Chapter 345: It's Best Not to Kill Your Husband

[Chapter 345: It's Best Not to Kill Your Husband]

"Where's Sophie? Is she not coming for dinner?"

In the villa's dining room, Lily put down the fruit plate and observed the table. Monica, Jennifer, Sandra Bullock, and Catherine Zeta-Jones were all present, but Sophie was noticeably absent.

"She's still taking her afternoon nap. She'll eat later, so we don't need to wait for her," Link said as he set down the newspaper and began to eat.

"It's already two o'clock, and she's still napping? If she sleeps that much during the day, how's she going to sleep at night? I'm going to go wake her up," Lily said.

"Lily, there's no need to wake her. She already had her fill. Why does she need lunch?" Monica said, catching Lily's arm and shooting a sly glance at Link.

Link pretended not to notice and continued his meal.

"She's full? Did she just have a snack?" Lily questioned, still trying to comprehend.

"Yeah, she had a lot. She almost burst! When I went to check on her, she was rubbing her belly and moaning, wanting someone to help her with ointment," Monica said, pouting her lips.

Jennifer, Renee, and Catherine laughed along.

Lily glanced at everyone and started to catch on, glaring at Link. "Honestly, can't you sit still for a moment?"

Link ignored her and kept eating.

"Lily, you can't blame Link. Someone was just too tempted for a quickie. Link couldn't resist the harassment, could he?" Jennifer Connelly joked.

Lily shook her head and suggested docking Sophie's privileges for using the main house's bedroom this month.

Monica and the others raised their hands in agreement.

The proposal passed unanimously.

Link spoke up to plead Sophie's case but was met with rebuttals from all the women, saying he wasn't part of the family committee and had no say in this matter.

Link sighed, feeling that as the head of the household, not being able to speak on such issues was unreasonable.

As they ate, the conversation shifted towards recent entertainment industry gossip.

...

There had been a plethora of entertainment gossip recently, including the scandal involving a BBC anchor and British model committing prostitution, and the notable Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss being arrested and jailed. During a media interview, she revealed that famous movie star Charlie Sheen was one of her regular customers.

Also, at the end of August, London businessman Ray Santilli's documentary Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction? was a smash hit, reigniting interest in "mockumentary" films across North America.

Additionally, the divorce case of supermodel Cindy Crawford and Richard Gere was approaching its verdict. With the help of renowned divorce attorney Laura Wasser, Cindy was looking likely to retain her premarital assets.

However, the most talked-about topic lately was the final trial of the O.J. Simpson case. After a year of investigation and litigation, the case had its final judgment yesterday.

After the courtroom debate concluded, the jury, mostly comprised of African American women, found Simpson not guilty and released him on the spot.

Due to the immense public interest in the case, approximately 150 million people watched the live courtroom broadcast, dubbed the "trial of the century" by the media.

Although Simpson was acquitted, media polls indicated that 70% of respondents believed he was guilty.

The reason he evaded prison was attributed to both his wealth and status as a Black superstar.

Government officials feared a repeat of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, which contributed to a lenient outcome.

During media coverage of the case, they had drawn parallels to Se7en, which had linked to this case during its initial release, propelling both the film's and the case's attention.

Throughout the proceedings of the "O.J. Simpson Trial", Simpson's defense attorneys played a crucial role, resorting to various illicit means to exonerate him, thus elevating the attorneys to notoriety among the public as the "greedy" lawyers from Se7en, who had dedicated their lives to helping murderers and rapists evade legal consequences for profit.

The attention from the trial had also led to a notable increase in sales of the Se7en video tape.

Link was once again considered the case's biggest beneficiary.

...

"Link, there's media circulating that Guess Pictures is the biggest beneficiary from this case. Should we issue a statement?" Lily asked.

"No need; the case did help us earn quite a bit at the box office, so we've benefited. Let them talk," Link said while he ate.

"Se7en is a classic crime film. I really love it. I think even without this case, the film would have done well," Catherine Zeta-Jones remarked, holding up her fork with a smile.

"Catherine, stop flirting with him. You might get in trouble too," Renee Zellweger teased.

"I'm just having a friendly conversation, not flirting with Link!" Catherine shot back, rolling her eyes.

"Catherine's eyes are beautiful; when she looks at someone, it's as if she's sending off sparks," Jennifer Connelly said, laughing.

"Really?" Catherine gazed at Link for a few seconds. "Darling, do you feel anything?"

"Definitely. If I were a robot, my battery would be at full charge right now from you looking at me."

"Haha, you're Iron Man, almost like a robot!"

...

After dinner, Link went to check on Sophie in their bedroom, only to find her fast asleep with rosy cheeks and a smile on her lips, looking quite good.

...

Returning to his study, he resumed working on the new movie script and other company matters.

While working, Daniel DeVito called, informing him that director Michael Bay had declined the script submitted by Guess Pictures, citing a new project he was busy with and wouldn't have time for additional films. Daniel asked if Link wanted to consider other directors for the project.

Link thought about it and realized there wasn't anyone else appropriate apart from Bay, so he told DeVito to hold off for now, noting that he could direct such a film himself, just with a tight schedule.

Daniel agreed and added that the company had two new films starting production and had wrapped up four others, while three were in post-production. If Link had time, he could come by to take a look.

Link responded positively.

...

In the first half of the year, Guess Pictures had initiated ten film projects, including Dangerous Minds, Dead Man Walking, Gray's Anatomy, Hard Eight, Final Destination 2, The Net, and Scream, as well as collaborations with Columbia Pictures on The Mask of Zorro, The Fifth Element, and Jerry Maguire.

Excluding Scream, The Fifth Element, and Jerry Maguire, the other seven films had either completed shooting or post-production.

Counting in the unfinished movie Hachi: A Dog's Tale from last year and the in-development The English Patient, Guess Pictures had produced twelve films this year, one more than the last.

Moreover, with their acquisition of Pixar Animation, under Link's support, Pixar had resumed their animation film Toy Story that had been paused due to funding issues, which was expected to be completed within the year and released next year.

Producing thirteen films in a year was currently the limit for Guess Pictures, with too many productions exceeding the operational capacity of the company's departments.

However, with these thirteen films, Guess Pictures could maintain strong competitiveness next year against the major studios.

...

Ding!

Just as he hung up with Daniel, the phone rang on the table, displaying Nicole Kidman's number.

"Link, I want to get someone to take care of Tom Cruise," Nicole's fiery voice came through the line.

"What happened?" Link asked.

"When I asked him for a divorce, he hid from me, using work as an excuse. If he keeps this up, we won't ever get divorced! I'm so angry that I want to find someone to kill him." Nicole vented.

"Calm down. Taking your time is key. If Tom won't budge, you can hire a lawyer for the divorce. It doesn't need to get extreme," Link advised.

"I understand. I'm looking for an attorney, but the legal process is slow. It will take me until next year at the latest to completely get rid of Tom Cruise, but I miss you so much! I know you don't want to be the other person, so we don't have to do anything. Let's just hold each other and talk, okay?" Nicole's voice softened, laced with temptation.

"I'll be at the internal screening of Final Destination 2 at the company tomorrow. You should come by," Link suggested.

"I will definitely be there!" Nicole exclaimed excitedly.

*****

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