A bait

Hugo looked at Ron cautiously, unable to hide his true emotions freely. At most, he could only show a slight sense of detachment. Faced with Ron's calculated intentions, the still-inexperienced Hugo struggled to cope. Moreover, Hugo's knowledge was limited, so he couldn't piece together the complete picture, let alone confront Lang.

However, Hugo was never one to easily surrender. Although he couldn't match Ron in terms of social experience and scheming, he was not weak in terms of mental agility. His eyes flickered as he sketched a faint smile, concealing his alertness. "Challenges exist at every moment. People without strength fear challenges and hope for shortcuts. But those with strength will embrace challenges, even enjoy the excitement of the process."

Since Ron had been hinting at Brad relying on connections and possibly taking the role of the "The Firm" ahead of others, Hugo decided to ignore the deeper meaning behind Ron's words and respond directly.

Indeed, this statement caused a momentary pause in Ron's expression, followed by a deepening of his gaze. Although Ron had noticed Hugo's changes in their previous encounters, they were merely superficial. However, today, Ron could sense that Hugo's confidence had grown significantly. It wasn't the same blind arrogance as two years ago; it was more solid, more... composed, although still immature. This surprised Ron.

In the face of Hugo's provocation, Ron's initial reaction was to get angry. He had always had a bad temper. However, he quickly realized the importance of the lunch meeting today, as well as his own calculations, so he forcibly suppressed his emotions and masked his anger with a smile. "But more often than not, many challenges end before they even begin. This society is equal but not fair."

Hugo had never fully understood this statement before. What did it mean for society to be equal but not fair? But later, he understood it immediately after seeing a comic strip. On the same starting line, the parents on the left escorted their children in a car, while the parents on the right pushed a cart. The starting point was the same, that was equality, but the means of progress were different, that was unfairness.

In the audition for "The Firm", the embodiment of equality and fairness was even more vivid. Hugo thought that from the moment "The Firm" crew sent him the audition invitation until now, a whole month had passed, and even "A Few Good Men" had entered its fourth week of release, but the audition had yet to begin. It was evident that Ron's words were not baseless; he definitely knew some insider information.

Hugo's initial reaction was to refute Ron, but he quickly realized that Ron was currently scheming against him. He couldn't be led by the nose. Since he couldn't see through Ron's plot, he might as well see what cards Ron held. After all, it was Ron who took the initiative to approach him, not the other way around.

After understanding this, Hugo forcefully swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth and silently watched Ron.

Just a moment of silence temporarily halted Ron's calculations. Hugo managed to regain a slight advantage. Ron's temper flared up again. If it were in the past, controlling Hugo would not have been difficult for him, although Tracey's help played a part as well. But now, Ron found that things were not as easy as before.

Ron decided to stop beating around the bush and smiled at Hugo. "Sometimes, fairness isn't that difficult. In the entertainment industry, an outstanding agent can bridge many gaps."

The implication of this statement was already quite clear, but Hugo was somewhat puzzled. Was Ron trying to undermine him? Did Ron hope that he would leave Joseph and then sign with Ron? Was that... even possible? Did Ron think that by extending an olive branch, he would willingly approach him?

But why? Had Ron forgotten the previous unpleasant experiences, like the Razzie Awards and the premiere of "Basic Instinct"? Or the tricks played by Algric...

But Hugo didn't have much time to think because Ron started throwing bait at him. "It's not difficult for me to make a dinner appointment with Sidney. If needed, we can do it tonight." This was an open and direct negotiation with Hugo. It seemed that Ron had given up on the roundabout approach because he had experienced Hugo's eloquence firsthand. It was definitely not that simple. On the contrary, it would be more effective to win him over with tangible advantages.

Hugo furrowed his brows slightly, as if he had grasped something. He realized that he was now relying on two movies to make a comeback, and the people behind works similar to "The Firm" and "Sleepless in Seattle" were willing to give him opportunities. Moreover, after making connections with important figures like Al Pacino, Jack Nicholson, Bo Goldman, and Rob Reiner, his future in the entertainment industry would only get smoother. In other words, the chances of success for his agent had also increased, and the difficulty of securing jobs for Hugo had rapidly decreased.

To put it bluntly, if Hugo could star in "The Firm" and Ron was confident in securing an $8 million paycheck for him, then Ron's 10% commission would be a significant income, amounting to $800,000 pre-taxes. No wonder Ron was tempted.

Ron saw the subtle change in Hugo's expression and thought he had convinced him. Before Hugo could respond, Ron continues, pretending to be profound, "In fact, Sidney and I are also discussing another big project, a huge project. I can tell you that Sidney Pollack, Martin Scorsese, Mel Gibson, and Kevin Costner are all on the preliminary list for this project."

Compared to the previous bait, this second piece of news was obviously more explosive. And Ron's expression seems to say, "Come back to me, and you will be part of this project as well." However, Ron didn't intend to reveal more about the second piece of news. In fact, he believed that the bombs he had dropped today were enough. So after giving Hugo a smile, he turned and left, without giving Hugo a chance to refute him, but leaving him with room to think.

Hugo stood in place, carefully thinking. Although he had a clear understanding of Ron's intentions, he still needed to confirm it. So Hugo looked around and quickly found Gary Scott, Ron's assistant. Although Gary was Ron's assistant, he was much easier to get along with than Ron himself, and he also had many complaints about Ron. He often talked behind Ron's back.

When Gary sees Hugo approaching, a smile immediately appears on his face. "Hey, sunshine, long time no see."

Hugo, who was feeling a bit down, found Gary's unabashed admiration amusing and so he burst into laughter. "Gary, you don't need to throw flirtatious looks at me. It doesn't work on me." Hugo's warm and teasing words made Gary pout in frustration, and he muttered, "At least you qualify to fulfill my fantasies."

Hugo immediately put on a startled expression. "Gary, you scare me! I don't want to know about your fantasies!" Gary saw Hugo's expression and couldn't hold his laughter anymore, appearing quite cheerful.

"Gary, I came to find you because I want to ask something," Hugo said, suppressing his smile. He looked around to make sure Ron was not nearby before he spoke.

"I knew you wouldn't come to me without a good reason," Gary raised an eyebrow and rolled his eyes, wearing a typical gossiping expression. "Tell me, whose gossip are you trying to dig up?"

"Your boss," Hugo's words caught Gary off guard. He shot Hugo a reproachful glance, but Hugo quickly explained, "It's not gossip. I want to ask you if Ron has been discussing the "The Firm" project with Sidney recently."

Gary immediately understood. "Ah-ha! Ron just went to see you!" Hugo nodded, confirming his suspicion. Gary looked around cautiously and lowered his voice as he spoke to Hugo, "Ron talked to Sidney about another project, a collaboration with Universal Pictures."

Hugo's mind cleared up instantly. "Is it the project with Tracey?" Rick Rosen had informed Hugo before that Ron, Tracey, and Universal Pictures were in talks for a big project. From the information Ron had just revealed, it seemed to be a massive project, full of ambition.

Gary nodded. "But the project is still under discussion. I don't know much about it." He made a crossing gesture over his mouth with his index fingers, implying that he did know some information but couldn't reveal it casually as Ron's assistant.

Hugo smiled. "I'm not interested in that project. I'm asking you, what's the deal with "The Firm"?"

Only then did Gary lower his hands. "He wants you to come back, plain and simple. After all, he has been in contact with Sidney lately. If you're willing to come back, "The Firm" would just be an incidental project."

With a budget of $60 million, "The Firm" being considered incidental piqued Hugo's curiosity about the larger project. However, Ron's scheme was gradually becoming clear.

Ron intended to join forces with Tracey to secure the big project from Universal Pictures. Tracey had been planning this since early March, and both of them aimed to rise to power through this project. It was unlikely that Tracey would agree to have Hugo in that project where he originally had no place. It might even become a project meant to suppress Hugo, such as promoting Brad or forcefully excluding Hugo. In any case, the situation was becoming more complicated.

But the problem was, Hugo was making a strong comeback, gaining momentum, which made Ron reconsider. As for Ron's implication that there would be a position for Hugo in this project, whether it was an illusion or reality remained unknown.

"So, are you planning to go back?" Gary suddenly asked, interrupting Hugo's thoughts.

Hugo raised an eyebrow and, realizing Gary's question, chuckled. "Gary, are you really that naive?" This statement was enough to express his viewpoint: No matter how enticing or even genuine the pie Ron was offering, Hugo would never go back to Ron's side. It was not only loyalty to Joseph, but also Hugo's own principles.

Gary shrugged regretfully. "I knew it." But then he flashed a bright smile. "But I had already anticipated your answer."