Chapter 893: Enchanted

If one company didn't work out, they'd simply move on to the next. But fate had a way of playing tricks—every company they approached had its own set of issues. Even the major studios were tied up with existing projects and lacked the available funds to back Martin's film.

And the companies that did have the money?

They weren't interested in this kind of film.

Sure, with Martin Scorsese directing and a script tailor-made for Oscar voters, the film had a strong shot at awards recognition—if not a win, then at least multiple nominations. But so what? These studios cared more about profits than prizes.

It was almost comical—when Andrew first realized his script lacked funding, he had gone to Faisal's company, hoping for support. A friend had suggested it, saying that Faisal was known for being generous with potential award-winning films. If the movie won an Oscar, there was even a hefty bonus to be had.

So Andrew went.

And his script did fit Faisal's company's criteria. Even Cooper had faith in it.

But unfortunately, Faisal's money had already been funneled to Dawood, helping him in his ongoing battle against rival family members back home. There simply wasn't enough left to invest in a film of this scale.

And so, through a series of unfortunate events, the script kept bouncing from one set of hands to another—until it finally landed with Leonardo, a man obsessed with winning an Oscar.

And not only had Leonardo decided to self-finance the film, but he had also managed to bring in Hollywood's most overpowered director—Laila Moran.

—

When Andrew received Leonardo's call, he had been sitting alone, contemplating his tragic career.

He knew he was a good writer. He had written scripts he was genuinely proud of.

And when it came to selling scripts, his luck wasn't bad—he had successfully sold several of them.

The problem was that none of them had ever been turned into films.

This meant that despite having multiple script sales under his belt, he was still considered an unproven writer, and his earnings remained depressingly low.

That was just the reality of the industry—if none of your scripts had been produced, you were still just a rookie. And no matter how talented a rookie might be, they were still just a rookie, which meant their scripts would only sell for rookie-level prices.

He firmly believed that if even one of his scripts made it to the big screen, his career would take off. His scripts would sell for higher prices, and he'd finally establish himself.

But right now?

Forget screening—he couldn't even get a script greenlit.

—

"What? You want to make major revisions to Blood Diamond?"

"What? Leonardo, you're personally funding the film?"

"What? Laila Moran is directing?!"

Andrew, sounding like a parrot, could only repeat Leonardo's words in stunned disbelief. His brain, which normally functioned at lightning speed, had completely shut down.

"You're not messing with me, right?" He had to confirm it several more times, still unable to believe his ears.

On the other end of the call, Leonardo laughed at his reaction.

"You think I have nothing better to do than prank-call you with something this ridiculous? Listen up—I'm heading to your place right now with the script. Just sit tight."

"…Uh, okay."

Andrew hung up in a daze and slapped himself on the face.

This had to be real.

Leonardo DiCaprio wouldn't joke about something like this, right?

Which meant… his script was finally going to be made into a movie.

And not just by anyone—by Leonardo and Laila Moran!

He had been wrong.

He used to think he was cursed by the gods, but in reality, he must have been blessed.

With those two on board, how could this film be anything less than a masterpiece?

Leonardo aside—this was Laila! The undefeated Laila! The unstoppable force of Hollywood!

A prodigy and a legend combined into one!

With her at the helm, what was there to worry about?

Funding? Please.

The quality of the film? Laughable.

The only thing he was worried about now was whether, once the movie premiered, producers would be breaking down his door to buy his future scripts!

With Laila in charge, a miracle was practically guaranteed. This film would be the defining moment of his career—the moment that changed everything.

Maybe he could even start dreaming about an Oscar nomination.

Best Adapted Screenplay?

Or dare he hope for… the golden statuette itself?

Andrew was practically delirious with joy. It felt like the universe had decided to compensate him for all his bad luck in one fell swoop.

So when Leonardo arrived and laid out his requests, Andrew agreed without hesitation.

Being actively involved in the creative process of this film was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

He knew full well that Laila could have rewritten the entire script herself if she wanted to. Given her expertise, she probably could've done it faster than simply revising his work.

But she hadn't.

Instead, she had chosen to refine his version, keeping him on as the writer.

That alone earned her his immense respect.

In the East, they would've called her righteous and loyal.

In the West, they'd say she was too kind—no wonder both God and fate seemed to favor her.

—

Andrew took the script from Leonardo's hands and flipped it open.

The moment he saw the densely packed annotations in the margins, his world changed.

Why did she think this way?

Why cut this scene?

Why reword this line?

Why inject this emotion at this specific moment?

Each note was a goldmine, drawing him deeper and deeper into the script.

Every question that popped into his mind was immediately countered by the brilliance of Laila's insights.

To anyone else, these annotations might seem like mere scribbles—but to him, they were priceless.

This was the difference between a good writer and a great one.

Leonardo had noticed the notes, but he hadn't understood them. Andrew, however, saw the true value behind each one.

He realized that if he could fully grasp Laila's thought process, he would become a far better screenwriter.

He was so absorbed that he completely forgot Leonardo was even in the room.

—

Leonardo called his name twice but got no response.

Watching Andrew stare at the script, utterly mesmerized, occasionally letting out small gasps of admiration, Leonardo could only sigh.

Well, there went his plans to discuss revisions today.

At this point, he might as well head home and study Laila's notes himself.

Good thing he had made a copy before coming over.

If he wanted to nail this role, he had to fully understand the script.

And now, with Laila's annotations highlighting the key elements, his job just got a whole lot easier.

Without hesitation, he declined an invitation from a beautiful woman and settled into his favorite chair, script in hand.

Then…

Just like Andrew, he too was completely captivated.