The girl's eyes flashed with menace as she grabbed Shinji and slammed him to the ground.
Master Shinji realized she had him by the throat, both physically and psychologically.
"Chloe... Flora..."
Like a mouse caught by a cat, Shinji stammered out the girl's name.
Chapter 33: It was a dark and stormy night...
The thud of Shinji hitting the ground made everyone nearby turn to look, curious about what had happened.
But when they saw a girl had thrown a boy to the ground, they all turned away again.
The two looked young, and it was obvious they were having some sort of relationship trouble. Such things were all too common in "romantic" France, so no one gave it a second thought.
After his initial panic, Shinji quickly calmed down.
"Hey, Lizzie. It's been years, but you're still as warm as ever."
"Warm, my foot! You've got some nerve."
The girl rolled her fiery red eyes at Shinji.
Though his heart was in turmoil, Master Shinji kept up a calm front and even gave the girl a charming smile.
"This is just me showing enough patience when dealing with beautiful women."
Unfortunately, that perfect eight-toothed smile, enough to make even politicians sweat, failed to move the girl.
"If you don't want dentures, put those teeth away."
"Yes, Miss Lizzie."
Shinji instantly stopped smiling, then nimbly got back to his feet. While the girl wasn't looking, he made a throat-slitting gesture at Waver and Kariya, who were snickering nearby.
"Smooth-talking and never serious."
The girl glared fiercely at Shinji before continuing, "Matou Shinji, you've got some nerve. You've managed to avoid me this whole time."
"Not at all. I've always had the utmost respect for Miss Chloe."
Shinji deliberately stressed the word "respect," clearly hinting at something.
"And I've always doted on you, Shinji. After all, our families have been close for generations."
Noticing that Shinji had stopped calling her by her nickname, the girl raised an eyebrow. Though she was somewhat annoyed by his entirely businesslike attitude, she had no choice but to change her tone and adopt the formal pleasantries expected between young members of great families.
This silver-haired, red-eyed girl, a little older than Shinji, was Chloe Flora, heir to the North American Mage family, the Flora Family.
Though her skill in Magecraft was only average, Miss Chloe had a brilliant mind. At a young age, she had earned degrees in both management and finance, and had begun overseeing the family business.
"So you're the Jidai Group's representative for distribution this time?" Shinji asked, rubbing his neck.
"Looks like someone doesn't know I took over the distribution department. How heartless."
Chloe rolled her eyes again. "I crossed the Atlantic to come to Europe, and someone doesn't even know who's in charge of their business partner."
"I didn't—wait, don't talk as if it's already been decided that the distributor will be the Jidai Group!"
Coming to his senses, Shinji first loudly protested Chloe's claim, then turned toward Waver, who was standing off to the side, enjoying the show.
Waver replied with a hint of smugness, "So far, the Jidai Group, represented by Chloe, has shown the most sincerity of all the distributors we've held preliminary talks with."
Then Waver leaned close to Shinji's ear and quietly added, "The young lady genuinely wants to work with us. Just give in, Shinji."
Shinji's face darkened. He muttered bitterly, "You know what's going on between her and me?"
"No."
"Then why are you sticking your nose in?"
Shinji stepped on Waver's black leather shoe.
Then Master Shinji ignored Waver clutching his foot and turned back to Chloe with an awkward grin. "I'm grateful the Jidai Group is interested in my film, but my FSN is rated PG-13. Isn't that a huge mismatch with your style, given that you own HBO Television?"
HBO was North America's largest premium movie channel, famous around the world for its edgy dramas and programs.
Just how edgy were they?
All you had to know was that HBO produced Game of Thrones, which would later become a worldwide phenomenon, to get the general idea.
"The Jidai Group owns more than just HBO Television. Its other channel, TBS Television, is suitable for all ages. Besides, television and film are two completely different distribution channels, aren't they?"
Chloe rolled her eyes at Shinji again.
Most women would look terrible rolling their eyes like that repeatedly, but Chloe only became more beautiful.
She was truly gorgeous, even by the strictest standards—a woman with striking, delicate features.
Her silver hair fell in a smooth cascade, and her exquisite features were a pleasure to behold.
On top of that, she had excellent taste in clothes. Her black short-sleeved dress with silver trim showed off her charming shoulders and delicate collarbones. It was simple yet elegant, the sort of outfit that made her seem like a young lady who would be popular wherever she went.
Unfortunately, her name was Chloe Flora, the woman Shinji feared most and least wanted to deal with.
So Shinji acted as if he hadn't seen Chloe's breathtaking beauty and continued to resist.
"The Jidai Group's main media business isn't film, is it? I'd rather find a partner with an extensive film distribution network, like that big-eared mouse whose name must not be spoken."
Chloe's lips tightened. She replied with a hint of mockery, "If you're not interested, Shinji, why did you tell your Japanese partners that the Jidai Group would handle distribution in Europe and America?"
"Uncle—!"
Shinji shot a glare at Kariya, who was whistling at the ceiling.
"You were the one who told me to contact the Flora Family, kid."
Though Kariya said nothing aloud, his eyes clearly conveyed the message.
But Master Shinji was Master Shinji. His skin was so thick even a mortar shell couldn't dent it.
"Did Uncle say that?" Shinji exclaimed softly, then frowned thoughtfully. "He must have been desperate to find a distributor and said it to promote my film. I don't think that was necessary."
"Oh, is that so?"
Chloe gritted her teeth, and her tone unconsciously grew sharper.
"All right, the Jidai Group is definitely under consideration. But I want my film to get the best possible deal."
Shinji clicked his tongue, looking earnest despite his guilty conscience.
"Forget it. I'm attending this Cannes Film Festival to find suitable films for the group to distribute. It's not as if I'm dead set on picking your film." Chloe raised an eyebrow as she replied.
"Type-Moon Films welcomes all distributors. We believe in fairness and impartiality," Shinji said in a strictly businesslike tone.
"If none of the other distributors are interested, you can come to the Jidai Group. Personally, I have great faith in your abilities, Shinji."
As she spoke, one of Chloe's hands snuck around behind Shinji and pinched his lower back hard before he could reply.
"Urgh..."
Master Shinji's eyes flew open. He sucked in a sharp breath and glared at the silver-haired beauty, unable to say a word.
"See you at the festival."
Chloe smiled triumphantly and walked away with graceful steps, while Shinji could only glare at her in impotent anger.
"Pfft... Shinji... Hahaha... I never thought there'd actually be a girl in this world who could keep you in line... Hahaha..."
After Chloe left, Kariya could no longer hold back. He clutched his stomach and roared with laughter.
"Uncle! Go die!"
Enraged, Shinji kicked him.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
Shinji and Chloe Flora had a complicated relationship. They had met three years earlier.
Back then, Shinji wanted to understand the development of the North American film industry and learn about filmmaking. Through the connection between the Matou and Flora families, he had gone to live with the Flora Family as an exchange student.
Chloe was already twenty at the time. She was the Flora Family's precious daughter, a stunning beauty who was adored by everyone.
Living under the same roof, and with both of them showing an interest in the entertainment industry, Shinji and Chloe often talked.
Chloe wasn't interested in making films, but she was fascinated by Shinji's ideas about the development of media and admired the young boy's talent.
Before long, the two had become close friends.
But Shinji had no romantic feelings for Chloe. The Flora Family was just as close to the Matou Family as the Tohsaka family was, and if he actually got together with her, marriage would be the only possible outcome.
Back then, Shinji already had the makings of a playboy. He wasn't about to give up an entire forest for a single tree.
If things had gone according to plan, the next generation of the Matou and Flora families would have formed a close friendship like their elders, becoming a celebrated tale in the Mage world.
Unfortunately, life always found a way to spring a surprise when you least expected it.
On a dark and stormy night, a night made for murder and arson... ahem. On Chloe's twenty-first birthday, she did something rebellious for the first time and drank a bottle of alcohol to celebrate finally being old enough to drink.
But how much could a girl who had never touched alcohol and wasn't especially gifted at drinking handle?
What Shinji hadn't expected was that Chloe could neither hold her liquor nor behave herself when drunk.
Unlike others, Chloe didn't cry or make a scene. Instead, she kept pouring drinks down Shinji's throat.
At the time, Shinji wasn't old enough to drink legally in either Japan or America, but as a Transmigrator, he hadn't thought much of it. He treated it like knocking back drinks with the guys.
But when Chloe's drunkenness reached its second stage, Master Shinji began to sense that something was wrong. Her face flushed bright red as she wrapped her arms around him and refused to let go, kissing him over and over.
Shinji had intended to resist, but he overestimated his body's tolerance for alcohol after transmigrating. To Chloe, his supposed resistance looked more like encouragement.
So Chloe went ahead and "had her way" with Shinji.
Shinji was completely flustered. He had never imagined that a girl would turn the tables and take the initiative with him—and that the girl would be someone he hadn't even considered pursuing.
Though Master Shinji had enjoyed the whole thing, enjoying it in the moment didn't mean he'd be happy about it for the rest of his life!
Chloe, on the other hand, took it in stride. Though the drunken incident had been an exception, she already liked Shinji and didn't mind taking their relationship further.
So Chloe began dropping hints, both openly and discreetly, letting him know how she felt.
Her actions left Shinji badly shaken.
Aside from the fact that Shinji had no plans to get married, Chloe's forceful personality, much like Tohsaka Rin's, didn't fit his ideal image of a wife.
More importantly, Shinji had ambitions in the entertainment industry and didn't want to get too close to the Jidai Group.
There was no problem with business partners working together, but if Shinji married the Flora Family's Princess, it would be hard to say whether he was building an empire for himself or for the Jidai Group.
Afraid they might pressure him into marriage, Shinji chose to end his studies in America a year early and returned directly to the Clock Tower to seek out partners.
From then on, Shinji had deliberately limited his contact and communication with the Flora Family and Chloe. He never expected they would run into each other again in Cannes.
Chapter 34: What kind of respectable person walks the red carpet?
Running into Chloe as soon as he got off the plane was certainly an inauspicious start for Master Shinji.
But Shinji didn't keep dwelling on that rich woman. He focused his attention on the film festival instead.
To make sure his work wouldn't be delayed, Shinji had deliberately arrived in France several days early.
There was still some time before the film festival opened, so Shinji's first impression of Cannes was that it was a beautiful, quiet seaside resort town.
Unfortunately, Master Shinji had no chance to explore the beach or flirt with girls. After spending just one day adjusting to the time difference, he and Waver took care of the final entry paperwork for FSN.
That was when Master Shinji got a taste of what a mature, large-scale commercial film festival was like.
During the time he spent handling the paperwork, Shinji did only three things: pay, pay, and pay.
After spending the entire day running around the festival venue, his biggest impression wasn't of the Cannes Film Festival's artistic atmosphere, but of its blatant commercialism.
No wonder people in the industry always said money was the most basic ticket to getting anywhere near the art of filmmaking.
From registering attendees to producing promotional materials for the film and preparing the screening room, everything came with a hefty price tag. It nearly matched FSN's promotional budget for its first week in Japan.
Whether he commissioned the festival's designated contractors to make film posters or rented a theater for screenings, Shinji paid far more than the usual rate. It gave him the uncanny feeling of buying water at a tourist attraction in his past life.
Even the cheapest item, an individual pass, cost Shinji 1,200 euros.
And because Shinji was a complete unknown in the international film market, the pass he received was the lowest-tier one. He had to queue to watch films, and could only stand at the back during press conferences.
Industry big shots got more advanced passes. They could watch films without queuing and even received all sorts of other perks.
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