[Chapter 31: Post-Production and Alicia Causing Trouble]
"Time to get up!" Judy knocked on the door of a detached house in the Sinai neighborhood.
"I know, Mom," Charlie's voice came shortly after.
He hurriedly put on his clothes, washed up, and went downstairs.
At the breakfast table, Judy looked at her son with a mix of joy and annoyance as she added scrambled eggs to his plate. "You've been spending less and less time home lately, but your career is booming. Have you thought about moving out?"
Charlie grinned, "Haha, sorry for disturbing you last night. Will insisted on driving me back. He's been trapped in a whirlwind of relationship drama lately, while I've been flaunting my love with Rachel, which made him jealous."
After Independence Day, Will Smith had become a huge star, with both his films box office hits. People in the industry now called him the black version of Tom Cruise.
With shared friends like Spike Lee and others in the black community, and Charlie having indirectly helped Will advance quickly, they had become somewhat friendly acquaintances over several meetings.
Charlie guessed that the young black star was influenced by his agent and saw Charlie's steadily rising producer status. There was no way they didn't notice.
Of course, no one could verify this self-pleasing assumption.
These days, Charlie was busy discussing follow-up promotional activities with the agents of the Fifty Shades of Gray actors.
Alicia had been quiet for a while but was causing trouble again. She took tens of thousands as her fee, secretly accepting numerous paid interviews from the media, acting as if she was the top star.
Nearly $100,000 was a fortune for an average American. Alicia's lavish spending and unstable mental state affected the film shoot.
Charlie wanted to talk with Will about this, but Will said there was nothing he could do and ended up pulling Charlie into drinking.
Judy sighed helplessly, "You brought a bunch of reporters around, turning the neighborhood upside down."
Charlie shrugged, "That was Will's doing. This kind of thing won't happen often; I'm a producer, not a star. But I do have plans to buy a house. Once my funds are more abundant, I plan to buy some coastal land in Santa Monica and build a huge estate."
"Bring Rachel along?" Judy teased.
"No, there won't be a permanent lady of the house. If there is, it will just be you, mom," Charlie showed off his womanizing side without a care. "I'd never marry a star, or even get married."
Taking a big gulp of milk, Charlie smiled, "Of course, whether or not you keep living with me, I'll respect your wishes. You're still young; maybe you want to start a new family?"
Judy punched her son lightly, "Don't joke about your mother." She shook her head in resignation. "I really don't know what to say. You didn't inherit your dad's traits of loyalty."
Charlie blinked, "Maybe Italians are as unfaithful as anyone else, you just don't know it."
Probably thinking of her late husband, Judy became a bit sad and sighed, "Maybe. You've grown up and succeeded in your career. I don't want to interfere, but here's some advice: don't hurt a woman who truly loves you. If you want to move out anytime, just remember to join me for Christmas and New Year's to visit the grandparents."
"I will, Mom!" Charlie said seriously.
Young birds must leave the nest eventually.
Charlie saw Judy more like an older friend, feeling no sadness. He cared again and told her she could start a new family.
Judy seemed not to consider that; he didn't know what charm her late husband had.
...
After breakfast, Charlie quickly grabbed the newspapers he ordered.
Judy tidied the table and talked about the publication of How to Train Your Dragon.
The Fifty Shades of Gray book had topped bestseller charts for three consecutive weeks, giving Charlie's children's series attention from Judy's publishing company.
Charlie replied that he had already discussed with his literary agent Locke, who was fully in charge.
Judy couldn't help but laugh, "Poor Locke, he worked so hard to get Chris Book House to become part of Simon & Schuster, but then was suddenly sidelined."
Charlie laughed heartily, "No, Locke is following me and will develop better in the future."
The business world was ruthless. Locke still owned some stakes but lost power. He vented his anger at Charlie that day.
Afterward, Charlie recruited Locke as head of Corleone Copyright Management.
Losing one thing but gaining another, Charlie found an excellent literary manager and believed Locke would flourish in this role.
...
After packing, Mord arrived and got in the car, full of energy.
"Boss, your coffee. This morning we're going to Miramax to watch the dailies and confirm post-production dubbing and such. In the afternoon, we'll discuss pre-production planning with Bender, and in the evening, attend a producer gathering."
"Okay," Charlie took the steaming cup. He had gotten used to drinking an expensive freshly brewed coffee early every morning. It cleared his mind and increased blood flow.
"Mord, you're becoming more skilled at work, almost like a senior assistant at Microsoft," Charlie praised with a smile, and Mord grinned widely.
"How's Lamont?"
"He's studying the filming equipment every day. I think he'll soon qualify as head of equipment procurement and maintenance," Mord said.
Charlie nodded slightly.
His founding crew included Etto, now deputy manager of Corleone Studios, mainly handling marketing and publicity. Lamont was improving himself as well.
Mord followed closely, acting as driver and personal assistant.
Charlie once thought he'd lost it hiring this guy for this. But since they were street brothers, he couldn't treat him badly. And he hadn't found anyone else fit for the job, so Mord handled it.
In fact, Mord was working toward managing all the company's miscellaneous affairs. It didn't sound glamorous but actually held significant power.
Charlie needed loyal partners to be his eyes and ears, to keep tabs on all company gossip and affairs.
Management was complicated, requiring knowledge of assigning professional tasks and understanding interpersonal conflicts and cooperation.
Though Corleone Studios was still small.
...
At nine in the morning, as Charlie entered Miramax's post-production area, he heard a commotion in the hallway.
Alicia, with disheveled hair, was crying and laughing, throwing a tantrum, "Let go of me, you bastards! Do you know who I am? I'm the fiancée of superstar Will Smith! How dare you..."
Charlie appeared expressionlessly before her.
She trembled but quickly showed a smug smile, "Ha, Godfather, I'm a big star now, I'm not afraid of you anymore."
Footsteps sounded. Vernon, talking with Matt Damon's agent Whitesell, rushed over and tightly held Alicia.
Charlie remained calm and asked Kevin Feige beside him, "Is the actor's late post-dub done?"
Receiving affirmation, he told Vernon, "I don't care if she's drunk or on drugs, get her sober quickly." He waved to Spike and others, "Let's go check the sample."
*****
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