America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

In the exhibition hall of the Los Angeles Museum of Modern Art, Cassie Affleck brandished a check, once again showcasing his refined artistic taste and masculine charm as he purchased a hardwood carving by Lily Carter.

Lily and Cassie stood on either side of the sculpture, posing together for a photograph.

Then, the two enthusiastically discussed the piece amidst the bustle of the exhibition hall.

Lily, having just received a five-figure sum, was very professional and answered all of Cassie's questions about the sculpture one by one.

Cassie had also done some homework. He had prepared not only the money, but he had also crammed up some knowledge on art carving on short notice.

Noticing Lily's gaze frequently sweeping over him, Cassie felt increasingly close to capturing his prey.

Lily, however, was pondering whether to raise the price further if she brought another piece tomorrow.

Just as Cassie was about to extend an invitation, a tag-bearing female student rushed over and informed Lily, "The mentor asked me to tell you that there's going to be a discussion soon, and you need to head over quickly."

"Alright," Lily responded first to her classmate and then, full of apologies, said to Cassie, "Sorry, there is important business at the academy and with my mentor. I must go."

She felt that Cassie's wallet could be tapped further, "Shall we discuss the remaining questions tomorrow?"

Encouraged by her positive response, Cassie nodded, "No problem, I'll wait for you here tomorrow afternoon."

Lily waved at him and quickly walked away with her classmate.

Once out of the exhibition hall, the female classmate expressed her sincere admiration, "Big sis, you're truly amazing!"

Lily pulled her aside and said, "Keep your mouth shut, understand?"

The classmate quickly swore, "I won't mention it to anyone."

Lily went to the storage room and opened a crate overflowing with various rough sculptures, all of which were merely practice pieces.

Since Cassie Affleck considered these practice pieces brimming with art, she might as well sell them to him at a high price.

Upon leaving the storage room, Lily bumped into her fifty-something female mentor.

"I heard that the piece you just put on display has been sold again?"

"Yes, that person is particularly generous with money," Lily admitted, knowing she couldn't hide it, "It's still the same person who bought the sculpture yesterday."

The mentor cautioned her, "It's good to sell your work, but you must also be careful; human hearts are complex."

Lily appreciated the mentor's good intentions, "I will only meet him in the exhibition hall." Influenced by Martin over the years, she quickly shifted to a personal note, "Ma'am, Mene is currently in Las Vegas, and I got a signed photo from him. He will send it over via air express as fast as he can."

Perhaps some actors are natural heartthrobs to middle-aged women. The mentor beamed with joy and said, "Remember to tell me when it arrives."

"Will do," replied Lily.

As the mentor left, she walked with an extra spring in her step.

At the next high-end gathering of successful women in the art world, she would have yet another boast-worthy asset.

...…

Las Vegas, Caesars Palace.

Inside Celine Dion's luxurious suite, Mene changed into formal attire, took an instant camera, and went to the living room.

"You're taking my picture?" Celine Dion posed with one hand on her hip, like a willow in the breeze.

Mene first took a picture of her, then stepped back to strike his most handsome pose as the photo developed, "Take one of me; a fan asked for a signed picture, which I'll mail to her."

"Your fan? A woman?" Celine picked up the instant camera and snapped a photo of Mene.

Mene couldn't hide a hint of pride, "Even though I'm not as influential in the movie industry as you are in the music scene, I have a large group of supporters."

Once the photo developed, Mene signed the back and Celine called the suite's butler to arrange the hotel to send it via the fastest air courier.

All trivial matters, as long as one was willing to spend the money.

After completing the task, Celine took Mene's arm and left the room, ready for some entertainment downstairs.

They couldn't just stay in the room all the time.

In the past few days, Celine noticed that due to long-term concern about body swelling and strict water intake control, her recent dehydration resulted in dry skin, hair splitting, and deepening wrinkles...

To avoid further dehydration, she needed to distract herself with other forms of entertainment.

Mene was happy to accompany Celine throughout Caesars Palace; after all, he didn't have to pay, so he might as well enjoy it.

Celine was wealthy, rumored to have assets worth several hundred million.

But Uncle Mene wasn't interested in that. What he liked was the person Celine Dion herself.

Just because she had money meant Uncle Mene would keep her company? What a joke.

That afternoon, Mene's autographed photo was air freighted from Las Vegas to Los Angeles and delivered to Lily's hands at the fastest speed possible.

Lily made a special trip to visit her mentor and presented the autographed photo.

The mentor was overjoyed.

......

In a restaurant in North Hollywood,

The Affleck brothers arrived at the reserved booth and sat down to wait patiently.

Ben had invited Judi Dench to dinner.

Before she had arrived, Ben asked his brother Cassie, "What's the situation on your end?"

Cassie smiled with a roguish confidence, "A little girl immersed in the world of art and consumed by her carving studies—what's the challenge there? Everything on my end is progressing smoothly, she took the initiative to schedule another meeting with me for tomorrow."

Ben nodded, "This Lily Carter is from Atlanta; she must know a lot of things about Martin Davis that the public doesn't. Just take your time and don't rush—wait until the right moment to get her talking, and don't make her suspicious."

"You know how many girls like her I've taken care of," Cassie's past achievements were a source of confidence, "It's just a matter of spending some money, time, and energy."

Ben didn't pay it much attention, considering she was just a 19-year-old girl still wrapped up in her ivory tower.

Cassie asked, "You've brought in Judi Dench, are you planning to take matters into your own hands?"

Ben was more cautious, "I want to see the specifics first. I'm not busy with anything else lately, and I could make some extra money. Martin's current girlfriend, Elizabeth Olsen, is at the Adler School of Acting."

Cassie was a bit skeptical, "The Olsen sisters..."

"Easier than Jolie and Aniston," Ben had weighed his options, "Those two women have a deep connection with Martin Davis, definitely flown together, but what can we do to them? They are leaders of the Me Too movement, and if we're not careful, they might turn on us, which can be very troublesome."

"Making Martin Davis the next Pitt won't be easy," Cassie noted.

But Ben countered, "I've done my research. Martin bought Pitt's luxury mansion in Beverly Hills from someone else, and it's currently being renovated. You must have heard from Pitt himself—David Fincher, who directed 'Benjamin', had considered Pitt for the male lead at one point, but in the end, it went to Martin..."

"And then there's Jolie and Aniston," Cassie suddenly realized something significant, "Martin slept with Pitt's girlfriend and wife, took over Pitt's house and Cadillac endorsement, and even snagged Pitt's role!"

Ben sipped his drink with a crooked smile, "Although I don't know exactly what he did, the results show that Martin Davis is quite wicked, and our actions are thereby justified."

At that moment, Judi Dench entered from outside, and Ben went over to meet her; they came back and sat down together. Discover stories with empire

After ordering their meal, Judi Dench took out a cigarette and lit it, and went straight to the point, "Ben, you wanted to see me."

Both being members of the Weinstein circle, even though Judi Dench wasn't as closely linked with Harvey as the Affleck brothers and Matt Damon, she had still tattooed Harvey's name on her buttocks in the year she aimed for the Oscar and even declared she would show it to anyone who wanted to see how much she admired Harvey.

So, Ben went straight to the point, "I heard you're working part-time at the Adler School of Acting?"

Founded by Stella Adler, the acting school is one of the most famous in Hollywood, having produced students like Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, and Jack Nicholson.

Judi Dench got the hint from Ben's words and asked, "What, are you interested in taking up a side job too?"

Ben was helpless, "I haven't got any projects to work on lately, and maintaining a family is expensive; I am looking to make some quick cash."

Judi Dench didn't have high hopes for Ben's acting skills and even thought that someone like Ben, who hadn't figured out acting himself, had no business teaching students.

But since he was one of Harvey's closest allies and a core member of the Foot Clan, she decided to give him a hand, "I will make a call to the school for you."

The Adler School of Acting was also changing with the times to attract students and earn high tuition fees; as long as a teacher's acting met the basic criteria, fame mattered more.

Judi Dench handed Ben a business card, "After you receive my message, give her a call yourself, with your fame, it shouldn't be a problem."

Ben thanked her with a smile, "Thanks, Judi," he raised his glass, "To you."

Cassie also raised his glass.

The three of them drank together, shared funny stories about the Foot Clan, and enjoyed their dinner.

......

The 2008 summer box office season had already kicked off, and over the recent weekend, "Indiana Jones 4" had broken through the $100 million mark in North America on its opening weekend, creating a surge in market enthusiasm.

"The Dark Knight" was set to hit North American theaters on July 18th, and various promotional efforts were already being rolled out.

Normal promotions were the usual mix: outdoor billboards, media articles, TV ads, and cinema promos—procedures that had long been standard practice and difficult to innovate on.

Warner Bros. was methodically pushing these efforts.

Meanwhile, leading a dedicated promotion team, Nolan personally released a variety of real behind-the-scenes videos, attracting further attention from the general public.

Batman is one of the top two comic book superheroes in North America, ensuring a basic level of box office revenue as long as the film isn't too badly made, but explosive box-office results depend on the attraction to general audiences.

The unconventional promotional stunts that Martin and Nolan discussed targeted these general audiences.

That week, Warner Bros. specifically held a screening for "The Dark Knight," with Jack Nicholson, the previous Joker, attending the screening.