Leaving

"That was the answer I confirmed again and again, and it was also the response Mr. Robert Smith gave me over the phone. Oh, and he's already been removed from his position as head of the marketing department on charges of bribery."

Hearing this, Irene believed they had lost all reason to work with MGM. Clearly, the accusation was aimed at her, since Mr. Robert Smith had personally handled their partnership.

"Did we offend MGM's new executive somehow?" She couldn't think of any other reason MGM would do this.

"That occurred to me too, so I looked into it." As he spoke, he took a file from his bag and handed it to Irene.

Irene took it with one hand and pulled out a résumé and several photographs.

"The new executive is named Ulysses Mayer, one of Mr. Louis Mayer's younger relatives. Five years ago, he pursued Julia Roberts. He was turned down, but the two of them remained friends. Lately, they've been meeting frequently."

"Wait, are you saying Ms. Julia Roberts wants to sabotage our partnership and stop my film from finding a company to finance and distribute it?" This was even harder for Irene to understand. Their films were premiering around the same time, so there had been some friction, with the newspapers publishing articles attacking one film and then the other.

But that was standard practice for film studios. It wasn't as if Julia Roberts—the biggest female star in Hollywood right now—would go after little minnows like them. Was that really necessary?

And that executive had followed Julia Roberts's instructions without hesitation. Her film had already earned over a hundred million dollars at the North American box office! It had brought MGM tens of millions in revenue! Was this new executive an idiot, throwing all that away just like that?

"Clearly, Ms. Julia Roberts isn't as magnanimous as you think. You have to remember, you're both starring in comedies released during the summer, so people were bound to compare your films.

"Besides, based on the box office trends, Legally Blonde's North American earnings are nearly on par with Runaway Bride's. You may have said your production budget was fifteen million dollars, but anyone in the industry knows you spent around ten million. Runaway Bride, on the other hand, had a production budget of seventy-eight million dollars, and the promotional campaign pushed the total cost over a hundred million.

"With that kind of investment, the end result was box office earnings barely matching yours. Do you think she can accept that?"

Shelly's words made everything click for Irene. You could dodge a visible blow, but not a hidden one. Now that she knew who her opponent was, and knew she couldn't afford to provoke her yet, she had to keep her head down and build up her strength.

"What do you think?" Irene wasn't strong enough to stand on her own yet. It was better to have a powerful ally, so she decided to accept CAA's package deal.

"As fellow CAA clients, she won't dare take things too far with us backing you. So I suggest you accept the package. That way, we can shield you from a lot of outside pressure." Shelly Ovitz spoke with earnest conviction.

Irene didn't hesitate. Though she felt sympathy and regret over Lindsay Lohan's situation, there was a saying in Hollywood: "No role in a movie is irreplaceable." She would find a way to help Lindsay later.

"In principle, I agree. But I need to hold an audition, and I want final say over the other important roles."

"No problem."

"Britney must be eager to get back and choose her songs, so we'll return to Los Angeles tomorrow. We'll hold the auditions in seven days. Oh, and there's no need to audition candidates for the male lead, Aaron Samuels. He's just a pretty face anyway. Edward's acting should be good enough."

"Yes, ma'am! I'll do my best! I'll arrange the plane right now!" When Edward Nelson realized he'd landed the male lead, he jumped for joy, almost as excited as Britney.

"Invite some Asian actors too. I want to add Asian characters to the main female roles. Apart from the members of the mean girls and Cady's friend, you at CAA can handle the other minor roles however you like. I'm sure you have plenty of clients who fit the bill." Irene handed over control without hesitation. There was no need for her to personally choose every actor.

"Understood. I'll email the agency now and have them prepare for the auditions." With that, Shelly Ovitz stood and left the living room.

"What will happen to Henry when you leave tomorrow?" At Britney's words, Irene paused just as she was getting up.

She took paper and a pen from a living room drawer, quickly wrote two lines, and handed them to the butler. "Tomorrow morning at nine, take this to the main pier at the Glenvaria Hotel and give it to Mr. Henry. Unless something goes wrong, he should be the most handsome one there."

"Of course, Miss Irene." The butler took the note with both hands and put it in the cabinet by the entrance.

After Irene had gone back to her room, Britney ignored Edward's attempts to stop her and quietly went to the entrance to open the drawer and see what Irene had written.

"The boss will be angry if she finds out," Edward said, pushing the drawer back into place.

"Don't worry, I know her. If she could hand the note straight to the butler, that means she doesn't mind people knowing what's inside. She won't get mad if I read it."

They opened the drawer. The note was lying there, unfolded, and they could read it clearly without even picking it up.

"My dear Henry, I'm setting out once more to chase my dreams. The moments we shared these past few days are the tenderest memories in my heart.

"No matter how beautiful a meeting is, it can't escape the fate of parting. But my thoughts will follow you wherever you go. May every day ahead be filled with sunshine and laughter.

"Always thinking of you,

"Irene Coppola"

The next day, as the sun had just risen above the sea, Irene and the others left the island with all the gifts the butler had prepared.

The plane crossed the sky, leaving only faint traces behind. As the sun rose fully above the water, the breeze scattered those traces until they disappeared.

After returning to Los Angeles, Irene first signed a formal film package agreement with CAA. CAA then helped her sign an investment and distribution agreement with 20th Century Fox. The distribution fee was set at the standard rate of 15%.

After several rounds of negotiations, they agreed that Irene would cover one-third of the film's production costs, while 20th Century Fox would cover the remaining two-thirds.

Back at the office Irene had rented, she said, "Find me an assistant. I don't want to waste time attending unnecessary events anymore." The negotiations had left her exhausted. Every argument had made her want to give up, and every time, Shelly Ovitz had talked her out of it.

"I told you ages ago that your company needs staff too. What are you going to do about the six million dollars you're investing? Fox requires the money to be paid before filming officially begins, or your share of the investment will be automatically canceled."

Shelly Ovitz took two bottles of mineral water from the corner of the office, moving with the ease of someone in her own home.

"I was planning to use the money I'd get from MGM to fund the new film." Irene took the bottle and spread her hands helplessly. "But now they've canceled our partnership, and getting our share of the box office revenue feels a long way off."

"If Legally Blonde were solely your film, given MGM's attitude toward you now, it would be perfectly normal for them to wait two years before paying you. But fortunately, you're not on your own."

"Do you mean they won't go too far because of my father?"

"Irene Coppola doesn't have enough clout to negotiate with MGM. But Francis Coppola carries enough weight to make them settle your share on time."