Volume 4: White Devil Chapter 179 The Holiday is Over
Without letting Paige do it for him, Tommy poured two glasses of low-alcohol wine himself, walked to the sofa, handed one to Vanessa who was sitting opposite him, and then turned his head to look out the window.
Outside the window, Martin, the family's black bodyguard, was spitting at Mark Warren, venting his anger for his villa roommate Vanessa.
"I'm sorry, Vanessa." Tommy held his glass and said to Vanessa sincerely, "You should have told me earlier."
After returning, Tommy first went to see Mark, and then met Vanessa alone, and figured out the whole story from both of their perspectives. This led to the current scene where the two of them were sitting in the living room drinking, and Mark was being scolded by Martin outside the door.
Frankly speaking, Mark had all the fault for receiving the threatening letter.
The person who stole Vanessa's two songs was Donna Summer, who happened to be auditioning at the Westlake Recording Studio in Los Angeles that day. She was known as the Queen of Black Disco. She didn't mean to steal the songs that an unknown junior like Vanessa had taken a fancy to. Rather, when Donna went to the bathroom to relieve herself, she happened to meet Vanessa who was putting on makeup and obviously had just cried. Donna Summer asked a question and Vanessa told her the problem she had encountered.
Later, Mark ran into trouble. Two of his songs were taken away by Donna, but Vanessa insisted on keeping the two songs, and Donna gave Mark a threatening letter.
This gave Mark a headache, because if Mark couldn't help Vanessa with these two songs, Vanessa, who had long been dissatisfied with him, could use the agency contract to challenge Mark and demand a forced termination of the contract.
So the whole thing is that a black female singer, who fell in love, created an opportunity for Vanessa to fall out with Mark and helped Vanessa get rid of the devilish agent Mark.
"He is really not suitable for me, Tommy. He is not worthy of your trust. He...he is a terrible person!" Vanessa mustered up the courage and said to Tommy seriously.
Tommy took a sip from his glass and said seriously, "I understand that your lawyer will soon terminate your agency contract with this terrible guy. This is my fault. If you need financial compensation or something, just tell me directly. After all, it was me who brought you to Los Angeles."
In Tommy's eyes, Mark was certainly wrong, but his problem was not that he was a bad person, but that he treated every contracted client under him in the same way. The problem was that not all women who dreamed of becoming stars were Michelle Pfeiffer or Laura Dern, who could sacrifice their beauty in order to find opportunities. The black and white mixed-race product in front of him, Vanessa, was highly educated, and her parents were both teachers in private schools. This kind of woman, even if she had not made a fortune, could not be treated like a prostitute and arranged to work.
Mark hopes that Vanessa can become famous as soon as possible. In Hollywood, the fastest way for a woman to become famous is to sleep with a man who has influence in the industry. Mark has been encouraging Vanessa to be more open and face Hollywood with the same fearless attitude she had when she took the " Penthouse " photos.
He thought that Vanessa must be very open because she had taken those photos, but in fact it was just the opposite. This woman was willing to expose herself for artistic perfection, but she would not sacrifice herself to go to bed with others for the sake of making money or looking for so-called opportunities to be on camera.
What made Vanessa completely give up on Mark was that she ran into a male college classmate while taking a walk in a community garden in Beverly Hills. The actor was a drama actor and was now looking for opportunities to perform in various theaters in Los Angeles. As there were not many performance opportunities, he found a job as an assistant teacher accompanying a professional acting teacher to Beverly Hills to teach female stars how to act. The two had performed together on stage in college, so they were naturally very happy to see each other at this time, so Vanessa invited him to come back to her residence not far away for a chat.
As a result, this matter somehow reached Mark's ears. The next day, this guy came to Vanessa to question her and asked her why she brought a man home to have sex without telling him. If it was sex, why couldn't she accept the producer arranged by him.
In Mark's opinion, Vanessa gets nothing in return for sleeping with the poor man she chooses, and she even has to provide her own accommodation.
But if she sleeps with the men he arranges for her, she can get a contract as a special actor in the latest season of the hit TV series "L.A. Law and Order" and have the opportunity to appear on popular TV shows.
Vanessa angrily splashed water on Mark's face, and the two parted unhappily. Then there was a story that happened when Vanessa cried and had to put on makeup while recording in the studio, and Donna Summer came to her aid and put Mark in trouble.
"You let Vanessa accompany those pot-bellied producers? Damn it! You want to throw such a tall, cheerful black girl to be ravaged by those ugly old white bastards?" Martin was cursing at Mark outside the window.
Mark looked at Martin with dissatisfaction and retorted: "I am creating opportunities for her! Do you think those people will go after any woman who comes to them..."
"Why the hell don't you create opportunities for your mother if she's so great! Let her accompany those guys? Maybe if she still has some charm, she can help you find a few rich stepfathers! I heard that after he dies, you can get two inheritances as his son and spouse!" Martin interrupted Mark before he could finish and continued to talk:
"If Vanessa is willing to sleep with a rich man, why doesn't she choose Mr. Hawke? He is young and rich, and better than the old guy! Have you never noticed that the boss drools every time he sees Vanessa? Vanessa also drools when she sees the boss? Sleeping together is the perfect ending in the movie..."
"Mr. Page, there is something wrong with Martin's work direction. Please help him adjust it." Tommy rubbed his face depressed and said to Page: "The drooling thing is a bit too much."
Paige turned and walked out, and soon Martin's long-lost scream was heard outside. Then she immediately adjusted her direction and focused more on greeting Mark instead of teasing Tommy and Vanessa's remarks.
"Mark certainly did something wrong, but in the industry, his way of working is not wrong. If he didn't do this, it would be a problem. I know you think he is a pimp. I don't want to defend him. After all, you are about to part ways with him. I want to say that the two men he kept trying to persuade you to agree to accompany didn't pay him a penny. On the contrary, he spent about 70,000 yuan, held three wrap parties, and got to know those people, and finally got the opportunity to send you to those two men. One of the two men is the co-producer of the series "L.A. Law and Order", and the other is the producer of a popular TV variety show on ABC." Tommy looked calmly at Vanessa, who looked a little nervous:
"For many girls who hope to become famous overnight in Hollywood, if someone is willing to put themselves in front of these two men, they can regard each other as their own God."
Vanessa held the wine glass and said firmly: "I won't. In my heart, he is still an irredeemable rotten person."
"The lawyer can help you find another agent later. For example, if Donna Summer's agency is willing to take care of you and sign you, who is unknown now, you can be in the same company with her. With Donna protecting you, the chances of this happening will be very low." Tommy continued to say to Vanessa.
Vanessa lowered her head and took a sip of her drink. "Don't be ridiculous, Tommy. I'm already very grateful to a big shot like that for helping me once in a while. We all know that no one in those big companies is willing to sign someone like me...who has a questionable reputation."
"Any small company will do the same thing as Mark. There is no doubt that this is how the industry works. They think that arranging you to approach men who provide opportunities is making you better. If you directly state that you refuse all non-essential social activities, I'm afraid no agent will be willing to invest in you."
"I would rather give up this job and go back to New York to do makeup for people." Vanessa knew that Tommy was not deliberately threatening her, but after considering it, she still said it in a firm tone.
Tommy turned his head to look out the window, then slowly stood up and buttoned his suit. "It's not that miserable. I mean, maybe... maybe you can continue to stay in this agency, and Mark will disappear from your sight. Someone will come to replace him, a woman named Susan, two years older than you. She is currently taking the private professional consultant license and broker license exams, which will probably take a little time. Of course, if you insist, your lawyer can also help you terminate the contract directly, and then accompany you to contact other agencies. You can consider it. As for me, I have to go and say hello to Mark in person. Excuse me."
"It sounds like that company belongs more to you, Tommy." After hearing Tommy's words, Vanessa asked again.
Tommy walked outside. "No, it doesn't belong to me. It only belongs to the person who is suitable to sit in that position. Also, do you need me to call Martin in so you can scold him to vent your anger? The word drooling is too obscene."
"So you want me to stay?"
"I just hope that you realize through this incident that we are friends." Tommy turned his head to look at Vanessa and said with a smile.
Then he walked out of the hall without stopping.
…
A neighborhood bar in Beverly Hills.
Tommy raised his beer and clinked it with Mark's. When Mark Warren saw Tommy appear in front of him, he even felt that for a moment, tears almost flowed out of the corners of his eyes uncontrollably.
The work during this period has made him doubt his life.
That is, it was miserable when his friends and family saw the small movie he starred in, or after he met Tommy, he planned his life. Now he was called by him to be a Hollywood scumbag agent, which is even more miserable.
The full name of his agency is Open Road Talent Agency, which means Open Road Talent Recommendation Company, abbreviated as ORTA. The office is located in Century City, Los Angeles. It is much cooler than his previous office in San Francisco, but Mark just feels depressed.
"That girl must have made you very angry? Don't worry, Susan will take over your job. She is getting the license. Once she gets the license, you can throw the stressful work to her." Tommy took a sip of beer, patted Mark's shoulder gently and comforted him.
"Tommy, I should be happy to hear the news of her relief, but actually I want to say that if Susan was my good friend, I would definitely advise her not to enter this damn hopeless industry and stay away from women like Vanessa who are in Hollywood but still can't recognize the reality." Mark took a sip of beer listlessly and said to Tommy.
Mark is no longer the young man who walked with his head down for fear of being seen doing his movies. Now, he wears high-end custom-made suits worth thousands of dollars and expensive watches worth 20,000 dollars. Most of the time, he is like a smaller version of himself, full of energy and ambition. Moreover, under Tommy's instigation, he never lacks the courage to take risks.
Under Tommy's planning, he went from a data engineer at Actor to the CEO of HP Human Resources in Silicon Valley, and then to the boss of Touchstone Headhunting in San Francisco. He was successful all the way. This was also the reason why Tommy called Mark to set up Pathfinder. In Tommy's eyes, he should have been the most suitable candidate.
"There is absolutely no hope in this line of work. Not to mention that those damn Jews control the entire film industry, just my own investment, I want to help Vanessa hire a body teacher, a vocal teacher, and a dance teacher to train her, hire a professional photographer to help her design photos, find the best recording studio to record demos to send to the record company, and help her get various audition opportunities. In the end, that girl can't see all of this. She just said that I want to push her into the fire pit! The co-producer of "L.A. Legal"! If sleeping with that 42-year-old man can get a special role in the latest season of "L.A. Legal", I don't know how many women in Hollywood are willing to jump in!" Mark took a sip of beer viciously, and vented his dissatisfaction to Tommy at this time:
"If I hadn't rented West Lake Recording Studios, one of the best recording studios in the United States, to help her record a demo for her! Where did she think she would meet Donna Summer to save her! Do you know how much that recording studio charges? A room not even as big as my bedroom, seventy dollars an hour, labor costs not included! Michael Jackson also recorded there! Is this how I pushed her into the fire pit?"
"Has the opportunity of LA Legal wasted?" Tommy waited for Mark to finish scolding and calm down, then asked calmly.
"Of course we can't waste it. Vanessa refused, so I had to give it to another girl that the company had signed, Laura Leighton, who was an advertising model who graduated from high school and had long, dazzling red hair. If nothing unexpected happens, the role will belong to her." Mark also adjusted his mood and calmed himself down, and said to Tommy:
"But she didn't have the chance to appear on TV variety shows because, unlike Vanessa, she didn't have any experience that could be used as TV talk. Although Laura also made me busy and even made me a laughing stock because of her, many people in the circle knew that I was bisexual and slept with the black parking attendant at the Mountain View Restaurant, but at least she was willing to seize the opportunity and cherish the results of my hard work..."
Tommy laughed: "I'm more curious about why you became bisexual."
Mark also laughed. "That's an unforgettable story. I helped Laura make an appointment with the producer of LA Law and Order and booked a hotel room for them. I asked Laura to wait in the hotel room. But the producer called me later and said he had something urgent to do and couldn't make it. I called Laura and she was bored waiting. When she heard that the other party couldn't make it, this crazy woman called the hotel's call number and called a gigolo to serve her. She also asked me to pay the bill for her."
"This girl is so fucking cool!" Tommy exclaimed when he heard Mark's words.
Mark smiled bitterly and nodded, "Yeah, what's even cooler is that when she was having a fierce fight with the gigolo, the producer actually finished his work and called me on the way there, saying that he was going to the hotel to meet her. I happened to go to the bathroom and the phone was in the hands of the secretary. When I came back, the secretary told me the news. I was almost scared to death and quickly called Laura. As a result, the gigolo told me that Laura drank a bottle of vodka and made herself unable to get out of bed. I was at the Mountain View Restaurant at the time. I had no choice but to grab the best parking guy to be my driver. I violated the traffic rules all the way to get to the hotel first and drove the gigolo away. , I gagged Laura with tape and hid her in the closet, then I stripped myself and asked the parking attendant to strip naked and lie on the bed. When the other party knocked on the door, he was shocked to see me and a black man. I said that Susan thought he would not have time to come today, so she went shopping. I didn't want to waste the room fee, so I came to relax. The producer nodded in understanding and kindly said to keep it a secret for me. As a result, the next day, many young male actors with no background called me and asked if I had time to talk to them. If I was willing to give them a chance, they would be willing to become friends with me... for in-depth communication. "
"You've sacrificed so much for the company, Mark. This is a touching story." Tommy said it was touching, but the expression on his face looked more like he couldn't hold back his laughter.
Mark looked at Tommy and said, "So, if Susan comes over, I can go back to San Francisco and continue to be the boss of my small headhunting company?"
"Of course not, Mark. Don't be lazy. You can hand over the entertainment industry clients to Susan, but that doesn't mean you can take a vacation. You need to switch to sports agency and expand the territory of Open Road Talent Agency." Tommy also looked at Mark and said seriously, "Those well-developed men are easier to deal with than women with complicated minds. Find them when they are not famous, make them trust you and be grateful to you, sign them, and when they become famous, take the commission from their big contracts."
"Sports star agent? That job tests vision and judgment more. At least we can make basic judgments about actors based on their past works and appearance. A sports star might have been in the limelight yesterday, but retire due to injury tomorrow..." Mark didn't expect Tommy to arrange his work direction immediately after hearing that he was going back to San Francisco. However, he also expressed his doubts, which is that it is more difficult to discover sports stars than actors.
Tommy took a sip of wine and said, "I'll give you a list, and then you can contact those people according to the list."
"You also have experience in discovering sports stars?" Mark laughed:
Tommy looked at Martin and Paige in the distance and said, "No, but I think my vision should be good. After all, I discovered you."
"Sophia said you've been free enough to take a vacation lately. That's not like you, Tommy."
"The vacation is over. After I finish drinking this beer with you, I will start to get busy."
"Going to a TV station to film a TV show?"
Tommy drank his beer in one gulp. "No, go conquer the city and turn BT TV into BT Network."
