renner, and I hope everyone knows it. Nice to see all these people tonight considering how we all are here gathered to celebrate the victory of Christopher, alongside helping the state with this charity event.

All the donations would straightaway go to the Hope Foundation, which has proved how generous they are with the needy for over twenty-seven remarkable years. Thank you, Mr. White, for being here today. Mr. White is the CEO of Hope Foundation, who was also kind enough to put forward his ideas to help the state's needs.

And if we're talking about my partner, Christopher Grey… He is a kind man. I sure can see him having the entire state in his favor by the next general election. So, congratulations again. Most importantly, have fun everyone!

With that being said, the dance floor is open, please join me!"

Ian said while everyone clapped for which he bowed with a small thank you.

Walking to the dance floor with a lady who stood to his left, he started dancing. Soon, many people joined him yet from the corner of his eyes, he saw how a certain few eyes were focused on him. Instead of smiles, they had frowns on their face. Ian smiled back at the man who wore a black suit, who immediately looked away.

"Mr. Ian, why are you doing this? I thought the party was supposed to be held at the resort. And, it is honestly surprising to see how you and Christopher started a friendship out of nowhere…"

The question took Ian by surprise. Although he was ready with answers to the questions that could have been thrown at him tonight, the straight gesture with the question was something he didn't expect.

Looking at the old man, with a white beard, Ian nodded before replying, making sure to let him know he heard him.

"Well, the thing is, Mr…"

"Jason. Jason Whittaker."

"Mr. Whittaker, well, don't worry about it. A man can have many friends, can't they now?" Ian said with a smirk, which the old man nodded in understanding. He knew exactly what he meant.

Ian's main focus for the night was to get the support and form a power block inside the senate and congress of their own. The man in front of him was yet another very influential person.

"And, the event being held at this place, was completely my idea considering how he wanted to hold a charity event right after his win. And, this was the best idea I could come up with. I'm sorry the initial plans were canceled which honestly had nothing to do with me, but I think this would be a great opportunity to help the people who need the help from the rich of society."

The answer completely shut him off.

"Ian, I watched your latest movie, and you've outdone yourself."

Another lady joined the men who were talking among themselves.

"Ah, thank you. How is your night going?"

[...] The evening went in a good way, and within two hours, Ian had completely secured himself 30% of the congress seats. And almost there to reach his next goal.

"Ah, Ian. Ian! How is it going?" Christopher walked towards Ian with his glass of drink for the night.

"Trust me, better than I expected. The giveaways are quite useful tonight and—"

"The politicians are greedy anyway. There were also those people who worked for some of my colleagues, and the way they kept an eye on me is extremely uncomfortable."

Both of them laughed knowing it was the same for them. Despite Ian's attempts of making friends, he got stares which made the back skin of his neck rise in alert.

"Yeah, well. When will you start things in your position?"

"Day after tomorrow. I'm going to sober up tomorrow, and rest a bit before getting into the position—"

"Christopher and Ian! Aren't these the closest friends?" A woman wearing pink lipstick approached them.

'Ah fuck!' Ian cursed inwardly.

"Mrs. Constantinople, good to see you tonight," Ian said, faking to match her energy.

"Nice to see you here."

"Congratulations, Christopher. To be honest, I think that–" She paused gulping the rest of her drink. "I truly think that you deserve the position. You have proved and created a huge base of people in the public for your good work. And ever since I met you in 2014, you have come quite a long way. The campaigns were well planned, and oh-" she raised her eyebrow at the two silent gentlemen. "Does the campaign have anything to do with you, Ian? Maybe you invested in this politician over here?"

"Oh well, Mrs. Constantinople, our friendship is nothing of your worries, but making friends is something beneficial for everyone here. Isn't it?" Ian asked with a neutral face.

"Of course not, of course not. Ah, Mr. Royce. See you gentlemen around, again, congratulations, Christopher!" She said and walked away.

The main goal of the party was achieved. Yet Ian continued to make connections through and through. 'Powerful friends can never be enough until you know how to play them without getting caught.'

-

A/N: Hm, I'm quite not sure about the political part, but it seemed to be essential. After a few more semi-arcs, and when Ian has 100% political support, there'd be no more political drama, so do not worry. HK is not... about politics. :)

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-

"...So, you invested in other politicians as well?" Mason was quite surprised at Ian's actions from the day prior.

"Yeah, and don't be surprised uncle, that was nothing compared to what I have in mind. The journey to the top is going to be quite tough and in Hollywood, you'd rather be an actor on top than imagine being a director who is on top unless you want to turn some powerful politicians to your side."

"Be careful, Ian. Hollywood is also known to be a place with too many two-faced people. They think one thing and promise another. Unless you have something which can hold them down, don't get involved."

"Wise advice as always, uncle Mason. And don't worry, I'll be completely fine. How is it going with Resident Evil? Are you satisfied with her work?" Ian asked, knowing the worries that ran in Mason's head.

"At first, I thought that she couldn't do it. Like, you do know how people change a lot, talent-wise, skillful, wise, and especially when a director takes a break, it could mean many things including whether they developed or backed down in their skills," Mason said with a sigh.

"But?"

"But she proved me wrong. You have no idea how she handles the set. She is truly a professional."

"An award-winning director doesn't mean nothing, uncle. I can easily bet that she had done the movie two times better than me," Ian said with a wink.

"Why just two times?"

"Haha… I know the movie from the scratch, but from the way she talked about the entire story, I felt freshness. She focused a lot on the subtle points in the book. Even though her script was something very unique, totally did a fair job on the book.

And, she knows well about movie-making techniques since she had been working in the industry for quite some time. A short break made her mind filled with fresh ideas if anything."

"Yeah, true. You should come around the set whenever you're free."

"Ah, I think I might. I have some stuff to do here and there, but that's that. I could make time. And, uncle… About my new movie…"

"Oh yes. Are you done with the script? I think not, considering how we were all pre-booked by the party."

"Yeah—"

"But I'm truly excited to know about the movie. What is it about?" Mason asked.

"Hmm… The title is Marriage Story." Ian said while getting comfortable in his seat. "This is basically about a stage director and his actor wife struggling through a grueling, coast-to-coast divorce that pushes them to their personal and creative extremes. It is quite emotional, to be honest. And, I think this can—"

"Uh wait, can you explain about the characters?" Mason's eyes showed concern. He frowned at his own words, which made Ian worried.

Without thinking about it a lot, Ian explained about the main characters.

Mason sighed loudly. "Ah, then that's not it. This idea is not one hundred percent unique, but what makes it unique is the characters right? I can easily name some movies that have the same premise as this, but yes. This can be different with proper execution of the characters."

Ian nodded. "Yeah, I did my research. I'll send the script once it's done. Also, uncle, the OTT channel, Bee what do you think about it?"

"Huh? BeePlus? Isn't it dying?"

"It is. That is the whole point-"

"Are you thinking of buying it? I mean, it has its app on the phone and everything. The thing which went in negative was how they had a poor decision-making skilled manager. Who allowed any movie or series that was requested? I remember, he was very pleasant to everyone who came to meet him. All he ever wanted was the name of the OTT spreading…"

"Hmm… I haven't heard much about the CEO."

"He is the CEO and content director as well. He chose everything that was distributed through BeePlus. A quiet man, and could easily make him give the platform since it's dying."

"I don't think he'd just give it away though," Ian said while rubbing his thighs from his palms—something he did often when he was thinking about something.

"So you know about it?" Mason asked with a smile forming on his wrinkled face.

"I'm not a dense person, uncle. I search for everything about our company daily. I also know how you have been talking to the CEO recently. What does he say though?" Ian asked.

"Nothing much, he says no, he won't just give it but we can use the channel to distribute something, and he'd help with the production. A useless conversation, but yeah. I don't see it going anywhere."

Ian had the plan of having their own OTT platform for quite a while. To be honest, ever since Lucifer was released.

If that means building something from scratch, it would take a lot of time to spend on it, and also a lot of monetary investment.

But buying something like BeePlus wouldn't be that hard, because later on he obviously can work on it to get it to the top of the OTT platforms.

"Hmm… I'll talk to him within this week. And, I think that this guy was the same person who got into a fight at the Oscars the year before last."

"Ahaha… Dude was drunk…."

-

At Goofy VFX Department, Main Editing Studio.

It was 7 in the evening. The studio was not even a bit silent considering how much work they had to do.

The weeks passed by quickly, and their work just kept increasing. Out of everyone, Lucas was the most restless one.

He did not want to disappoint Ian in any way. But more than that, he wanted to do a fair job for all the experiences he got, and he knew that he could do so much better with the movie.

"People are waiting for the release of the movie since the trailer was out. When was the trailer released for other social platforms?" Lucas asked his assistant.

"Uh, that should be last night. Although many people had already watched the trailer from its original release at the theatre, the responses were very good everywhere. And this much recognition wasn't even a thing for other VFX-connected movies that Goofy promoted."

"Ah yes. You're right. And the thing is, it is all on Ian. He is quite the young man. And I would have been surprised if the exposure was cut down from the theatres to the social media platforms. But yeah, I'll check up on some of the comments and come back to check on others." Lucas said.

After his assistant was gone, he stretched a bit. For his age, his back was killing him. Constantly sitting in front of huge computers, with his neck stretched without a break, could easily make anyone have physical health issues.

And that was what Lucas was going through exactly.

'Ah… My back!' He said while massaging his back with his fingertips.

Opening U-Tube, he searched 'AVATAR TRAILER'.

[@Friesovercoconutmilk: I watched this in the theatre, just like everyone else! And I seriously gotta say that this is…. No way real! If a movie like this was released within two months, I'd get a tattoo of my mom's name!]

[@Avatarisnotmine: Ever since I saw the trailer, I can't help but think when would this get released?! Hopefully waiting for its release! This is so good though!]

[@Nonamemofo: AVATAR! THE ALIEN MOVIE! The VFX is OP. I'm screaming right now! How in the hell something like this even exists?! No way no way no way!]

"Excuse me, may I come in?" A rough voice was heard through the door. It was none other than the young man who did miracles.

"Ian, such a pleasant surprise. I did not expect you to see it anytime sooner, and to make it better, I was just going through the comments for the trailer.

People are waiting and simpering for the movie. Even before it releases–haha," Lucas said while laughing at the end.

"Yeah, Lucas, your assistant said while I was on my way to meet Jeff. And even I keep reading all those comments from time to time. Success doesn't mean we don't get time to not enjoy what we achieved so far, ain't I right?" Ian said with a smile.

Lucas nodded. "Why were you meeting Jeff, if you don't mind me asking?" He asked.

"Ah, just to talk about things related to marketing. The next two weeks before the release is going to be very special. And, I want this movie to hit high considering how good it can be released to the theatres with the hype doing its job perfectly.

Jeff… He is very suspicious."

Lucas chuckled at Ian's words. "What do you mean?"

"Just an instinct, for now, let's see for later. And, I think since the actors did a good job, you did your part even better as well. I have nothing to worry about here, I just came to say my hello knowing you're working till 9-10 these days."

"Hmm…" Lucas sighed. "My back is killing me too. Let's just wait and see, I suppose. If I'm not going to be busy now, when would I even be busy?" Lucas asked, making Ian nod in agreement.

"Get some rest, my friend. I don't want anything bad happening to you by the end of this project. We have a long future ahead."

-

A/N;

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-

Scarlett was on her way to her agent's place.

After the word of her and Ian had spread, she was avoiding media for a few different reasons. But as she already had a considerable number of interviews scheduled so far, she couldn't avoid the entire mass of reporters.

While walking to her office, she noticed how there were two-three men, holding cameras in front of the building.

Waving her hand, she quickly thought of walking in without answering any of the questions they were throwing at her.

"Ms. Scarlett-"

"Can we have a word with you please-?"

"You look beautiful today, we just want to know-"

Scarlett who wore her shades avoided eye contact with any of them but kept walking ignoring all the questions.

Once she reached her office, she was met with her agent.

"Good morning, Scarlett. How is it going for you?"

"Don't act like you don't know, Sabrina. I'm still trying to get used to all the scandal thingy. But, it doesn't affect me anymore, just I wish these people stopped following me." Scarlett sighed and sat on the leather couch.

"Ah yes, so as for today. There are literally so many interviews that you were invited to. I'm not sure about participating for more than half, but there are two or three that you must take a look at," Sabrina said while showing her the tablet that was in her hand.

"I can already feel you're about to say something, say it already."

Scarlett looked at Sabrina with skeptical eyes knowing there was a question dancing on tip of her tongue.

"Ian and you- Man, how did it even-" She muffled the chuckle that was about to escape.

Scarlett laughed with her, her face already turning crimson at the mention. In her mind, she thought that 'if only you knew.'

After what had happened between Ian and her, she told herself that it was fun yet a meaningless passion to get it out of her system, which worked quite well in her opinion.

"Moving on…" Sabrina said with a smirk continuing the monthly plan she was supposed to share with Scarlett.

-

There were only two weeks left for the release of Avatar.

There was also one thing Ian wanted to go smoothly—and that was the release. He subconsciously knew the potential of the movie considering how well it was executed, but still the results of it would say many things in comparison to other movies that had been released.

Not only the movie, but also he had planned out what the rest of the year would go after the release of the movie.

Since Avatar was most likely to take a hit soon, he wanted to make sure that the rest of the things that he had in mind had the perfect flow to him, career-wise.

He wanted no movie of his to flop—but would it go smoothly as he expected?

"Mr. Ian Renner, the word of your new movie being out with its super glorious trailer is right on the corner, what do you feel about it?"

There were a bunch of reporters with their equipment ready to record every word he was about to say.

"I feel quite accomplished, to be honest. This is not the first movie and won't be the last movie. Since CGI and VFX graphics are already in demand in the current trends of the industry, I was thinking that Avatar could bring a massive change with its potential. Also with that being said, I'm pretty sure perspectives on the term, 'animated movies' would change shortly.

What I'm feeling… Quite great, to be honest."

"You were working with Zoe in the movie, how was she? She was known to be a tough actress in the industry, and was it easy to deal with her?"

"Of course not. Although she lacked so much experience to work smoothly, she caught up quickly. And Liam was helping a lot, which worked in my favor. And trust me, the entire crew was being supportive."

Ian took a sip of water and nodded at the man who had his arm up, wanting to ask a question.

"What is Avatar exactly about? The trailer doesn't say 100% but increases the curiosity to watch the movie. And many people are waiting to know what the movie exactly is about…"

"Isn't that the whole point?" Hearing that, everyone laughed. "I mean, it is the whole point of releasing a teaser. The movie would be about a bunch of aliens— an alien world. I find the theme interesting so did everyone else. I hope everyone enjoys it too."

Ian was already tired of listening to their questions. But this meeting was scheduled to increase the curiosity and the hype for the movie's release.

Also, there were many questions nearby that he knew he'd be questioned about.

"Yeah, thank you, Ian."

"Ian. Mr. Renner–"

"Hello there."

"So, what do you have to say for all the fans who await the movie release?"

"It's worth all the patience," Ian answered truthfully.

The questions and answers were getting heavy and quick little by little. Although the reporters and everyone else around them were chilling with every moment that passed, there was so much room for his personal life to come up.

Right when he thought, "Ian, is it true that you are dating Ms. Scarlett Johnson?"

"Haha… It's not. And, to be honest, this was not the first time such a question is thrown in my way—especially about an actress who acted in a movie I directed. Anyway to answer your question, no I'm not. Even if I'm, I don't think it's any of anyone's concern to check up on my personal life."

Ian was strict about his answer.

The reporters were shocked since Ian was never a person to answer the media like that. He was calm and friendly, but this was unexpected.

"Why are you getting warmed up by the question?" Another person's question.

"Let's start off with how the media had portrayed me when I only went out to have dinner with a friend. And as we all know, Scarlett is someone who still is climbing her way into the industry. Talks like this would just make things worse for her. And more than that, this interview was supposed to be about my next movie." Ian answered.

His answer completely shut everyone off.

"Uh yes sir, we understand. So, can we know more about your future plans? As we are aware, you've been in collaboration with Goofy? Will it continue? Can we expect more from both the studios?" Another reporter asked.

"It depends. The agreement I've signed with Goofy is not a lifetime one, nor a deal to cut off after a few projects together. This might be the first or the last, but for how much of a potentially succeeding nature Goofy has, I'm pretty sure Avatar wouldn't be the last. Yet, no promises."

"Ian, Jeff had mentioned that you were such a talented young man, and even out of the screen, you're someone who the coworkers could continuously look upon, what do you have to say regarding that?"

Ian noticed the microphone the reporter was holding, and he realized that the media company was a Goofy-affiliated company.

"Oh yes, I saw the interview and I think it was very kind of him. Not to mention, Mr. Sanson was very easy to work with, and I'm looking forward to more. Next question please," Ian moved on.

Likewise, the interview continued for more than two hours. After one hour of Ian sitting and answering, Mason, Raelynn, Lucas, and almost every possible person behind the scenes joined him.

It was truly an interview that would be in the talks among the general in no time.

[...] 'Ah' Ian stretched the wrist of his hand, noticing how he had held the mic the whole evening.

He suddenly remembered how he had talked to the reporters. 'That was just the start,' he thought.

There was a huge reason why he had planned such answers before facing the interviews. It was mainly because he had focused a lot on being safe with the questions during his first few interviews when he first entered the industry.

But not anymore. He didn't want to be rude or come out as arrogant, but he didn't want anyone walking all over him.

-

Jeff was at home, watching the interview Ian gave and which was going on viral on U-Tube for certain answers he had given.

At first, Jeff wanted nothing more than to collaborate with the young man, to hold power over him so that he would not be a huge competition over Goofy, but now… He was not sure about the young man's intentions.

He was wearing his pajamas and was with his phone lying on the bed, had a frown drawn on his head.

"Is everything okay, honey?" His wife walked in.

"Hmm."

Jeff hummed and nodded. She walked behind him and massaged his shoulders. Something she realized was how tense he was.

"Is that Ian Renner?" She asked, peaking over the shoulder blades.

'Talk about women not keeping their thoughts to themselves,' he thought. "Yeah, he is."

"You still didn't take us to watch Crazy, Stupid, Love. Natalie has been asking ever since it got released."

"Tell her to grow up first," Jeff said while turning his phone off. He shook his head at his own words and switched the lamp off.

His wife who was used to his words didn't utter anything more but slept on the other side of the bed.

-

A/N; Another tiring day, but an awesome night writing what I love. Suggestions are welcome with open hands, also make sure to vote using powerstones, so it would motivate me a lot when new readers find their way in!

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The next morning, after an exhausting day with the answer-seekers also known as reporters, Mason was extremely tired.

Yet, the fresh cupcake which sat on his table gave him hope to carry on with the day. Wait- not just the cupcake, but also the pile of papers beside that.

'MARRIAGE STORY'

SCRIPT WRITTEN BY,

IAN RENNER.

Ian had finally completed the script that he had been working on for the past few days. Walking towards his table, he took a bite of his cupcake and rubbed his hand so that the particles would fall.

'Hmm… Let's see.'

Mason muttered while taking the script into his hand. He thought how it was adorable that every time Ian completed a script, Mason was the first one to read it.

They would even spend hours talking about the movie, its production, and what kind of actors and actresses Ian wanted to start the movie.

Not just that, Ian also had this mass plan with the songs, execution, camera placement, view on how he wanted specific scenes to be portrayed, and basically everything.

That was something surprising, yet refreshing—which had made every movie they produced much easier.

Touching the front page of the script, he remembered how Ian had met him on the first day. With the eyes wanting to have hope and trust in him, and explaining why he was doing all of it—Mason thought that this feeling would never fade away.

And one thing Mason was feeling this way is how Ian was someone who would not forget the start and be grateful for whatever help he get from people without kicking them out of his life once he is done with them, Mason knew it.

There were reasons for the success of people, one was how they treated others. From what Mason had seen from afar, the kid had a spoiled start in life. Kicked every opportunity and wasted his youth in girls and parties.

But then, once he wanted to get out of whatever it was going on with him, he changed for good. That too, 180 degrees.

His heart swelled in happiness, and he couldn't read a single word due to how emotional he became. 'His dad would have been so proud', Mason thought while rubbing his eyes to clear his vision.

Turning to page one, he saw how the movie started.

From there, he did not stop reading until he reached the end of the script.

The process of the plot took him by surprise. He was taken by a little bit with different scenes.

First, it was how the character Nicole revealed her sad story. From what Mason gathered, her character was kind of interesting. It started with how it's clear from the way she talked; She talked with so much enthusiasm about when they first got together before gradually coming apart when vocalizing all of the ways she felt disrespected in their relationship.

And then, it took Mason's interest in how the movie opened with a lovely montage about Nicole and Charlie as seen by the other. Though then, the people found it is part of a divorce mediation process, it helped to reveal a lot about the two of them before the story even began.

'...This is wonderful.' Mason thought after reading more than half of the script. Scripts were not like a normal book to read, a story to understand, or even a picture to imagine.

But for an experienced man like Mason, it was easy to picture the entire movie in front of his eyes with a single script.

There were a lot of turns in the movie which caught Mason's eye. And by the end of the 45th page, his cupcake was finished wholly.

"Hey, Andy. Can I get another cupcake from the cafeteria?" He said through the intercom.

"Sugar sir, but keep the sugars intact," Andy's voice came dull as ever.

-

At the BeePlus Company building.

The meeting was scheduled two days ago. It had been on Ian's to-achieve list since his first year as a director, to get his own OTT channel.

'This is going to be one hell of a long talk,' Ian thought to himself and walked in with Murphy by his side.

Murphy was holding some documents which Ian thought would be useful by the end of the discussion that he was going to have with the CEO.

"What can I help you with?" The receptionist asked in a rather rude way.

"Well, we had an appointment scheduled with the CEO. And this is Ian Renner, the CEO of Renner Studio. Can you help with that, maybe?" Murphy talked to her the same way she talked.

Ian stopped the smile which was about to show through his lips. A new side of Murphy, who knew.

"Please go in sir, down the hallway to the right and– Uh, let me show," She stood up from her seat and walked in front of them.

Murphy stayed back until Ian walked in front, and all of them went together to meet the so-called stubborn CEO.

The door was opened to Ian by the lady receptionist who walked in front of him, and the office room made Ian stop in his tracks.

Things were almost everywhere—except where the short fat man sat with his legs crossed and arms on the table.

The mini library was full of dust, and the chairs were placed untidily making Ian's nose scrunch in disgust.

"What on Earth?" murphy whispered under his breath making Ian nod in agreement.

"Mr. Renner?" The man stood from his chair, trying to greet the man in front of him. Due to how extremely unhealthy he was; he was popped back into his chair with a thud.

"What happened to this place?"

"Is that why you're here?" He asked back.

The man was bald. Probably in his late 40s, but looked as if he was robbed not longer than five minutes ago—and that was how bad the state looked.

Ian's eyebrows raised in his question knowing this was not going to be a fine talk, unless the man opened up more, or adjusted his mindset to talk about the deal more.

And Ian was ready.

In no time, Murphy screeched a chair for Ian to sit, which was neat—in fact, the most shining one among every other chair.

"Nice to meet you too," Ian said while shaking his head in displeasure.

The man's eyes were everywhere but on Ian.

"Look, sir. I know why you are here in the first place. And trust me, my answer would be the same. I'm really glad to see you here and sorry for the weird welcome. I just-"

"Are you okay?" Ian asked.

Taking a look around the place, he knew that it wasn't going any better. All he wanted was a good way to talk with this man.

"Mr. Reggi, I know the past couple of months were not fine. Also, I know how you haven't been allowing anyone to meet you for weeks, but why?"

"How could you even ask it? Do you have any idea how much I've poured to make this work? From the scratch… Mr. Renner, from the scratch."

Ian took a deep breath in, which made him cough a bit. "Can I get another room to talk with him whenever he is ready?" Ian asked the receptionist.

Indirectly, he was giving the man in front of him a chance to talk it out. Because if anything, he looked as if he was all over the place, and that was something he shouldn't be doing at such an age.

Walking out of the room, Ian felt as if he could finally breathe. Calming down the boiling irritation, he took a seat on the sofas that were put in the lobby of their company.

"Are you sure about this decision, sir? I don't think this place or that person is a good idea." Murphy mouthed his thoughts out.

"Let's see. I myself have to find out if it's possible or not. But if it is not, it's his loss," Ian said and took his phone out at the *ding* sound it made.

It was a text from Mason.

[29th of June, 2019.

Just now.

I read the entire script. Would like to talk more about it. When will you be back at the office?]

Tomorrow morning. See ya.

"Sir, Mr. Reggy is waiting–" The blonde-haired woman said, as both Ian and Murphy turned to look at their faces in sync.

Standing up, they were led to another room, which was rather neat; a conference room with around 20 chairs sitting with a large oval-shaped table in the middle.

"I'm sorry for the mess earlier, Mr. Ian Renner, have a seat." He said while gesturing at the seat right to him.

Murphy stood in the back—facing his back to the door.

"Tea or coffee?" The CEO asked, and Ian got the hint.

"Or how about we start from where it all went wrong?" Ian suggested politely ignoring the request for coffee.

Don't get it wrong, if Ian was even on the verge of heaving his last breath, he'd still ask for a coffee, but this… Was not the time for it.

"Hmm…" Reggy sighed loudly. "Two months ago…"

-

A/N; Ian still got a lot of things to do :')

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-

The meeting with Reggy, who was the CEO of BeePlus went well. Although the entire conversation started rather quirky, it shifted to being comfortable for how easy Ian was to talk with.

The first few conversation statements were hesitant and something that Ian had expected even before going there, but then, somehow he managed to talk through his problems and come up with the best solution, which was Ian buy off the entire network.

"... No, I can't do that, Ian. Look, I appreciate you listening to all the hard times I went through but this is something I can't accept. Selling the entire OTT was never in my plans, in fact, I'm even ready to stream any of your new movies or series, but selling off the entire thing- I can't do that." He rejected Ian's proposal straightaway.

"Hm… You know what, no matter what I say right now, you'd reply with the same thing. I know I'm not the first one to offer you such a deal, and I wouldn't be the last either. But if you think—" The entire conference room went into a pin drop silence. " –If you think that you still want to continue this, sure go ahead. But trust me, you did not listen fully to my deal, and you'll regret it."

Ian said and stood up with a smile. Offering his hand, he wanted to bid goodbye to the man who wasn't smart enough to make a great deal with Ian.

"What's the deal about?" Mr. Reggy asked.

His grey eyes were dancing with curiosity as Ian sat back in his chair.

"Your position as the CEO would remain the same. But I'd want the company under the studio of Renner's. I'll redesign and basically turn the entire OTT into how I picture it. With the assurance of the platform reaching the top 5 within two years, I'm offering you a permanent job," Ian said strictly.

Mr. Reggy looked as if he was asking thousands of questions at once. His eyes were focused on the desk that stood between Ian and him, and even Ian let him think clearly, giving him the necessary space without uttering a word more.

"What's your price? How much do you plan on buying BeePlus for?" Reggy questioned after more than five minutes of silence.

Ian, who kept tapping on the screen below the desk, raised his head in question.

"Come again?" he couldn't simply hear what the man in front of him was asking.

"How much do you value OTT? I want to know the price before I think of anything more—" He took a short breath before continuing. "Honestly, if I'm being smart here, what you offered me is something that can secure my retirement, which I'm planning in 10 years. But this place, this company, is special to me. I'm not ready to let go of it yet," He said after thinking a lot which made Ian nod in understanding.

"I understand your point. And as I've said, I'll be on my journey to build my OTT platform. For your question… Well, I think I'll go now." Ian said and stood without mentioning any numerical values for his question.

From the look of the old man, he knew that he was in an interior battle.

Nevertheless, Ian shook hands and left the building premises thinking of more solutions to rely on and get his own OTT streaming platform.

"I'd start from scratch if I have to," Ian thought while getting onto the back seat of the car.

-

"...That didn't go well?" Mason asked, noticing Ian's neutral face.

His thin lips were formed into a line, and the excitement whenever a good thing happened covered his eyes was missing.

"Yeah, the old man is stupid. Leave it at that. I have an instinct that he would contact again—"

"What makes you say that?" Mason questioned back. He was leaning in his chair, his arms were on the components of the chair, and he looked tired himself, considering how his tie was not neatly put, unlike every day.

"I saw how he talked. He was expecting that I'd settle for something like letting a movie or a series distribute through it, but I didn't. Also, his assistant was fed up already, I'm pretty sure it can't go for more than three months."

Ian said confidently as he took a seat in front of Mason.

"So, uncle, you went through it? What do you think?" Ian questioned.

"I thought a lot of things, Ian. But it depends on if you're planning to direct the movie or not. Also… I wanted to ask about opening slots for a new producer."

"Uncle, are you-"

"No, not yet. But I think it would be better if we could find a co-producer to help me work with so they could easily train themselves for the future. I feel quite light considering how you have the majority of the shares." Mason said with a smile.

Within the past few weeks, Mason had made arrangements to sell his shares to Ian but keep 10% for him. And apparently, Ian was the major shareholder of the studio, also he longer needed anyone else's approval—which was something the readers always asked for.

But, Ian was not a person who had taken Mason's existence just for his advantage. Although two years ago, Ian was new to this world, his mind, heart, and soul always wandered in and out of movies.

Even in his previous life, he was an actor who was keen on his career.

Nevertheless, the passion Mason showed for his job was something Ian couldn't easily let go of. Yet, he had to face reality.

"Hmm… I won't stop you uncle but take it easy. Back to the script, what do you think?" Ian asked.

They went on to discuss the script, and everything else related to the Marriage Story. Simply, the two-hour discussion was worthy and interesting.

-

It was 3.30 pm.

Ian was currently on his way to the theatre where the premiere of the movie Avatar was supposed to happen.

It was the first day of the preparations, and to be quite honest, even Ian was feeling the thrill while driving to the premises.

He parked his car in front of the vast theatre and walked inside.

"Nice to see you, Mr. Renner!"

"Mr. Ian Renner is here!"

"Oh, hello!"

He was greeted by people who were on both sides of the theatre.

Lucas was at the corner of the stage, sitting while jotting things down in his notebook. Ian walked towards him while acknowledging the people he met while on his way.

"How is it going, pal?" Ian faked an accent and asked, making Lucas snicker.

"We're acing it. Innit'?" Lucas said while looking at his assistant who simply chuckled.

The rest of the evening went by while Ian watched the preparations, and measurements participated in discussions, and talked with the others about who and who they had invited.

The decorations were something they paid extra attention to. Since the entire premiere was going to be huge, considering Goofy was a part of it, and the entire movie is a big budget movie, Ian agreed to every best suggestion with the decorations considering how big actors, actresses, directors, producers, heck even many powerful people were supposed to come.

-

Two days after the evening of premiere preparations.

Ian had one of the best days in his week– a rest day.

After working back to back and traveling around everywhere, days where he got to sit straight and think about the future while planning about different probabilities, were just wholesome.

The curtains of his room were open, and the stars shining afar brought him new thoughts to process.

The sun set a few hours ago, and Ian had the best nap in three weeks.

Closing his eyes, he went through his mental library. For the nth time, he got literal goosebumps seeing all the scripts, director notes, and every little detail for all the masterpieces.

That was his motivation; his motivation to stand up, grab the laptop, and start typing the next big script.

One of the biggest inspirations that made him create movies back to back, without a pause, without any looking back was how he had hope and a teeny tiny bit of responsibility layered at the thought of his memory library.

As a man who always loved movies, he thought that he was blessed with the library.

Yes, he wanted to create his movies and make things huge in the industry, but for that, he wanted a stabilized position that could give him so much freedom to experiment later on—with no guilt, even if things go downhill.

Nevertheless, without thinking more, he went on searching for his laptop, to start writing the next plan he had in mind.

[...] After stretching his hands above his head, he brought them back to the keyboard, and wrote the title of his next movie.

HOME ALONE 2.

And then, the rest of the night went by in an exhausting blur.

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-

"Are you ready?" Niko asked Raelynn who excitedly ran her hand through her dress.

"Never felt more ready, and if I think about it—"

"You won't even feel this ready for your wedding? Knew you were the wife material, " Niko said and chuckled, making the lady in gold laugh along.

Raelynn touched her chest and gave a look of fear, "You found out!"

He, who looked at her, shook his head and walked, passed her to open the door for the car. "Get in, m'lady."

"Touched."

She smoothed the dress once more and sat in.

They had become quite good friends. They were even closer than before. Among the many reasons to hang out with each other, being the same age helped both of them.

As soon as they got in the car, Niko turned the engine on and drove the car through the freeway.

"I'm excited and nervous about the reactions…" Raelynn said.

"Yeah, me too. But I know for a fact that the weight would mostly be on your t- I mean, your previous team. It's still your team. So it's fine to be nervous, just remember what Ian said about the final movie cut."

"This is going to be a hit!" Raelynn said in a deep voice to imitate Ian. "It would have been better if you at least got to find the love of your life during the function. What is your type? Tall, dark, and handsome?" She asked.

"Eh~ More like, sweet, caring, and goal-oriented?"

"Boring. I don't think that anyone suspects you're gay by how you dress. Like, dude, you dress even better than–"

"Don't complete that sentence. Or you'll walk to the theater like a homeless woman. Why don't you have your ride again?"

"Because I don't have a date?"

Raelynn and Niko kept talking like a high school couple throughout their way to the theater.

The hour of the ride was longer than they had expected. There were even points where they just stared at the road, or Raelynn gaped at the street due to having no topic to talk about.

But something they both laughed at was how they always found something to talk about after every moment of silence.

"Raelynn, Niko."

The security allowed both of them to walk in as soon as they got out of the car.

There were so many stars shining on the blue carpet that one could go blind if they joined them—not literally, but you get the idea.

A few familiar faces from the team and familiar faces from the Box Office screens were scattered everywhere.

"Raelynn, Niko. Here I thought you wouldn't make it on time. To the left, " The event coordinator, Rikky said, followed by some alien words to the microphone which was attached to her ear.

Raelynn and Niko thanked her and walked inside where there were many people including Ian standing with smiles smothered on their faces.

Seeing Niko and Raelynn walk hand in hand, Ian waved.

"Good evening!" Ian greeted, still smiling at the cameras.

"Date was late!" Raelynn muttered with her teeth straight, faced at the cameras. Her brown hair was tied down, so her long wavy hair went down her bare back. She had the looks of a model and perfect features which didn't go unnoticed by any of the people around them.

"Ms.Raelynn? Can you answer some questions? Is that true that you work for Renner Studio now? Why did you leave Goofy? Can you please tell?"

One man asked loudly which went intentionally ignored by three of the people who stood in front of them.

Ian ignored it knowing talking about it would create more unnecessary stories to keep the online keyboard heroes alive.

"...And my date!" Ian said while Scarlett walked in wearing a long staggering red dress which made the cameras focus on her.

Fweeeet!" "Phweeee!" "Wohoooo!" "Look! Scarlett and Ian!"

The crowd, which was a considerable amount from far away, cheered when Scarlett reached Ian. Some were whistling and some were hooting—from the happiness of course.

"You look stunning," Ian whispered to Scarlett.

The cameras and flashlights went off within a few seconds.

Scarlett had gone to say hello to some other celebrities, and as she had promised, she came right back after not more than 10 minutes.

Niko and Raelynn walked away after a few more pictures—together, alone, and in various poses in front of the board which had the names of the investors imprinted.

"Ian Renner, can we have a word? How are you feeling tonight?"

"I'm feeling great, excited, and thrilled for everyone to watch the movie. Thank you!"

"Ian, are you really dating Scarlett? Can you tell us a bit about that?"

"Scarlett! Look this way! Smile…! Nice, perfect!"

"Can you both pose?! Oh... Good! Great! NICE!"

The demands from the photographers didn't die until all the celebrities were inside. From afar, some fans kept shouting for pictures.

Celebrities and singers kept noticing and addressing the fans, giving them autographs and selfies.

Inside the theater, there was an entire war raging.

Ian walked in with a smile, still noticing the cameras to the left and right of him. But behind the big curtain and up above in the corners of the theater, the backstage crew was trying their maximum to keep everything under control.

"This looks amazing," Scarlett complimented as they walked inside.

Ian, who was aware of every effort people had put in, smiled with the hint of pride taking over.

"I know right? It would be even more amazing when everyone finally watches the movie." He said and walked to the front seats which had labeled, 'RESERVED'.

The blue-themed theater was looking astonishingly breathtaking—maybe it was the decorations or maybe it was the anticipation.

-

"So the saying goes as we say the best is to last. And with Goofy signing a deal with Ian— it has finally arrived, the moment when the most anticipated movie of the year is finally ready to be released. This is the moment which you've been waiting for, the release of AVATAR for the cinemas.

We're here tonight at the world's premiere. As you can see, the pressure is up above in the air. And right before the little break, we talked to the director, Ian Renner, and the cast.

We are still awaiting the arrival of Jeff Sanson, the CEO of Goofy. Till then, let's find out about Ian's revolutionary film techniques."

"...CUT!" The man behind the camera said as the girl took a break. Currently, on air, there ought to be a clip of the Avatar show.

And then, within a few seconds, the lady was back in front of the camera, a delightful smile plastered across her face.

"Hi Zoe, how are you doing? It's the world premiere of Avatar. H-How does it feel like to be here?"

Zoe and Liam's entrance took many people's interest and focus.

"Uh, hey there!" Zoe smiled broadly. "It's so good to see you too. It's been a wonderful couple of months working with Ian and the crew. And to be honest, I can't believe I'm saying that it's finally here. After so many months of the gym, workouts, and everything else that came with the role, it's been a great honor and I'm pleased, and waiting to watch the movie."

"How do you feel about the technology Ian used? Ian is a very well-known person to grow through his movies. What do you feel?"

"It's about to change my life. And every time I entered the shooting premises, I had to leave my human soul at the door and be an avatar by its true definition. What the movie shows are exactly what we did. It's really great and very exciting to see it finally in one piece."

"Liam! Liam! Can you give us a word about how you feel tonight? You look flushed, is everything okay?"

"Oh yes, hello! I was waiting till I could talk to CSN and my chance is here.

Honestly, it was such a delightful evening. The evening feels fresh and I can already see the results before the movie is out. I mean, this idea is fresh. Although the technology did exist and has been used for years now, I don't think anyone has ever used it the way Ian did. I'm waiting and waiting! Thank you, thank you!" Liam and Zoe bid goodbye to the news reporters.

"It's Jeff! It's Jeff Sanson! Sir, can you look here please?!"

As Jeff arrived a little late, all the chaos went high and above around him. The security kept the reporters away as Jeff posed and smiled at the cameras.

"Jeff Sanson! What do you feel about tonight's world premiere of Avatar? Do you believe Ian did a good job?"

"Ian is very talented and I believe he did a great job. To generate the images that are shown here today…. It's truly the efforts of a lot of people, their patient needs to be mentioned to the media today. And I absolutely love this premiere look. Look at the giant screen! All these people, the blue carpet, and inside the theater, it's a whole another experience! Everything avatar-themed… Tonight is great!" Jeff replied with a smile, which was followed by so many other questions by the numerous reporters.

-

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There were different sorts of thoughts shared during the blue carpet. Although it's late to mention, the blue carpet was Ian's idea.

Different thoughts from different actors and crew members were shared and were already trending on different media platforms.

"Gah! I didn't think I'd be here with every other person who is present today. The most amazing thing is how well it is put together, and I can already feel the energy even though I'm not inside yet. More than anything, I'm looking forward to a revolutionary movie!" was another actor who participated in the movie.

The discussions about the movie and movie-making process which many actors claimed to be a 'step to a new era of movie-making took a lot of people by surprise.

In this world, such developed VFX and CGI graphics were already present. But there was also another major part of the play missing in it; which is the story.

With Ian bringing the story, the celebrities who got to talk about it were honest and excited which was shown through their words and faces.

[...] "30 seconds….. 3… 2…. And 1, go!" The coordinator gave a slight push to the event host to walk in on the stage and address the people who were ready and seated for the occasion.

"Hello everyone! Welcome to a wonderful evening! On this star-flooding occasion, I'd first like to extend a warm hello to each and every one of you present here.

The CEO of Goofy, the director of Avatar, Ian Renner, and including them… I want to specially mention our guest of honor, Mr. R. R. Faraday, father of Jeff Sanson, who specially joined the occasion considering how this movie was bet to be one of the best in the century.

With that being said, I'd like to invite our director, Mr. Ian Renner to share his thoughts before starting the movie which we all are waiting for…!"

The crowd applauded and when Ian went on stage, he was only able to see small lights… Everywhere.

The number of people who were in front of him was making him uncountable. His breaths became heavier while he walked in front of them.

He took a deep breath, "Good evening! I'm truly proud to be in front of each one of you tonight… Avatar movie premiere-" Ian chuckled. "I can't even believe it's finally done." The crowd laughed.

"Even right now, I'm shaking. Not out of fear, but out of happiness. This is a big dream come true, and like everyone, I'm excited to share this experience, today, tonight. Thank you, Mr. Jeff Sanson, for this wonderful collaboration, and the VFX team of Goofy—is truly something to admire.

I don't want to make this a sob speech with me tearing up while thanking everyone who helped this movie come true. So, let's meet right after we watch the movie. Yeah?" Ian asked, making the crowd cheer in excitement.

The movie started shortly afterward.

-

It had been two hours and forty minutes.

Two hours and forty minutes since Ian walked out off the stage.

Two hours and forty minutes since there were more than forty celebrities with their mouths open watching the movie.

For two hours and forty minutes, some critics and guests were visibly absorbed in the movie.

The cameras which kept moving from the left corner to the right corner of the hall caught many of their emotions on the little lens.

Among them, there was a forty-two-year-old man, wearing a gray suit with a cup of wine in his hand who watched the people talk after the movie ended.

He was watching from afar how Ian kept talking to almost every important person who sat in the first few rows, and how Ian's eyes kept smiling at how proud he was of the compliments.

By the end of the movie, this man had a question, a concern, and a major scenario ringing in his head.

No, he was no enemy. Yet, he was someone who had been following Ian's career.

The moment where the reporters came to find the critics finally arrived—and it was a moment which he looked forward to.

"Mr. Din, you have been one of the biggest critics to ever exist, and also a very good script writer. Being invited here and all, what do you think about Avatar?"

Din Brown wanted to comment about how he found the movie as something to already exist in this world.

He found the movie plot as inspiration from an old movie. The movie could be older by 50-60 years from 2019.

"Yes, hello again. Your channel is something I see almost in every movie premiere, collecting thoughts of the viewers, and here I'm, yet again.

Honestly, to start with how Ian had pulled the entire idea is truly, truly, truly beautiful. But I think I have seen this sort of movie, with a similar story before. The title is, 'Dances With Wolves.' The whole theme is hard to neglect for me, but it could also be Ian taking inspiration from the American invasion of Indian Territories back when it was first founded.

Apart from that, I think this is genuinely a beautiful mixture of realism when it meets sci-fi and space exploration.

If talking about the genre itself, I find it quite underrated and almost virginal in its entirety. And according to what I see, no film has yet to breach the rich potential that it possesses. Maybe…. Maybe AVATAR could be the first of many…" Din went on then explain his favorite moments from the movie, and things he found nostalgic while watching it.

-

On the other end of the massive theater, was Jeff Sanson, facing the media and celebrities, trying to popularize and market the name of Goofy considering how a new experience was showered to every person inside the theater.

With him, there were also many other important people in the industry, listening to everything he was saying, nodding along, and even laughing at his words—which were probably not even funny.

"...And Goofy worked for months on this. Trust me, Lucas and the team had their hopes piled up, and maybe there would be a sequel," Jeff was talking to the other directors.

"Mr. Jeff Sanson, can we have a word? We are from the Mid-Yorkshire Channel, what are your thoughts for tonight? Are the responses as you expected?"

"Of course! Of course, honestly, even better than what I expected. My expectations were broken beyond and above in an extremely positive way! I can't help but say how much of an amazing job Ian has done with the movie… Ian! Hello, mister!" Jeff called out to Ian seeing him walk.

"Ah! Hello there."

"I was just talking about how good the entire movie was. It is truly exceptional. I was looking forward to this kind of glory when I first wanted to agree on the collaboration. Now… This is really outstanding!" Jeff said with an awkward smile plastered on his face.

"Ahaha… Thank you so much, Mr. Sanson. If it wasn't for the VFX team, this project might have taken longer to complete, heck even ten to fifteen years, so your company made things possible." Ian said with a smile.

Both of them had complimented each other while being in front of different cameras, but if someone knew Ian any better, they'd have known how awkward it was for him to compliment a snake with two faces.

-

Outside the theater, at around 11.15 pm.

"I can't believe Din talked about the movie like that. I mean, that was the best story I collected from the entire event." The reporter wearing a black mask said with his eyebrows raising up and down in stress.

The night had been extremely exhausting for them, considering how carrying around and trying to sound excited in front of the cameras had no break in the job description.

"What do you mean? Man, we can't release that. People might take it off in a negative way!" His assistant said while in shock.

"We are not the ones to decide anyway. I'm pretty sure this clip would be out on the internet in no time. Especially when our content manager sees this… Not like anything was hard on Ian—"

"Don't say that. Ian is really a good man. Did you even notice how he had asked to serve every reporter first? We were dead hungry and you can't do that. I suggest we just delete it." His assistant said in just above a whisper.

Inside the van, it was just the two of them waiting for their driver to arrive. But their thoughts and conversations were about how Din had claimed that the movie could not be an original idea by Ian.

Both the men knew that revealing it to the public means there was a 50-50 possibility of it getting negativity. And the main problem was not even that.

The main problem was that if someone—specifically someone who awaits Ian's downfall -- saw the clip, they'd turn the entire thing into a spark on the internet.

And believe it or not, the majority of the swirls on the internet have a higher probability of leaving black spots in one's career if caught in bad hands.

"Ah fuck! Let's just be honest about our job. Don't think too much, we can only pray that nothing like that happens! I'm dead tired!" The reporter said and lay down on the long seat, with his legs up in the windows of the van.

"Yeah, me too. At least the critic was honest about his thoughts. That should count for something right?"

"Yeah, he is really a nice man."

-

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-

The huge event that left so many people exhausted came to an end. An end that could lead to one of the biggest beginnings.

"It went well. The media is still talking about it and how many famous people have literally blabbed about the whole event on every social media platform," One of the employees who were in the backstage crew was talking to her colleague while walking inside the studio building.

"Yeah, and the articles… Mr. Renner is truly someone who could just swirl the entire Hollywood if he wants."

"Uh, I doubt it. I mean, it is really mysterious how he just produced so many movies and with them being his own ideas…. Don't you think what I think?" The third person in their group said with knitted brows.

"Hmm… Who are we to question though? Some people are blessed with creativity. And some people are blessed with luck. We are blessed with a good job."

"Can't agree more."

The three of them kept walking and talking about how the studio had a constant growth ever since Ian took over.

One of them being newly recruited, the information kept getting interesting and interesting.

"So, what you're saying is that Ian slept with actresses he gave roles to? I thought dude is a total gentleman?" The newbie among the three of them asked as they walked their way through to the escalator.

"Ah, well. It's kinda different-"

"He is a gentleman. But, who can blame him? If I was him, I'd have banged way more chicks than he did."

"If anyone hears you say this, you'd be out of the company in the next second!"

"What… Is Ian strict?"

"It's not Ian. It's the company policies. We haven't had proper interaction with him considering he is always busy, with one thing or another. But yeah, talking like that when you're here is not something I appreciate."

"True that. But what about Scarlett? Mr. Renner literally joined the premiere with her as his date. So-"

"Shh…" The tallest among the group shushed as he saw Ian Renner walking down the corridor to reach the elevator.

"Good morning Mr. Renner!"

"Good morning, sir!"

"Good morning, how are you guys doing? Still tired from yesterday?" Ian asked as they all waited for the elevator to come down.

"Ah, yes. The event went well, didn't it? Almost the entire world is talking about it. Very successful, truly enjoyed."

"What is your name?" Ian asked as he noticed the girl who was among the two men.

"Ruby, Ruby Keller." The lady with dark hair answered by adjusting her spectacles. "I-I'm kind of new here sir, I joined the event managing team last week, and it- it's truly a pleasure to see you."

"Ah, are you interested in acting?" Ian asked right away.

The two men gasped in shock. Ian kept his gaze on the girl, while she looked taken back too.

"I- what?" She asked back.

"I didn't mean to take you by surprise. But, I think I have the perfect role for your looks. Of course, we'll audition and if you're truly passionate about acting, maybe you have a chance in the industry," Ian said with a smile.

The entire interaction was spontaneous and it confused all three employees.

Ian noticed the expressions and was simply amused by them. When he first saw the lady with the two men, he noticed how she looked like the character of Amanda Rovner, the babysitter in Marriage Story.

It was not like she looked exactly like her, but the hair and glasses were something similar to what he had in mind for her character.

"I think I'm interested. With whom should I meet up, and when?" The girl asked with an excited smile.

That was an opportunity that no one would miss. Imagine the director who just walked next to you in the morning and asked, 'hey do you wanna act?'

"Great, I'll let you know. Give your details to Murphy, my assistant within today, if possible." Ian said while she nodded.

Ding!*

The elevator came down and the four of them walked in. The men were completely silent about what happened.

"Mr. Renner, I'm interested in acting too. I wanted to work in the studio thinking I might get an opportunity one day. Uh, heck, I even auditioned for roles for two or three years. Can I get a chance? Please?" The tallest man broke his cover and revealed.

Ian smiled at this.

This was not the first time he got this sort of request. Every other day, one of ten people straightaway asked the same question to Ian whenever they get to meet him in person.

Another reason why Ian walked in the quick exit was when the main floors looked quite busy.

"You can audition for some future projects I have in mind. Contact Murphy,"

"Thank you! Thank you!"

And the rest of the elevator ride was silent and complicated.

-

IS AVATAR A RIP-OFF?

"But I think I have seen this sort of a movie, with a similar story before. The title is, 'Dances With Wolves.' The whole theme is hard to neglect for me, but it could also be Ian taking inspiration from the American invasion of Indian Territories back when it was first founded."

What does THIS statement show? The critic Din Brown was known to be a genuine, honest critic and a very well-known director.

Reporter Max Payton had questioned Din Brown the other night about his genuine thoughts of the movie, and he had answered with THIS.

How could someone possibly let go of such important information?

Making it easier for you and me, we did some research on the movie Din Brown had mentioned. And it seemed as if…

' AVATAR' World Premiere, First Reviews The News

The articles knew no boundaries. What the critic Din Brown talked to the media the other night had taken a toll to the point where the people online trolled the name of Ian Renner left and right.

The teams to fight for Ian and against Ian were two, and some others were simply there to bitch about Ian online—the latter team was who just wanted drama.

"I can't believe this! I can't fucking believe this! What the hell?!" Ian said aloud in the empty office while watching the clip that was trending in an app called Sway.

It was an app in which people continuously uploaded videos, some were influential and some were there to ruin careers. In fact, it was on a whole another level of Tik Tok in our world.

What made it so different was the interface and the impact it had on people. If TikTok keeps trending for five more years to reach its maximum potential—that would be how popular Sway is in Ian's world.

Ian was furiously annoyed.

The next thing he did was, take out his personal computer and type the words in to know about the movie that Din-Popular-Brown had talked about.

"Gah!" Ian gasped while he kept reading everything down and down. The story was almost the same but was not the exact same.

But something he remembered was how even in the original Avatar movie, it was revealed that Avatar was a copy of 'Dance with the Wolves.'

"Aren't we screwed?" Niko walked in, while Raelynn, Mason, and two-three other directors came with different expressions on their faces.

"Not yet," Ian muttered under his breath.

"Man, the Nwitter comments are killing me! I just… Wow, these people. I'm pretty sure this movie that Din talked about… This was the first time they even heard about it, and now they act like the entire movie is copy pasted from its scratch!" Harley, one of the directors in Renner Studio, said while her hand was on his forehead exclaiming her despair.

"Hate comments always get to the ears of the public even if the positive ones die."

"Just like girls," Niko said, making everyone turn to look at him. He hadn't expected it to be heard, but somehow it did, and he shrugged.

"Here I thought you're gay," Raelynn retorted.

"Isn't that the whole point? Anyway, check these… Five media companies in total share articles…"

Although Ian was silent, he observed each and every big article that gained the attention of the public.

The people who were in his office were some of the closest employees and colleagues Ian had in the studio. And for all the right reasons, they didn't even doubt an ounce of Ian's talent or ideas.

ZT T

Large Drip Inc.

White Sky Media

Free Home Inc.

Check RN Media

"The articles were all posted within an hour… Right after the interview was posted by the original media company, which is RCN. Ah man, find a better hashtag… Avatarunoriginal? Really?" Niko said as he kept looking at the details.

"Uh, let me see…" Maxin, the PR manager said while sliding in to sit next to Niko.

The man with round glasses looked closely at the computer and typed several things to get more into the subject considering how he found something was off.

"Hmm… Here it is. I think there is a connection between these."

That one statement gained everyone's attention. Ian knit his eyebrows, and Mason looked up from his tablet.

"What?" Mason asked.

-

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Hello, readers!

WEBNOVEL updated to something really shitty and I'm pretty sure that many readers who use the browser to read chapters can't access the full chapter unless they DOWNLOAD the WEBNOVEL app.

What I wanted to say is, that the same fanfiction of mine, Hollywood King, is being updated/uploaded/published on other websites, such as - -ScribbleHub and -RoyalRoad, or - (with a subscription).

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-

"What?" Mason's question rang in Ian's office room.

Ian hadn't muttered a single word since the team got in. Their environment had been busy and intense, but Maxin, Niko, and everyone else was fully focused on the laptop in front of them.

"The premiere went so well, Ian," Mason said as he walked towards the director who looked genuinely confused.

"Yeah, I know, uncle. It was good, the entire night was well-spent. To be honest, even I think what Maxin said was true. There's gotta be something else that is pushing the little thing towards the center of attention," Ian muttered.

"Hmm-"

"Found it," Maxin said after a full search-on about the nweets and the companies. "The five studios who had spread articles and were concerned about the matter, all of them are not even directly into Hollywood. But there's a thing that is common to all of them."

The small team inside the office looked confused. Ian couldn't help his curiosity, and the tingles he got from the sound of it.

"And that is?" He pushed the question.

"That is Goofy. All of the companies are partially or fully owned by Goofy. And companies of Large Drip and White Sky are fully owned by Goofy. For the other three, Goofy is basically a shareholder." Maxin said.

"What the fuck?" Niko said, aloud.

A few moments of silence passed through them, while they all kept looking at each other. Ian avoided eye contact with anyone but was in his own battle.

'Why why why why why-'

The wheels of his brain rotated and revolved in different directions as he thought of different sorts of approaches to the matter.

"Yeah, well… I think I understand what they are up to, " Ian said after brief thought. "I need caffeine in my system to take any further action. Y'all can go do your work, don't think about it. This will die down soon, and let's focus on the screenings and their reactions.

I'm pretty sure once people see how different the movie is, from the 'OG' they talk about, and the uniqueness, all the chaos will die down." Ian talked his thoughts aloud for once.

"Yeah, you're right," Raelynn said with a nod.

"I have a thought which yells that Avatar is going to break a record in the Box Office," Harley said with a smirk.

"Let's see. And I'm pretty sure that it was one of their tactics." Ian said while looking at Harley.

"What do you mean?" Harley questioned back.

"Hmm… I'll have to wait and see," Ian said while all of them nodded and walked out of the office.

They knew that Ian had a whole different perspective on the entire situation.

In Ian's mind, he knew why Jeff had done this. But to confirm that idea, he wanted to meet Jeff in person.

His reasoning behind the whole scheme was that maybe Goofy wanted to throw Ian in the bad light, and also with that being popular, the benefit would be shared with Goofy too.

The benefit would be: that it would increase the movie's box office, and gain interest for the movie.

Ian didn't think of it anymore and continued to go on with his day.

-

The Cloud.IV was an app that had hit its own glory just like how Nwitter and Sway had done during five years.

The only reason why Ian hadn't used it before was knowing there were many trolls on the app rather than any business advantage.

"...And people love trolls and gossip. 96.5% of the Americans use this app, and promoting movies would benefit it in our own way." Maxin had explained to him about the app and activated his own account for it, right before two weeks.

And currently, the trends and the streaks of conversations were all about the premiere and how people were excited about watching the movie.

Among the different thoughts of different Americans, some people had their deepest concerns focused on the 'one negative' review shared about Avatar.

Those groups of people were the ones who were probably affected, bribed, or influenced by the web of Goofy and the other companies.

4.15 am. Cloud. IV

CIV/ What does everyone think about AVATAR?

IgetHypedEasily: I can't believe the AVATAR is finally out! Since my husband pre-booked the tickets, I'm waiting till I get to watch them.

Mrnicegy90: Yet to watch! From the premiere and the 'Blue Carpet', I think it would be a banger. Even the reviews were nice, and I seriously can't wait to watch it. Goofy Inc. is literally in cooperation, I'm sure all the kids would love it too!

Kyrrio: What's funny to talk about is how the whole AVATAR thingy became a hatred corner after someone's review saying it's an OG movie?! Like, I don't personally think so. Even if it is… SO WHAT? The speech basically said about so many other others.

CPTNonsense: Kyrrio: I don't think you're getting the point. If Ian is someone who copies OG works and goes up in the industry, what's the use?

Salami350: Does Ian make more money off alone if he made AVATAR or does Goofy make more money working with Ian? With that question, I don't think… there should be any concerns.

MonkeysWedding: CPTNonsense: Bro, if you haven't watched Ian's previous movies, you can STFU. This is not your school to point out what you think of a director. Taking inspiration is one thing, and copying is another. Go and do your f*cking maths.

Salami350: MonkeysWedding: I agree If Ian did the movie alone, which would have taken a few more years, it would probably have been great and good money.

CPTNonsense: MonkeysWedding: Well, 'BRO', we haven't even watched the movie yet. The articles got out and we are firing at each other. Wtf?!

Dalittle: Kyrrio: This is what happened in 1987! People fought for their rights to express and well… Boom!

Swargain: Dalittle: Get a life.

CPTNonsense: Dalittle: Get a life

Kyrrio: Dalittle: Who asked?

Cloud. IV was flooded with comments, and people who were absorbed in the matter fought for Ian's side or against one after another.

-

John, Ian's childhood friend, was on his way to meet Ian and talk about the movie that had its premiere precisely two days ago.

Although Ian had invited John to the premiere, John was extremely busy with his business which made it impossible to make it there.

But, his hidden movie fan kicked in when he asked Ian for movie tickets on the first show, and John had a whole new idea planned for both Ian and him for the evening.

"Hey, Murphy. Been long, how are you?" John asked, seeing Ian's assistant typing things on his laptop seated in the middle of the square-shaped office.

"I've been great. Should I let Mr. Renner know that you're here?" Murphy asked. It was technically what he should do, but also it was not polite if he immediately rang Ian and said about John's arrival.

"Ah, sure. I hope he doesn't have anything special for the evening?" John asked.

"Uh, let me see…" Murphy said and tapped the tablet which sat lonely on the desk aside. "All clear!" He said with a smile.

"Perfect."

It had been quite a while since John and Ian had hung out. Ian was busy with his movies and John was simply busy with his business.

Walking inside Ian's office, John noticed the tired-looking Ian, yet with a warm smile with which he always welcomed people closer to him.

"It's been a long time, isn't it? You bailed on the premiere anyway!" Ian said while pulling in for a bro-hug.

"Ah! Don't even remind me of that day. Was busy, and couldn't even go home that night. How are things going on here? Are you treating my team well?" John asked as he took a seat in front of Ian.

"They are happier than ever. How is it going with you?" Ian asked.

"Tiring, and you look so fucked up. What is going on? Is everything okay?" John asked back.

"Well, something happened with the movie release of Avatar. Not that I care about it 100%, but it does affect me in my subconscious considering it was my idea, and I feel like I should have done the research.

The funniest part is, how people keep fighting over the articles when they haven't even watched the movie. So I was reading the comments throughout the night, and I was writing a script."

"Haha… I thought you were depressed due to the comments. Not gonna lie, I was ready to slap some sense," John said while both of them laughed. "Take it, easy man, you're writing scripts one after another. Get a break."

"Yeah, I should. But the next project is going to be exciting."

"Exciting?"

"Yep, the sequel of my first movie. I can't help but push myself to start things off quickly."

"Yeah, no buts, you're coming with me today!" John said, making Ian's eyes widen in question.

"Where?"

"To watch Avatar," John said, making Ian nod with a smile.

This would be the second time Ian watched the reactions of a live audience, and he already loved the idea of it.

"Let's go!" Ian said as they both stood up.

-

A/N;

- vote, vote, and vote guys!

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[Read all the 20 chaps of HK in /TC_L!!]

-

John parked the car in front of the local theatre, which was inside the biggest mall in the town.

There were so many people already waiting in line to get into the theatre.

Huge banners of AVATAR were in front of the counter, and people were busy taking selfies and pictures of it with them, and without them.

"Hey, guys! I can't believe we are FINALLY HERE! The Avatar movie, that too on the very first day! We aimed to get into the first screening, but the entire first screening was too packed for us to get seats booked!

So, follow me to keep up with the updates! Just like we promised we would live here! And Swayy people, swayy!" One of the influencers kept shouting among the crowd who were also equally if not more chaotic.

"I can't wait to see their reactions," Ian said with the mask.

He and John had to head back to the mansion so that they could dress down a bit.

Ian wore a t-shirt, and John did the same. Although it was a bit hard for John to fit into one, Ian's dad's old t-shirt fit him perfectly.

Nevertheless, with popcorn in hand, both the men were waiting for the queue to reduce so that they could finally enjoy watching the movie.

"I really hope this is worth my $15, considering how that was the only money left for me to go back home from work!"

"How can you be so broke even after being the best accountant in our firm?" Her colleague asked.

A smile formed on Ian's lips as he saw the girl chuckling at her own misery.

"I can't keep the money anyway. I've got to spend them on my business. Moreover, movies were never my thing. Peer pressure is like," The girl said and wiped fake sweat from her forehead.

In no time, they were all in, and in the seats of the theatre.

It was not completely dark as it was decorated with blue neon lights. The corners of the theatre looked cool, and the two men sat in the middle of the theatre.

"What is it that you look forward to by the end of the movie?" John asked, noticing Ian's excitement.

What gave it away was how Ian constantly kept moving his leg up and down while looking at the people.

"Honestly, the last time I went on something like that was with Eloise. And the reactions were something to die for. So, I'm expecting something similar, maybe even better. Tomorrow when I go to the studio, I want to see seven digits at the box office. From worldwide distribution," Ian said with a smile.

"Now that's my friend. By the way, do you remember Daniel? The one who studied with me while in university?" John asked.

There were around twenty minutes more for the movie to start, yet people were 75% filled in the theatre.

"I don't really remember," Ian said truthfully.

"Bruh, the man who always brought food from home and shared? Also, the one who brought the first drinks for our party we hosted at your house?" John asked.

Ian felt a headache coming over as he remembered what exactly John was talking about. His eyes flinched at the memories, and John's eyes were still wandering over the crowd.

Ian felt as if the memory was sometimes a curse considering how painful it suddenly gets.

"Mmhm.." Ian groaned. "Y-Yeah I do," he coughed at his words.

"Yeah, so the man is in California right now. He has also been working as a director for some years. He had one request when we met and that was to meet you. You know what, he didn't even ask how the fuck I'm doing but was like, damn shit, Ian hit the jackpot!" John laughed, making Ian laugh along.

"Ahaha… For real? I wish I could see him too, but I don't think I'll have time to breathe after tomorrow," Ian said with a sigh.

"It will take two hours, we can have a little reunion at my bar. Reminds me, of my bar… Is basically one of the best ten in town, I did a massive upgrade in the last few months,"

"Whoa! Now that's news. I'll pay a visit. Nice side hustle." Ian said as some more topics came over for them to discuss before the movie started.

-

IAM Website 7.15 pm

While Ian was watching the reactions of people with his naked eyes, the websites such as IAM, [It's A Movie!] were basically streaming with different reviews from people.

Apart from social media, IAM was the first place a movie fan would come to check the reviews to proceed if they were going to watch or not.

@Senorita

Visually Spellbinding!

We have here a science-fiction epic set on an alien world. It's a classic story of a "good-guy" hero who must overcome a battle within himself to do what is right.

The world is so detailed and rich. Every animal looks as if it is real... and everything just matches and seems convincing. The "humanoid" race that inhabits this world is very interesting, and the way the world works "together" is amazing. This may be one of the few sci-fi adventure movies where the computer animation actually works in favor of the storyline. Animals and beings do not look like animations. Good work, well-done director! I appreciate this movie a lot. Thank you!

@Skyler Bastion

This is unlike any kind of adventure movie my (sk)eyes have ever seen in such a long time, the characters, the musical score for every scene, the story, the beauty of the landscapes of Pandora, the rich variety and uniqueness of the flora and fauna of Pandora, the ways and cultures and language of the natives of Pandora, everything about this movie I am beyond impressed and truly captivated by. My favorite was how Liam acted, and I think this is the first movie that is made with such high quality.

Among comments like that, there were also negative comments which got badly replied to by the positive ones, yet there were negative comments.

@Revier Thompson

Predictable. Matrix - been there done that. Not enough to grab attention from the beginning, a slow starter and doesn't really reach boiling point at any stage. I'd say more suited to a young audience, but it fails on that score as the language is overly complicated (for a child to follow) from the offset, followed by a weak plot line. The only redeeming feature is the graphics, but that can only grab one's attention for so long.

I'd have been disappointed if I had to pay to watch this. Yes, I pirated.

@Cooper Mave

Ian Renner's science fiction epic Avatar (2019) is the most beautiful movie I have ever had the displeasure of watching.

If you want to switch off your brain for 2 and a half hours then this is the movie for you. You've seen this plot theme time and time again. A technically superior race going up against a native tribe with bows and arrows. A good guy meets the tribe, loses the trust of the tribe, redeems himself, and saves the day. It's beyond basic and boring.

-

Back at the theatre.

Ian was stunned by how people were watching the movie. He expected them to have such a reaction, but the expectations were broken beyond measurements when he watched them live.

"What the fuck, man?! Did you even watch it? How did you even pull off such a thing?!" John whispered not willing anyone to hear who the nearest person is.

"I know right," Ian just muttered and walked out of the theatre with John.

All around him, some people were still talking about Avatar.

"That was one of the best! I wish I could watch it again! Are they selling those wine bottles here? I think it's on the second floor... Maybe I could-"

"Wow, I never thought this many graphics could be inserted in such a good movie. That was truly a nice one, I wish I could bring Anthony here, he'd have loved it-"

"Waaaaaah!"

"Shhh! Don't shout!"

"That was good! So good, so good, so good! Ian is a legend in my eyes!"

"But Goofy did the entire thing, considering the graphics and all are from Lucas's team. He is very talented, I heard!"

"You are always thrilled for any movie that Goofy has a slight touch in. But the idea was Ian's and Zoe's… Man, is it true that they had to do all the stunts alone? If so, I gotta say that…"

"This was the best type of reaction ever, trust me, the risk of coming down myself here is totally worth it. And if anything, I feel like the entire thing is totally worth it," Ian muttered to John who kept looking at the people.

"Yeah, bro… See those people, already on their social media trying to share about the movie."

They both briskly walked down to the exit of the mall, while talking about the movie. And just like every other fan who got out of the theatre, even John had his own thoughts and opinions of the movie, which Ian had no choice but listen to.

A/N;

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[A/N; I Heard everyone can read in PC/Browser now, happy reading! Read -20 advanced chapters in -/TC_L!]

-

At the mansion of Ian Renner

August 2nd, 2019.

Ian was under the dim light of the yellow lamp in his bedroom.

After the day at the office, where they were all discussing the results of Avatar and how it was going, Ian felt tired and heavy.

'Maybe my mind is retiring' he had thought at one point.

Ian also had the luck to share the live audience's reactions while watching the movie.

There were some people literally screaming, crying, and laughing at different points of the movie.

After all, Avatar was supposed to be a journey in Pandora where everyone felt at home, and Ian was successful.

"Now that went really great. Seventy-Seven million dollars, from twenty-four hours. I think this might even earn billions by the end of the year," One of the teammates acknowledged when they were talking about the results.

"Maybe even more. Who knows?" Ian said with a shrug.

One thing he knew was, that the word Avatar was everywhere.

That said, it reminded Ian of the little tactic they had used to put Ian in a tough position with the movie plot.

Yet, he decided to ignore the entire thing as a threat considering how it benefited both of them. There was also another reason for Ian's ignorance, but that's for later.

What's more important is how he wanted to know the public opinion of him and his movie-making.

Which was why he chose his next movie to be 'Marriage Story.'

"Why this? I'm pretty sure there are so many other genres you could have easily worked on, but another romance, drama, and comedy-filled movie?" Mason had asked the first day they talked about the movie script.

Ian had his perfect answer in mind.

"It's an art film."

"For what?" Mason questioned back. His eyes widened in the foreign feeling he got with Ian's answer.

Ian knew what Mason was thinking, and he explained it considering Mason would be the one to be associated with the production.

"With Avatar being released in no time, I wanted to test if I have enough audience to show up for the reason that solely my name is attached to it. With no influence, you know."

The director knew that it was originally a box office flop, but he genuinely wanted to see whether his name can turn that into a hit yet, or not.

Marriage Story was a high-quality movie, which also meant that should it fail at the box office, like its counterpart in Ian's previous world, anyone who would watch it, would not get the chance to point fingers at Ian saying he isn't a talented filmmaker.

Whoever watches the movie in the future, would get to know Ian's filmmaking reputation.

"Yes, I know what you're thinking uncle. It's right, this would not be a commercial movie." The discussion about Marriage Story ended right then and there.

Rolling down to the other side of the bed, he mentally made notes on what to do the next day.

Settling the contracts and everything with the Home Alone crew sounded perfect to him, which also was part of the reason that he didn't want any of the actors to be busy or occupied.

'What if Adam looked way too old for the role?' Ian thought and smiled to himself remembering Adam.

He was a fun kid, but it had been two years. For two years, a kid can grow so much.

With the thought of, 'I'll figure something out', Ian switched off the lamp and thought of going back to sleep.

(...Somewhere else in California...)

"Shhhh… Don't cry…. Shhhh…. Baby, it's alright…." A lady in her 20s was rocking her baby gently from left to right.

The baby was crying with her face turned extremely crimson.

"It's going to be alright

It's going to be alright

The moon would be right up

It's going to be alright…"

The woman sang a lullaby just above a whisper.

"Shhhh…." Her entire body rhythmically turned from side to side as she tried to soothe the baby from crying.

"Who is even her father, Sarah?" Besides the lady in her twenties, a curly-haired girl was looking at them sympathetically.

[A/N; Yes, the same Sarah in Chapter 01.]

It was Sarah's best friends—best friends who she had known for almost three years now.

They had been there when she had gone through ups and downs, battles of life and death, and everything with not just herself, but a mini human.

If words could ever explain the uncomfortable situations she had to face, her friends would have been writing five hundred pages worth of books.

Not one, a lot of them.

As Sarah's own parents divorced at a young age, financially there was no one to support her. It was she, herself, the three friends, and the baby.

"Sarah, you can't keep doing all of this alone. Lilian is just 11 months, how would you go on like this for years? The more she grows up, the more expensive it is going to be," Natalie said while looking at the kid who calmed down after a lot of loud cries.

Sarah and everyone else were currently at Natalie's apartment. It was the one she had bought for her and her boyfriend but hadn't expected to be a home which ruined her peace of mind every two hours.

She didn't complain at first considering how much she empathized with Sarah, but with time it was unnoticeable.

"Who is the father, Sarah? We have been asking for you for more than seven months. At first, it was fine, you had your uncle to support and everything, but now… I'm worried."

"Why is he not in the picture?" Natalie's boyfriend walked out of the room wanting to know the reason after eavesdropping for a few minutes.

Sarah cleared her throat which made the baby cry again but replied with all honesty, "He just didn't want to be involved in the baby's life anymore. He left."

Natalie put his arms in question, "What the heck? And I think Lilian needs her diapers changed. Just take a look," She said with a frown.

Sarah kept the baby on the bed while removing the diaper to confirm what Natalie said was true.

With the friends' help, they took the baby out of the used diaper.

For the rest of the time, Sarah waddle around, changing the diapers, and the friends kept looking at her in disgust noticing how they had to help with all these things.

"Ian, are you really dating Scarlett? Can you tell us a bit about that?"

"Scarlett! Look this way! Smile…! Nice, perfect!"

"Can you both pose?! Oh... Good! Great! NICE!"

Suddenly, the TV channel that they were watching started casting the movie premiere of Avatar.

While changing their diaper of Lilian, Sarah's attention was taken back by the television with one single name, 'IAN'.

"Whoever the father is, fuck, he is just an asshole!" The curly-haired one said and left the room while the other two girls and Natalie's boyfriend followed her.

Sarah's eyes were focused on the TV for some more time.

Patting the baby's tummy, she just couldn't help but sigh at how good that man, she once used to sleep with, looked on the screen.

Ian's eyes, nose, lips, and everything including his breathtaking smile took Sarah by an unexpected wave of nostalgic feelings.

'How things could have been! Fuck!' She said just above a whisper and stood up to change the T.V. with so much anger boiling in her blood.

She was feeling worse and worse about everything she had done in her life.

She let herself become a playtoy for guys who gave her attention and also cheated on her ex-boyfriend; and to make it much worse, she was cheating on her ex-boyfriend with none other than Ian.

[Back in the day with her ex-boyfriend, Jay]

"I-I'm so SORRY! Please! Please! Please don't do this to us! You know I can't kill her…"

"Sarah! Stop it, please. I told you for weeks that I knew you were cheating. If you don't remember the reason why we broke up, look at your own records girl. I can't take responsibility for this kid who I don't even know is mine. Let's not do this anymore, please." His ex-boyfriend's words and her loud cry in front of her rang in her head over and over again.

She felt weak and pathetic for all she had lived.

Every morning, waking up with regret boiling up in her stomach, and the urge to want a life better than what she was living was not easy to deal with for 365 days.

The tears were streaming down her face without a stop while her thoughts were running wild. With the face she saw on the tv, she suddenly felt as if she couldn't keep doing this anymore.

Wiping her tears aggressively, she took the baby in her hand.

"Lilian, Lilian… Baby, mommy is going to get what we deserve by hook or crook. We'll have a nice life, baby. A nice life." She kissed her daughter's temple.

-

A/N;

- vote using powerstones to keep HK going!

- discord server - https/discord.gg/DGPX5QzRqv

[Read the next 20 (all!!!) chapters in /TC_L]

It had been several days since the movie was out.

There were already more than thousands of people who awaited its release before the premiere. After the premiere, the cinema halls and screening premises were filled and flooded with fans.

The comments and the videos that were trending were positive for the greater part, but there were minority comments that hadn't died down.

In Nwitter, between the trends of #Avatar and #Avatar_unoriginal, the former continued to get the support of the majority of the fans in waves.

@BornConfused

Here are the tickets for #Avatar! My people, it's worth it! No rushing but would be just a chef's kiss if you take a look! Mwah mwah!

[Pictures of Avatar movie tickets - two of them]

@thegodfatherpart replies to BornConfused

I normally don't support any sentence by those red lip influencers. But an avatar is truly something. If you want a full review, head to IAM. The critics were all explaining the movie's glory!

@ihazquestion

#Avatar Anyone?! Shouldn't be just me! @Ian Renner, omg omg omg director! You look so hot, this is the first time I heard about your movies and it was worth it! I wish I could have an avatar boyf-

@kim_Chi

#Avatar. Guys, the hashtag is all over my home page! I can't believe people find it extremely unbelievable that the movie is an original. Like, check @Bloodboiler's profile.

@Bloodboiler

I'm so done with all the trends. Sway, Nwitter, and basically, EVERYWHERE it's all about Avatar. For an OG like me, who was obsessed with 'Dancing with Wolves' I can't believe y'all appreciate this. Shame on everyone. But apparently, someone wise yet random mentioned that you know you're popular when you get hate comments. Maybe this was one of them, but I can't help but think how this is so similar to Dancing With Wolves. #AvatarUnoriginal #NotoAvatar

-

"Forty-Eight million dollars! And I can see from afar that Ian Renner with Goofy masterfully reaches the one billion milestones within… One month? I'll give it just a month!

With us, we today have our director, scriptwriter, and co-editor Alexander Homo- Uh, Homorid. Hello sir, how are you?"

"Good morning, Trent. Homorid, yes. I honestly thought you'd laugh at my last name, which was why I got the habit of sharing my middle name since the first step of my career. How is it going for you? I have never been better."

"Ah yes, what more about me? I have been fine and all. I heard that you were invited to the Avatar premiere. And it wasn't enough for you, so you went ahead and watched it again."

"Can we be honest here?" Alexander asked

"You can be honest as much as you want," the host said.

"Yeah, so talking about this movie, it is a wonderful piece of work. This incredible movie is a work of genius on every level. The flawless script is something I could applaud. Like, I've been writing scripts for over seventeen years now, and trust me I can't even believe such an amazing kid exists."

"Do I see an Ian fan over here? Is that what I'm witnessing?"

"Trent, one thing, have you watched the movie yet?" Alex asked back in his weary voice.

"No, I actually couldn't. Even though I pre-booked the movie tickets, I couldn't go on time because I had to host today's show. I'd go tomorrow though."

"Well, trust me, you'd know if you watch the movie. Let me complete my thoughts, or else I'd write an article about Pandora and its beauty, the movie's amazing story. So to talk about it, the pandora's hauntingly beautiful scenery. Also the seamless technology and of course engaging characters and acting… Marvelous. Flawless. True beauty. I was captured, Alex.

"You are watching an A -1 entertainment, but much more than that as you realize that this interwoven tale on another pristine planet, which earthlings are trying to dominate, parallels what we have done to a once pristine North America, the aboriginal population, Africa and much of her peoples and the Amazon rainforest and everything else.

"From what I heard, it's not the Amazon rainforest, but the research the team had done an exceptional job even with a trip, and I also got to take a look at the behind the screen clips from the shooting. And trust me, they had done everything in the movie.

"Liam played by a pensive and heroic Sam Worthington, Rivera played by a terrific Sigourney Weaver, our surprise heroine Hayley Rogers and the link to the mysteries of Pandora, Zoe Saldana are in a bid to save the planet, and take you on a journey that makes you long to fly with them and teaches you to honor and respect our Earth as well.

"Even the two top bad guys were a perfect illustration of greed and a total lack of regard for other life forms. Immerse yourself in the world of Pandora!" Alex said while his voice became clearer and more intense with every word.

'Fuck! Is it that good?!' The man who had the radio on in his car, and was listening to the interview questioned his plans for the day.

He was a B-grade actor and was trying to climb his way on the ladders of Hollywood just like every actor out there.

Nevertheless, the interview that was playing on the radio was something he had not expected from the director Ian Renner.

He was an actor in the agency, Red Young. When Ian first got into movie-making and was making Home Alone, the requests for the man in his 20s and driving the car to take part as Buzz was high.

Not once, but twice he had gotten the request, but his agent ignored it saying, "Renner Studio was going nowhere. And this gotta be another blatant attempt to cover up their shame of years."

But now, things have changed.

Things have changed to the extent that Ian was an A-grade director, whereas the man in his twenties barely does a movie that has the potential to become a hit.

Parking on the set of shooting, he got out of his Land Rover Range Rover.

"Mark! The people over there are ready for the interview. But the shooting would start in twenty minutes and you are asked to be in the make-up room at five, what are you going to do?"

Mark, who looked over his shoulder at the people who had their cellphones extended in expectation of meeting the actor, nodded at the producer who walked down to talk to him.

"I'll pay a visit to them and be inside in ten. Would that be fine?"

"Yeah, sure. Mark Hamill is here everyone!" The producer shouted while walking back to his chair.

-

Noon, at the Renner Studio, California.

Ian Renner was walking down the aisle of the finance department to reach the main conference hall, where the meeting was supposed to happen.

He was mentally prepared to meet the devil which also meant how he knew why Jeff came all the way along to meet Ian.

If one is thinking to apologize to Ian Renner for trying to put him in a bad light, the narrator of this story would be more than delighted to enlighten you with the truth, NO. No, it was NOT Jeff's intention.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Renner. Everyone is inside. This is the report of Avatar, and here's the deal with Goofy. Also, a heads-up, Jeff was talking to his assistant about your next projects," Murphy said whispering his final words.

Ian nodded his expression turning to a neutral, emotionless face.

"Good afternoon, Jeff, Lucas, and everyone else. Nice to see all," Ian said as he walked inside the office room.

The seats were taken by different important people, and Ian felt more confident than ever knowing he held enough power to not let anyone walk all over.

"So, as we all know, I'd just cut to the chase," Ian said and opened his laptop in front of him.

"The box office numbers keep going high, Ian. Good job," Jeff interrupted him and leaned towards the table.

"The effort is all ours, but thanks. Lucas, you did your job perfectly, and the entire team was wonderful with everyone,"

"It was your idea, but cheers to all of us!" Lucas said with a smile.

Ever since everything has been going well for him and his team, he was feeling pretty satisfied.

The Goofy company was also cutting the tight knot they had around the VFX department for some reason.

"Yeah, how are the numbers and what more can we expect?" Jeff asked, while his assistant just nodded along.

Ian raised his eyebrows in acknowledgment and clicked a few several things on his laptop.

"So, according to estimations, it could hit two billion by the end of this month, worldwide. And locally, more than 500 million for sure. Also, with Avatar the room for movies with VFX and CGI is high-"

"That was why I'm here, Ian. Movies like Avatar are comparatively less in the industry, animated plus heavy CGI. But from Avatar, within five days, we proved that the genre is not dying, yet and could be well-developed and commercialized if done properly.

I'm here to propose to you another deal, Ian." Jeff said, making Ian nod, telling him to continue with his thoughts.

If anything, Jeff could dream for all he wants, Ian knew. But he allowed the old man to say what he wanted.

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At CrustWorks Media

CrustWorks media was a studio that started creating movies in 2012.

For the past records, they had been continuously releasing movies that were created originally by them, and there were also some movies that low-grade directors created and distributed through CrustWorks.

The director, Jordan Turner was known to be a kind-hearted person and someone with a long-range vision.

"Can I meet Mr. Jordan Turner? I have already scheduled an appointment," The man, wearing a black coat over the white t-shirt muttered.

"You are?"

"Keanu. Keanu Reeves," the man answered.

"Oh, yes sir. Please, walk straight to your left and turn right. The glass door, or should I come along?" The receptionist questioned.

"I think I'll manage, thank you… Ms. Bria," Keanu said after taking a look at her badge.

With a smile which was followed by a nod, he walked towards his destination. Keanu wanted to meet the man in the director's seat for one single reason.

His manuscript.

Although he wanted to act at a point in his life, after overcoming that phase, all he cared about was the movie idea he had.

It was not a niche movie idea like everyone else's nowadays, but the idea he stumbled upon was unique and if executed well, he thought that it even had the potential to win an Academy award.

He started writing two years ago, right when he thought to become a scriptwriter, and after an exact year, he had completed the script which made him think about how long it must take for the successors in his career to achieve what they want.

Considering that he enjoyed way too much while writing, he then put all his time and effort into every script he started.

The current story idea was his seventh story. According to him, the idea, execution, and the hook-up point were something that any director wouldn't reject.

"Mr. Turner?" Keanu put his head inside the office and asked.

There was a bald black man, with an oversized coat, yet with glasses, he looked smart and someone who would not be easy to fool with words.

"Mr. Reeves! Please, come in. I was expecting it since we got an appointment. Was it easy to find your way here, since this is the first time…?" Jordan asked as he stood up welcoming Keanu.

The scriptwriters were basically Gods in front of directors. Without them, there would be no ideas or nothing to work upon.

But in Jordan's case, it was completely different.

He was someone who respected people when he knew they were human by definition. Considering how there were inhuman people among humans, who earns respect would get it from Jordan.

"Ah, it was not that long of a drive from where I was."

"Good to know. Mr. Reeves, I read your script, you sent it three days ago, and ever since then I wasn't able to sleep until I completed it," Jordan got into the matter right away.

Keanu smiled at his words. It was something that he got quite often for how much people loved his ideas and how he executed them through interesting characters.

"That is kind of you, and please feel free to call me Keanu. What do you think about the story?"

"Hmm… There's a director in our studio to exactly know what to do with your script. And you've copyrighted the script in the writers' guild, am I right?" Jordan asked.

"Yeah, I have. Don't get me wrong, but I believe that my ideas are comparatively unique, and with a taste of great directory, the movie could be one of the tops in the industry."

"I'd gladly be the one to say you are not wrong. Not even in the slightest. This thriller-horror movie gave me goosebumps and chills whenever the dialogues from the nun came up. At one point, I wanted my wife to stay with me because of how catchy it was. But there's a slight problem,"

"What is it?" Keanu asked, seeing the worry on Jordan's face.

"Yesterday, we had a board meeting regarding yours and another script. Since we not doing that well these days, the budget and the investments were sufficient just to decide upon a single movie."

Keanu knew what was going to come. Jordan's face explained everything he wanted to say.

If Keanu could, he would be out of the building in search of new opportunities, but for all that's worth, he had to sit right where he was and listen to the rejection.

"I know what you're going to say, sir. Thank you-"

"I'm sorry Mr. Reeves. We had to explain both the stories and from the sound of horror-thriller, they rejected it and went on with the idea of a romantic comedy. Uh, but the good news is, after the release of the movie we have in line, we'd have enough finance to execute your idea.

Truthfully speaking, I have no intentions of letting go of the script for how good it is. If we can talk about this after seven-eight months?"

"Sure," Keanu said and stood up from where he was. "Thank you so much, Mr. Turner, you're a nice man."

"You too, Keanu," Jordan said with an apologetic smile about what happened.

Keanu stood up, shook hands with the director, and walked out of the office room.

'No matter how the start is, if one didn't give up, success would find them. Thrive harder', Keanu thought while walking out to get himself a cab so that he could go home.

-

[At Renner Studio - The meeting with Jeff Sanson and the board]

"That was why I'm here, Ian. Live-action movies are comparatively less in the industry. From Avatar, within five days, we proved that the genre is not dying, yet could be well-developed and commercialized if done properly.

I'm here to propose to you another deal, Ian."

"What is it?" Ian asked as he walked to sit in the front seat which was reserved for him.

"Hmm… I have thought about this a lot. And just like the previous deal, this could be used as a mutually beneficial one. You can make the policies, I wouldn't mind unless something I'd have to."

"And?" Ian questioned further.

He was on his own battle with regard to what was Jeff onto. The man in front of him had a slight smile which was followed by his idea.

"We'd more than love to have you direct another movie in collaboration with Goofy. The idea and the theme of the movie would be yours, and we are ready to supply you with anything, including actors."

The words were somewhat unexpected and had strolled out of Jeff's mouth.

With that, Ian nodded while taking a few seconds to process the information he had just said.

Another collaboration. Another collaboration. Another collaboration.

He kept thinking a bit more about it.

"Okay. I already have a few ideas about some movies. I think we can agree upon one. I'd be writing the script, and we can stream it in your OTT,"

"What is it going to be?" Jeff asked right away.

"I'll let you know about it. But listen to the rest of my side first. Who knows you might even reject the proposal yourself." Ian said with a smirk, making Jeff raise his eyebrows in challenge.

"Go ahead."

"Well, I'd only be giving the script to you. I'd be holding on to the streaming rights. But yes, it will be streamed on Goofy's OTT platform," Ian said.

"Uh, Ian," Jeff said Ian's name, wanting to grab attention.\

"Yeah?"

"I insist on you directing the movie," Jeff said and Ian understood what he was talking about.

"What I have in mind is an art project for now. I'll come back to commercial movies after I'm done with the idea I have in mind." Ian said firmly.

The office room went silent with that statement.

In one corner of it, Jeff wants Ian to work on his next project with Goofy, and in the other corner, Ian has his own battles and challenges prepared to attend.

"Mhm, no," Jeff said straight away.

"That was not something available for discussion, Jeff," Ian said while leaning back in his chair.

Jeff disliked his idea.

"Well, Ian. This is another opportunity for both of us. I don't think this should go this way."

"Hmm… I get your point. I'm not someone to kick a project with such a high monetary outcome. But yes, let's do it like this. We can use Goofy's prime assets, the VFX team, animators, and the voice actors to voice the project. I'll provide the script, and the deal concludes with the same statement I mentioned before," Ian stated while Jeff nodded.

"Deal. Goofy would have a 20% investment in the project, and the rest would be Renner Studio. And I'm looking forward to it."

Jeff said while Ian nodded agreeing with him.

"Sounds perfect to me. Give me time to get my ideas straight, and until then, we can simply enjoy the success of Avatar," Ian said with a smile.

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-

At Cube's Studio - Editing Department, main studio.

The main editor of the project Resident Evil was a few feet away from Angela Bird, the director who sat with them just to check on how the editing process was going.

"Brett, I think it would be more than enough to just focus on the left corner. Like, can we lower the contrast?" Angela asked.

"Yes, I'm trying. I think the sound isn't mixing up too well either. The gunshots are a bit later than the video," Brett said while looking at the sound director who sat right next to them.

"I'm trying, I'm trying."

"Okay, I'll be back in an hour. I have to finalize some stuff with the marketing team. Good luck," Angela Bird said, stood up, and walked out of the studio in a single stride.

"She is kind of hard to deal with.

"Perfection is everything," the sound director mimicked Angela's voice.

"Can't blame her though. After the release of the trailer, there were plenty of comments doubting her skills just because she went on a long break," Brett said, taking a sip from the iced coffee which accompanied her while he was under her strict gaze.

"The only reason why people are like she is strict and tough to work with is, how she wanted shots exactly as she imagined them. I heard the female lead saying in an interview that Ms. Bird made her go through the same shot twenty times. It was during the first few shots though."

"Yeah, but-" The sound director took a sip from his drink. "She does her job completely and perfectly. Like, many female directors shrug the entire movie off and handle it to the editing department right after the shooting.

What they don't know is how the director must be there, at least until the sound directors and editors get a grasp of the movie and how it is going."

"You're right. When is Resident Evil going to be out?" Brett asked after a long pause.

"We are at the end anyway. If everything goes as planned, it wouldn't take so long."

"The trailer was released without a release date?"

"No, the release date was mentioned. But you know how movies work. Some movies get delayed and some completely postpone the date, although the latter is something that'd piss off many waiters,"

"Ah, I brought you guys food. We have been working for three hours now. Just eat something," Angela brought two burgers and fries to both the people who sat for fours straight working on the project.

"That's kind of you. Thanks!"

"Haha, no problem. Were you guys talking about how strict I'm?" Angela asked, making both the men gasp in shock.

One choked in his saliva, and the other one simply smiled with a shrug.

"Not our words, I mean, you are not strict-"

"Right, I'm not-" Angela said and walked over with the food in her hand. "This is the first movie that I'm putting so much effort into. And I want it to be one of those best movies of mine. Also, including director Ian, I don't want to disappoint anyone, myself either. So, I'd do anything in my power to get the execution I expect." She said with a smile.

"Yeah, you didn't have to explain," The sound director said while Brett nodded while agreeing.

"Yeah, well. I just felt like it. And trust me, this is the first time I said it. Anyway, I was thinking of a vibrant effect where the girl was screaming. It could have been better that way, can we go back and edit?" She asked.

"Sure, give me a second," Brett said while typing things quickly on his laptop.

Thus, they were almost close to the end of editing.

-

At White Devil Theater, New York City.

Ian, Mason, Harley, and Raelyn were seated in the theater to find the new big faces that would be on the screen for Ian's next movie, Marriage Story.

Ian already had some faces in mind, so it was easy for him to find people and complete the entire casting process—but the hard part was finding perfect faces for it.

One might think that due to how Ian had the faces in mind, he could simply just find talents and appearances for it, but for Ian, it made things even more difficult.

Not only did he compare the idols he had in mind, but also he tended to look for talents that could improve the movie in every way possible.

"Come over here!" The person who led the actors made them sit a little bit far from Ian and the panel of judges.

There were all sorts of actors there. Ian had specifically chosen some of the files that Murphy had received.

From that, the actors and actresses present today would be selected for the roles Ian had organized for the movie.

"Mary Lavender!" Ian called out.

A young girl, with long hair grown past her shoulders, walked to the stage and stood tall.

She smiled at the audience, and Ian went off with, "Do you have any monologues practiced?"

"Yes, sir."

"Okay then, you can present it!"

The girl took a few minutes to get ready. The audience including Ian, Mason, and the other few men and women kept looking at her.

'Why does my anxiety hit right when Ian Renner is in front of me?!' The girl smiled on her face, but inside her mind, she was having too many thoughts at once.

"I'm ready." She said looking down at the few people.

This was a golden opportunity for her. Although she was a B-grade actress, there were only twenty-five people including her that Ian had chosen to audition for the day.

"Okay.

Into the shower. Boom. Bedroom. Make-up. Boom. Gonna make an effort. I take half an hour trying to look nice and I ended up looking… amazing. I mean, best in ages. One of those days. Boom.

Gorgeous, fresh-faced, heels, wearing a skirt, new top, a little bit sexy, on my way to save my café and yes, I am strutting.

I see a man walking towards me from the bus stop. He can't take his eyes off me. I'm all walking like I've got a paintbrush up my arse, thinking:

Yeah, check me out, cos it's never gonna happen, Chub Chub!"

The way she presented herself made everyone laugh.

By the end of her little part of acting, everyone was laughing. Even Ian had teary eyes for how much he laughed.

The pacing was perfect. Her acting was perfect. Heck, even the way she looked was perfect.

"That was awesome!" Ian said with a smile. "Thank you so much, I'll let you know the results through your agent."

The girl walked down the stage and out of the theater after thanking everyone.

Her opening audition with the rest of the actors gave an extra pump seeing how Ian and the rest of the panel reacted.

[...] After a few more auditions, Ian was talking to Mason about the character he had in mind for the last actor who walked off the stage.

"...I want her role to be enthusiastic, energetic, and spontaneous. And that is exactly what I looked forward to. Uh, Melina who just went… I don't think she had enough charisma to be called Cassie. We'll keep our options open," Ian said and nodded.

"Jack, Jack Woods!" Raelynn called the next actor who was ready to take the stage.

"Hello! I'm Jack Woods. I'm a huge fan of Ian Renner's movies, and…" Ian chuckled at his words. "Haha… Yeah, that one was true. And, I have acted in four movies. I got into acting on December seventeenth, last year."

"Okay, I'd like to give you a challenge, Jack. Are you ready?" Ian asked.

"Anything for you, sir."

With his dimple popping and him smiling at his own words, everyone else laughed at the man's courage to joke in his audition.

"I'd give you a dialogue, give me five different expressions out of it. Five different, Jack. I don't want to see you sad twice, so pick your best expressions. Focus on your facial expressions, and your shoulders. Because every part of your body tells its own story," Ian said for which the guy nodded.

In a few minutes, a piece of paper was handed over to him from Raelynn.

And after taking another few more seconds, Jack got ready to nail his auditions in front of his current favorite director.

"Okay, sir, I'm ready!"

"Off you go," Ian said and in his mind, he snickered at the sound of Simon Cowell.

Jack stood straight, his fists clenched in anger, and he started yelling.

"Oh, well well well. Look who is here! And here I thought that you're the last one to be concerned when I'm ready to jump off of this building!" He said in anger.

"Cut!"

"Next one… Ready? And… Action!" Ian commanded and the actor continued to do so for the next few minutes. Changing his expressions, movements, voice, facial features, where he looked how he stood—it all counted.

Of course, it wasn't a theater audition, but Ian wanted to check the young man's talents as well as spice up the auditioning process.

"Thank you, I'll let you know within a few days!" Ian said and the man thanked everyone and walked himself out.

"Excuse me, sir," Murphy walked inside and looked at Ian dead-eyed.

"Yeah?" Ian asked with a frown.

"An agent is waiting to meet you."

"Agent? Whose agent?" Ian asked back.

"Uh, an actor. Mark Hamill."

"What?" Ian asked back, surprised, which made everyone who sat beside him turn to look at Ian with the expression, 'what happened?'.

-

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-

"Agent? Are you sure?" Ian asked not being able to believe what he was listening to.

"Yes, sir. He said he'd be ready to meet you whenever you are," Murphy looked equally confused as Raelynn, Niko, and Mason looked at the sudden change in Ian.

"I'll be out in a second," Ian said and took his phone into his hand so that he could go out.

"But there are two more actors to audition, can't you finish this off and go?" Mason asked.

"I'll be right back," Ian said and walked off.

It was confusing, surprising and whatnot for everyone who was with Ian. Mason quickly told the two actors who sat a few meters next to them to stay till Ian got back there.

"It was kinda weird, I agree," Niko said in a whisper for just Raelynn to hear.

"Who are we to judge? Look at you, what's weirder than you?"

"You're right. But Ian is calm and collected, one name was enough for him to get out of his seat. Maybe we shouldn't think about this a lot," Niko said and went back to the documents that were in front of him.

Mark Hamill. One name was indeed enough for Ian to spring up from his seat. If anything, that was a name that held a lot of importance.

From Ian's original world, where his soul was with his previous body, Mark Richard Hamill was an American actor, voice artist, and writer.

He was known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars film series, beginning with the original 1977 film and subsequently winning three Saturn Awards for his performances in The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and The Last Jedi.

This was also why, hearing his name made Ian jump from his chair, to meet his agent of his, which could also possibly lead to any sort of future deals with the actor.

The bright sun made his eyes squint, not being able to bear it suddenly as he walked from an inside theatre.

"There, sir!" Murphy pointed at a man who walked out of his car, with his phone in his hand.

The man looked old enough to be older than Ian by around five to ten years, but what mattered was how he waved at Ian's appearance right after he got out of the theater.

"Director Ian Renner!" He jogged down his way to meet Ian.

"Mr..?

"I'm Junior Richards."

"Ah, the director Richards. Wonder why you are an agent?" Ian gave a questioning look while they both walked inside the theater. "We are talking about Hill Richard right?"

"Yes sir, that's him. One thing I'm very proud of is being born as his son. But yeah, my life showed me a different path, yet in Hollywood. But equally exciting to be honest," He said.

There were not many people present in it. With around 1000 seats, the people who were left in the auditioning process were in the first two rows.

Every other red chair was empty.

Ian motioned Richards to the seat and sat two seats away from him.

"Now that is understandable. You must be talented as well, at least being an agent is not an easy task for all I know. Hm… I heard you're the agent for Mark Hamill, am I right?"

"Yes, sir. That's right. I'll tell you why I'm here right away, I don't want to waste any of our time. So, for your first Home Alone movie, Mr. Striver had requested Mark to join in as Buzz, but during that time-"

"You didn't trust me." Ian completed what he was about to say.

"That's right. We didn't. Actually, it was me who objected to the idea–"

For the record, Ian had not known who and who Mason had requested for Home Alone considering Ian auditioned the only people who had accepted his requests.

Nevertheless, the conversation continued.

" —And now, I know you're looking forward to actors acting in your next movie… Uh, movies actually."

"That's right. But before anything, is there any way I could meet Mark Hamill?" Ian asked the question he dreaded.

Every single time he came across someone he knew from his previous world, what he wanted to see was how similar they are and what differences they had.

It was quite interesting, to be honest.

"Yes, sir. Sure. And this was his idea. After he let go and he heard how much of a success Avatar truly was, he was speechless. He tried to explain what he wanted for twenty minutes, and in the end, we agreed that I'd talk to you, today."

"How old is he?" Ian asked.

"Twenty actually. And the talent of the young man, it's truly impeccable," Richard said with a smile to which Ian responded.

"Alright then, I'll talk to you by the end of this week, and I don't think I'd take longer with it, let me talk to him, and I'll then decide. Have a nice day?" Ian asked as he stood up from his chair.

"Thank you, director Ian. You too!" Richard said and walked from the main entrance.

Ian looked at the back of the man who was walking inside, and he suddenly got the urge to gather all the actors and actresses who knew from his previous world to gather up.

He chuckled at the thought, yet walked back to his seat to finish the audition.

-

In the Peace High Law firm.

"Against Ian Renner? Are you sure young lady?" The head lawyer had had an interesting request of a person to meet, which was a young lady wanting to file a case against the popular director, Ian Renner.

"I'm pretty sure and confident about my choice of words, ma'am," She answered truthfully.

It hadn't even been ten minutes since she walked from the glass door, and the lawyer was already trying to find ways to make her walk out of it.

It was simply for how absurd the entire thing sounded.

"What made you think that you could possibly file such a case against someone like Ian Renner? If you're in serious trouble and you need justice, I can help you meet the attorney in no time, but I want to hear the full story first," the lady who looked to be in her late forties answered truthfully.

She was confused, but the case was thrilling in her opinion. She hadn't had such a request in forever.

"You can choose to help me if this would be truthful enough to go ahead or not. I'm Sarah and I'm 24. This kid is eleven months. Are you a fan of Hollywood? As in someone who is interested in what happens around it? If so, you'd know how much Ian gets on with girls. How many actresses he had already slept with, and how he is handling his life as a director with actresses.

Before all of that, he was with me. We kept going on and off in our relationships. Like, we'd go on dates, spend the nights together, if you know what I mean. But the next day, he'd give me the cold shoulder. But he ended things with me one day, and the next week, I got to know I was pregnant," Sarah said.

The last few words made her words broken and teary as she broke down in front of the lawyer.

The lawyer was visibly confused, and a part of her sympathized with the young lady in front of her.

"This is a huge thing, Sarah. I hope you know the worth of all this. I'm not blaming you for any of this, but being associated with rich people's kids, and especially people who could get away with it, that's risky in the first place. But rules are rules for everyone. I'll arrange an appointment for us to talk with the attorney, we can ask for child support funds, and yes, I'll be your lawyer in this case, only if you promise me one thing," She said and leaned forward.

Her sharp small eyes looked serious, and if Sarah hadn't become stronger with the experiences she had in the past couple of months, she'd have flinched badly for how threatening the entire atmosphere became.

"What is it?" She asked.

"I want you to be one hundred percent honest, Sarah. If we take any more steps ahead, there's no coming back. And you hide me one thing, you'll have to pay with the time of your life or money. From what I encountered, you're not financially stable right?"

Sarah nodded at her question.

"Which is also why you shouldn't lie to me at any cost. The next steps are going to be based entirely on trust, so tell me from the beginning, with timelines if possible?" The lawyer asked, her eyes becoming less threatening with time, yet it was intimidating for Sarah to handle—but she had to.

In her mind, she was chanting, 'it'll be alright—it's for Lilian' all over again and again.

"So what happened was that…."

-

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"Good! Sir, can you turn to your left, please?"

"Ah, perfect!"

"Look down… Left side! I think your left side looks better than your right side. Maybe it's how the hair is…"

The set members chuckled at the words of the photographer.

"Mr. Ian Renner, you look like a pretty decent model. Ah, if you ever feel like the career is not for you, shift to become a model. Your features are to die for!" The photographer said while still looking at them one by one.

Ian smiled hearing his words. It was true, and this wasn't the first time he got to hear about the fact photographers loved Ian's postures and all.

Although Ian had just laughed the whole compliment off, the entire thing he got was from his previous world.

As he was an actor, he had to pose in various ways, to look good in the camera.

The initial phase was not pretty looking at all. He had to go through different mentors and different photographers who revealed and realized his body's strengths and weaknesses, which also made things much easier for him.

Ian took a small break while slowly gulping down the bottle of water that was in his hand.

The entire set was prepared to shoot photographs. Behind the camera, there were five to six men and a woman who put their efforts in to make the shoot a good one.

This was for Vanity Fair magazine. Recently, for how good Avatar had been doing, they had asked Ian for an interview, and for that, the photo shoot was technically attached.

"Sir, can you get back? We also might need some pictures of you doing the technical parts of the movie. We've got a spare camera and a monitor. Although there are plenty of pictures on the internet of you doing all sorts of things for a movie, including acting to show how the shot should be taken, we'd love to take some original pictures!" The photographer said while looking at him.

Ian was a few meters away, seated and the woman was touching up his make-up.

"Sure, why not?" Ian smiled at him and closed his eyes back again, of all the powder touch-ups going on.

"Perfect. It's such a weird fact that you have perfect features. This is a first for me, I mean every celebrity looks good in their way, but are there any chances that you did plastic surgery? Excuse me for asking," The woman asked while turning Ian's face to the left side.

"Not really. What do you mean by the first time?"

"Uhm- What I exactly meant is how many celebrities look for their perfect version. But your face is good as it is. You have no idea how much effort it takes to hide the flaws in one's face.

But in my opinion, the flows are the things that make all of us human. We aim for natural pictures—some actresses pay to take the pictures down from socials," the woman said, making Ian nod.

"I get what you mean. It's alright, and their face and body matter a lot. They make a living out of them. Apart from their talents of course," Ian said.

The lady swirled her brush across Ian's cheekbones.

"Done. You are good to go, director!" She said while Ian stood up from his chair immediately.

"Let's go for the next fitting. I think I have the perfect suit to go with the blue theme for the background."

It was a fact that the dressings go after the makeup considering no one wants to make up touches in the dresses.

This was also why Ian was taken back to change his clothes for the next session of photography.

[...] Ian came out wearing a brown and blue combo suit, which made his eye color appear more highlighted.

"Wow… That looks perfect! I'm pretty sure these pictures would go on the first page!" The photographer said and got prepared immediately to take the pictures.

Everyone else who had their mouths open at how good Ian looked, quickly distracted themselves from their job in no time.

"Are we ready?" the photographer asked while looking at Ian from the camera.

Ian nodded and smiled showing his perfect jaw and perfect smile to the camera.

Click!*

The camera and the lights went off.

-

The next part of the day for Ian was everything including excitement.

Walking inside the office room, he couldn't wait till he got to see the young Mark Hamill.

After the agent had talked with Ian, he made sure to check up on how this young actor looked. Just like he thought, he looked extremely young. The version which Ian had in mind was completely different from what he saw on the internet.

At one point, he couldn't help but stare at the man that was on his laptop screen.

The main reason for all the excitement was that, if anything, he got to meet the previous actors, who he knew from his previous world by coincidence.

But this was new and fresh to him. This was planned.

Therefore, he had time and the chance to look up how the actor looked, and what he could offer for Mark to stay by his side.

Not to mention, it was a weird attachment Ian felt to give the chance to the actors he knew. Which was also why he decided to give-

"Mr. Mark Hamill is here, should I send them in?" Murphy's voice came through the intercom, for which Ian smiled.

"Yes, please," he muttered.

In no time, Mark Hamill walked in with a smile, and behind him, the agent followed him inside.

"Nice to meet you, director Renner, how are you?" Mark said as he stepped into his office.

"Nice to meet you too. Please, have a seat— you both!" Ian said as he showed the seats that were in front of him.

"I'm doing fine, and please, feel free to call me Ian. Tea or coffee?" Ian asked. "Or anything else? Although it's still noon."

"Ah, more of a coffee guy,"

"And for you?"

"For me, I'll be out for a while. I just wanted to say hello to Ian," the agent who was still on his toes said while earning a nod from both the men who were seated.

"Alright, excuse me," he walked himself outside.

"Two cups of coffee, please. One with extra sugar," Ian said through the intercom. "So, how are you?" he asked again.

The temperature turned calm and comfortable, while Ian took a look at the actors who were in front of him.

Same features. Same eyes. Even the way he talked was similar.

"First of all, my apologies for turning down the first chance. Honestly, I wouldn't have guessed that you'd come this much of a long journey in the industry.

"At that time, everything was entirely biased for how it could be just the beginners' luck, but now… I don't think it is."

"Ah, let's just forget all of it. After your agent contacted me, he did mention a lot about how things were back then, and trust me, I'd have done the same thing."

"Thanks, Ian," he said while sweeping his hand through his brown hair. Mark's eyes were the same which gave Ian chills.

"Well, talking down into the business, I have a role for you."

"Already?" Mark interrupted.

"What do you mean?"

"Uh-" Mark cleared his throat and looked straight into Ian's eyes. "Ian, I didn't think that you'd give me a role today, I was expecting things a bit late,"

Ian chuckled at the confused look of the young actor. Twenty years old is sure young compared to many actors who are graded B. Which in fact, explained a lot about Mark and his status as an actor.

"Don't you know how we directors work? If we see something eye-pleasing and would match any… ANY role that we have in mind, we'd try our best to go with it!" Ian said with a smile that was genuinely reciprocated by the young man.

"What is it about?" He asked.

"The movie would be a romance, comedy, and drama. I'll explain the outer touches of the movie, then we can focus on the role I have for you in your mind."

"Sure, let's go with it."

"The name of the movie is, Marriage Story. The story is going to be about a stage director and his actor wife who struggle through a grueling, coast-to-coast divorce that pushes them to their personal and creative extremes. The couple in this movie have shared life, with a child and a mutual passion for theatre, but ultimately what they have not taken care of is their emotional connection."

"What makes the movie special?" Mark questioned which came out as a surprise for Ian.

He hadn't expected the question, but a smile drew on his lips knowing what the young man was thinking about.

"Hmm, good question. So, Marriage Story is going to be an incredibly emotional character study, and deeply human. The specialty of the movie would be all about execution, which I'm looking forward to. That is why I want to find the perfect people to fit the role." Ian said.

[...] And then, the rest of the conversation followed with how Ian wanted Mark's character to be.

-

A/N;

-vote with powerstones! gimme gimme!

-discord server - https/discord.gg/DGPX5QzRqv

-instagram handle - @tc.liyanage

A/N;

hey guys, it's me TC here. So, I normally don't explain what's going on in the story because if I've to explain it, that means I failed as an author. But what I've been meaning to say after lots of comments over the arc that's ongoing is, that this entire arc is NOT just for the drama. I know y'all hate drama and want Ian to become an OP director and everything.

but this entire scenario actually has a reasoning behind it, and since some of y'all are so impatient, I thought I'd just lay it out here. This is basically a challenge that he'd have to go through to realize some of the stuff he had been doing wrong.

anyway, it's all for future good. Stay tuned. Ty and happy reading!

-

At the Renner Studio

9 am.

"Mark Hamill as Charlie Barber? Now that's some smooth character involvement. I can't even imagine anyone else anymore," Harley, one of the directors in Renner Studio said as they were discussing it more.

"Yeah, my boy is quite talented," Mason said while tapping on the keyboard.

The entire office in the morning was calm and quiet; not the bad kind, but the good kind.

In a way, it was the calmness before the storm. Because the filming was about to start quickly which also meant that the entire studio would have to get into business.

Every part of the studio, including every department, would have to participate in one or another, which was their job.

"Well, this wouldn't be the only time that Mark would work with us."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Mason asked, looking at Ian's face.

"You got something in mind, Ian?" Harley chirped in.

"Yeah, but let's focus on Marriage Story first. The actors for all the roles are occupied, right? We have no one missing I suppose?" Ian asked, looking at both Mason and Harley.

Harley joined the project Marriage Story as the head of the creative team. Although he worked as a director, directing his movies under Mason, the opportunity stumbled in front of his door and knocked its way for him to finally work with Ian.

He'd be taken for an idiot if he rejected the idea, but thankfully, he wasn't.

"Yeah, I think we're all set on that. We have the teams and everything, uh, the music and the sound directing, I heard our sound director went on a vacation?" Harley asked.

He was concerned as well as Ian.

"Is it true uncle? How long would it take?" Ian asked.

"Yeah, it is true. The guy worked too hard, and I had to send him on a vacation. Hope he enjoys it, and don't worry, I'm in the process of recruiting a new sound director for the project," Mason said while Ian visibly relaxed.

"Ah, that's good then, how about the locations?"

"I'm talking to the authorities these days, things should be fine and ready within a week. We'd be all set to start shooting by the end of the next week. By the way, Ian, is it true that Avatar broke the Top Lifetime Gross in the box office?" Mason asked.

With that question, a smirk formed on Ian's face. "It does, also Avatar became the movie to hit that score in a very short period."

"That is unexpected! Good job! Dibs for a party tonight!" Harley said as Ian nodded.

"Congratulations!" Mason said again.

"Thank you, and yes, I think a party sounds great, would be even greater considering our schedules would be packed tight from next week. I'm so in… Murphy, can you come in real quick?" Ian asked the latter through the intercom.

"Sir?" Murphy walked inside excusing himself.

Thus, Ian's schedule for the next few months was planned. Focusing on Avatar, participating in the release of Resident Evil, and during the entire process, also trying to finish the script of Home Alone 2 was the outer layout of his next months.

-

Angela Bird finally concluded the entire editing process of her movie and was on her way to meet Mason, who was the producer of the film.

After adding the final details of the movie, one thing she felt was the light tingle of questions, worries, and nervousness.

Don't get it wrong, she is quite the talented director when it comes to the movies she had directed previously, but this experience was new to her.

After the entire shooting process was over, for all she had ever wanted, she went home and reread the entire book by Ian once again from the beginning.

And again, she noticed subtle scenarios that she could add to the movie, and that was what she exactly did. Adding dom more things to the movie, and giving her best at the execution.

Currently, she was inside her BMW, in the traffic, finding her way to the Renner Studio building, so she could finally meet Mason and Ian to talk about the release date and invite them to the premiere.

"How long would this traffic take!? For heaven's sake!" She put back her head in frustration.

Knock knock knock!" It was a police officer, knocking at the glass shutter of the car.

She opened her eyes and so were some more police officers here and there in the traffic talking o people inside the vehicles.

Luckily or unluckily, she was one of them.

She opened the shutter and looked at the bald man with a smile.

"What's up officer? What's going on?"

"Ma'am, is it possible for you to turn over and go from the long way? There's a crime scene recorded in the middle of the road, and we can't allow anyone to go,"

"Alright!" Angela sighed at the sound of the crime scene. "Thanks,"

"Good night, Ms. Bird. Huge fan!"

Angela smiled at the officer's final words, and she turned her vehicle hurriedly yet really uncomfortably considering how people had their vehicles blocking the road already. But-

"It would take at least more than two hours now!" She thoughts and took the phone to call the person who needs to know about her delay.

ring….. ring….*

-Hello, Ms. Bird? Mason's voice came through the phone call.

"Hello, Mr. Striver. I just couldn't surpass the crime scene that had happened on the highway, and it might take longer for me to reach the Studio. But I have an emergency with the invitation cards and all, do you mind staying a bit longer after 6?" She asked.

Her one hand had her phone clutched to her ear, and the other one was firmly grasped on the steering wheel.

-There's going to be a party held by Ian at the WaterLily Hotel. I'll send you an invitation for your email, you'd be able to make it, yeah? I invited Mr. Corealla and he said he'll call you.

Mason asked.

"Sure, I'll see, whatever it takes to meet both of you," Angela said and smiled.

-Alright, see ya then. Arrive safely, Ms. Bird!

Inside Angela's mind, she was completely grateful for the sound of the party.

It had been a hell journey of months for Angela with her career. As much as she loved every bit, every moment she spent on the set, it could be harder to work in Hollywood once you take a long break.

The next person she had to call was her husband.

[...] One call and it was all set. She'd go home, they'd get ready, and straightaway head to the party, so they both can finally have fun and some peace.

-

At WaterLily Hotel - Los Angeles.

"Excuse me, who are you?" The bodyguard outside the hotel questioned a man who wore a suit, but for as far as they saw, he was on his feet.

"I'm an actor. I know Ian Renner is going to be there, and I need to go inside! Now!" He said and continued to walk in.

"This is Los Angeles. Aren't we all actors here? Tell your name and details, maybe show the invitation, and then I'll let you in."

The muscular bodyguard stood straight and scarily in front of the petite man.

"I just want to meet Ian or any other director, I swear, I have been a good actor in my whole life! You wouldn't even bet to think that I'm not a good actor! Please let me in!"

"By the sound of it, it sounds like-" The bodyguard started to say yet without completing what he was about to say, he took the man by his hand and signaled the other bodyguard who wore the same black suit as him to help him.

The other bulky man looked as if he wasn't feeling it was his night.

Emotionless, and bland. His lips were tight, also his head was comparatively small.

Apart from the unnecessary details, both the men swept the man from his feet and took him away from the entrance.

After they were gone, two more men came to cover up the entrance.

One thing they knew was, that tonight's guest of the party would be Ian Renner, and it was in their power to protect each and every one of the celebrities who are yet to attend the party that was being hosted 5o celebrate the succession of Avatar.

The inside of the hotel was beautifully decorated in Blue and Black, considering the Avatar theme would go well with it.

[...] The clock struck 8, and the guests started filling the empty hall.

People including Ian Renner were inside the hotel, and luckily the party was kept a secret with no public press or media involved.

If there were, the questions and the photographers would have known no ends.

"You made it, hello!" Mason walked towards Angela who held Jackson's hand in one hand, and a glass of champagne in the other.

"Had to, the premiere is going to be in less than two weeks-"

The party thus started.

-

A/N;

-vote with powerstones. top 50 = bonus chap.

-read the chaps ahead /TC_L

-join the dc server and flw me on insta :)) bye bye people, keep supporting HK!

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[mature content. Dw trial will be there soon.]

After a while of people exchanging their formalities and Ian welcoming the guests of the evening, it all went smoothly.

People were talking at every corner of the party.

Some were invited by Ian, and others were simply not. Many mutual friends were invited to the party.

Given that such a party is a huge one, where even coordinates of Goofy were invited considering how they were also a part of the entire project, the party. Was. huge.

"...No, it was a great catch. I've mentioned it thousands of times before, and I'll tell you that again, the VFX team was one of the best!"

It was an hour into the party, and Ian was partially drunk.

His alcohol tolerance is comparatively high, and he decided to take it easy with the night considering highly valued people including Jeff Sanson on the premises.

Around him, there were plenty of directors and actors discussing and talking among themselves. The circle was the largest among the different circles that the people had formed themselves into.

"Heard that one a lot. And Ian, it's rare to see you without a date, what's the plan for tonight?" A tall man asked.

Ian looked at him and his lips curled because he understood what the man was talking about.

"Well well well, guess we'd never know what'd happen by the end of all of this, heh?"

"Excuse me, lads!" Ian said jokingly and walked away from the people who constantly kept talking about business and Hollywood.

He wanted a distraction.

After walking past several people, smiling and acknowledging as much as possible, he finally reached the bar.

"Looking for someone?" A female voice was overheard through the music.

"Hmm… That someone looks exactly like you, wonder who you are," Ian asked as the bartender served his drinks.

"Thanks," he thanked him.

"Ah, guess you never heard about me. I'm Lauren Richards," she said as she took her drink from the waiter who walked past them.

"Lauren Richards. The name sounds familiar. Midnight dream? Walking through the door? They're your award-winning shows. Midnight dream was a box office hit, I'm right, yeah?"

"Nice to meet you too, Ian Renner," She said with a seductive smile.

"Hmm, heard you're done with the filming of your next movie,"

"Ah! Seems like you know a little too much."

Ian took a sip as he ran his eyes through the pretty lady in front of him. She was stunning and Ian's type. Although a bit older than he'd go, a different was always welcome to him.

"Wanna see how much?" Ian asked while she walked closer to him.

The gap between them was covered up as she slyly smiled at him. "I'd love to," she whispered.

[...] The level of these two lying in bed, dressed in their underwear, and kissing each other. They were in one of those rooms of the hotel.

Ian Renner kissed Lauren Richards and she moaned and squirmed underneath his skilled ministrations.

Damn, he was good. Very good, and a small part of Lauren felt guilty about liking this. She hoped that she doesn't like it too much, yet continued.

Her bra came off and Ian smiled at Lauren's juicy globes bouncing up, begging to be sucked. He said nothing and just lightly fondled her chest which caused her to moan.

"Ian !" Lauren cried out in his ear.

"I know that look."

"Yes, and if you know that look, you'll have your dick out of your shorts and jammed into me in about thirty seconds," Lauren breathed.

The ministrations of his hands and mouth on her swollen nipples were just too much. Ian knew all of the spots to touch Lauren to get her all wet and gooey. Ian leaned down and helped Lauren out of her panties before they were good and ruined. They slid down her legs.

"Well, not right yet," Ian said. "You know, a little bit of Lauren makes everything taste so much better."

Lauren would have rolled her eyes at the quip.

Had, Ian's tongue not jammed deep into her warm hot box and taken her completely over the edge with some blinding and intense pleasure? With what was happening, Lauren moaned the faster Ian jammed deep inside of her and made her rock back and forth.

"Yes!" Lauren moaned for him. "Ohhh, yes!"

He licked, sucked, and savored every last drop of Lauren's lovely core.

Ian could devour it and suck it down. She looked amazing rocking back and forth. The motions of her hips jerked forward to meet his tongue. Ian raced to make her cum so he could savor Lauren's taste.

Lauren grabbed the back of Ian's head and came with a cry of pleasure. He most certainly knew how to make her squirt. She knew he had so many experiences from how he made her feel.

"So, do you have something for me, Ian Renner?"

"Hmm… What were you offering me, Lauren?" he questioned back.

Lauren sauntered over to Ian, one of the most hungry and cock-achingly sexy looks plastered on her face. Lauren stroked Ian's big thick cock, rocking it back and forth in her hand. She drooled, the desire to have it in her growing. Yet, she loved edging Ian to the end.

Her hand felt so amazing stroking up and down his shaft.

Her tongue teased his sensitive head as well. She looked like sex on two legs, the way she teased and tormented Ian.

She practically made him squirm in the palm of her hand, tensing her fingers down ont him.

Ian closed his eyes and pushed his prick back into her hand deeply as she tugged on him.

"Feels good," Lauren breathed. "I bet you want to put it inside me."

Ian grabbed Lauren and she released his cock. The two kissed each other. Lauren's breasts brushed against Ian's muscular chest as he felt up her body.

Lauren's wet pussy had its hold. The gorgeous redhead kept herself in good shape, and Ian could not wait to feel her pussy wrapped around him one more time.

He ground his fingers up against Lauren's back and pulled Lauren onto his prick to make her cry out completely.

"Ian !"

Those moans of his name were music to Ian's ears.

As much as Lauren's tight core wrapping around him felt like an aphrodisiac to his cock. He leaned her up and sent her dropping down onto his prick to make Lauren's juicy center hug and release him with the most fluid pumps possible. Ian pinched Lauren's nipples and made her cry out for him even more. He had her, right where he wanted her and would not let up.

"Keep it up!" Lauren mewled in his ear. "Don't you dare stop! Ah, this feels so good!"

Lauren closed down onto Ian and grabbed him hard before she released him. He had Lauren mewling and bouncing up and down. Her breasts swayed and Ian grabbed onto him. He squeezed Lauren's lovely tits and made her moan out loud.

The gorgeous redhead creamed herself over the cock of the much younger man. Ian's fingers raked down onto Lauren's nipples and squeezed them. She did not know how much longer she could last. But, she would go the distance, if it meant feeling Ian jammed up tight into her cunt until she squeezed him completely.

"You make me feel like I'm ten years younger," Lauren breathed in his ear.

"You're only as young as you feel," Ian said.

Well, if that was the case, then Lauren felt like jailbait tonight. She rocked up and down on Ian's manhood to push it inside of her. She clutched tightly around Ian and milked him with more fluid motions than ever before. They were both getting so close. Lauren could feel this as she practically pounded her brains out right atop Ian's gorgeous manhood.

"Fuck, so close," Lauren moaned in his ear. "Oooh, damn!"

Her warm inner muscles just squeezed down onto him and made Ian rock up inside of her. The two enjoyed the feeling of each other just moving together.

Ian switched positions and pushed Lauren onto her back. He grabbed her legs and mounted them atop his shoulders. Ian pushed down into Lauren and drove her completely nuts.

She submitted to the powerful Alpha male above her, his big cock smashing into her body.

"Are you close?" Lauren asked him.

"Yes."

"Good!" She moaned out.

Ian pushed up against Lauren and sucked on her sensitive breasts to get her to moan in his ear.

"YESSS!" Lauren cried out in his ear. "YESSS!"

Ian just smiled and filled her up. His big thick balls slapped down against her before he lost it along with Lauren. She clamped down onto his cock and milked it. Ian leaned in and his balls expanded and contracted before he spurted every single last drop into her tight love canal.

Their bodies were still sweaty and heaving from their little fuck session.

Lauren cupped Ian's face and kissed the director in front of her.

"Damn, that was too good, one more?" She asked with another smile, the same as the smile where she signaled that she wanted to spend time with Ian.

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"Let's stop there."

Nikole, up almost atop the actor's head, turns to him with a look that asks, "Was that, OK?" Charlie nods.

"Who wants to start?" The mediator asks.

Nikole, who was played by Scarlett, had no make-up, and was in a baggy sweatshirt and jeans, as she sat in a chair, not saying a word, staring at a piece of paper in her lap, replied "I'm not going to read this out loud."

"Why is that?"

"I don't like what I wrote."

She and her husband Charlie, who was being played by Mark Hamill, were in an upstate apartment office. They were sitting adjacent to each other, in front of a mediator who tried to help them through their problems in their marriage.

"As we mediate your separation and eventual divorce, things can become quite contentious, so I like to begin with a note of positivity. For the people, I work with to remember why they got married in the first place. And so, that as you come apart, you're reminded that this is a person you had a great feeling for and maybe still do in many ways—" The mediator, who was a small actor that Ian had liked, when he gave the audition for Mark Hamill's role, tried to explain.

"I'll read mine. I like what I wrote." Charlie interrupts him, as he holds up his phone.

"For it to work, you both have to read—" He says again, and this causes Nikole to huff in frustration, as she folded her paper and replied, "I am not going to."

Taken aback by the rebuttal, the mediator tries to say something, but Charlie cuts in "She always says I can't write. But I think mine is pretty good."

"Nikole, maybe you'll change your mind once you hear Charlie's." The mediator suggests as he picks on the lifeline.

"I don't want to hear Charlie's" Nikole insists as she looks at her husband.

"We promised to listen." Charlie points out.

"That's right, that's the very first step in this process." The mediator comments again, and this angers Nikole, as the frustration of her marriage story piles up and she furiously stands up.

"Well, I think I'll go if you two are just going to sit around and suck each other's dicks!"

"CUT! Great shot Scarlett!" Ian's voice sounds throughout the set, as he indicates that the scene had been taken perfectly.

It had been a few weeks since the shooting for his art project, Marriage Story, had started and Ian and the rest of the crew were already through a lot of the scenes of the movie. He truly had lucked out into finding magnificent talent for this film, and that made his work significantly much easier.

"Shooting simple, yet powerful scenes like this is cathartic. It got me out of the funk I had, after the dream I had this morning." Ian comments, as he checks the scene on Raelynn's camera.

"Oh, and what kind of dreams does this century's latest, potentially the greatest, scriptwriter and director have on his mornings?" Raelynn asks as she rewinds the footage, to mark out the time stamps of the moments that will need touch-ups in the editing phase. "Is this fine?"

"Yeah, we don't need to retake. Send it to the team. And as a matter of fact, I usually have very pleasant dreams." Ian answers as he chats with his cinematographer, as he waives away the actors for a five-minute recess.

"Oh, and what happened in today's dream then?" Raelynn asks as she sits across from Ian, leaning towards him with a teasing smirk.

"Well, this morning, I was the captain of a space ship, called the Milano. I lead a motley crew of traumatized war veterans, that were looking for a way to make a living in the galaxy," Ian responded.

Raelynn tilts her head and asks "That sounds pleasant enough, you were the captain of a friggin spaceship!"

"Well, yeah. But the problem was, I was dumb enough to play with magical space rock, that I found the section of space forbidden by space cops. That rock happened to release a monster, that wanted to take over the galaxy. So, I had to act like a real leader, and take my crew through some pretty dangerous stuff. I remember very vividly that we battled a dragon that was at least the size of the empire state building." Ian explains.

Raelynn chuckles, and shakes her head "Wow, what I wouldn't give to get dreams like that. Mine generally feature a white void and a boatload of cotton candy. You should think about making that into a movie. Though, now that you think about it, as a child, I did dream of Space. But it was about a Naked Thunder God, and his space goats. It wouldn't make for a good movie, trust me."

"Yeah, I can see how that would be a bad premise. Would make for a good porno though…" Ian offers.

"It would, wouldn't it?" Raelynn laughed and shook her head. She stared at Ian for a couple of seconds, as he busied himself with the footage on the screen again, a smile still lingering on his face. She bit the corner of her lip and tried to say "Hey, Ia-"

"Sir, there is a Mr. Mason on the line, he says he needs to speak to you about Resident Evil." Ian's assistant unwittingly interrupts Raelynn from voicing out her thoughts.

"Oh, I will be right there. You were saying something, Rae?" Ian asks, as he gets up from his seat.

Raelynn shakes her head as she hides her disappointment and says "Oh, it's nothing. Just a stupid thought about Space Goats, and dragons. Nothing important."

"Oh, well then, if you'll excuse me."

"Oh, don't let me hold you." She replies easily, and she watches him smile and take his leave, expertly masking her disappointment.

"That was seriously agonizing to watch," Niko comments, as he takes the seat Ian had just vacated.

"Hey, what do you know?" Raelynn rebuts, a little annoyed.

"Hey, I came in peace," Niko says as he raises his hands in the universal sign of surrender, "You really should tell him,"

"I want to, but then I am also afraid, commitment isn't something he or I are ready for. He's got this company, and the movies he is making. And I have my own ... stuff to do!" Her reply peters off at the end.

"What stuff, if I may be so bold as to inquire?" Niko prods teasingly.

Raelynn huffs and replies "You may not inquire."

Niko raises an unimpressed eyebrow at his friend and deadpans.

Rolls her eyes and sighs and replies unconvincingly "I-I, I like action sports. I've done all kinds of action sports, including Scuba Diving, SkyDiving, and Mountaineering. I've even explored the Amazon rainforest. I have hobbies!"

Niko deadpans yet again at his friend and replies "And all those action sports you are talking about, you did them with Ian. Heck all of them were for 'Avatar's research trip', which by the way I still believe was Ian finding a way to empty money out of Goofy's pocket if that man was Gay I would've made my move. Anyway, this is not about him. You need to go out, take a break, or something. Try a hobby, I hear Go-Kart racing is cool if action sports are really what you're into. Point is, you need to either tell Ian how you feel, and get it done with, or you need to take a break and find out who you are."

Raelynn sighed, as she looked at her friend, and replied "I-I guess, …. I guess you're right, I'll take a break from, from what exactly?"

"Must I tell you everything?" Niko shakes his head, as he gets up from his seat, seeing that Ian had returned from his call, and was going to rebegin shooting. "You, Raelynn, need to find an answer to that yourself."

-

A/N; Keep supporting HK!

A/N; Now I know what everyone's opinions from the polls of yesterday. All I can say is to have an open mind. Thank you so much for taking a minute to give your thoughts. Appreciate it. Happy reading!

-

The shooting was about to end.

Although the final scenes were shots that Ian was sure the actors could pull off perfectly,

"People used to say to me that you were too selfish to be a great artist. I used to defend you. But they're right!" Ian said, looking at Mark.

"All your best acting is behind you. You're back to being a HACK." Mark replied with the same tone pitching up to Ian's.

"You gaslighted me. You're a fucking villain!" Ian replied to Mark again.

"You want to present yourself as a victim because it's a good legal strategy, FINE. But you and I both know you CHOSE this life. You wanted it until you didn't!" Mark replied.

The dialogues between the two men continued further. Raelynn who held the camera in his hand was muffling his laughter at how funny and serious they both looked.

Ian's facial expressions were dead set and he was being Nicole's character. Mark, who was already in his character, hadn't moved an inch of muscle out of the character of Charlie.

"Life with you was JOYLESS!" Mark said.

"So you had to fuck someone else? How could you?" Ian said with anger slightly layered in his voice.

Niko, who held back the whole time, burst out laughing.

"Now is the good part, Niko. Only if you held it in a little longer," Ian said and rolled his eyes.

"Fuck… That looked so real!" Niko laughed harder. "P-Please, continue. Scarlett, take notes," he said and laughed a bit more.

"Alright… Action!" Niko said, yet a smile still lingering on his lips.

"You shouldn't be upset that I fucked her, you should be upset that I laughed with her!" Mark said, looking into Ian's eyes.

"Do you love her?"

"No! But she didn't hate me. You hated me!"

The situation was getting intense.

"You hated ME. You fucked someone we worked with!"

"You stopped having sex with me in the last year. I never cheated on you."

"That was cheating on me!"

"But there's so much I could have done. I was a director in my 20s who came from nothing and was suddenly on the cover of fucking Time Out New York…."

Luckily, Raelynn recorded Ian's expressions and Mark's seriousness on the camera.

Ian had mentioned that bloopers as such would trend higher when put into the credits of the movie.

"Scarlett, you got what I truly meant with the character right? The expressions, the posture, and all… Will you be able to pull it off?" Ian asked, looking at Scarlett.

Her beautiful big eyes were looking up at him, and she nodded. "Yep, I got this!" she replied.

The tension among the two people was noticeable to Niko as he cleared his throat. Raelynn quickly glanced at Niko and focused on the camera that was in her hand.

In between the little break that they got, after the acting of Ian, which everyone was pretty amused at, they focused on one thing or another.

Some people held the lightning equipment and focused on getting a good picture for the cameras. Some people had done the coordinating on the technical side.

"Let's take five and shoot the scene!" Ian said as everyone nodded and cheered.

One thing the set hadn't lacked from day one was enthusiasm. From every actor to every person in charge of one thing or another, they were all equally enthusiastic about the shooting.

Which made things much easier for Ian.

-

"... And, action!"

"Well, out here he has basketball on Saturday at 12, 11, I'm sorry and so we go there." Charlie swallowed and continued, "And then afterward, maybe we'll get lunch somewhere, and then if there's a movie to see…"

"Does he like basketball?"

"He does. His coach, um, Rick says he's a good dribbler and I've seen that…" Charlie replied.

Charlie was acted by Mark Hamill, and so far into the story, Ian got nothing but perfect shots he had in his mind with his role.

The way that the young actor portrayed a character of a not-so-young man was something to truly appreciate.

"Uh-huh-"

"Ron. I'm sorry. His coach's name is Ron. Rick's his dentist in New York," As Charlie said the words, the evaluator scribbled something on her book.

"Well, you know our home was...is in New York. That's where we live and–" Charlie muttered.

"New York is a long way from here…"

The entire scenario was being acted so well in front of Ian's eyes.

After watching it for a while from the monitor screen, he felt as if something was not right.

The slight tingles of doubt rose in the back of his head and he yelled, "Cut! Oh, shoot! The camera isn't rolling? Raelynn?" He asked.

"What in the world?!"

"Oh hell!"

"Ahahhaa!"

"One more it is then!" Everyone said one thing or another.

"That was such a good shot though! It would be awesome if you could keep up with the same emotions while portraying the character… Just like you did before!" Ian yelled through the microphone he had in hand.

"I think people are going to love the friggin bloopers more than they're going to love the movie!" Niko said from behind, while he was on his phone.

Everyone laughed at Niko's words! The bloopers were being taken since day one, and they truly were funny as hell!

Just like what they hadn't expected to happen during the nighttime.

-

It was past seven, and it had been a pretty hectic day for the entire cast.

From four in the morning, people were focusing on one character or another. Many had their own goals to achieve but some simply had to follow Ian's lead.

Nevertheless, for all of them, it was quite stressful and tiring.

"I can't believe we were able to create all the sets as Ian wanted to. It was a great achievement in my opinion," one of the employees talked to another.

"Well, it was easy and essential."

"Essential? Making amendments with plans and planning the set is normally what happens everywhere."

"Not here, Liya. Ian has the specific idea of a set in his mind which also makes things kind of hard and easy. But for this set, it was easy because he knew exactly what he wanted." The employee who started the conversation said with a serious look.

There were specific things that Ian had taken the original inspiration from.

One thing Ian knew was how in the original movie that the theme of theatre is reflected in the film's production design and architecture.

Charlie and Nicole had a proscenium arch in their apartment. In Nicole's mother's house, characters move in and out of rooms that interconnect to the kitchen like backstage to the main stage. During Nicole's monologue she walks in and out of rooms and similarly, Nicole and Charlie walk between rooms during the fight scene, these moments echo how actors move in plays.

And the other thing that he knew was how Charlie's LA apartment is an actual apartment, rather than a constructed set.

The production had rented it as a film location, along with the apartment directly upstairs, which they used for lodging. The next-door neighbors had to be asked to leave during the filming of the argument scene.

Since every single step wasn't practical and theoretical in Ian's opinion, he completed the target of sets in his way.

"Look at that!" The employee said in a hushed tone and pointed toward the couch.

"Oh, my sky! Oh, my sky! Hahaha!" The other employee smiled as well.

"Shhh… Guys, don't wake him up, we still have an hour's worth of break," Ian who walked behind the two ladies said and smiled looking at the couch.

"Where's Rae? This should go to the bloopers! Man, I can't honestly wait to see them together," Niko said in a hushed tone to Ian and walked away to find Raelynn, the essential person of the house.

After being able to find her in the nearest kitchen, she walked towards where Ian was with her camera in her hand.

From afar, she took a picture of how Ian stared at the young man who slept on the couch.

"I'm pretty sure that wouldn't make it to the final cut, but thanks," Ian whispered and walked away.

Raelynn who smiled to herself took pictures of Mark Hamill who had drool on the side of his mouth and was in a deep, peaceful sleep; which was shown clearly from how his eyes rested.

-

After an entire day worth of troublesome shooting, Ian walked inside his mansion with a deep sigh leaving his lips, that too, right when he stepped into his room.

He closed the door of his room behind him and jumped onto the bed.

knock knock*

"Eh?" Ian groaned and stood up.

"Master Ian, this letter came around afternoon, and it looked pretty important so thought of giving it before you go off tomorrow morning?" Valerine said while extending her hand.

In her hand, there was a court subpoena.

"What the fuck is it now?" Ian mouthed out as his sleepiness shrugged away completely from his mind and body.

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"What the fuck is it now?" He asked as he took the letter and opened it.

"...You are hereby requested to be at the judge on August 30th, 2019." The final statement made him question a lot of things at first.

"You've gotta be kidding me?! Is this some sort of a joke…?" He asked loudly as he read the same statement again.

In his mind, he was thinking about how this could be a mistake over and over. Much to his disappointment, he couldn't let his thoughts fool him anymore, it sure was a court letter requesting his attendance to a quick inquiry, which could even lead him to face a trial.

A good few minutes passed by. Valerine was looking at Ian, and Ian was looking at the piece of paper.

Ian couldn't believe what was in his hand.

The subpoena—it was the second time he got to touch this sort of letter, and in the back of his mind, he knew that this wasn't that much good news either.

Opening the little paper, his eyes widened in surprise.

Valerine who looked at Ian subtly understood that whatever she had brought, it wouldn't be a positive letter.

"What is it, master Renner?" She questioned not being able to hide her curiosity.

After looking at the paper, and reading the letters over and over again, he scoffed.

"I'm having a baby, apparently," he said and walked inside the bedroom.

"What? U-"

"Don't worry, Valerine. Don't worry about it, if I'm a father, you'd get to look after a kid," Ian said and sighed.

"Uh, master?" Valerine asked unsurely.

"It was a joke, have a good sleep," Ian said dismissing her.

With a conflicted mind, she walked away from the room, yet she had her doubts questioning her every step while she went on to sleep.

"I just hope master Renner isn't in so much trouble this time," she told herself and drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

-

During the night, while everyone was sound asleep, relaxing their minds and bodies with all the tiresome work they did during the daytime, Ian was wide awake.

His day was going well. Good shots. Perfect dialogues. Realistic acting. Everything was fine.

On his way home, he even thought about starting to write his next script so that he could start the filming right after Marriage Story ends.

His main thoughts were how Marriage Story would be an art movie instead of a commercial.

Nevertheless, his entire day was ruined by the piece of paper he got.

"Who is Sarah anyway?" He thought as he took his phone and searched for the name, Sarah.

[No results found]

The time must be before he reincarnated, or so Ian thought. Because, if he hookup with any girl, there was a high possibility that he remembers at least the name, if not the face.

And the name Sarah was partially new to Ian.

He sighed and continued thinking more. As he wanted to clarify what the hell was happening, he wanted to talk to Mason considering he might be able to help him.

[Uncle, I need a favor. 3.02 a.m.]

Ian texted and kept the phone beside the nightstand.

-[What happened? It's three in the morning]

Mason replied.

Another text chimed.

-[I was reading an article, Ian?]

[I'll meet you in your office tomorrow morning, I might need a good lawyer.]

-[Tomorrow then]

The small conversation took off a lot of weight from Ian.

One thing he was conscious of was to meet up with the consequences of whatever was going to happen.

Having a kid while he still has a long way to go doesn't sound exactly like something he'd want to do.

But in the back of his mind, he knew that whatever he or the body owner did, he'd got to pay a price. So, yes. He was ready to become a father—although it did freak him out.

-

[At Renner Studio, California]

"Ian, what happened?"

Before letting Ian talk, Mason asked as soon as Ian walked inside the office from the door.

"Ah, sit down uncle. It's something serious, but I want you to know that I swear I have no idea about this."

"What-"

Within minutes, Ian explained what happened and he showed Mason the subpoena he received. Although he started the story with, 'Apparently, I have a kid,' he continued to explain what exactly he was talking about.

After explaining that Ian had no personal idea about getting any girl pregnant, heck, he even explained how he doesn't know or remember a girl named Sarah, Mason nodded finally in understanding.

"I think I know what you're talking about."

"What do you mean, uncle?"

"I mean, I don't know any girl, or a kid or whatever. But I know that you're not the type to get a girl pregnant and walk away as if it's nothing. And, how are you feeling?" Mason asked because of how Ian was.

When Ian first walked inside the office, he was emotionless. Even throughout the explanation, Ian showed no feelings. Which was why Mason wanted to know how he was exactly feeling.

"Well, to be honest, I'm kind of nervous. But again, I'm pretty sure I don't have a kid, but there's a voice in me yelling, you wouldn't have known even if you did."

"Hmm, I have a friend of mine, a very good lawyer. Normally, we could go to Mr. Jordan White, but from the look of it, this is serious. We need someone who is more experienced and as the person is a friend, I can say I trust her with almost anything. Let's meet her," Mason said and took his blackberry phone from the table.

Dialing numbers, he kept it to his ear.

Ian remained silent.

"Excuse me," Mason stood up and walked outside to talk clearly with the lawyer.

Ian who took the paper back to his hand, reread the lines that made him think about what could happen if things go wrong.

-

The firm of the lawyer wasn't that big, but after Ian saw the name, he was aware of the woman inside.

H. M. Jass was known to be a top lawyer in California, who had won 99% of the cases she fought for.

"Please come in, Mr. Striver, and Mr. Renner. How are you both doing?" She asked as she walked in to sit where Ian and Mason were.

"We're fine, and please call me Mason."

"Call me Ian."

"Alright, good to see you after three years, Mason. Things are going pretty smoothly for you, everyone thought."

"Things were, and all thanks to Ian and how I handled the studio. But I feel like the reason we're here wouldn't exactly help the reputation we have in the industry. And for that, I'd let you both talk through it,"

"I'll try to help to the best of my ability. No worries about it, and see you later, Mason."

"Thank you, lawyer."

Mason stood up and walked out of the office.

In her blue and white office room, Jass was staring at Ian concerned.

"So, Ian. What happened?"

For the second time, Ian started explaining what had happened after he got back home from the shooting last night.

At the end of his story, he showed the paper of the notice to Jass.

"Hmm, now it's clear, but I want everything to be really clear. I need to trust you and for that… You need to answer some questions, can you?" she asked looking directly into his eyes.

"Yes, sure,"

"Did you sleep with Sarah?"

"I- I don't remember. I do not seem to possess any sort of memory related to any girl with Sarah. If I did, I'd have taken the full responsibility,"

"If the answers are yes or no, which would give me a lot of clarity, it would be great, Mr. Renner," She asked while adjusting the spectacles that were on the bridge of her nose.

"I don't remember."

"Okay, do you know who Sarah is?"

"I don't know who she is."

"Before the notice, were you aware that you have got a baby?"

"No. The notice was the first way I found it out."

The questions became short, and much clearer which also made Ian realize some of the things that he battled himself with.

"What if the baby was proved to be yours? Will you take care of it?" She asked.

"Yes, I would. But there needs to be proof that the baby is mine."

"Hmm... One last question, what is your history with girls like?"

"I'll answer this question in general. I was no saint before this question arose. If there were any sort of relationship with a girl, there was no long-term relationship. It would have probably been a one-night stand, and that would have been it," Ian said and sighed.

"Hmm, I'll prepare a case. We'll have to face the preliminary court, and from there we can say where the case is headed. I'm glad you're a brave young man to take responsibility for your actions."

The woman said and smiled.

After talking a bit more about what could happen in the future, Mason was brought back to the office where they discussed more about the case hearing that was supposed to happen on the day after tomorrow.

-

A/N; Vote with powerstones to support the author. Join the dc server, and you can also read the advanced chapters in /TC_L. (which would also support me financially). bonus chapter = power rankings... so, vote!

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A day passed in a blur.

Since the day to meet the Preliminary was set sooner, in a blink, it was already the day when Ian was supposed to meet the judge.

"It happened so fast, and now I can't believe that I'm going to give statements under a judge."

In the black SUV, there was Ian, who sat with Mason, Niko, and Raelynn.

The duo wanted to support Ian, and Mason simply wanted to be there just because.

"The subpoena was dated and you received it late, what great timing!" Niko said and shook his head.

"What if the baby is yours?" Raelynn asked with wide eyes.

"I need to see the mom first, Rae. I'm not even sure if I know the lady,"

"But what if the baby is?"

"Apparently everyone needs to know the answer to the single question," Ian said and looked away.

His mood wasn't exactly rainbows and butterflies. Raelynn and Niko tried to lift his mood throughout the journey, yet it barely worked.

"This Friday, there's the premiere of Resident Evil, will you be going?" Mason asked as Niko, who drew the car took a turn to the left.

"I'll see, uncle. I just have a really bad feeling about the whole thing. I can't even get myself to sit and work for two hours straight, while I used to stay for nights working."

"A new script?" Mason asked back.

"Hmm, supposed to be. I stopped working on it halfway. After things settle, I might start writing again."

"Well, Ian, look," Mason said in a stern, caring voice.

Ian, who had his head outside the window, turned to look at Mason.

His eyebrows were raised and confused, and it was clear that Ian wasn't feeling too good by how he looked.

"You have to face tougher situations than this, Ian. The world's number one studio company was subtly after you, heck, they are even now, I bet. But you never gave up. You know, if there's anything that I know about you, it's gotta be how much passion and creativity you have with movie making.

Be prepared; be prepared for any and everything that could happen once you walk inside, but, but you've got to know that you're brave enough to face this."

"Ian," Niko muttered. "A baby can sound scary, but we don't know if it's yours yet, but even if it is, what could be the worst? You'd just have to fund the mom, if she insists, you could arrange the funds for the future of the kid, but no one can stop you in your journey to the top of Hollywood."

What they had said was true, and Ian had known subconsciously. All these days, while he was worried about the baby or the mother who he hadn't even gotten the opportunity to meet, he could have simply focused more on writing the script or working on it.

"It's okay though," It was Raelynn. "Take your time with things, Ian. But, don't let it affect you too much."

That was all that she said.

"250 meters, and we'd be in front of the court. There's going to be a hell fucking lot of paparazzi!" Niko said as he took the last turn of the journey.

The car came to its destination, and the cameras started going crazy with many questions and statements.

"...As you can see, Ian Renner just got out of the car and headed toward the court. As the news is already everywhere, it is pretty clear that Ian would have a baby to call his father in no time! But the question lies, how many girls have Ian even been with? Is this the only one?"

"... New Yorkers! Young director Renner is just walking inside, and would that be Ian Renner's baby? Does that mean, the eligible bachelor is a father? No matter what, we're awaiting the results, or possibly a word or two when they all get out?"

The reporters went crazy with their statements.

Such scandals always worked in their favor. If a couple of cheats, broke up, or anything that could give a sufficient juicy story, they'd gladly comment and make everything public as quickly as they possibly could.

Likewise, even right now, the cameras were focused on Ian and the three other people who walked inside, and the cameramen including every other reporter were talking and showing about it as if it's one of the greatest world wonders.

–

"Don't look at that side, it's okay, it's okay!" Raelynn hushed as she kept her hand on his lower back of Ian as they walked in.

"Finally!" Niko said after a long brisk walk from the car to the closed door of the court.

"I can't believe there were so many of them, ah!"

"It's all they know, and they too need to protect their job, what more can we even expect?!"

"Ian, are you okay?" Mason asked, looking at the dumbfounded Ian.

He hadn't spoken a word since the car ride, and it had started to worry Mason,

"I'm alright, uncle. I just need to get over this as soon as possible. Like-"

As soon as he was about to complete what he was saying, a lady with a kid walked inside where they were.

'Holy f-' inside his brain, he cussed at the fact he remembered who the lady was.

"Ian, tell me you don't know her," Niko whispered.

"Fuck, I wish I could say that. But I guess I do know her," he said and mentally slapped himself, harder. So hard that if the slap was real, the bruise would be left for a week.

The lady was none other than Sarah. Her eyes, hair, features, and everything else looked the same yet a bit older than he remembered how it was.

Nevertheless, how could one forget the first face right after reincarnation?

He also remembered how he had thought that the girl was so not his type. With that thought holding onto its dear life, he cussed himself more than millions of times in mind until they were taken to the judge.

-

The girl with the lady in her hand walked inside the court with fear slightly bubbling up in her stomach.

Her lawyer was by her side, and she was walking in with a brave face.

Seeing Ian's face made her almost fall to her knees, but she was stronger than she'd expected.

"We got this, don't worry," the lawyer muttered loud enough for Sarah to hear.

"I know, it'll be fine, Amen," she said and prayed to the God above.

Her only thought was how she was doing all of this to get a good life for her son and herself. At first, she backed off a little, but then she remembered how Ian had used her.

He used to make her spend nights with the promise of shopping, and every other little thing that couples do. On the other hand, she was cheating on her boyfriend, but a part of her liked Ian a lot.

It was all confusing—yet her only explanation for herself, and her act was that all she does would be to get a life.

-

Thus, the court case started being questioned in front of the respectable Preliminary.

Ian looked at Sarah, but her gaze was avoiding him the entire time. The judge was an older female, who was being utterly sympathetic to Sarah, but she kept her ground and questioned everything in detail.

"Did you guys know each other?" That was the first question thrown at Ian and Sarah.

"Yes, we do."

"Yes, your honor."

Ian had explained how he knew Sarah for his lawyer, which also made things stir clear between him and the lawyer.

Minutes passed, then almost an hour. By the end of the case hearing, the judge went on to explain how this would affect Ian's career.

"... Hence, this case would once again be heard in the trial, on September 12th, 2019, at 9.25 am. The court is dismissed!" The judge dismissed the court and everyone stood up in respect to the court.

Once the judge was out, Ian stood up from where he was and walked to meet Mason and the others.

"I love how they ignored the DNA tests every once in a while," Niko mumbled and Ian scoffed.

"Can I talk to the girl?" Ian asked, looking at the lawyer.

"Go ahead, don't make a scene though, paparazzi are outside," she said.

Ian walked towards Sarah, who stood alone but with her lawyer by her side.

"I do remember you," Ian approached her.

"Oh, do you?" Sarah asked back.

"Are you sure this is my daughter? I mean-"

"It is, Mr. Ian Renner, I'd like to go home now, excuse me," she said and walked away in an instant.

The lawyer followed her client's lead quietly.

"She seemed to be scared though, who knows from what?" Niko who walked after Ian said and shrugged.

"Hm, we'll find out. Seeing her now, I don't even mind if the little girl is mine, cute little thing," Ian said with a smile.

"The people outside are far from cute, so put your shades up, let's go!" Niko said and all of them walked outside together.

Different sorts of questions, accusations, assumptions, and yells were heard on their way out.

Ian, who walked with them towards the SUV, got in without giving a single glance at them.

May all the favors be on their side!

-

A/N; Support HK by voting with your powerstones! Also, I published another fanfiction, which is still under major constructions, including its name and cover. But if you can give it a read and share your thoughts with me, it would mean a lot.

I'd do a huge announcement and everything when the book gets to regular updates.

There's the discord server, you can join! Also read advanced chapters of HK in /TC_L.

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A/N; To everyone who is wondering, there's a lot of things happening at the same time with the baby arc. So, wait and enjoy I guess! Happy reading :))

-

[Nwitter]

@Username.copied

I can't believe Ian got someone pregnant. Who'd have thought the young director was actually a fricking womanizer? Most trending- #womanizer

Gosh!

@IYELLALOT

Fuck! Ian Renner! I don't even know if I'm allowed to curse here or what, but like… Fucking around when he has his own daughter in line? Not knowing about it? No wonder he banged many actresses! #womanizer #ianrenner #nonsense

@hollywood.karma

I agree there were a lot of…. A LOT OF actresses in line with the whole drama of Ian Renner. But we still gotta wait and see until the trial… The last time everyone 'accused' him of being a racist, it was proved wrong right-handed! #patience

@ManEatsPants

Ian was once proved innocent, and I'm team Ian for all the right reasons! Although after he got caught with so many actresses and girls in his bed, he kissed actresses like Hazel… Eh! Wait and watch, i suppose?

The media was going crazy all over again after Ian Renner. The premeditative hearing from the court had gone through ears and now was a complete mess.

This also meant that there were going to be different kinds of people who would support Ian as well as people who'd want to dig down into the scene and make more scenarios out of it.

"I can't believe these comments!" Henry said while looking and reading the comments as his eyes widened in terror, just as if he was met with the scariest thing ever.

"More than half of the people judge Ian's character based on what the stories were about him before, like, how he slept with actresses, how there's the greater possibility of Sarah's story proving true."

Niko and Raelynn looked face to face, and Niko nodded at Rae signaling, 'It's going to be alright.'

There were just the three of them, and already they were quite terrified of what the possible outcome of the trial would be.

It wasn't due yet to anytime sooner, which also made things much harder.

If Ian was proved innocent, Ian and everyone else who was included with his could just go on with their lives as if nothing has happened, but apparently,

"It's too much to even ask for a fucking DNA so he could prove that the" Niko took a breath, "Pretty little girl is not Ian's. Urgh, why does she have to be so pretty though?!" he shrugged in defeat.

"Look, we can't do much. Within three hours, there's going to be the premiere of Resident Evil, and two days from now on, the shooting of Marriage Story is about to come to an end, I bet if we're thinking so hard about this, Ian must be feeling twice or maybe thrice the things that we're thinking-"

"Harley, you're right." Raelynn cut off him by the middle. "I think, it's better if we act normal and support Ian. How hard could that be now?"

"He is coming," Niko mumbled as Ian walked in.

"Good morning, how is everyone doing?" Ian asked with a smile and looked at everyone.

Although his entire appearance looked as if he hadn't gotten any sleep, his smile showed way more than what anyone could have assumed.

"We're fine- Great. What about you, Ian? Why do you look as if you haven't had a proper sleep in eons?" Niko questioned.

"I started working on a new script. I guess it's time I move on with work, a premiere, shooting, and then a new movie… There's a lot to do, heck, maybe even a baby," Ian said and chuckled.

He was trying to make a joke, but the awkward smile that came out from Raelynn showed how bad the joke was circumstantial.

"Anyway, what do we have today?" Ian asked.

Thus, the meeting they had planned to discuss the marketing and everything else related to Marriage Story continued.

-

The evening arrived sooner than anyone expected.

Among the chaos, and every other possible word and whisper going around related to Ian, he still had to join the premiere considering the movie was a part of Renner Studios and being distributed by them.

The flashes and cameras went on and off while Ian walked out of his car and onto the red carpet.

"Fancy seeing you here!" A director with a thick British accent walked toward Ian and hugged him while patting his shoulder.

"Nice to see you too, how were things going?" Ian asked while still smiling at the cameras.

"They have been going quite great. I was thinking of meeting you too, Mr. Renner. I have an idea of collaborating with the Renner Studio if it's possible…."

The director went on talking more and more about the movie idea, which distracted Ian from the negative sort of attention he received from the paparazzi.

"Ian! Ian! Director Ian! Can you please answer our question? We have one question!"

"Yes, please! Look this way! Is it true that you're a father? How do you feel about all of this? Were you aware before or is this as new as it is for us?! Mr. Renner! Please answer our qu-"

"Mr. Ian Renner, the idea of Resident Evil was inspired and created by your original book Resident Evil which was a survival thriller, how does it make you feel when it's finally being released on the big screen?"

Ian turned to look at the pretty lady who threw a question that was worth answering, finally.

"Hello there, it has been a great honor and pleasure working with Ms. Angela Bird, and not to mention how talented she truly is, it's such a wonderful idea how she came up with the storyline herself.

What makes me more excited was, after reading her script, which was originally inspired by my fiction, the script is beyond compare. It truly is something, and I'm looking forward to watching the very marvelous job, thank you!"

Ian said while again, the cameras and flashes went off.

"Ian Renner, what are your thoughts on the movie?"

"I still haven't watched it, so I'm holding my hopes for the execution of it. But I can say that I'm truly excited for everyone to watch Resident Evil, which could become a great movie,"

"Do you have any plans to extend or create a franchise on this? Resident Evil… Many people were waiting for you to continue to make it a video game or some sort, what do you've to say about that?"

"Currently, I'm very busy with my ongoing projects, and also I've many exciting things to show everyone, but yes, that's a good thought that came to my mind."

"There's hope?"

"There is."

"Thank you so much, Ian!"

The reporter let go of Ian, and he walked towards the large board which consisted of the names of the sponsors of the movie.

He stood tall and handsome in front of all the cameras, and the clicks and sounds of the cameras made hundreds of sounds in a second.

-

Like every other celebrity, Ian walked inside the theatre which was decorated with many posters, and decorations to suit the theme of a survival thriller.

He sat down in one of the reserved chairs, and there were already many directors, actors, and actresses filling the empty chairs of the theatre.

"I'm waiting for the movie to start! Can't wait! Angela is truly capable," A woman with short hair which resembled a lot of Angela talked.

The resemblance was truly magnificent as Ian found himself staring at her.

"I'm Martha Bird, you must be Ian Renner?"

"That's what I was wondering. I thought that I'm too excited just like you, to watch the movie that I'm starting to find a clone of Angela Bird. And yes, I'm Ian Renner!"

"Your face is all over the television."

"Tell me about it," Ian said in annoyance.

"Ian, well, I know all the words that need to be said to console you must've reached out to you by now, but this case is similar to what happened to Angela. And now, I couldn't be more proud of her. Lifting herself back again, doing what she loves to do. I won't advise you much, but I hope you don't back out on this, fight for what you must," she said, and then before Ian could reply, the entire audience went silent as Angela walked up the stage.

"Hello everyone! I'm Angela Bird, the director of the movie, Resident Evil, which would unravel its glory in no time. Before anything, I've got to thank, Mr. Ian Renner, who played a major role in creating the characters I gave life to. The book, I was a huge fan, and it was something I need to appreciate every possible chance I get. Also, mister producer, Mr. Mason Striver.

Including all of them, and my husband, Jackson Corealla, I couldn't have done anything without your support. So, thank you everyone, and last but not least, I hope everyone enjoys the movie to your core!" She said and walked off the stage.

The premiere of Resident Evil started while all the mouths and eyes opened at the start of the movie itself.

"This is going to be fun," Ian thought to himself as this was the first movie he watch, which was created by another director but also he had the original movie in mind.

-

A/N; Vote with powerstones! Top 50 = bonus chapter. (I'll increase the chapter release rate from October 7th. That's when my exams are ending.)

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The next day, it was getting even more chaotic and messy.

The premiere left a huge spot in the eyes of the reporters and media. 75% of the talks were about the movie, but the raging 25% were about Ian.

There were so many comments digging and discussing Ian's bad past, commenting and exploring the mud about the director.

"I'm quite not sure if all this is just the enthusiasm of the reporters or not. I mean, this genuinely doesn't look like it. See these comments, and how hashtag woma-"

"Good morning, everyone!" Ian walked as Mason, Niko and Harley cleared their throats.

"Ian, how are you?" Mason asked from where he was.

"Never been better, I'm starting to think that the movie Resident Evil gave me more thrill to finish Marriage Story, and focus on the next one," he said as he took a seat beside Harley.

"We were just discussing other things, Ian. Like, you know how the media is after you."

Harley said a bit unsure about how the situation should be addressed.

"Hmm, I know what the media is currently on about," Ian said while looking at everyone. "If I had learned anything for the past couple of years, it'd be that the choice of reacting or not is up to me, completely. And what I can do right now is, leave all the hard stuff of the trial to the professionals, and focus on the movies."

"Ian," Niko looked at Ian. "Movie-making is kind of about the media too. How the public views you, and currently I already have a feeling that this is just the start. I'm worried," he said truthfully.

"Let's not worry too much, I mean, not like I was truly being dependent on the media."

"When was the lawyer supposed to be here?" Mason asked, changing the direction of the conversation.

"In thirty minutes. Till then, we can continue to talk more about Home Alone 2."

Harley took the lead.

"It's nice how you are involved in business, Harley. Good to have a person who knows the market," Ian said.

"I feel the same about working with you all. Anyway, the shooting is supposed to end within this week, right? And, how long would it take for your to end the script?"

"I think maybe a week, I'll try my best to complete it." Ian said, but in his mind, he thought, 'with how the sleep is betraying me, I'd rather complete Home Alone 2'

"Take your time, Home Alone one was our first step and we've come a long way since back then. So, I want to show how much we've evolved," Mason said and took a sip from his coffee.

"Can I get a coffee too? We can talk about the rest of the plans for the next week," Ian said and Mason nodded.

Mason requested a cup of coffee and then they continued to discuss until the lawyer walked inside to talk about the upcoming trial.

[...] "Nice seeing you here, lawyer Jass," Mason greeted the lawyer.

Niko and Harley excused themselves and walked out of the office, while Ian, Mason, and the lawyer stayed inside.

"How have you been holding up, Ian?" She asked.

"I've been good. Thanks to you, and how you talked in the preliminary."

Jass sighed with a nod.

"That was just a start, and I want to talk to you guys about something, this is essential and I think we really should take this step so that it could clear out many things that are in the line."

"What is it?" Ian asked.

"Well, we need to request an appeal as soon as possible asking for a DNA test from Sarah."

"Yes! That's what even we are looking forward to!" Mason said and thumped on the desk in excitement.

"Mr. Renner, is everything okay with you?"

"Yeah, that way things would be quick. Let's do what we must. And, thank you for reaching out for this."

"This is all part of my job, Mr. Renner. Let's see, I'll apply the appeal today itself, the necessary procedures should be taken within 72 hours," she said and looked at the two nodding men.

"This case is not just about the justice, lawyer. This is about Ian's reputation, as well as his career. The media and the reporters are all over after him, and wouldn't leave him until the case is closed and clean. Even after that, I bet this would just keep haunting his career,"

"Let's see about that, uncle. What more can we do?" Ian asked looking at the lawyer.

-

The day it reached Sarah, she was dead scared.

There was one person who knew about the entire thing Sarah pulled off, and that was her best friend, Natalie.

"Now what are you going to do?" Natalie asked.

"What do you mean, what I'm going to do? I need to not do anything, Nat!" Sarah said as she read over the mail she got from her lawyer.

"Well well well, let's not panic, you know. Uh, how about-"

"I pretty well damn know that look of yours, and no it's a bad idea," Sarah said as she looked at her friend.

She shook her head at the thought as she knew what her suggestion was going to be. It was going to be something that could build or break her bridge.

"We don't have much choice, Sarah. The law firm is large and they can help with this. Your lawyer…. I know she's good and all, but this law firm is known to be one of the best in the entire US. Also, somehow related to Hollywood in so many ways, and think… think like this,"

Natalie grabbed Sarah's shoulders and made her look into her eyes.

"Look, Sarah. I know this is going to sound absurd, coming from me, who knows nothing basically no sh-"

"Hey," Sarah showed the kid and stopped her from cursing.

Natalie sighed. "I don't know anything about Hollywood OR powerful people for that matter! But the Founding Group was known to be very, very powerful. They have represented Goofy in so many lawsuits in the past. They have a solid reputation. AND what I want you to focus on is, if… IF they are willing to help you, there'd be no danger in grabbing the hand that's already extended. All you gotta do is attend the meeting," Natalie said with heavy breaths as she was sweating just from how serious the topic was.

"If… If this goes wrong, lives including mine and the baby are in danger. I wouldn't be able to raise her, Nat. I'm s-"

"Don't you dare complete it. You weren't scared to go forward and file a complaint against Ian Renner. Trust me on this, I have got a pretty good hunch on this," Natalie said and looked at her with more concerned eyes.

-

At Founding Group, Law Firm, California, US.

The reasons for Sarah to meet the big law firm kept on piling up.

Sarah had to reveal the request of the Founding group and what her lawyer said about it caught her off-guard.

"...Sarah, a part of why we both are here today is also because of this. I think you should go for this option, and I'm not doubting my skills, I just think this is better for you and the baby."

Nevertheless, Sarah was in front of two men, who were dressed in black and white suits.

"So, what you're saying is, everything would be done free of charge?"

"A pro bono, yes," the dark, less scary man among the two of them replied.

Sarah had to put her brave face to the front and question as they were preparing to question her—she felt it.

"Why are you doing this? What would you get out of this?"

"That's pretty explainable," Grit replied—the other man. "The Founding Group was put up to help people in need, and bring them justice. So, we are here to help you, Sarah. We know what you need-"

"What? What do I need?"

"Justice. For you and the baby."

Sarah nodded unsurely.

The Founding Group was known to be on the top of the country, as they got involved a lot in Hollywood cases, but always won due to how skillful the lawyers are.

"Hmm, okay. So, what do you have to ask from me?" Sarah asked straightforwardly.

"Okay, miss Sarah, is Lilian, Ian Renner's baby? I want you to be frank with us, and trust me, we are here to help you, to get you through this."

Sarah looked at the men who had eyes upon her. It was intense, and she felt as if the truth needed to be told, in fact, it just felt right for her.

"I don't know, I'm not sure. And, I don't wanna know," Sarah muttered.

She was cheating on her boyfriend with Ian, so she knew there could even be a possibility of the mini-human being Ian's daughter.

"We understand-"

"You do?" Sarah asked back instantly.

Both the men nodded at the lady, "We do," Grit said.

"And we can do one thing for you,"

"That is?"

"We'll interfere with the process and delay the whole thing. We might be able to figure out a way or two to fund you and your child support from Ian."

Sarah nodded at them and continued to talk more in detail.

-

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The end of the meeting between Sarah and the two lawyers promised another beginning for Sarah and her little façade.

"...What do you mean, sir?" Sarah asked.

She was confused by what they were saying. After the tall, lean man who introduced himself as a director of a talk show walked inside the meeting Sarah and the two lawyers were having, he requested her presence for the next show.

"We won't put you in a tough spot, Sarah. All you gotta do is trust us, and we'll take care of the future of Lilian and you," Grit said with a sympathetic smile.

"Okay, let's do it," Sarah said.

The interview for her on live TV was truly going to be something, and that something wouldn't do any sort of good to Ian.

"Redbo TV is at the top when it comes to current trends in Hollywood. Since we need to proceed with things quickly, are you free on the day after tomorrow?" the director asked.

"Yes, sir. Uh, can I know what we'd talk about in the show?"

"Don't worry about any of it, now that you agreed, leave the rest to us," the director replied with a smile that gave shivers to Sarah.

"Okay," she said.

'If this would do any good for Lilian and me, I'm ready to take any step without hesitation' she thought to herself and smiled at the three men.

'Even if it includes walking on fire or thin ice'

She kept thinking about how risky all this is, and after all, she was just a girl who wanted to live to the fullest in her life.

One mistake was all it took to make more along the way. And that ruined her life, now she was left with no choice, but to move forward, so that she could simply live.

-

Two days later.

"What do you mean?" Ian asked looking directly into the eyes of the lawyer, who sat with Uncle Mason beside her.

"I meant exactly what I said. Somehow the appeal is under processing, and we don't see it moving forward anytime sooner."

Ian looked out the window thinking about what possibly could be happening.

"That is absurd, lawyer. Do you think there's something behind all of this?" Mason asked.

In the little office room that belonged to Mason, Ian was standing up and watching the buildings outside the building.

The news that the lawyer had brought was nothing but severe pain in the head.

"The appeal is stuck under an enormous amount of red tape, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think we gotta be patient for a little while."

"Sorry to interrupt, I have another bad news," Niko said and walked in, followed by Raelynn.

"What is it?" Ian asked looking behind.

"Uh, let me connect the tv," Niko said and walked around the table to switch the TV on.

With noise, the TV started and all the pairs of eyes were plastered on the screen.

"Welcome back to RedBo TV, brought to you by Goofy. Today, we have Sarah…." Thus, the host started the program.

[...] "... I felt used and thrown away. I-" she sniffed and continued her thoughts. "Ian… I was looking forward to a healthy relationship with him, and then, he just threw me away like I'm nothing. I- I can't believe I'm saying this all on TV-"

"Even we can't," Niko mumbled.

"I felt emotionally abused. I had high hopes for us, he promised things including taking me shopping, taking care of us, and even he talked about how excited he is to spend the nights we did," Raelynn went on talking while trying to garner sympathy.

"This is bullshit," Ian said loudly. "Can you guys see how hard she is trying to gain sympathy? For fucks said, every emotionally abused person out there must be cursing at me right now!" Ian thumped his fists on the table and groaned.

"Ian, calm down," Raelynn said behind him and rubbed his shoulder.

"Switch the damn thing off!" Ian said loudly and sat on the nearest couch.

"Wait, let's see what more she says, maybe we can use it against her during the trial."

On the TV, Sarah who was wearing a yellow gown, with her hair on her face, had her mascara everywhere.

With all the sobbing she was doing on TV, the audience was sympathizing with her.

Some of them had tears on their face, and some were already sobbing.

"I'm so sorry, Sarah. But, we'd like to know one more thing, what was Ian's reaction when he got to know about the kid?"

"I- I never said we were having a kid in the first place, I was scared. And I couldn't hold it in any longer considering I'm not financially stable to raise a kid on my own. But somehow… I met this lawyer, who thought that it's better if we went against Ian and gain whatever Lilian and I deserve," she said through grit teeth.

"Is Lilian here with you today? For the preliminary hearing, we saw that she was with you?"

"Oh yes," Sarah said and a man who was dressed in plain black walked in with Lilian who looked more silent than ever.

"Hello, Lily," Sarah said and showed her to the cameras.

The baby looked extremely cute, and people awed at the baby.

"What a cute little thing," the host said while making faces for which Lilian laughed.

[...] "Are you guys done?" Ian asked not being able to look at the screen anymore.

"We've gotta do something real quick," the lawyer said with widened eyes.

"The best thing possible to do is try and get the system to work. The appeal should be out of the red tape, and it might solve all our problems pretty quickly and easily," Ian said.

"I'll try my best," the lawyer said and stood up to walk out of the room.

"See you soon, lawyer," Mason said and walked her outside the office.

After a while, everyone was settled in different seats—well, everyone except for Ian.

He was still looking over the buildings.

"What are we going to do now?" Mason asked while walking back in.

"Start filming Home Alone 2. The last scene of Marriage Story is still there to shoot, and after that, within two weeks, Marriage Story should be out in theatres. Whatever this scandal is, we won't stop to give it much attention.

In the meantime, I need to talk to someone who I see is involved in this in a very subtle way," Ian said and walked out of the office.

"Let's just hope everything would go as planned," Niko said and sighed.

Ian walked out of the office and headed to Murphy's office.

Murphy who saw Ian walking in swift movements stood up immediately.

"Sir?"

"Murphy, contact the assistant of Jeff Sanson, and get an appointment as soon as possible," Ian said and walked in to sit on the chair in front of Murphy.

"Oh yes sir, sure," Murphy said and dialed the numbers to get Goofy in line.

-

[At Goofy building]

"Mr. Renner? This way,"

"Thank you, I think I'll manage," Ian said and walked to Jeff's office without a glance anywhere but his way.

"Excuse me?" Ian said and Jeff replied quickly with a 'come in'

Walking in, he was met with the most annoying yet I-look-kind face ever.

"Ian, long time no see!" Jeff said loudly faking a smile.

"Mr. Sanson-"

"Please call me Jeff, what happened?" Jeff asked looking genuinely concerned.

"Can I know why your company's TV channels are attacking me? Redbo is yours, and not just me almost everyone is fully aware of it."

"Huh?" Jeff frowned and in the next second his eyebrows raised in shock—realization. "About the interview with Sarah? Man, I have no idea why they are doing so!" he said.

"I doubt it, Jeff."

"I'm serious, and don't you worry about it anymore, I'll take care of it. It's good to see you again, but the situations aren't peaceful."

Ian sighed hearing his words.

'This man is someone who can't be trusted even if the world announced its' ending within two hours' Ian thought to himself.

"True that, how have you been?" Ian went along anyway.

"I've been great, and I wanted to ask for days, how is your next movie coming along?" Jeff asked.

"Well, one movie is already in the line, and the next one would be a sequel for the first movie I made, Home Alone."

"Home Alone 2 it is then,"

Ian nodded at his statement.

"Hmm… Ian, how about another proposal?" Jeff asked.

"The last one is still at a halt, Jeff. Go ahead."

"Home Alone 2 can be made by Renner Studio and Goofy, with a 50-50 shared ownership-"

With the first few words, Ian realized that Jeff was attempting to bribe him.

" -That way, things would be much easier for you in the future," Jeff said.

"I'll think about it, thank you for your help," Ian said and stood up to leave the office.

As soon as fresh air hit his nostrils, he took his cell phone out and switched off the power.

'This better be a fucking good night' Ian said and got into the sports car he brought along with him.

-

A/N;

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