America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

At Brooklyn Studio, set up to resemble a hospital ICU ward, Alexandra concluded her final scene's shooting, returning to the arms of the Lord accompanied by the grieving leading man.

Chad announced the shot was a take.

Alexandra lifted the pristine sheets and jumped off the hospital bed, embracing Martin tightly and refusing to let go for a long time.

The others automatically kept their distance from the pair.

Martin patted Alexandra on the back, "We can meet any time you want in the future."

Alexandra nodded, let go of Martin, took a step back, and said, "But I might not see you for the next month or so."

Martin confused, "Don't you live in New York?"

Alexandra spoke softly, "My parents are planning to take Catherine and me on a trip to Sweden, to make the most of the midnight sun and stay a bit longer, before Catherine starts college and might not get the time."

"I wish you a pleasant journey in advance," Martin said as he saw Chad approaching. "The crew has prepared a memento for you."

Chad handed over a prop bracelet to Alexandra, "This is the bracelet you wore during shooting. Keep it, and I hope you always remember this experience."

Alexandra had Martin help her put it on, saying with a smile, "I will never forget."

She was ready to leave the set, and many from the crew greeted her; Martin accompanied her all the way out of the soundstage.

Catherine was also there, waiting on the edge of the soundstage.

Martin waved at Bruce, who promptly brought over a two-piece gift Martin had for her.

Alexandra said, "You've already given me so many gifts, you don't need to..."

"It's different; this is a special keepsake to commemorate working together," Martin interrupted, handing it over to Alexandra. "It's not anything expensive, just some handcrafted items. I give one to every person I work with when they leave the crew."

Alexandra accepted it, opened it to look, a Joker statue, and a fang pendant—indeed none were valuable items. She said, "I'll keep them."

No sooner had she finished speaking than she put the gift box aside, wrapped her arms around Martin, and engaged in a passionate kiss.

Martin responded with equal fervor.

The two moved in unison toward Martin's trailer, their footsteps in sync.

Just as Catherine was about to follow, she noticed a sharp gaze fixated on her and promptly stopped.

Indeed, Martin's bodyguard or manager or something was warning her with his eyes.

Catherine thought this person was somewhat twisted and decided to sit down somewhere, waiting patiently.

From afar, she saw the huge trailer begin to rock; she wondered how much force the people inside were using and whether they weren't afraid of causing a fatal incident.

It wasn't until the sun had moved to the western sky that those two shameless ones eventually emerged from the trailer.

Catherine stepped forward to meet Martin and said bluntly, "Martin, I want a memento, too."

Alexandra countered, "You haven't worked on the crew, you don't qualify."

Martin was accommodating and did not give Catherine a memento.

Alexandra went to collect the two gift boxes returned by Bruce.

Catherine took the opportunity to slip a piece of paper into Martin's hand, gestured for him to call her, and then pulled Alexandra away.

Bruce said, "Two sisters, ah, you are really something!"

Martin glanced at the piece of paper in his hand that had a phone number on it, crumpled it up, and threw it in a nearby trash bin, "Do you think I'm a jerk like you? Old Cloth, you have to admit, I have more class, more principles, and boundaries than you do."

Bruce burst into laughter, "I'm waiting to see your principles and boundaries."

Facing Old Cloth, Martin held his head high as he entered the soundstage.

After three consecutive days of shooting drama scenes, the crew got back on track with intensive action scene filming.

On a built set resembling an abandoned dock, Martin engaged in a fight to the death with a Russian mafia boss.

An old-school stunt actor named Quinn played the role of the big villain Ivanov for the entire sequence.

This man was an old friend of Chad's who had been on the fringes of Hollywood for many years without ever having played a significant role.

In fact, this was the portrait of most actors' lives—performing all their lives and still remaining obscure.

Even if they became somewhat famous for supporting roles like Mene had, without family connections and a strong enough background, it would take extraordinary luck.

Quinn was a skilled actor, hefty and muscular, willing to fight and act bravely.

Before shooting, Chad briefly went over safety precautions, getting the actors ready.

Martin had rehearsed with Quinn, and now he specifically said, "My moves are simple and direct, aimed at vital points. I'll control the force; you be careful to dodge."

Quinn advanced with a broad grin, showing his big white teeth, "Don't hesitate, Martin. Just come at me, and let's make this scene spectacular."

Earnestly striving for such a role, he intended to give it his all.

The script supervisor came to clap the board, and the shooting began at that moment.

Quinn took off his suit jacket and tossed it into a pile of trash nearby, proclaimed, "Jonathan, you killed my son! Just for a goddamn dog, you killed my son, you maniac!"

Martin's face was dark as he touched the wound on his cheek, slowly saying, "Daisy was the last gift Helen gave me."

According to Chad's setting, that dog was the last semblance of the common man in Jonathan.

With the dog dead, Jonathan's human side, the side that made him one of the common folk, was gone, too.

Quinn was almost out of his mind with rage, "You lunatic, for a dog, you killed my only son!" He posed in a boxing stance, "Now it's just you and me, let's put an end to this."

His punches flew in a mad flurry but were all dodged by Martin.

Martin found an opportunity, blocked his punches, and then kicked toward Quinn's groin.

Quinn lifted his leg and blocked with his knee, only to let out a cry of pain.

Martin exerted force with his hands, grabbed Quinn's wrists, and with a back throw, sent him crashing into a heap of trash.

The seemingly solid trash, all made of resin, even had a mat placed underneath.

Martin pounced, but Quinn kicked out, sending him flying back, crashing to the ground.

Both men got up from the ground, each throwing punches and kicks, aiming for the other's vital spots.

During this, Chad called for several breaks, allowing them to recover their strength. Chen Hu also came over to provide guidance, to make the fight look even more spectacular.

In the late afternoon, they filmed the final part of the scene, with Martin first chopping at the throat and then jabbing fingers into the eyes, concluding with a groin kick that felled the arch-villain.

Quinn, gasping for air, exclaimed, "Jonathan, we are professionals, we have standards!"

Martin struck hard at his chest and said coldly, "Do I look like someone with standards to you?" As he punched Quinn's chest, he asked, "Do I? Do I need principles and limitations?"

Quinn stuttered, unable to utter a word.

Martin struck him repeatedly.

Quinn collapsed to the ground, defeated.

At that moment, Chad shouted, "That's a wrap, good! Very good!"

Martin extended his hand, waiting for Quinn to grab hold so he could pull him up, asking, "You good?"

Quinn, pressing his legs together, said, "I almost had my balls smashed."
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Martin couldn't help but laugh.

Quinn took a few deep breaths to recover, then said, "Your control of movement and strength was just right."

Chad checked the playback on the director's monitor once more, stood up, and came to the set, giving Martin and Quinn a thumbs up, "You guys did great, it was an excellent fight."

Quinn said with a smile, "For this movie, I'm really putting my life on the line."

He didn't have high expectations for the future; his only hope was to get more substantial roles as an antagonist in some action films.

Martin joked, "Quinn's family jewels were nearly destroyed by me."

"I was really worried too," Chad said specifically to Martin, "When you said you had no standards or limitations, I was afraid you'd gone mad and would take out Quinn for real."

Martin replied, "You have to unleash your acting skills when the right opportunity comes."

Today's shooting went smoothly, and they finished ahead of schedule. Chad glanced at the time, then announced loudly, "That's a wrap for today! Go get some rest, and tomorrow we'll shoot the gunfight in Act Three."

Warner Bros.' Daniel entered the set at that moment to see Martin.

Martin approached and asked, "Is it urgent?"

Daniel reminded him, "The charity party at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is this weekend, don't forget to attend." He inquired with concern, "You need to be high-profile now, to help draw attention to 'The Dark Knight' and 'John Wick'. Do you have a plan yet?"

Martin had given it some thought, but still asked, "Does Warner have any plans?"

Daniel said, "Those idiots just want you to make a splash with your outfit."

Martin shook his head, "That's hardly going to create a buzz."

The fashion Oscars were already a chaotic showcase; with countless outlandish outfits set to appear on the red carpet, even if he went covered in a few slices of raw meat to protect his modesty, it wouldn't be much of a spectacle.

Daniel, having little faith in Warner Bros.' team, said, "It's up to you now. Let me know what you need."

Martin considered for a moment before replying, "I'll inform you in two days. Make sure to keep it confidential. Oh, and Leonardo arrived in New York today; he might attend with me."

"No problem," Daniel responded, "You guys always stir things up. Stir it up together then."

They discussed the MET Gala events as they left the studio.

Once Daniel left, Bruce approached Martin, "While you were filming, Leonardo sent a message; he and Nicholson are in New York."

Martin, in his trailer removing makeup, said to Bruce, "Send him a message that I'll be at the hotel in half an hour, and tell him to get ready to pay up."

Bruce sat on a nearby chair, typing out a text message.

Just over half an hour later, Martin arrived at the hotel where the production crew was staying. At the hotel lobby's lounge area, he met with Leonardo and Nicholson.

Nicholson lifted his sunglasses and said, "Leo here, the bastard, insisted on dragging me to what he calls the fashion Oscars. He also said you have a great idea that will make us the talk of the town?"

Leonardo shrugged; after all, he'd hyped up Martin's idea, and if it fell through, it would be Martin who looked foolish.

"Looks like I need to get serious this time," Martin said with determination.