Chapter 157: Avril's Thoughts

Sandy Roberts continued to persuade, "So instead of sticking to a one-track mind and looking for a faithful boyfriend, only to get cheated on, why not start with someone like Mr. Wayne, an honest playboy? At least, from what I know, none of his many lovers have ever said a bad word about him."

Avril didn't say anything, just letting out a cold snort.

But in her heart, the scales were already tipping towards Wayne, and Sandy Roberts' words had somewhat convinced her.

Meanwhile, not long after Avril left, Wayne also left the bar with Mia and the others, heading back to Wayne Manor.

With the Kaibach shield, Wayne wasn't worried about Vincent seeking revenge. Moreover, the car was stocked with plenty of weapons. Even if a dozen gunmen showed up, Wayne was confident he could take them out. Not to mention, Vincent didn't even have the guts to try.

After returning to the manor, Wayne first sealed multi-billion dollar deals with Mia and the others. Then, after watching the three of them fall asleep, he quietly slipped out of bed and went to the study to continue working on his script by the light of a lamp.

Tonight's experience had opened another window for him. He realized that in this era, where online media and streaming services hadn't yet taken off, there were still plenty of entertainment projects that piqued his interest.

And if he were to win over Avril in the future, his time would be even more pressed, wouldn't it?

But he couldn't abandon his money-making work, so he could only squeeze in overtime when possible.

It wasn't until after 4 a.m. that Wayne stretched, returned to the bedroom, and fell asleep with Mia and the others in his arms. Then, at 8 a.m., after breakfast, he personally drove Mia to her office.

Next, Wayne became a master of time management. First, he visited Monica Bellucci, who was worried about whether he was angry. He proved with his actions that this little trouble hadn't affected his affection for her at all.

Then, he visited Nicole Kidman, who was also concerned about whether he'd been hurt.

To Wayne's surprise, when he rang the doorbell, it wasn't Nicole Kidman who answered but Camilla Belle.

"Huh? Camilla? Why are you here? Where's Nicole?"

"Ms. Nicole is making coffee. She figured you'd be arriving around now," Camilla explained with a sweet smile. Her distinctive eyes and cute nose created an irresistible allure.

But it was the way she addressed Nicole that made Wayne pause.

"Ms. Nicole?"

"Camilla wanted to learn acting from me. Since I had some free time and she has talent, I agreed."

Before Camilla could respond, Nicole's voice called out from afar.

"You have a good eye," Wayne complimented, though a strange gleam flashed in his eyes.

While it was true that Camilla Belle was one of those rare girls who had been beautiful since childhood and had decent acting skills, Wayne suspected that her desire to learn acting might not be entirely innocent.

This wasn't him being full of himself. The way Camilla looked at him practically spelled it out.

Also, with Camilla here, how was he supposed to comfort Nicole Kidman?

Maybe he should slip away and visit Rachel Weisz and Catherine Zeta-Jones first?

But wouldn't that be inappropriate?

Wayne's mind raced with ideas, but ultimately, he decided to sit down on the living room sofa. Soon, he would be very glad he didn't make up an excuse to leave.

Because after serving the coffee, Nicole said, "I just got a call from my agent. I have a last-minute voiceover job and need to step out. Since you're here, why don't you guide Camilla for a bit?"

Before Wayne could object, Nicole was already putting on her coat and shoes, grabbing her bag, and driving off. She had prepared herself in advance, knowing Wayne would be coming, so she didn't even need to redo her makeup.

Wayne, however, was left in a somewhat awkward situation.

Now it was just a young man and woman, both of whom were clearly interested in each other, alone in a room. Anyone could guess what might happen next.

"Um... should I call you Mr. Wayne?"

As Camilla moved closer, Wayne didn't pretend to be some noble gentleman and made his move, marking her first conquest.

Perhaps due to her age, Camilla's stamina was a bit lacking compared to Scarlett and Amanda, even though Wayne had been gentle. She quickly wore out.

Under different circumstances, he might have called someone else to join in. But seeing Camilla's charming yet pitiful face, Wayne decided against it, channeling his restless energy into writing his script instead.

Thanks to his all-nighter, the script for *Hotel for Dogs* was completed by March 7th.

It had only been four days since he began writing, thanks in part to already knowing the plot, but also because of his extraordinary physical and mental endurance.

In comparison, the original screenwriter of *The Notebook,* Jan Sardi, and the author Nicholas Sparks, had been working on the adaptation since February 22nd, and it still wasn't finished.

Moreover, the post-production of *Mean Girls* was progressing more slowly than Wayne had expected.

There weren't any complex special effects or elaborate techniques in the movie, and if James Wan were in charge, the rough cut could have been finished in two days, and the final cut within four.

But Nancy Meyers had already taken seven days and still hadn't completed the rough cut. With increasing financial pressure, Wayne was tempted to replace her with someone else.

However, to ensure the film's quality and maintain a good working relationship for future projects, he decided to be patient.

On the other hand, Sarah had already wrapped up the acquisition of Industrial Light & Magic. *Taken* had been in pre-production since January, and filming officially began yesterday.

Comparing the efficiency of two women in their fifties, Sarah was clearly far more energetic than Nancy Meyers.

Fortunately, Nancy wasn't that slow.

On March 8th at noon, Wayne was having lunch with Nicole and Camilla when he received a call from Nancy Meyers.

"What? The rough cut is finished?"

"No need to reschedule; finish your lunch first. I'll drive over right now."

"I'll head over. No need to notify anyone else."

"I'm sorry I can't stay to finish lunch with you two. *Mean Girls*' rough cut is finally done, so I need to head to the office." Wayne apologized to Nicole and Camilla as he hung up the phone.

"No problem, darling. Drive safely and don't rush," Nicole said, kissing him on the cheek.

Camilla followed suit, wrapping her arms around his neck and planting a kiss on his lips, lingering so long she nearly lost her breath before reluctantly letting him go.

About 40 minutes later, Wayne arrived at the office and met Sarah and Nancy Meyers in the screening room.

Mia wasn't there, as she was busy with pre-production for *The Notebook.*

Even though the script wasn't ready, preparations for locations and costumes could still begin, thanks to the reference provided by the book.

"Thank you for your hard work, Nancy. Let's begin!" Wayne kept the pleasantries short, feeling slightly uneasy around the perfectly made-up Nancy Meyers. He started the screening right away.

Nancy Meyers wasn't a well-known director for nothing. Despite this being just the rough cut, the film kept Wayne and Sarah thoroughly entertained.

If only Wayne had enjoyed it, it might have been due to the incredibly attractive cast of *Mean Girls.* But since Sarah was also absorbed in it, it was clear that the film itself was of high quality.

With a mix of drama and humor that surpassed the original, along with added heartfelt moments that felt perfectly timed, *Mean Girls* was set to outperform the original, Wayne thought.

Wayne's smile grew more genuine as he anticipated the film's potential box office success.

Though Nancy Meyers said it would take another week to finalize the cut, Wayne didn't mind at all now.

"By the way, Nancy, I've got another movie coming up and would like you to direct and produce it!"

Nancy was taken aback. Another project already? Damn, that's intense. She was already 52, after all!

But as she leafed through the script Wayne handed her, she quickly changed her mind.

Compared to the "crude" and "vapid" script of *Mean Girls,* *Hotel for Dogs* had much more depth.

"A director's fee of $7.5 million, plus $1 million as a producer. A total of $8.5 million. How does that sound?" Wayne offered.

Strictly speaking, the producer's fee was a bit low.

As a top-tier director, if she were only producing, she'd earn at least $2 million, even without a cut of the profits. But since Wayne was handling the most challenging aspect—securing investment—$1 million was acceptable.

And $7.5 million was a generous director's fee. Most Oscar-winning directors didn't make that much.

So, after a moment's thought, Nancy agreed.

After all, making money was better than resting, and no other production company would offer her such a lucrative deal.

"That's great. I'll have Sarah draft the contract later. Also, like with *Mean Girls,* I've already cast the main roles, so as soon as the post-production on *Mean Girls* is done, you can start prepping for this one."

Nancy couldn't help but laugh to herself. Wayne treated multi-million-dollar films as if they were low-budget home videos. His work ethic was unlike anyone else in Hollywood.

"Okay, I'll start 

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