America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Los Angeles, Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

Accompanied by Thomas, Martin walked into the business lounge and met with Simone and Filippo from Italy.

They were representatives of Brioni, the top-tier men's fashion brand.

After exchanging a few pleasantries and shaking hands, they quickly got down to business.

Simone was the first to speak, "We invited Mr. Davis here mainly because Brioni is interested in hiring Mr. Davis to be the global ambassador for our brand."

He asked Martin, "Are you familiar with Brioni?"

Martin smiled and said, "Of course, the Rolls-Royce of men's suits."

Filippo didn't rush to speak; while listening to the conversation, he sized up Martin, who was well-dressed, with a tall and straight figure, a resolute face, and an elegant and generous demeanor, speaking calmly and confidently.

After observing for a while, he noticed that Martin had an air of casual nonchalance in every move he made.

Before seeing Martin in person, Filippo had been worried that Martin Davis, coming from a lower social background, might have the vulgar manners of Sean Connery.

That man was a quintessential British gentleman.

After observing him, Filippo was very satisfied with Martin; good looks, excellent temperament, tall and broad-shouldered, a perfect clothes hanger.

"Currently, Martin only endorses Coca-Cola," Thomas briefly laid out the situation: "Many brands have approached us for clothing endorsements, but Martin is very selective with his brand choices, especially caring about the image, history, and essence, and Brioni is a leader in all these aspects."

After the appropriate exchange of conversation, Martin spoke very little, leaving Thomas to do most of the talking.

Filippo, who had the decisive power, observed for a while then spoke up, "A week ago, Brad Pitt was Brioni's first choice for brand ambassador. I came from Rome to discuss related matters with him, and I didn't expect such tremendous changes in just a few days."

Martin and Thomas exchanged glances, thinking how coincidental this was—Pitt's endorsement might actually fall into their hands.

Filippo continued, "Perhaps this is also a stroke of luck. We discovered that Mr. Davis has a series of advantages and strengths. Compared to Brad Pitt's rakish charm, you're more suitable for the refined image of Brioni."

Martin replied with a smile, "That would be my honor."

Simone suggested, "If your side is interested in cooperating, shall we start formal negotiations next week?"

"No problem," Martin looked at Thomas, "My agent will be in charge of this matter."

The meeting for the day ended there; after some polite small talk, they each went their separate ways.

Martin and Thomas went downstairs.

They left the hotel and got into the Escalade Bruce had driven over. Martin stretched languidly, feeling inexplicably exhilarated.

He had been playing poker and fighting landlords with Jolie and Aniston in the morning, and by the afternoon, he was snagging Brad Pitt's endorsement—life was indeed full of surprises.

Thomas said, "The other party seems quite eager to collaborate. If everything goes smoothly, I should be able to finalize this endorsement deal within one to two weeks."

Martin nodded and asked the key question, "What about the endorsement fee for a top clothing brand?"

"Clothing, especially the top brands like this, won't offer particularly high endorsement fees," Thomas had done his homework: "We can reference George Clooney, who just signed with Armani this year for 6 million US dollars per year. That's the highest we can aim for."

Martin said, "Okay, go ahead and negotiate."

Thomas acknowledged, then added, "We're lucky this time. Brioni was eyeing Pitt, but unexpectedly, Pitt had an accident, and the endorsement fell into our laps—isn't that like a gift from heaven?"

Bruce, who was driving, kept silent, but was grumbling to himself that it was unexpected for Brioni to come to them, but securing the endorsement was not unexpected.

The situation with Pitt was anything but an accident.

Bruce asked, "So when Martin attends public events, will his formal wear be fully sponsored by them?"

"Exactly," Thomas responded, "The endorsement contract will definitely have related clauses. Smaller events and award ceremonies might not be restricted, but for high-profile events like the Golden Globes and the Oscars, there will certainly be requirements."

At that moment, Martin thought of something else—Pitt, as a Hollywood superstar, surely had more endorsements and potential endorsements than just Brioni. Now that Pitt's situation looked dire, almost nailed to the pillar of shame, what about those brand endorsements?

It wasn't for the money, but rather... No, he was purely interested in increasing his income.

"What's the status of Pitt's other endorsements?" Martin asked.

As a competent agent, Thomas quickly grasped the significance, realizing an excellent opportunity, and pulled out his phone to inquire, "Let me find out."

Before they reached Burbank, Thomas learned the details and shared, "Reliable sources have informed us that both Cadillac and Breitling have notified Brad Pitt, based on a unilateral breach of contract, they want to terminate the endorsement deals."

This wasn't surprising; similar incidents had happened in Hollywood not just to Pitt. Curious, Martin asked, "What kind of brand is Breitling?"

Thomas explained simply, "A Swiss watch brand, third-tier I would say." He highlighted one particular detail: "Because they are in the process of terminating the contract with Pitt, Cadillac is looking for a new spokesperson."

Martin had gone through great effort to tarnish Pitt's reputation, and taking this reward felt justly earned: "Don't you think I'm quite suitable?"

"Uh…" Thomas didn't hesitate and nodded, "We are indeed very suitable."

The global spokesperson for Cadillac, they might negotiate an endorsement fee of ten million US dollars a year.

Next month, that is, in January 2007, Martin has a new film coming out, followed by the announcement of the Oscar nominations. All these are good news, which can help increase the capital for negotiations.

"Find a way to get in touch with the Cadillac," Martin said, and Thomas ran his legs off.

If they could secure this endorsement deal, it would mean an additional income of more than 10 million US Dollars a year.

Martin had to admit a fact, Pitt was a good guy!

Thomas got off the car halfway, busy dealing with the tasks Martin had entrusted to him.

He walked along the sidewalk to the parking lot where he had left his car, California's bright sunshine falling on him, reflecting off him faintly.

Hard workers always carry their own light, making people unable to resist throwing a heavier burden onto their shoulders.

In the car, Bruce asked Martin, "Does it feel great?"

Martin was straightforward, "From body to spirit, it feels so good I want to take off."

Bruce joked, "Have you noticed you're not as bad as you used to be?"

"Old Cloth, you really damn know how to compliment someone," Martin flipped the bird at the rearview mirror.

Bruce hadn't finished speaking, "You're getting closer to Angelina Jolie."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Martin felt otherwise, "Impossible, I'm not that kind of person."

"Right," Bruce actually admired Martin, "You stole Pitt's girl and then you stole Pitt's money. Jolie can't do that, you're way better than her." Find more chapters on empire

Martin didn't respond, but he felt an indescribable feeling, probably what people often say about stealing being inferior to robbing or something like that.

The two arrived at Warner Television Network, joined Jennifer Aniston, and participated in a show to promote "Endless," which would be released next month.

The related marketing campaign had already spread widely, posters were all set up, and the first trailer had been released early.

Compared to the past, aside from the rumor that Martin might be dating Jennifer Aniston, the crew did not deliberately hype anything else.

Simply the rumor about Martin and Aniston was enough to attract attention.

"Hollywood Reporter" listed "Endless" as the most anticipated movie of 2007, ranking it first because it was the soonest to be released.

Martin and Aniston had been frequently appearing at various promotional events recently.

The latter's work was relatively easy.

Martin had it a bit more complicated. Apart from the new film next month, he also had to appropriately mention "Infernal Affairs" to continue building momentum for the awards.

"Infernal Affairs" had a poor reputation and box office performance in both East and Southeast Asia, but in Hollywood's home market of North America, it was definitely a smash hit both critically and financially.

Even many media outlets considered it a classic.

While Martin and Aniston were busy on the show, Bruce was also occupied.

He left Warner Television Network alone and went to a not-so-distant Forest Park to meet Ivan and learn more firsthand information.

By the time Martin came out and got into the Escalade, Bruce said, "There are now more than 10 victims coming forward against Pitt, and they have jointly hired a legal team represented by Camille Vasquez. In addition to reporting to the Los Angeles Police Department, they have formally submitted a lawsuit to the court."

Martin nodded, "Even if they reach an out-of-court settlement in the end, Pitt will pay a great price."

Bruce continued, "TMZ believes they're at odds with Pitt and will pursue this case relentlessly. Camille is the lawyer TMZ suggested to the victims. This lawsuit will need at least six months to see preliminary results, and if the lawyers play their cards right, it could go on even longer."

Martin asked again, "What about Pitt's side?"

Bruce had looked into it, "After being summoned by the LAPD for the second time, Pitt was bailed out, living under house arrest, not allowed to leave his mansion in Beverly Hills. That is to say, until the lawsuit is completely resolved, Pitt won't be able to work normally."

Martin shook his head, "It's a pity..."

Through the car window, Bruce looked at Aniston walking towards them and roughly guessed what Martin was pitying.

He hurriedly said, "I had Ivan contact TMZ, they will soon interview Ben Affleck and Matt Damon."

Martin couldn't help but laugh, "Old Cloth, you should be a person!"

The car door was knocked from the outside, Martin opened it, and Aniston ducked into the car.

Martin asked, "Where to?"

"Cody Community," Aniston said boldly. "Jolie just called me, she has soothed her adopted children, she won't need to go back at all tonight."

She leaned close to Martin's ear, "I'm really looking forward to it, you have to punish that bitch harshly!"

Martin patted his lap, "You control the strength."

Aniston smiled happily, "You're tough, strong, and I've been doing strength training these past few days. It won't take long before that bitch starts begging for mercy!"