Chapter 334 - 334: NYPC (10-F)

    [Edward POV]

    "Penny!"

    "Eddy!"

    Penny gave me a bear hug as she approached the table with her friends. I hugged her back, excitement bubbling over. She then leaned in and whispered, "Um, I lost my bra because I threw it on the stage. Do you think I can get it back? I just bought them."

    "I''ll see what I can do," I replied, smirking. "No wonder it was so soft." Penny released me, grinning in disbelief and asking, "What did you say?"

    "Nothing," I played it off as I turned to her friends. "And who might you guys be?"

    "Hi, I''m Laura. Laura Wiggins," said the petite blonde next to her, shaking my hand eagerly.

    "Oh, can I hear your full name?" I asked playfully.

    Laura sighed, "So you knew..."

    "Knew what? Do you have an awesome middle name? How would I ever know that?" I feigned ignorance, making her chuckle.

    "Laura... ''Slade'' Wiggins," she replied, cheeks reddening slightly.@@@@

    "That''s pretty cool. I want a cool middle name like that too," I joked. Vanessa furrowed her brows, whispering to Ashley, "Is he flirting? On the night he made a girlfriend?"

    "Make one?" Ashley looked shocked. "Like Frankenstein?"

    "Got... he got? Or get?" Vanessa seemed perplexed.

    Penny introduced the other girl, "Eddy, this is Addison—um." She paused, unsure of the last name.

    Addison took the initiative, shaking my hand. "Timlin. Addison Timlin."

    To my surprise, I recognized both of them. Laura was from Shameless, and Addison from Californication. Both shows were still not created yet, so they were working on smaller roles. Laura''s character– Karen, scared me a little in the show. I really hope that there''s no similarities between her and her character.

    "It''s nice to meet you," Addison said, releasing my hand.

    "Nice to meet you guys too. Please, have a seat," I gestured to the three empty seats next to Hudgens and me.

    Penny laughed, "Great party, Eddy," as she sat next to me. Touching my arm lightly, she added, "I just met them today, and they really wanted to meet you. I hope that''s okay."

    "It''s fine. I wouldn''t ask you guys to come if I wasn''t okay with it," I said playfully, relieving the two girls. "But I am curious. A lot of girls want you to introduce them to me, so why did you pick these two?"

    Both actresses exchanged glances at Penny, their eyes sparkling with curiosity.

    Penny hesitated, then said, "Um, among all of them who asked, I think these two are the only great actors. I have acting class with Laura, and I saw... Addison starred in a short film before."

    "That''s not it." I saw through her attempt to deflect. Penny looked taken aback, but before she could defend herself, I moved on.

    "But I don''t really care about the true reason. I only care about why you two want to meet with me today," I said, turning to the girls with a polite smile. "You have two minutes." I checked my watch.

    Startled, both girls widened their eyes, and Vanessa scrunched her face at me in disbelief. "What are you doing? Aren''t you supposed to get to know them first?"

    "I have a lot of people to talk to. I need to move it along. If they have something worthwhile, I''ll invite them to the company for a deeper chat," I explained.

    The girls felt a mix of relief and anxiety at my directive. Laura was definitely not expecting the situation as she thought it was a simple introduction, but now she had to rack her brain trying to give a presentation. It was definitely one of her nightmares that ended up in real life.

    "Who wants to go first?" I asked, holding my face steady to keep them focused. I knew it was a bit of a jerk move, but that was the reality for a busy, influential man.

    Time is precious, and I couldn''t waste it on small talk with strangers. This was a lesson Harvey drilled into me; I had a tendency to yap too much. Seriously, she lectured me so much about the subject.

    "Yapper" had become a term for me in the company, just like "simp," which I regretted popularizing among my inner circle. They never called me a simp though, so I was proud of that.

    "I''ll go first," Addison said, taking the initiative. "I noticed a trend with Entertain and Netflix casting only people you know. My dad told me you follow more of the old Hollywood style in talent management. Don''t you think it''s unfair to cast only from your circle? There''s still a lot more talent out there."

    "Let me reply to your question with a question. Your dad was an actor, right?" I asked with a bored expression.

    Addison was taken aback, "Yes—but I still auditioned for the part—"

    "Really, can you honestly say your connections had nothing to do with it?" I pressed.

    Interview time, getting an in for the audition, all of those needed connections. It was hard for a total newbie to break through the competitive industry without appropriate connections. So they went to acting coaches, networking with producers and casting agents at parties, and if necessary, even dating them.

    Even I needed a connection to start. Without Taylor''s help at the beginning of the career, it would have been harder for the company to grow as big as we are now. Not impossible, but harder.

    From Taylor''s connection, I met the Marvel executive, which made me friends with RDJ, and lead to him cameo-ing in my movie, and I changed the plotline for Iron Man 2 albeit a little.

    Vanessa noticed my gaze and felt sympathy for Addison, assuming I was already crossing her out of my mind. But I wouldn''t hold it against an 18 year old girl.

    A lot of people in Hollywood like to hold themselves in a position of moral superiority, especially those who came from privilege.

    They were used to having Yes Man''s all around them, so whenever someone tried to object their opinion, they stammered and couldn''t articulate an argument– Just like how Addison was doing now. I already met several of them, and wasn''t really interested in trying to win them over.

    "It''s Hollywood; there''s not much fairness here. Having connections isn''t bad. Not having capability—that''s the real sin. If they can''t do their job, I won''t cast them, no matter how close they are to me," I replied.

    "But about that old Hollywood style management—actors branching out can offer more versatility and influence. I''m not restricting my talents at all. They can do what''s best for their careers, even if it means leaving the company. Alright, your time is up. Mrs. Slade, you go."

    Laura exclaimed in disbelief, "Please call me Laura. Only... Laura."

    "No," I rejected her curtly, leaving her baffled. Addison looked at Laura, her face still confused. "Um, I''m not finished?" she said.

    "I''m not really interested in hearing what you''re saying now," I replied with a smirk.

    Ashley, hanging out with me for the first time, was clearly taken aback by my behavior. She gasped and whispered to Vanessa, "Is this really the guy you''re speaking so highly of?"

    "Yeah..." Vanessa replied, hesitation in her tone. "Well, at least he''s not in his villain mode," she added.

    "You''re quite an ass," Addison shot back in irritation before standing up from the table. "Goodbye, small minded nepo-baby." I said casually, which made Addison''s jaw drop, and she gasped in offence before walking away.

    "That''s really rude... Do it more," Vanessa said mischievously as Addison left. Laura, left alone, sweated heavily.

    "Um, I don''t really have anything to say. I just want to get to know you and see if there''s any potential job for—You know what, I''ll just let myself out."

    "Wait a sec. That''s already fine enough," I told Laura before she could stand up. Confused, she blinked a few times, "But Addison—"

    "Addison tried to antagonize him. You just spoke honestly. You don''t really have to ''wow'' him, you know?" Vanessa comforted while teasing Laura.

    "Nah, he''s legit," I told her casually.

    "I''m going to report this to your dad," she threatened.

    "Zombie movie?" Ashley prodded again, undeterred by our argument.

    "Oh yes. It''s called Warm Bodies. It''s kind of like Romeo and Juliet, but Romeo is a zombie. I already procured the rights for the story, which is based on a book. If you want details, just read the book," I explained.

    "That doesn''t sound very good," Vanessa said, pursing her lips.

    I ignored her and continued, "I plan to get you into three pictures minimum over the next two years. Maybe even a limited series too."

    "What''s the series about?" Vanessa asked, intrigued.

    "I''ll tell you when I''m finished with the storyline," I teased, smiling at her.

    As the other guests arrived, I mingled, listened to a few pitches, and even managed to scare off a few girls who declared their love for me.

    "Are you guys going to act together in the TV show?" Ashley asked.

    "I thought about it, but I''m too handsome to play a struggling poor man," I joked, feigning a torn expression, which made Vanessa roll her eyes. "I''m thinking of getting Andrew Garfield for the male lead. But let''s not get ahead of ourselves."

    "WHAT SHOW?! WHAT IS IT ABOUT?" Vanessa exclaimed, disgruntled.

    "Oh, I think that''s the last one. We should head back now."

    "TELL MEE!!!"

    But I held off until the end. After saying goodbyes to Pepper and the others, I finally headed home at 4:30 in the morning. The party was winding down, and most guests had already left.

    ...

    Before I left the party, I sought out someone alone. Sal was perplexed when I stopped her in her tracks, just as she was about to leave with a burly man.

    "Psst, hey you, ravenous blonde vixen preparing her next meal. Yeah, you!" I called out to her.

    Sal weighed her intrigue against her lust, confident the man wouldn''t go anywhere. "Stay here. Be a good dog, and I''ll make you slobber later," she whispered seductively to him.

    "That actually works?" I asked, shocked, as she approached me. She glanced back at the man and replied, "Only when he''s been teased mercilessly all night. Right now, he''s just an animal who knows only how to mate."

    "You know what? You really are like a hitman. A sex-machina."

    "What do you want, Newgate? I''m busy here," Sal said through gritted teeth, clearly annoyed as I stopped her from getting some.

    "Don''t you feel bored, Sal? I mean, you have skills, a sexy mind... Yet no one challenges you. They buckle whenever you''re around." I slowly flamed her ego, guiding her thoughts.

    Sal fell into a deep realization, "I never thought about it that way."

    "Of course not. You don''t consider the talent you were born with. You just accept it as part of yourself." I continued buttering her up.

    "What do you actually want?" Sal asked, her guard slightly up as she sensed an ulterior motive behind my words. "If it''s a threesome, I''d much rather your dad join us instead of you."

    I ignored her and said, "Don''t you think it''s time to use your gifts for good?" I pulled out my phone and showed her a picture of a guy. "What do you think about him?"

    "Cute. Not really my type, but I wouldn''t mind some caramel now and then," she replied mischievously.

    "Gross," I said curtly before elaborating. "His name is Rajesh Koothrappali. An astrophysicist. He''s a bit broken—has selective mutism, can''t talk to women. Unless..."

    "Unless what?" Sal asked, intrigued.

    "There''s a theory he can overcome it if he falls in love."

    "So, you want me to fix the defective product with my effective product?" Sal replied, using innuendo while running a hand along her body seductively.

    "Rather, I need you to break his heart. I think you can do it." Well it wouldn''t be hard to do it. As long as the girl showed a little bit of interest and was not ugly, Raj would definitely fall for her.

    "What''s in it for me?" she asked, showing no reservations against the morality of what I was asking her to do.

    "First, his family is rich. So he''s probably going to buy you stuff while you date."

    "Date? I don''t date—I devour. I don''t keep them around."

    "You''re going to have to—at least for a month. You need him to think there''s a future together. Then the pussy hitman strikes, and you unload him—sorry, I couldn''t find the right words for this."

    I paused, then continued, "Release him back to the wild. That''s it. I''m sticking with that."

    I was curious to see what would happen if they actually hooked up. Sal wanted a straight guy who acted like a gay guy—good at listening, fun to be around, loves things that she loves, and dresses well, though Rajesh''s fashion sense was controversial. Rajesh, in turn, wanted someone who loved romance as much as he did.

    "Hmm... I''ll do it," Sal agreed after a moment. "I''ve been doing bad things my whole life. It''ll be nice to do something good for a change."

    "Great! I hope you break his heart soon." I shook her hand, and Sal grinned, "That''s not the only thing of his I''ll break."

    Just then, Sarah Walker, an actual federal agent, caught sight of my mission briefing with Sal and muttered to herself, "... What the fuck?"

    ....

    As I got home, I collapsed into bed, exhausted enough that I didn''t need to use my rest skill. I planned to sleep until noon, but at 8 AM, the doorbell rang, jolting me awake.

    Groggy, I shuffled to the door and was taken aback when I opened it. "Annie? What are you doing here?" I asked in shock.

    "Um, you said you''d teach me how to use Excel today? Can I come in?" Annie asked, flashing her shy smile. I stared at her incredulously, momentarily speechless. "It''s 8 am in the morning." I asked in disbelief.

    "Yeah. It''s 8 am." Annie replied with an innocent smile, not understanding why I might have a problem with her being here so early.

    Finally, I sighed and say, "Y-Yeah, sure. Come on in," stepping aside to let her in.

    As Annie stepped into the living room, her excitement quickly turned to shock. "Oh my gosh!" she yelped, covering her eyes.

    Sprawled on the couch in only his boxers was Jacob, completely oblivious to the situation. I had tried to send him home, but his parents were asleep and couldn''t open the door, so I ended up bringing him back to my place.

    "Oh right. The living room is already full." I said casually. Abed suddenly sat up from behind the couch and said, "Can you guys keep it down? People are trying to sleep here."

    "Abed! This is where you went?!" Annie asked in surprise.

    "Let''s go to the kitchen. You did bring your laptop right?"