Creak.
The office door opened, and Eddie Mercer walked inside.
He was a heavyset man with a prominent nose and the permanently tired expression of someone who spent most of his working hours dealing with directors, budgets, and executives.
“Mark,” he greeted with a smile before noticing Paul Stevens sleeping across the couch.
“Let me guess. Paul was out drinking again last night?”
“When isn’t he?” Mark answered casually.
He kicked Paul lightly on the sole of his shoe and raised his voice.
“Wake up. Your drink’s getting warm, and there’s still half a bottle left.”
Paul immediately sat upright without even opening his eyes and began reaching toward the coffee table.
“Fine, fine. Bottoms up…” His hand searched blindly for several seconds before he finally opened his eyes and found Mark grinning at him while Eddie shook his head in amusement.
“You’re an asshole,” Paul muttered before noticing Eddie properly.
“You’re back. What did Ms. Parker say?”
“The financing was approved. That’s actually what I came to tell you.” Eddie gestured toward the door.
“Come outside. I’m announcing everything together.”
Mark closed his laptop and stood without showing much surprise.
Paul rubbed his eyes, yawned, and reluctantly dragged himself off the couch before following them into the main development office.
Whatever sleep remained in him disappeared the moment Eddie stopped in front of the staff and clapped his hands.
“Everybody, stop for a minute. I have two announcements.”
At the workstation closest to the aisle sat a young woman who looked barely out of college.
She wore a pale pink dress and considerably more makeup than her delicate features needed, but even the heavy cosmetics couldn’t hide the fact that she was naturally attractive.
Eddie motioned her forward and rested a hand lightly on her shoulder.
“First, I want everyone to welcome our newest project coordinator, Megan Carter.”
Megan immediately stepped forward with an enthusiastic smile.
“Hi, everyone. I’m Megan Carter. I just joined development, so I’m looking forward to working with all of you.”
The employees applauded politely, although most of their attention remained fixed on Eddie.
A new hire was hardly enough to make him gather the entire department, and everyone clearly knew another announcement was coming.
After Megan returned to her desk, Eddie cleared his throat and his expression became more serious.
“I just came from Ms. Parker’s office. She’s made two project assignments.” Eddie glanced briefly toward Mark before continuing.
“First, Silverline Pictures is allocating $700,000 to finance Mark Anderson’s next feature. Development is expected to cooperate fully with the project.”
The office immediately erupted in murmurs.
“They’re giving him money again?”
“Didn’t his last movie lose almost twenty-four million dollars?”
“What is Ms. Parker thinking? Was the first disaster not expensive enough?”
Near the back of the office, Derek Collins tried hard to maintain a neutral expression.
His face nevertheless tightened as he stared toward Mark, unable to understand why someone who had just delivered such an enormous failure could immediately receive another opportunity.
He had spent years waiting for a theatrical project, while Mark somehow kept receiving financing despite everything that had happened.
Why?
What exactly did Mark have that he didn’t?
Was it seriously just because the guy was handsome?
Derek lowered his eyes before his irritation became too obvious.
Paul, meanwhile, had no interest in pretending not to hear the complaints.
“What’s everybody whining about?” he called across the office.
“Mark has talent, and Ms. Parker decided he deserves another chance to prove it. If any of you think you understand Silverline’s money better than the woman who owns the company, her office is upstairs. Go tell her yourself.”
Several employees immediately glared at him, although nobody actually accepted the invitation.
Mark stood behind Paul and resisted the urge to rub his forehead.
This guy really had no restraint.
There was already enough resentment toward Mark inside the department, and Paul seemed determined to turn ordinary hostility into open warfare.
If development constantly fought against them, organizing locations, contracts, equipment, scheduling, and production support would become unnecessarily difficult.
Eddie obviously understood the same thing.
He gave Paul an exhausted look before turning toward Megan.
“Megan, you’ll be responsible for coordinating Mark’s new project.”
“Sure!” Megan answered immediately, looking almost excited by the assignment.
She was brand-new and lacked experience, but that could actually work in Mark’s favor.
Someone inexperienced could be taught procedures and corrected when necessary, while handing his project to employees who already disliked him could create endless delays and complications.
Eddie had evidently chosen Megan for exactly that reason.
After a brief pause, Eddie raised his voice again.
“The second assignment concerns Derek Collins. Ms. Parker has approved $14 million in financing for the feature Derek previously submitted. It will be one of Silverline’s major productions for next year, so every department is expected to give him full support.”
Mark’s expression became slightly strange.
So Evelyn really was spreading her risk.
She might have given him another opportunity, but she clearly wasn’t putting all of Silverline’s hopes on a director who had just lost twenty-four million dollars.
While Mark received a small comeback project, Derek was getting the kind of conventional studio production the company could confidently position as one of its major releases.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
“Congratulations, Derek!”
“Fourteen million dollars! You finally got your feature!”
“Need anything from development, just ask. Maybe we’ll be celebrating your Best New Director nomination next year!”
Derek’s earlier anger disappeared beneath a broad smile.
“Thanks, everyone. Enough business for now. Dinner’s on me tonight. We’ll do seafood at Harbor House.”
That announcement received even louder cheers.
Mark glanced at Paul and raised his eyebrows toward Derek’s side of the office.
Look at that.
That was how someone built relationships.
Unfortunately, Paul completely misunderstood the look.
He pursed his lips and called across the room, “You haven’t even started preproduction and you’re already celebrating? Careful. Spending the victory dinner too early might jinx the whole movie.”
Mark closed his eyes for a second.
Seriously?
If the guy couldn’t say anything useful, couldn’t he simply stay quiet?
Predictably, Paul’s comment ignited the entire group.
“Can you ever talk like a normal person?”
“You two should be the last people warning anyone about a flop!”
“Twenty-five million into a movie and less than a million back. That takes talent!”
Paul’s eyes widened and he immediately stepped forward, but Mark grabbed his arm before the argument could become physical.
“Enough. If a dog barks at you, are you going to get on all fours and bark back?”
Paul paused.
Mark lowered his voice.
“Besides, I heard somebody at Harbor House got sick from bad shellfish a few days ago.”
Paul’s irritation vanished instantly.
He turned toward the other employees with an enormous smile.
“Have fun tonight! Seriously, eat as much seafood as possible.”
Mark almost laughed as he wrapped an arm around Paul’s neck and dragged him toward the exit.
“Stop wasting your energy. I’m hungry anyway. Let’s get something to eat.”
As they passed Megan’s workstation, Mark stopped.
“Megan, when do you have time to talk about the new movie? I should probably explain what I’m planning before you start coordinating anything.”
Megan looked between him and Paul before smiling brightly.
“I’m free right now.”
Mark hesitated.
Right now?
She had barely started her first day.
“Then come with us,” Paul said as though the matter were already decided, giving Eddie a meaningful glance.
Eddie understood immediately.
“Megan, you don’t have anything urgent today. Go with them and get familiar with the project. Just make sure you’re here on time tomorrow.”
“Okay!”
Megan grabbed her handbag and hurried over.
Mark slung his laptop bag over one shoulder, and the three of them left the development department.
They took the elevator downstairs, and before they had even reached the lobby, Megan turned toward Mark with open curiosity.
“So… Mark, did you really lose a lot of Ms. Parker’s money?”
Mark slowly looked at her.
Apparently the new girl had absolutely no filter.
Paul answered before Mark could say anything.
“Not that much. Only about twenty-four million dollars.”
“Oh.”
Megan nodded casually.
“I thought it was going to be a lot more.”
Mark’s eyes widened.
What kind of financial background did this girl come from if twenty-four million dollars wasn’t considered that much?
(End of Chapter 4)