America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

In a Michelin-starred restaurant, Annie was enjoying a French meal, while the attentive and genteel Martin took care of her every need.

She picked up a piece of baked shrimp with her fork and held it out to Martin, "This is a reward for you."

Martin ate it with a happy expression, then similarly picked up a piece and fed it to Annie.

After swallowing, Annie asked, "The last time I called you, were you in East Asia?"

Martin replied without changing his expression, "I took a trip to Harbor City to pull in investments."

Annie thought of the movie project: "Isn't the funding from Atlanta enough that you still need to seek investments overseas?"

"It's for another project," Martin said vaguely, "not Warrant Order. I'm planning to collaborate with others on a bigger project that requires a higher investment. I'm sorry, but due to confidentiality clauses, I can't discuss it right now."

Hearing that it required a higher investment, Annie felt that the secrecy was appropriate. She smiled and held Martin's hand, "It's alright, big business deals definitely involve many clauses."

She was particularly interested in Martin's financial prospects: "Did everything go smoothly on this trip?"

Martin nodded slightly, "I found a few potential investors; they'll be coming to Los Angeles in some time to attend the premiere of 'The Hills Have Eyes'."

He took the initiative to invite, "Annie, will you come with me to the premiere?"

How could Annie refuse, "I'll definitely be there."

Martin took out an exquisite gift box, with a beautiful starry sky pattern engraved on it, "This is for you. Open it and you'll find a surprise!"

Seeing so many stars, Annie immediately thought of dazzling diamonds. She took the box and got ready to open it, "May I?"

Martin gestured for her to proceed, "They belong to you."

Annie excitedly opened the box, only to find inside a certificate, an exquisitely beautiful star chart, and a pretty crystal star.

It was not the diamond she had expected.

Even though Annie was an actress, for a moment, her smile stiffened on her face.

But as she unfolded the certificate, she was quite surprised and couldn't help covering her mouth, "You... You bought the naming rights to a star for me?"

This business was really unusual! Martin said, "The Atlantic Astronomical Association, the naming rights to a permanent star."

He had prepared his lines well in advance and now his acting skills exploded, definitely of Oscar caliber, "When I was in Harbor City, I couldn't help missing you. After I called you, the longing grew even more, and I thought, is there a way that I could just look up to see you?"

Annie pursed her lips, her eyes slightly red and misty.

Martin continued, "I specifically reached out to the renowned Atlantic Astronomical Association, and bought the naming rights to this star. From now on, when I look up, I'll see your starlight, and your starlight will always shine on me."

Annie nodded vigorously, overwhelmed by her emotions, "I love you, Martin. My love for you will be like this star—constant!"

Martin wasn't afraid Annie would discover any issues; if she did, that would simply mean that he, Martin Davis, had been tricked by the Atlantic Astronomical Association.

A good person being deceived by swindlers is fairly common.

Annie thought it was the most precious gift in the world and carefully put it into her bag, "You're in the middle of using money, this must've been expensive."

Martin said, "Annie, you deserve all the beauty in the world."

Annie watched Martin intently, thinking it would be difficult to find another boyfriend who was as handsome, resourceful, and prosperous.

It was time to up the ante!

Testing the waters, Annie said, "Martin, with you continuously investing in movies, funds must be tight, right? If you need, I still have some money on hand."

This took Martin by surprise, but he reacted quickly, with a touch of emotion, "No need, I can handle the financial issues."

"Let me know if you need anything," Annie didn't insist, making it clear, "What's mine is yours."

The latter she couldn't say right now.

"Don't worry, the financial pressure on my side isn't that great," said Martin, finally being somewhat genuine.

Bruce would have to look at him in awe if he saw this.

After dinner, Martin paid the bill, and he walked out of the restaurant hand in hand with Annie, strolling along the sidewalk.

Neither of them would say it outright, but their agents had already communicated well in advance; they made a point to show up at public venues for a bit of a love parade.

When the timing was right, they might even go for a big move.

Martin walked along with Annie, chatting and laughing intimately along the way.

His professional ethics were beyond question, considering the paparazzi at the back—likely having skipped their meals—deserved to earn their daily bread and fuel.

The two kissed without inhibition on the street.

"The Hills Have Eyes" was already in a massive promotional period. After entering a small park, Martin even carried Annie on his back for a while.

Entertainment news, after all, is manufactured.

Later, Martin specifically bought a telescope and led Annie into the nearby Ritz-Carlton Hotel, and they did not come out again.

Annie was first overwhelmed by romance from the stars, and then by Martin, stirred emotionally; she even agreed to many of Martin's strange requests.

The next morning, when they left the hotel together, they were caught by paparazzi who had been waiting since dawn.

The entertainment reporters and paparazzi followed them all the way to the entrance of Warner Bros. Studios before finally giving up.

Martin wanted to get Annie further involved in the publicity campaign and, of course, had to give her confidence. Flaunting his meager savings was too tacky, and might even scare her off.

When they arrived at the small studio rented by the Warrant Order Crew, Mene stepped forward to greet them, "Boss."

Martin introduced Annie, "This is Mene, my brother."

Annie smiled at Mene, "Hello."

From the glass office nearby, screenwriter Mike Bradt rushed out.

Martin made introductions between him and Annie.

Bradt, not the least bit interested in Princess Annie, spoke up, "I need a professional action director for some script scenes that must integrate action."

Martin replied, "That's why I came today, to discuss the action direction."

Last time, at Kate Winslet's party, he had met Chad Stahelski who had just finished working with the "Constantine" crew last month and after a short break, had contacted Martin to start a new job.

Martin and Bradt began to discuss the storyline of the script while Annie could only listen on the side, feeling the passion and energy of Martin at work.

After about ten minutes, Chad entered the studio and joined the discussion with Martin and Bradt.

Just then, Bruce arrived as well.

The action scenes that Martin and Chad imagined were simply demonstrated by Bruce, providing a more direct experience.

Bruce, having consistently kept fit and trained under Martin, moved quickly and agilely.

By noon, Martin had decided to hire Chad as the action director for the crew.

Chad and Martin shared many common ideas and was willing to take on this new job.

Bradt, who was also looking forward to a professional action director, shouted that he would treat everyone to lunch.

Martin found Annie and asked, "Getting bored? Once we start talking about work, we can't stop."

Having seen the studio being set up, Annie let go of her concerns, "A man working is the most attractive. Don't worry about me; I'm off to the set soon. You continue with your work."

Martin said, "I'm treating you to lunch. We'll go after eating."

"Sure," Annie replied, wanting to delve deeper into Martin's life.

Martin treated to lunch and then dropped Annie off at the Hilton Hotel, where her crew was shooting in the afternoon.

Martin went to meet Craven for a roadshow in the afternoon.

After the New Year, the promotion for "The Hills Have Eyes" kicked into full gear with a constant flow of posters, ads, and publicity articles.

The Nevada nuclear testing site disclosure website continued to update with real or fake information according to plan.

If there was real information, they used it; if not, they made it up.

Thanks to the power of capital, Warner Bros. found many veterans who had worked at the test site, conducted interviews with them, and gained a flood of attention.

Film publicity and marketing often blur the lines between truth and fiction, creating a sensation even at the risk of inciting panic about the end of the world.

Documents labeled "Top Secret" were disclosed one after another, pulling residents and veterans who lived near the test site—especially those with abnormal health conditions—into the spotlight for publicity.

The buzz finally spread to Washington D.C.

During a routine press conference at the White House, a reporter from the Warner Television Network brought up the related issue.

The spokesperson flatly denied the allegations and directed everyone to Hollywood.

Official denials tend to backfire, often making things worse the more they are explained.

A fictitious United States Atomic Energy Evaluation Agency posted a Wanted Order, looking for data collection personnel missing from Nevada's nuclear test site.

Following that, similar Wanted Orders appeared on the Internet and media, claiming family members or friends who drove through Nevada and went missing near the test site.

By now, those accustomed to Hollywood's marketing tactics could tell this was the promotion for a film.

Viral marketing wasn't pioneered by "The Blair Witch Project"; after its success, similar tactics were used by other movies in the following years, including during the promotion of The Matrix.

Right as the Washington D.C. side responded and public interest peaked, the homepage image of the Nevada nuclear test site disclosure website changed; it was no longer a picture of a veteran with fatty tumors, but a Wanted Order.

"I am Bryan, the principal of Loretta Orange County High School. Last month, the school's PE teacher, Bob, went on a car trip with his father-in-law's family and went missing in Nevada. Their car was last seen at a gas station on the outskirts of the nuclear test site; I am now seeking clues…"

The Wanted Order featured a photo of the family.

The man in the center, holding a dog in one hand and a child in the other, was Martin, playing the lead character Bob in "The Hills Have Eyes."

Behind him was Bob's father-in-law's family.

Viral marketing can backfire, but the experienced Warner Bros. was prepared.

As the Wanted Order was published, a FLASH game loaded on the webpage, fittingly titled "The Hills Have Eyes."

The game involved helping the protagonist Bob find the settlement of deformed, murderous freaks caused by the nuclear tests, controlling the character to fight off monsters and find the baby taken by the killer.

Those who completed the game by the deadline were entered into a draw to win a memento mailed from the crew.

Ten super lucky winners would be invited by the crew to Los Angeles to attend the premiere of "The Hills Have Eyes," with all travel and accommodation expenses paid by the crew.

For official promotion, Martin was preparing to appear on a talk show.