America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Having left the production studio, Martin, Nicholson, and Leonardo took two cars to the hotel where the film crew was staying.

The latter two entered the lobby first and waited briefly before Martin came in from outside.

The trio was just about to head upstairs.

Out of the revolving door of the hotel emerged a familiar figure.

As soon as Bale entered, he saw Martin and his companions.

The already tumultuous emotions of the past few days began to churn again.

Martin was very polite, embodying the spirit of the English gentleman as if they were the best of friends, and took the initiative to greet him, "Chris, come over here, let me introduce you to a couple of friends."

Bale didn't need Martin to introduce him; he already recognized Leonardo and Nicholson.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

The latter was the chief culprit behind his torn sponge.

Bale glared at the Trio of Scoundrels, focusing on Nicholson, his eyes red as if he could shoot heat rays, leaving not even ashes of the three scoundrels in front of him.

Martin said, "We're all friends here, let's get acquainted with each other, which could be helpful in the future."

Nicholson was way more direct than Martin and started smiling at Bale.

With the muscle of the Trio of Scoundrels nearby, Nicholson was brimming with confidence, and mimed the action of a rocket launcher on his shoulder.

He moved his lips, making a "boom" shape with his mouth.

It seemed to Bale as if fireworks were exploding beside his ears; he could see Kate Blanchett falling, and an acute pain suddenly surged in his lower body.

Michael Caine came out from the revolving door and witnessed it all.

As a fellow English actor, he hurried over and tapped Bale, "Didn't you say you were going to buy me a drink today?"

Bale turned his head to look at Caine.

Caine saw Bale's red eyes and the trembling chin muscles, like Batman enraged by the Joker, and grabbed his arm, "Come on, let's go and have that drink together."

Bale's body relaxed, and he followed Caine toward the elevator bay.

Caine advised, "Don't stoop to the level of those vulgar Americans; they just drag the noble character we adhere to down to their pathetically low standards and then defeat us with those mundane tactics."

Bale nodded slightly, "All three of those bastards are perverts."

Caine patted his arm, "Ignore them."

Bale took a deep breath, trying to calm his emotions, but the accumulation of events had left him with a residue of negativity that couldn't be easily dispersed.

He appeared calm on the surface, but all his anger and loathing were pressed deep into his heart.

Instead of heading upstairs, the two of them went to the hotel's bar for a drink.

Watching Caine and Bale turn into the elevator bay, Martin pointed at Nicholson and said, "Look at you scaring him off. I was hoping to have a good chat with him."

Nicholson asked, "Talk about what? How to tear things apart again?"

Leonardo, pushing the two of them forward, said, "You two scoundrels, can't you act like human beings for once?"

Out of the side door of the restaurant in the lobby came Scott with his legs akimbo, spotting Martin diagonally across and saying to the person behind him, "There's Martin and Leonardo."

Sophia hurried a few steps past Scott and waved to Martin, "Won't you introduce me to these two?"

Martin introduced the female King Kong to Leonardo and Nicholson.

As Leonardo shook hands, he felt an intentional squeeze, a teasing gesture that coming from a blonde, long-legged supermodel might have been alluring.

When Sophia did it, Leonardo felt like his hand bones were about to be crushed, wincing in pain.

Nicholson took one look and decided not to shake hands with Sophia, instead just smiling and nodding.

Sophia invited them proactively, "Martin and I are friends, it's not easy to run into stars like you here. May I buy you a drink?"

Leonardo kept moving his right hand behind his back, feeling it had improved slightly.

Nicholson swept a glance at Sophia's hefty face and at her physique sturdier than Tyson's and graciously declined, "We have important work to discuss with Martin."

As he spoke, he looked at Martin.

Nicholson was a man of principle, and Martin was no less assertive, saying, "Very important work indeed."

"Then we'll wait for another opportunity," Sophia didn't insist, excusing herself politely, and took Scott to the hotel bar.

Martin and his companions entered the VIP elevator bay and took the private elevator upstairs.

Leonardo asked Martin, "Is she one of your financiers?"

This wasn't a secret, and Martin had no need to deny it, "She's invested in several of the films I've starred in."

Nicholson gave Martin a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, "That's not easy."

"You really have it tough," Leonardo recalled the physique of the female King Kong, "Indeed, when you talked about your difficult situation in Atlanta, you weren't lying to us."

Martin, however, said, "Do you think she fits my aesthetic?"

Leonardo replied, "It's hard to say in these matters, your tastes are so variable…"

......

In the hotel bar, because of his age, Michael Caine had a drink and then excused himself, heading back to his room.

Bale was frustrated and restless; the beast that had been cultivated within him had just been provoked and was now restless. Not wanting to go back, he simply continued to drink alone.

It didn't take long before he had drunk half a bottle of whiskey.

Bale's phone rang, and it was his lawyer calling.

The bar wasn't too chaotic since it was still early, so he answered the call, his body starting to tremble.

Hiby had returned to Los Angeles and filed for divorce!

Bale had a bad temper, and his pride was wounded by Hiby's shit-stirring, so he hung up without saying much.

Looking up, he saw a woman approaching with a wide grin on her face.

"Hey, Chris," Sophia said, surprised by Bale's condition, "What happened? You look tired?"

Bale remembered that this person knew Martin and didn't want to talk.

Sophia pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down, "Or is it just bad spirits?"

Bale didn't answer but asked, "Are you a friend of Martin Davis?"

"Friend? Ha ha…" Sophia, well-prepared, said with a laugh, "I was his former boss; he's a moneymaking tool for me. Back when he was in Atlanta, he was a dancer under me."

"A dancer?" Bale asked, slightly surprised.

Sophia shrugged, "Bartender cum dancer. Where do you think he learned those strip dances he did in 'Zombie Stripper'?"

Bale, wanting to know more about Martin's past which could be useful against his adversary, said, "I noticed the other day that you seemed quite close."

"That's because I wanted to meet you," Sophia replied confidently. "So, he could only take me to meet you."

This didn't quite match with what Bale knew. He took a new glass, poured Sophia a drink, and asked, "Does he respect you? Or is he afraid of you?"

Sophia's smile showed her full cheekbones, "Of course he's afraid of me! Martin might be a big star now, but for me, he's still that stripper.

She took the drink, gulped down a big sip, and purposely said, "I have his dirty laundry in my hands, and even now, he wouldn't dare to cross me,"

Hearing about Martin's secrets, Bale's interest was piqued, and his spirits slightly lifted, "I had no idea you'd fostered such a big star."

Sophia went on, "Neither did I expect that a man who has done so much trashy stuff could become a huge Hollywood star."

The two found much common ground on this topic and chatted enthusiastically for a while.

Bale circled around, trying to inquire about Martin's so-called secrets.

Sophia only smiled and kept encouraging him to drink more.

Bale realized where the difficulty lay; compared to Martin, he was more stranger to Sophia. To extract such important information, he'd need to get closer to her.

How does one quickly close the distance with a woman?

Just as he pondered this question, a dull pain throbbed below, draining his interest and leaving him feeling listless.

Sophia then changed the subject back to fitness.

Bale perked up a bit and started chatting with Sophia, an area in which he had considerable expertise.

After finishing the bottle, the conversation on fitness was reaching its peak when Sophia invited, "I've opened a fitness club on Peachtree Street. Why don't we go there together and exchange tips while working out?"

Bale, who had drunk far too much and too quickly, felt he was reaching his limit and declined, "Some other time, perhaps. I've had too much to drink today."

Facing such a big Hollywood star, Sophia didn't dare to make a scene in public, so she said, "Then some other time."

She passed Bale her business card, "The address of the fitness club is on there. You can come find me anytime."

Bale pocketed it, paid the bill, and left the bar, stumbling as he took the elevator upstairs.

Back in his room and halfway through his shower, his wife Hiby called to discuss the divorce herself.

Their argument exploded.

During the exchange, Hiby used phrases like "disgusting shit-stirrer," infuriating Bale to the point of hanging up and throwing his phone once more.

......

Nicholson and Leonardo had only stayed in Los Angeles for two days this time.

The day Michael Caine's character was done, these two were also ready to leave, heading back to Los Angeles.

Leonardo, always well-informed, had heard about the Joker statue and its related merchandise and had asked Martin for some of the original Joker statues to add to his collection.

He counted as an art collector, having acquired numerous works in North America and Europe.

Martin had conveniently given quite a few to Nicholson as well.

Whether it was just for fun or entertainment, Nicholson had really helped him out.

Martin didn't see them off when they left.

Before leaving, Nicholson had loitered around the studio entrance, drawing a large crowd of entertainment reporters.

"Jack, did you see the shooting of the new Joker by Martin?" a reporter immediately asked. "How do you feel about it?"

Instead of the expected bashing, Nicholson went completely off script, "When God favors a man, he not only gives him striking looks but also unparalleled talent."

Another reporter asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Nicholson said, "I am really looking forward to Martin Davis's Joker in The Dark Knight. When the time comes, you'll see what kind of character this scoundrel has created."

Having said that, he got into his car and left the studio.

The news quickly reached the shooting set, wherein between shots, Nolan called over the screenwriter and said, "Incorporate this into the actual behind-the-scenes footage."