Chapter 97: Two French Roses
[Chapter 97: Two French Roses]
The paparazzi were like they'd struck gold, rushing to the front of the stage, shouting excitedly:
"Linton, are you dating Sophie?"
"What's your relationship with Sophie?"
"Are you planning a long-distance romance with Sophie?"
"Have you been captivated by Sophie?"
"Were you two together last time?"
No one cared about the movie; all the questions were about romance. It seemed all media worldwide loved to stir up celebrity gossip, each eager to be the gossip column's editor.
"Don't get the wrong idea. Sophie and I are just good friends. She's here to help promote the movie Step Up. Please give it a lot of coverage," Linton answered calmly.
"Step Up is a fantastic movie. It's Linton's debut work; he wrote, directed, and starred in it. It's cool, inspiring, and touching. Upon release, it caused a sensation in North America, grossing over $100 million at the box office by yesterday. Please help spread the word," Sophie said with a beaming smile.
With Sophie's participation, the atmosphere was electric. Linton performed street dance from Step Up. He also sang the song B What You Wanna B with Sophie, shared behind-the-scenes stories, and warmly interacted with fans, signing autographs and posing for photos.
The fan meet-and-greet was a huge success, likely to grab many media headlines today.
Of course, the media's focus might be on the rumored relationship between Linton and Sophie, but no matter what, Step Up would get mentioned in the end.
---
In the afternoon, Linton had his assistant, Meena, accompany Sophie shopping, each allowed to spend $100,000 as usual.
Linton himself, accompanied by local Universal staff, participated in the recording of a French TV Channel 6 variety show.
---
In the evening, Universal's French branch hosted a grand party at the Hilton Hotel.
This party was very different from the one earlier in the year. Back then, Linton was just a somewhat popular singer, and the partygoers were mostly unknown entertainment figures.
Now, Linton was a rising young director with a North American box office over $100 million. Every notable French star showed up, hoping to connect with Linton for future collaboration opportunities.
This included Emmanuelle Beart, who missed the last Paris party, and Cristiana Reali.
During the first half of the banquet, Linton met many figures from the French entertainment industry. Accompanied by his assistant, he exchanged many business cards, his smile growing weary from all the greetings.
...
Later, while fewer people were around him, Sophie brought Cristiana Reali over.
"Linton, let me introduce you to a stunning beauty, Cristiana Reali."
Cristiana wore a sky-blue sleeveless bodycon dress. Her tall, slender figure stood about 5'6". She wore white crystal high heels. Her smooth shoulders connected to creamy arms, and her skirt fell to mid-calf, accentuating her alluring curves.
Her brown hair cascaded over her shoulders, revealing a fair, graceful neck, her deep eyes paired with tempting red lips. She radiated an exquisite, fresh beauty.
Standing next to the radiant Sophie Marceau, the two were equally dazzling, undoubtedly the two most celebrated French roses.
"Hello, Miss Reali. You're my goddess. It's an honor to meet you."
Facing his goddess, Linton didn't just offer a simple handshake but embraced her warmly.
"Mr. Anderson, I'm a fan of your songs -- now a fan of your films too," Cristiana replied enthusiastically.
"I've seen your film Monsieur Hire. Let's find a quiet place to relax."
Linton ordered three glasses of red wine and found a quiet corner.
"Linton, you're amazing to have made such a great movie like Step Up at such a young age," Cristiana admired.
"It's okay. Please help promote it."
"Definitely. I've already watched it twice and will organize my friends to see it again."
"Thanks. Cheers," Linton said, raising his glass.
"And not just that -- Linton wrote, directed, acted in, and composed all the songs for Step Up," Sophie proudly promoted his work.
"Wow, that's incredible! I really admire you."
...
The three enjoyed their conversation so much that as the party was ending, Cristiana extended an invitation.
"I know a great bar with an amazing cocktail. Want to join me for a drink?"
"But I already have company tonight," Linton said politely but understood the invitation's true meaning. Considering Sophie's feelings, he declined gently.
"It's fine. We can all go together," Sophie surprisingly said without hesitation.
"Then why not to my room? I have some good wine. Let's taste it together."
The three quietly left the banquet hall for Linton's hotel suite.
...
Of course, once inside, the wine went mostly untouched. With such a splendid night and two of France's most glamorous roses before him, Linton naturally made the most of the time.
All three shared great passion. Sophie Marceau and Cristiana's stunning figures deeply enchanted Linton. Their joyful and passionate duet echoed all night long.
During breaks, Linton asked Sophie why she introduced Cristiana to join them.
Unexpectedly, Sophie's answer was that it was to deepen Linton's impression of her -- to increase her stake in his heart, so he'd think of her more often and come back to Paris.
Faced with such beauty and favor, Linton was committed to reciprocate with greater passion.
Yet during the intimate moments, Linton noticed Cristiana's popularity wasn't as high as Sophie's, which was disproportionate to her looks. Clearly, she needed more resources and nurturing ahead.
---
The next morning, after resting, Linton asked, "I'm heading to Marseille to continue promotion. What's the plan for you two?"
"Didn't I say I'd be with you these days? Of course, I'm coming to Marseille," Sophie said.
"Linton, you're fantastic. I've never had such a great experience. I want to come to Marseille too -- to get some fresh air," Cristiana added, clearly enjoying the company.
After a simple makeup touch-up, they flew to Marseille and checked into the Hilton Hotel. Sophie and Cristiana rested there.
---
In the afternoon, Linton held a fan meet at the Marseille harbor terrace commercial plaza, interacting with local audiences at the cinema in the evening.
The schedule mirrored Paris, and the events were tremendously successful with vast crowds and a lively atmosphere.
Bella, accompanied by David, brought fan materials to the Marseille fan club and core members, connecting and coordinating fan viewing activities.
---
Nighttime returned to their usual intimate gatherings at the hotel suite, unwilling to waste any moment before their impending separation. The passionate sessions were intense and lasting.
Sophie and Cristiana were especially clingy and cooperative, demanding constantly. Thanks to his strong physique and the abilities, Linton, despite fighting two at once, maintained the upper hand, growing stronger the longer it lasted -- fighting harder and harder until dawn.
To thank the two for their company, Linton gifted them substantial energy essence.
Thanks to Step Up's blockbuster success, his popularity soared, accelerating his skill progression alongside dual cultivation with many girlfriends.
That night, during the session with Sophie and Cristiana, Linton naturally advanced to the third level of Radiant Core stage -- an unexpected delight.
---
On the morning of August 29, after a heartfelt farewell from Sophie and Cristiana, Linton and his group left the hotel for Marseille Provence Airport, flying to Berlin, Germany.
The promotion tour in Berlin followed much the same routine as Paris: media interviews, cinema audience interactions, fan meetings, and TV variety show appearances.
Bella again delivered fan materials to Berlin's fan club gathering spots and core members, coordinating viewing activities.
The entire promotional tour ran smoothly, and the movie's box office surged noticeably.
After two enjoyable nights with Heidi Klum, Linton's group flew back to Los Angeles on August 31, concluding their overseas promotional tour with great success.
*****
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