Hollywood: Lights, Ink, Entertainment!

….

.

Regal's next focus was the casting for the film.

The most important are the two main leads.

These roles were the foundation of the entire film.

So, they had to be strong enough to hold the audience's attention, commanding the screen in every scene.

The story would make or fall based on their performances.

Fortunately, Regal had already found one of the leads - Keanu Reeves - his sister's boyfriend.

Yes, he had been in contact with Keanu for the past couple of weeks, and he somehow managed to tap him into thinking about acting for real.

And luckily, Keanu will perfectly fit in for one of the leads.

So, despite his tendency to go over the top at times, a side effect of his theatre background, Regal was confident he could guide and get the best from him.

He is the director of the film.

That's his job - a craftsman who should be capable of extracting the best craft from twenty four departments of filmmaking.

But that wasn't the hard part.

The real difficulty was finding the other lead.

The character Keanu was playing was bold, charming, and stylish - a role Keanu could bring to life without breaking a sweat.

But the other lead?

He was an introvert. Silent, brooding, and reserved.

Still, he needed to be just as captivating as Keanu's character, someone who could hold the audience's gaze even in his silence.

Regal needed an actor who could make quiet moments just as compelling as loud ones.

Fortunately, the remaining characters were far simpler to cast.

A female love interest - someone attractive and charismatic, naturally.

A cop - no frills, just a solid, serious actor.

Finally, a blackmailer - someone who could make the audience uncomfortable with a presence.

None of these roles required much deep thought.

But the another main lead? That was the real puzzle.

Regal had to find someone who could play the quiet strength of the character while still holding the audience's attention.

It was a tall order, but Regal was determined to get it right.

After all, the film depended on it.

…..

.

Same time.

Everleaf Press Headquarters.

The office buzzed with a faint hum from the air conditioner as Gwendolyn flipped through a stack of documents.

Her eyes scanned each page, darting over the lines while a pen hovered near her lips, occasionally tapping lightly as she paused to consider the figures before her.

She was reviewing the financial breakdown of her company's recent venture,＜Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone＞, a resounding success.

The total revenue stood at $3,426,633, generated from 201,709 copies sold over the past month. And after deducting the Author's share, the remaining amount came to $3,029,762.

"Three million, roughly." She murmured to herself, scribbling a quick note.

Even after factoring in the printing costs, there was still $2.4 million left. "That's a solid profit." She thought, allowing herself a small, satisfied smile.

And if their projections were accurate, there was still more to come.

Just then, the door to her office swung open, the soft creak breaking the room's quiet rhythm.

Gwendolyn didn't bother glancing up from her papers.

The figure strolled in casually, crossing the room without a word, and dropped comfortably into the chair across from her desk.

The chair creaked slightly as the intruder leaned back, arms crossed, her expression tinged with skepticism, yet faintly amused.

Of course, it was none other than Maggie.

She had found herself with a decent amount of spare time lately, ever since delegating her receptionist duties to the new hire a few weeks back.

"So, Maggie." Gwendolyn began without looking up. "Did you read the two web novels I suggested?" 

"Yeah, I did," Maggie replied with a shrug. "They were good, for web novel standards."

Gwen smirked. "I know, right?" 

But Maggie wasn't here to exchange pleasantries.

Her gaze sharpened as she leaned forward. "Gwen, what are you thinking of doing? You do realize the company is just starting to recover after years of struggling, don't you?"

"I do." Gwendolyn said, her tone calm, her pen scratching against the paper. 

"Do you? Because if you are thinking about expanding into color comics–!"

Gwen's pen froze. She glanced up, eyebrows arched.

Maggie pressed on. 

"...that's a completely different territory. It's not just about good writing. The visuals have to be outstanding. Maybe wait a year, or so it's the safes-!"

"Safest bet? Is that what you are trying to say?" Gwendolyn interrupted, finishing Maggie's words.

"Yes." Maggie didn't flinch. 

"I get it. But I think it's worth the risk." 

"We just took a risk two months ago!" Maggie shot back, her voice rising slightly.

"And we are doing it again." Gwendolyn's response was cool and unyielding.

Maggie exhaled sharply, rubbing her temples. "I knew you would say something like this." 

"Which is why you came prepared?" Gwendolyn asked in a challenging tone.

Maggie straightened, pulling out her phone. "I did some digging. The results weren't in our favor." 

Gwendolyn's curiosity piqued. "What's the issue?"

"The Author. He is not interested in collaborations or selling his work. He is refused exclusivity deals from major platforms." 

Hearing that, Gwendolyn's lips twitched.

Maggie noticed but kept going, hoping logic would prevail. "He is one of those 'art for art's sake' types who don't play by the rules. For them, it's not about money. People like that pop up in the industry sometimes. It's weird, but it happens."

Her words hung in the air, and Gwendolyn's fingers paused briefly on the stack of papers.

Unbeknownst to everyone, Regal's unconventional approach to publishing was by design, a carefully calculated strategy to farm EP from the system.

It had unintentionally spawned a wave of misunderstandings among outsiders.

By now, many in the web novel industry had written him off as an eccentric rich brat, a self-indulgent author with too much time and money to care about traditional deals.

Typically, such authors faded away quickly, lacking either the talent to sustain attention or the willpower to resist the allure of lucrative offers.

But Regal was neither of those things.

His writing was exceptional, and his concepts are unique to the point of being groundbreaking - and these are all factors that defied the stereotype, only fueling the confusion.

Not that he would bother clarifying any of it, even if he were aware.

Why would he?

After all, those misunderstandings worked to his advantage.

Meanwhile Gwendolyn frowned slightly at Maggie's comment, though she quickly masked her expression.

The casual remark about her boyfriend being referred to as 'weird' didn't sit well with her.

But since Maggie had no idea who the author really was or the connection between them, Gwendolyn decided to let it slide.

Also, she knew Maggie noticed how weird she was behaving despite her doing her best but did not confront her.

So she needs to be careful of not pushing her away completely too. Only for now, though.

Still, she couldn't resist adding.

"What do you mean by 'weird'? It's just love for their work." She complained with mild annoyance.

"Call it what you want." Maggie said, waving it off.

"But do you honestly think no one else has approached him for adaptation rights? If he had turned them down, what makes you think we would be any different?" She leaned forward, her voice firm. "So drop it, Gwen."

Maggie waited for Gwendolyn's usual rebuttal, but she was certain she had won this round. But when she looked up, her face wasn't annoyed or defensive, it was smiling.

No, smirking.

Mischief danced in her eyes, and Maggie instantly felt a knot tighten in her stomach. 

"Gwen." She said cautiously. "Don't tell me you–!" 

"Yep." Gwendolyn responded smugly.

She raised a thumbs-up with one hand and flashed a victory sign with the other. "You don't have to worry about the rights. I can get them whenever I want."

Maggie's jaw dropped, her expression a mixture of shock and disbelief. "How are you so sure?"

"Because the adaptation rights are as good as ours." Gwendolyn replied, punctuating her statement with a playful wink.

She leaned back even further, exuding an air of complete self-assurance.

Maggie stared at her boss for a long moment before letting out a frustrated groan. She rubbed her temples as though trying to stave off an oncoming headache.

"Why do I even bother?" She muttered under her breath.

.

….

[To be continued…]

★─────⇌•★•⇋─────★

Author Note:

Visit Patreon to instantly access +1 chapter for free, available to Free Members as well.

For additional content, please do support me and gain access to +10 more chapters.

–> [email protected]/OrgoWriters