America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

"Half an hour before I came, the community committee received over 20 complaint calls," Harold said while sitting on an armchair in the living room, somewhat helplessly, "Since last Saturday, a large number of reporters and fans have appeared, indeed disturbing the normal order of the community."

Martin knew this was a side effect of promotional marketing and said, "I'm also deeply troubled; even the trash I just threw out got snatched up madly."

"Could you make an appearance and soothe them a bit?" Since Harold couldn't force Martin, he could only try asking, "Cody Community is an open community, we can't stop them from entering."

This reminded Martin, and after thinking, he said, "I'll temporarily leave Cody Community and stay elsewhere for a few days."

Harold quickly asked, "And come back after things settle down?"

He wanted to reduce hassle, but also valued the promotional effect of having a celebrity like Martin living in Cody Community.

Martin smiled, "We'll see when the time comes."

Harold got up to take his leave, "Then I won't disturb you any longer."

Martin saw him out of the villa, and just as Harold stepped out of the gate, a red Porsche drove in.

Elizabeth parked the car and ran over, each of her hands carrying a large shopping bag, which she lifted to show Martin, "I bought dinner."

Martin quickly took them from her, carrying them into the house and calling Old Cloth to join them for dinner.

Elizabeth opened a can of beer and handed it to Martin, opened another for Bruce, and poured herself a glass of lemon tea, saying, "Those reporters and fans have gone mad."

Bruce said, "They're even scrapping over our trash."

Elizabeth was taken aback and said, "Really crazy."

"The houses here are too small, and it's an open community, a bit chaotic," Martin took a sip of beer and said, "I plan to move to Beverly Hills, the North District of Sunset Boulevard is a gated community, ordinary people can't get in."

The South Side of Sunset Boulevard is flatter and the houses are cheaper, mostly open communities.

The North District is built against the hills, all are multi-million dollar mansions, and the community is managed with a closed policy.

Nicholson's house is in the North District, so even when the Trio of Scoundrels causes a ruckus, it won't attract the paparazzi.

"Great!" Because of the environment in which she grew up, Elizabeth always felt that the space here was too small and the facilities not adequate enough, she smiled happily, "I've wanted to move for a long time."

Moving is a troublesome matter for ordinary people, but Martin had professional help, "Later I'll call Lily, have her come over and pack, we just need to take our daily necessities with us, most of the stuff here doesn't need moving."

He then looked at Old Cloth, "You're in charge of the safe and storage room."

Besides weapons, ammunition and valuables, these two places also contained some private items, like some tapes and video recordings.

Elizabeth said, "The house over there still lacks some daily necessities and decorative items, Martin, as you can't go out right now, may I take care of purchasing and arranging them?"

This would give her a sense of psychological satisfaction, making it feel like she was the lady of the house when moving in.

......

At the Cartier watch division, a meeting was underway, about the new North American brand ambassador for Cartier men's watches.

From the message released at the end of last year until the middle of this year without a confirmation, this matched the typical French work style.

In half a year's time, selecting three candidates was already considered quick.

The final brand ambassador would be decided by the end of this year.

Division President Batest asked his assistant to project the photos of the three candidates onto the office screen.

Vice President Blanco put on his glasses; the people on the screen were very familiar, in order, they were Tom Cruise, George Clooney, and Martin Davis.

Assistant Turam said, "Initial suggestions included Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp; the former is embroiled in scandals, currently being sued by Cadillac and Breitling, and the latter is a eccentric figure, not fitting Cartier's image."

Marketing Director Lizzarazu said, "I think Tom Cruise is also unsuitable; he's been involved in many scandals lately, is entangled with a cult, and behaves abnormally, which could lead us down the same road as Pitt."

Blanco said, "You've got a point, picking the right brand ambassador is very important for one's image."

Turam took over saying, "For people like George Clooney and Martin Davis, being embroiled in gossip doesn't matter, it can attest to their charisma and by extension show the appeal of the watch, but to deal with notorious troubles, look at Breitling."

Choosing between George Clooney and Martin Davis had its supporters on both sides.

The latter was soon to become number one in Hollywood's new power set.

But the former had an exceptional demeanor, a paragon of the gentlemanly image.

Lizzarazu tapped on his laptop keyboard, and the projection screen changed, cycling through photos taken yesterday and today.

Times Square in New York, Century City in Los Angeles, Peachtree Center Square in Atlanta...

The photos showed people with their faces painted like the Joker.

Not circus clowns, but the Joker from The Dark Knight.

"This is the influence of Martin Davis!" Lizzarazu exclaimed, "The Dark Knight's North American box office is about to surpass 250 million US dollars, with Martin Davis, as a supporting actor, completely overshadowing the lead Christian Bale, turning incredibly popular!"

Blanco chimed in, "George Clooney's star power and appeal are now inferior to Martin's. Martin has always had a great image, maintaining appropriate exposure from the start of his career. With one supermodel or actress after another at his side, his masculine charm is undeniable!"

After all, they were looking for a male Cartier watch endorser, and this actually worked to his advantage.

Lizzarazu spoke up directly, "Today, in terms of fame, charm, image, movie box office, and social impact, Martin surpasses George Clooney. Don't forget, he also has a loose sect of over ten million followers and is America's hero."

Batest, who had been silent all along, made his decision, "Half a year ago, George Clooney might have been more suitable than Martin Davis, but things have changed now. The Dark Knight has turned Martin into a nationwide sensation!"
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He clapped his hands, "Ladies and gentlemen, let's speed up our work efficiency and get in touch with Martin Davis's side."

......

Walking through the newly renovated front yard of Beverly Hills, Thomas surveyed Martin's new home and said, "I've got good news and bad news for you."

Martin headed towards the garage, "Tell me the bad news first, I prefer to start with the bitter and end with the sweet."

The bright sunshine cast down, making Thomas's forehead gleam, "The negotiations with Nokia aren't going smoothly; they're demanding a minimum three-year endorsement contract."

Martin felt the risk was too high after 2010 and said, "If we can't agree, then let it be."

Thomas shared the good news, "Cartier has reached out to me. They want to invite you to be the face of Cartier men's watches."

He roughly explained, "I've had one talk with them already, a three-year deal, ten million US dollars in endorsement fees per year, plus awards incentives clauses, though they only include the Oscars and the three major European film festivals."

Martin replied, "You negotiate with Cartier."

As they talked and strolled to the garage next to the palm trees, the open garage door revealed a full parking space of cars.

Brand new Cadillacs of all models, from the Escalade to the flagship sedans, were all there.

Although Martin hadn't moved yet, Cadillac had already delivered the new models.

In addition, Martin had purchased a few ordinary Chevrolet and Volkswagen cars for private use later on.

Martin pointed to the garage, "Want to give someone a car? Pick any."

Recently, Thomas, with his shining bald head and easygoing cash flow, had been hotly involved with a 20-year-old girl. He didn't stand on ceremony with Martin and chose a Cadillac sedan from the garage.

Martin found the corresponding key and tossed it to him, reminding, "Just go directly to the Cadillac center in Los Angeles. They'll handle the registration changes."

The sound of the front gate opening echoed, and the fully enclosed iron gate automatically swung open as Elizabeth Olsen drove her Porsche into the driveway, followed by a box truck.

She parked the car, greeted Thomas, then ran over to Martin, hooked his arm, and said to the box truck driver, "Drive to where the fountain plaza is, park at the entrance of the villa."

Martin knew she had gone out on a big shopping spree for their new house today, curious, he asked, "What did you buy?"

Arm in arm with Martin heading toward the house, Elizabeth began, "Some decorative items, accessories, daily necessities, and some clothes and shoes for you and me. Even though we have all the major furniture and appliances, we still needed to buy a lot of decorative little things ourselves."

The box truck stopped, and the driver and loaders came down, moving the well-packed items into the villa one by one as per Elizabeth's request, placing them in the hall on the first floor.

Elizabeth herself took some of the clothes directly up to the second-floor dressing room.

Bruce came over to pay for the delivery, and after the driver left with the box truck,

Elizabeth came downstairs and said, "Martin, help me unpack the boxes, will you?"

Martin got a utility knife and began opening box after box.

Bruce gave Thomas a look.

Thomas pointed at the boxes as if to say, aren't we helping?

Bruce instantly understood why Thomas was still bald and single.

He draped an arm around Thomas's shoulder, and they both left the villa.

Turning back, Thomas caught a glimpse of Elizabeth arranging the living room's minor decorations, looking very much the lady of the house.

Could she be Martin's true destiny? Thomas wondered privately, but said nothing and did nothing.

For the past two years, his role as Martin's agent had been to not comment on Martin's personal life at all.

Bruce went to the villa's auxiliary building to set up his lodging, and it was just as well that Thomas was there to help out.

Inside the villa, Martin and Elizabeth got everything they'd bought arranged, their foreheads glistening with sweat.

Martin simply pulled her towards the large bathroom on the first floor, "Let's try out the new bathtub."

Elizabeth wiped Martin's face, leaving smudges of dust on it, "Martin, your face is dirty, it needs a good wash."

Martin stopped in his tracks, seriously saying, "I didn't bring any facial cleanser."

Elizabeth's smile was sweeter than honey, "I brought some, the top-grade facial cleanser, always with me, solely devoted to washing you up nice and clean."

Soon enough, Martin enjoyed the top-grade facial cleanser, leaving not only his face clean and fresh but also his mind rejuvenated.

In the prime of Elizabeth Olsen's years, Martin got to use the best facial cleanser she had offered.