King of Hollywood

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Ding ding ding, the sound of glass clinking resonated. Adrian stopped his conversation with Claude and looked toward the head of the long table. He was dressed very formally today, in an exquisite black handmade suit, with a pure white shirt and a purple tie hanging beneath the collar. This gave his sharp features a unique charm.

"Rest assured, young gentlemen, I won't say too much," said the middle-aged man, somewhere between his fifties and sixties, who sat at the head of the table, lifting his long-stemmed glass toward Adrian and Claude with a smile, "You won't have the chance to complain."

"Alright, Ben, stop being so verbose," the middle-aged woman sitting to his left interrupted her husband with a sigh.

"Alright, alright, Beth," the middle-aged man laughed heartily, then turned his gaze to Adrian. "This toast is for you, Ed, congratulating you on standing up again and for your exceptional piece of work. I believe Geoff and Maimie in 'Heaven' would be very pleased; they would surely be proud of you."

Geoff and Maimie were Adrian's parents' names, and naturally, the only person who could say such things in front of him was his godfather, Benedict Ronris.

"Thank you, godfather, I am sure they would be," Adrian nodded earnestly.

"Frankly speaking, Ed, I never thought you would make a film," Benedict put his glass back on the table with a tone of reflection. "Even though it's a... how should I say, a thorough ** from start to finish, and I don't quite like it, at least the critics' reviews are decent and the box office is quite outstanding. Anyway, it's a successful beginning."

"I didn't expect this work to achieve such results either, godfather," Adrian mirrored the reflective tone. "At first, I just wanted to give it a try. Since things had come to this point, why not go all out? Back then, I sounded very confident to Crow, but in my heart, I had little assurance. Fortunately, it has been successful so far."

"However, I never imagined you would acquire a film company and then personally produce a movie, Ed," the godfather remarked, smiling as he looked at him. "It genuinely surprised me."

"I was also surprised, godfather, especially when the idea emerged uncontrollably from my mind," Adrian took a sip of red wine and reminisced. "It was as if someone was urging me inside my head, telling me I should do this and that I could do it well. Thank God, I read a lot, and I can do a bit of drawing, writing, and filming."

"Indeed, I still remember... when was it exactly?" Claude interjected. "Ed was running around in this room holding Uncle Harris's camera and ended up tripping and taking a great fall."

"Yes, I remember that," the godfather continued with a laugh. "That must have been when you were 12 years old. Ed even cried his heart out. Goodness, it's hard to believe you were already a big guy back then."

"Enough, you two, can't you talk about something else?" Beth interjected discontentedly.

"It's alright, Beth," Adrian waved it off. "I like listening to the godfather and Crow talk about these things, these trivial matters from the past; it gives me... a sense of home."

The ambiance at the dining table subtly shifted, with Benedict and Beth looking at Adrian with loving and tender eyes. A few seconds later, Claude raised his glass toward him, "Then, to family."

It was a warm Christmas dinner; even though there were only four people, including Adrian, the harmonious atmosphere allowed him, amidst the recent post-production rush, to relax and blend better into this family amidst the laughter.

"How did I do today? Not bad, huh?" After dinner, Adrian and Claude arrived at the lounge, where he asked his best friend.

"Excellent, my parents are very happy," Claude gave a thumbs up.

"Thank heavens they didn't mind me visiting just now," Adrian gestured with exaggerated expressions.

"What's happening? You're worried after dinner?" Claude chuckled, handing him a cup of coffee.

Adrian shrugged, then shifted the topic as he sat down. "So, let's discuss the matter between us."

"Between us?" Claude raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? If it's about the yen, you should..."

"No, you didn't meet my conditions, Crow." Adrian smiled leisurely.

"Didn't? Are you saying that the money in your account is non-existent, or that I misheard your conditions at that time, Ed?" Claude asked, half-jokingly.

"What I mean is, if we only count the funds obtained from robbing Japan, there's still quite a distance from the goal you promised me," Adrian gestured with his hands.

"Yes, I admit, I invested in Microsoft stocks in May. They had just released... Win3.0, and the situation was looking good. There was no reason to miss the opportunity, right? Besides, the final result met your requirements," Claude waved nonchalantly.

"But the issue, dear Crow, is that I initially said it must all originate from Japan," Adrian crossed his legs and, with a playful look like a cat observing a mouse, watched Claude.

"Are you really going to haggle over this, Ed?" Claude stared into Adrian's eyes, but a few seconds later, he burst out in laughter. "Alright, just say what you want."

"Damn it, can't you let me enjoy the moment a bit longer?" Adrian grumbled, then sat up straight. "I need you to help me once more, Crow."

"Help you again? What is it this time?" Claude asked curiously.

"Futures."

"Futures?"

"Yes, oil futures!"

"Oil futures? Are you saying..." Claude began to say something, but Adrian raised his hand to stop him. "You know, when I returned from Europe, I visited my uncle in New York. A few days ago, through someone he introduced, I came to know some news: the possibility of Congress authorizing the president to use force is over 80%."

Claude frowned. "Alright, even if that news is reliable, it doesn't mean..."

"I know, Crow, I know," Adrian interrupted him again. "So I'm contacting some people, and once Congress announces authorization, I will find a way to obtain the specific date for launching the attack."

"The specific date to launch the attack? Do you know what you're saying, Ed?!" Claude sprang to his feet.

"Relax, Crow," Adrian stood up with him, placing his hands on his shoulders. "Calm down, I won't be foolish enough to engage in insider trading over something like this."

Basically, every major corporation engages in a bit of insider trading; the difference is whether they're caught by the Securities Regulatory Commission. However, once military secrets are involved, only those colossal conglomerates might dare play on this terrain, and even then, with utmost caution—military affairs and the Securities Regulatory Commission are two different beasts.

"Are you sure?" Claude asked, not entirely reassured.

"Of course," Adrian chuckled. "Even if I were to do that, do you think anyone would provide information?"

"That's not necessarily the case." Claude folded his arms, eyeing him closely.

"Alright, Crow, listen to me," Adrian pushed him back into the chair. "I'm just collecting intelligence through official channels, gathering a lot of intel, and then analyzing it for judgment. I don't think that's illegal, right? Anyway, once you receive my news, you just need to start operations; I know the risk is high, but, Crow, I need this."

"Listen, Ed, you have at least 50 million in liquid assets right now, and your talent has been revealed. You can run your film company well, so why gamble on this?" Claude persuaded.

"I think you haven't forgotten what I said to you back at the café, right, Crow?" Adrian spoke with a serious and earnest tone. "You also told me I needed funds, a lot of funds."

"Damn," Claude slapped his forehead, glaring at Adrian but saying nothing.

"Based on preliminary calculations from the financial statements provided by the accountant, considering all available funds and including the film company, I can probably raise about 65 million US dollars," Adrian continued. "Like last time, I'll entrust all this to you; you just need to keep an eye on it and start operating after receiving my notification. No matter the outcome—even if I lose it all, I'll accept it."

He paused, then sat down in front of Claude, resting his head on folded hands, staring unblinkingly at his best friend. "I need you, Crow!"

Claude's face was full of seriousness, but eventually, he sighed with a bitter smile, "You rascal..."

"I need you, Crow," Adrian repeated once more.

"Alright, since you've said so, I have no choice but to go along with it," Claude finally burst into laughter. "Since you've already created one miracle, maybe you can create another."

"I will!" The smile once again appeared on Adrian's face.

Yes, indeed he would. Thanks to the movie "Black Hawk Down," Adrian had gained insight into several wars the United States fought in the early '90s, and the famous "Sandstorm" was naturally among them. He remembered clearly that the United States Congress authorized the old cowboy president to resolve the Kuwait issue by force on January 13, 1991, with the US Army launching the attack on the 17th!

As long as the preparation was meticulous enough, Claude, with his capabilities, would undoubtedly multiply these funds several times over. Futures, unlike stocks, were akin to gambling—you win big or lose big. Adrian remembered a colleague in a previous life who was adept at trading stocks; he turned a small sum into hundreds of thousands but lost it all within days when committing it to the futures market.

But this didn't mean Adrian could sit back and expect guaranteed success and no loss.

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