King of Hollywood-Chapter 622 - 30 Another Plan

The "Harry Potter" film crew shooting in London hadn’t changed much; Chris Columbus was a very diligent director and he fully respected Rowling’s opinions, and even if there were any issues, he would try his best to persuade her. As a result, the plot of the first film was not much different from what Adrian knew. As a typical example, Peeves was still cut because Columbus felt it did not contribute much to the story’s progression, and though Rowling was reluctant, she was eventually convinced by his patience.

As for Little Emma, there was no doubt that she was the most outstanding among all the child actors, Columbus also said she was extremely talented. Often, when the other children had to do retakes, she got it right the first time. This was to be expected; Little Emma had often hung around on Adrian’s set, and with her elfish personality, it would have been strange if she hadn’t reached this level of proficiency.

However, this time she didn’t cling too much to Adrian, she just expressed her happiness that he could come, and then dragged him around the outskirts of London with great enthusiasm, including having afternoon tea together at a cafe in a small town—this was Adrian’s suggestion. He had visited that cafe the last time he came to the "Harry Potter" suburban set, and for various reasons, such as the nice scenery and the attractive women, he decided to come here again.

However, although Little Emma didn’t come up with any harmless pranks to tease Adrian, she wasn’t so courteous to his new secretary.

"Ha, you finally ditched Charli for another woman’s embrace?" That was her opening line, leaving Ivanka, who had been pondering how to greet her, speechless for a long time.

But the more explosive stuff came later. After introducing herself, Little Emma directly asked her, "Have you slept with Ed? How was it? Is he really that good?"

It took a long time for Ivanka to muster up a response, "That’s... probably not something a child should ask..."

Luckily, there were no other people around when she said this, otherwise she didn’t know how embarrassed she would have been. But Little Emma didn’t seem to plan on letting her off the hook, proudly puffing out her chest and proclaiming, "I am not just any child!"

Yet Adrian didn’t sit idly by while she "bullied" Ivanka. He immediately picked her up and gently tapped her with a rolled-up magazine, saying, "Alright, Emma, be a lady for me!"

Little Emma pulled a face, and although she remained lively and bouncy, she didn’t tease Ivanka again.

"Don’t take it to heart," Adrian then consoled Ivanka, "She’s always been like this, small but savvy, much more precocious than her peers. If I had known, I wouldn’t have spoiled her so much in the beginning."

Since he said so, Ivanka chose not to take issue with Emma, but her perception of the little girl cooled somewhat. Initially, when she learned about Emma’s past, she was filled with sympathy and pity. How did Emma know about Adrian’s matters? How much did she know? And she seemed quite indifferent. Why? Ivanka couldn’t help but ponder these questions, not realizing she had already fallen into a pre-established rhythm—

Alright, she did notice something, but it was on a physical level. That night, upon returning to the villa Adrian had purchased in London, all it took was a little teasing from him, and Ivanka was confusedly pressed onto the bed.

There was no helping it; during her time at Stanford, she could distract herself with her studies to alleviate her desires, and in desperate times, use her fingers to address her needs. But now that she had become an intern secretary assistant, even though there was a lot to learn and the intensity hadn’t diminished much, everything she needed to learn involved that man she hated the most, even his scandalous history. As a result, her dreams were filled with him, one after another, with that scoundrel always being the protagonist.

Now that she had arrived in London, things were relatively more relaxed, so the pent-up desires naturally surfaced, and then Adrian’s tease made the outcome all too clear. Just like the last time she came over from San Francisco to see her father, although she kept telling herself not to pay attention to that bastard, she was easily swayed and died in his arms.

Charlize had sent her to London with Adrian, indeed with an intention to test her abilities, but also to create opportunities for alone time with him. So from the beginning, she had fallen into a trap, and even if she could escape once – like the refusal on the airplane – she absolutely couldn’t escape a second or third time, just like now.

She let out a low sigh and turned over to hug Adrian, beginning a tender kiss with him. Sometimes she was quite open-minded, thinking that since things had come this far, she might as well unleash everything that was repressed, just like last time; the night was still young.

However, even the most open-minded person would feel embarrassed and awkward when facing a troublesome child, especially when Little Emma looked at her with a mischievous giggle and an "I know what you did last night" expression, Ivanka felt particularly uncomfortable. Although Adrian had warned Little Emma, and she did not verbally tease her any further, a certain dislike inevitably arose in Ivanka’s heart.

Then, this feeling made her overlook certain other things, such as Adrian’s appointment with a certain young girl, even though she had arranged it herself.

"Um... by the way, how’s the script? If we don’t start shooting soon, it’ll become outdated," Adrian asked Keira, who was following him while they walked slowly down a tree-lined street. What was called a date was really just a rebellious young girl sneaking out to go shopping with him for entertainment, and...

"Do you think I’m ugly?" As expected, Keira immediately asked, her eyebrows raised in a fierce look as if joking, but deep down she was actually questioning. Her awkward personality was deep in her bones, and it was almost impossible to root out completely unless drastic measures broke her down completely.

"No, I just think you’re perfect for the role. I believe you can portray the contrast of the character before and after stunningly," Adrian immediately responded.

The film prepared for Keira was called "She’s All That," which talks about a high school in Los Angeles where Lanni was considered an oddity by her peers because of her love for the arts and her lack of grooming; her earthy presence stood out among her classmates, and she didn’t have many friends. But one day, Chuck, the school prince who was not only academically excellent but also the dream lover of many female students, found her. Wanting to turn her into a super hottie because his sexy girlfriend had dumped him for a ruffian, he made a bet with his friends to transform the oddball Lanni into a hottie within six weeks; the independent and quirky Lanni naturally wouldn’t let him succeed easily, and thus a war began.

Unquestionably, this was the kind of simple and cliché plot found in high school movies, where the male and female protagonists conflict and, after a series of mishaps, eventually end up together.

Adrian had come across this script in early ’98, just casually flipping through it at that time. Although he had to review all the scripts, it was impossible to go through each one; many times, it was just about looking at the title, to find recognizable ones, glance at the synopsis for the iffy ones, then wait until there was free time to randomly sift through those discarded scripts, so as to prevent omissions.

This method was quite useful; some low-budget films with moderate box office success were discovered this way. Although the earnings weren’t very high, it was much better than nothing, and it could also be used to enrich Miramax, New Line, or Bossworth. "She’s All That" was found under such circumstances.

Initially, he just thought that the image of the female protagonist matched Keira quite well, such as the quirky and somewhat self-centered personality, and Keira, like Natalie, wasn’t really that pretty; without a smile she was okay, but smiling really didn’t look too good, but she had a fine temperament, so this script should suit her very well.

Then, after carefully recalling the details, Adrian finally found the relevant information in his mind. This film’s box office could be said to be the highest among campus movies; it was certainly sufficient to pave the way for her career, carrying slightly more weight than the daughter’s role in "What Women Want." Thus it was decided.

However, it was too early to start filming then since Keira was still a bit young. Therefore, the screenplay was put on ice. Anyway, campus youth comedies always have a market. As for the box office, it might be affected, but not significantly. And, in a sense, it would be somewhat better if it didn’t reach the original’s heights. So, they waited until today.

"I’ve found a very handsome Australian actor to be your partner. Remember, when the time comes, you must show him some color, let him know that the English Rose also has thorns," Adrian continued, his compliments bringing a smile to Keira’s face.

How to cheer up this young girl was something Adrian had a grasp of. After all, he had managed to penetrate her inner world, albeit by methods that were... non-replicable. This was also why Keira secretly called him and slipped out afterward; she clearly didn’t just want to go shopping with Adrian. Therefore, the real business would only begin after they returned to his villa in London.

"Um... let’s continue..." After undressing completely without missing a piece, revealing her totally bare upper body, Keira said this. However, unlike before, she turned her head away, and her cheeks were slightly red.

In purely theoretical terms, such stimulation should be effective, albeit slow, but in reality, no one could be sure, as systematic experiments were impossible otherwise, governments or civil organizations would have been knocking at the door long ago. So, what truly worked could only be described based on experience.

It didn’t matter to Adrian. At least it would give Keira some psychological comfort. Holding Keira in his arms, she had already begun to moan, her nipples had become firm under his fingertips. Although he couldn’t see her face, he could fully imagine the mist in her eyes, and it seemed that the floodgates below might have already slowly opened.

To be honest, their twisted relationship was very unstable. Adrian didn’t particularly like Keira’s overly sensitive nature. Petting a kitten could be fun, but if that kitten flew off the handle at the slightest thing, it was rather annoying. Nevertheless, conditioning her was not difficult. While he could not eradicate that aspect of her character, making her more docile in his presence was possible.

It was simple. Next year, during a "massage," cause a small accident and then take advantage of the situation to devour her. Keira’s reaction might be a bit intense, but there was a high chance she would calm down with his reassurance.

But now he didn’t plan to use that strategy anymore. Adrian had a new plan. So, if the young girl in his arms became even more twisted, it was even better for him. Of course, for Keira, this was definitely not a good direction, but Adrian didn’t care. At most, he would say sorry in his heart, without feeling any guilt.

Although he prided himself on his rationality, one minute he could be fully engaged in a passionate embrace, and the next minute, he would silently observe from the perspective of a bystander. But after all, he was human, not a machine operating by code, so when something touched upon the untouchable, his reaction far exceeded expectations. Of course, he wouldn’t act on impulse, but if he became cold-hearted, he would be even more unrestrained, and thus Keira became a part of the plan.

Perhaps some would laugh, mock, or deride him, but what of it? He was never a virtuous person. Moreover, did he need to care about their opinions?

Keira’s "massage" homework shall not be mentioned further, Ivanka, though distracted for a while, quickly turned her focus back. After all, she was no fool. Then, despite maintaining her composure in front of others, she couldn’t help but confront Adrian in private, "Do you realize what you’re doing?"

"We didn’t do anything," Adrian replied innocently, spreading his hands as if to show he was wrongly accused.

Ivanka, of course, didn’t believe his story. She knew the kind of person he was.

"Don’t you realize the seriousness of this, Ed?!" she immediately raised her voice while questioning him, only to get a profound kiss from Adrian in response.

"I’m so happy, Innie, you’re getting more and more concerned about me." He pressed her against the wall, kissed her deeply, and chuckled.

Ivanka, who had intended to make a strong complaint about his impudent actions, shut her mouth upon hearing his statement. Her heart was in turmoil, but not panicked.

Why is it like this? she asked herself in distress. But the more she thought about it, the less surprised she felt. Take Keira’s situation, for example; similar things had come out as Ivanka learned the stories of his other lovers, and she had guessed some of it though not confirmed. The more she knew, the more ludicrous she found her initial thoughts to be. Leaving aside whether or not the information could be made public, if it was ever released, it was hard to say whether Adrian would be ruined, but she definitely would be, unless her father decided to fully protect her. Even then, her future would likely be bleak, much like that Spanish actress’s—born into wealth as she was, Ivanka had a clear understanding of this.

Yet the more she pondered, the more she wanted to know what else Adrian had done, and how he managed it. She even made excuses for those actions: they were consensual, illegal but not immoral. But after hearing what Adrian said today, she suddenly realized that he might be trying to bind her to him in this manner.

Being chosen by Charlize as her secretary assistant meant that Ivanka was definitely smart, but she hadn’t confirmed her suspicions yet—she was still only guessing. It seemed she would need much more time to understand completely.

Soon, Adrian returned to Los Angeles from London. He had only four days off, which was enough to see Little Emma and give Keira a "massage." He still had to continue producing "Erin Brockovich." Little Emma, as usual, expressed her dissatisfaction, then Adrian promised her that he would come to London again after this movie was completed. By that time, the filming of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone" should be finished, and they could have a good time, including bringing Small Emma over.

Likewise, as per usual, Little Emma doubted his character, babbling a whole list of instances where he had broken promises.

"If you break your promise this time, I’ll let everyone in the ’Harry Potter’ crew know what a despicable guy you are," Little Emma threatened, then glancing at Ivanka before leaning into Adrian’s ear and whispering, "I still like Charli better." ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

Adrian smiled, thinking about how to explain the secretary assistant situation, when Little Emma exclaimed, "Ivanka is no fun at all."

How come... she’s turning more and more into a little devil? He swallowed the words he was about to say, feeling dismayed. Looking at her actions, in what way does she resemble Hermione? Even if they’re both smart, she obviously isn’t using her smarts in the right places.

Of course, these were only internal complaints—he wouldn’t really say them out loud, or else the little rascal would seize on that and go on and on about it. Adrian, therefore, kept his mouth shut. After kissing Little Emma goodbye at the airport, he boarded his own plane.

(To be continued. If you like this novel, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for it or give it a monthly pass. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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