As the evening lights ca on, the Escalade carrying Martin and Elizabeth pulled up next to a club on Pennsylvania Avenue.
From another car, Ali and Thomas got out together.
Martin followed them into the club.
At the entrance of a reception room, the black-suited n guarding the door were likely Secret Service from the White House.
Ram Emanuel is now the White House Chief of Staff.
Ali opened the door and said to everyone, "Please co in."
Martin and Elizabeth were the last to walk in.
As they passed the door, the Secret Service agent nodded subtly, first patting his chest then covertly making a drinking gesture with his right hand.
Martin knew the signal all too well, as he used a similar motion when drinking cola on the red carpet.
Clearly, this was a mber of the Cola Cult.
Martin smiled at him and entered the main reception room.
After the Santa Monica Pier incident, there were already tens of millions of Cola Cult mbers across Arica.
Ram Emanuel and his wife stood in the reception room, smiling as they said, "Hi, Martin, we et again."
Martin hurried forward a few steps to shake hands with Ram, "I was thinking of paying a visit once Ali ca over..."
"No need to be so formal," Ram invited, "Make yourself comfortable."
His wife approached Elizabeth, "We have so activities here suitable for ladies to relax, let's not join in their boring topics."
Elizabeth smiled and agreed, then followed Mrs. Emanuel through a side door out of the reception room.
Ram went straight to the point: "Martin, you've been doing better and better these past two years, becoming a cultural phenonon."
Martin humbly replied with a smile, "It's mainly the support of WMA. In these past few years, Ali has invested a lot of resources in . Without his help, I wouldn't be where I am today, that's why I've always worked with WMA, even when CAA constantly tempted , I never changed my mind."
Ali joined the conversation, "Martin is now the ace of WMA, and I have a plan to build the Martin brand into a cultural icon like Star Wars."
Thomas had discussed this with Martin, who personally wasn't interested in Star Wars, but was well aware of its significance to Aricans.
To say that Star Wars is the foremost icon of Arican film culture is no exaggeration, and even that might not fully reflect its influence.
Martin's reply was well-tid, "I will fully cooperate with the company."
Ali is the largest shareholder of WMA, but does WMA's interest extend to Ram?
Of course, Martin would not be foolish enough to ask.
"The last trip to California was very rewarding," Ram ntioned the previous election, "Your preference influenced many mbers of the Cola Cult."
He smiled, "This loose alliance organization worships you very much."
Martin appeared modest, "The followers of the Cola Cult are just that in na, gathering on the internet due to their fondness for my characters and Coca-Cola, lacking organization and cohesion."
But Ram had witnessed the power of these people in the election, "Cola Cult mbers spread across the nation, and voters can influence the electors."
Ali interjected, "If it weren't for the regulations of the entertainnt bill, I would have already invited you to beco a partner in the company."
Martin laughed, "The company has given a lot of support."
Ram added, "You are now one of the most famous Democrats in Arica."
Martin stated, "When I voted in the election, my ballot had the party affiliation on it."
Since Atlanta, Martin had been entangled with mbers of the Donkey Party, maintaining relationships with the likes of Kelly Gray, Louise l, Jennifer Aniston, and others, all mbers of the Donkey Party.
There are nurous mbers and supporters of the Donkey Party in Hollywood, including Tom Hanks, Sean Penn, the Roberts family, Spielberg and Lucas, ryl Streep, Scarlett Johansson, George Clooney, and so on.
The support and pull of celebrities are quite evident, as they are often invited to endorse during elections.
Simply put, the Hollywood Oscar system operates under the sa rules as the elections.
Considering Martin's growing influence, particularly over the Cola Cult mbers, Ram offered him a favor: "In a few days, it's the Independence Day celebration, and Barack will personally award you a dal."
Martin responded, "While I was injured and hospitalized, Barack took ti out of his busy schedule to visit . I've always wanted to thank him in person."
Ram continued, "You'll soon have the opportunity to express your gratitude."
Martin silently cursed; these politicians had much darker hearts than those in entertainnt.
Ram said, "Barack's eldest daughter, Maria, is about to have her sumr break. She's planning to do an internship and is very curious about film production. She wants to practice in a movie company."
Martin was quick to respond, "Leave it to . Whether she wants to go to a first-rate big production crew or an art crew, it's all no problem."
They chatted a bit more, essentially about mutual support and help.
The trendous influence of the Cola Cult gave Martin so leverage.
By eight-thirty, Martin excused himself and left the club.
On the way back in the Escalade, Elizabeth said, "I've made plans with Mrs. Emanuel. When she and her kids co to Los Angeles, I'll take care of them the whole ti."
Martin realized the little witch was capable of more than just washing faces.
Elizabeth clung tightly to his arm and said, "There are so things that you might find inconvenient to deal with, but I can help."
She hinted, "My mother and father both said that the first lady's diplomacy can sotis be more effective in bridging relationships."
Martin patted her hand, "Go ahead and do what you need to do, and let know if you need anything."
At that point, he rembered what Ram had just ntioned, that Elizabeth would undoubtedly be more suitable for the task.
Martin thought for a mont and said, "After the Independence Day celebration ceremony, there will be a reception lunch at the White House, and the Guanhai family will all attend. His oldest daughter, Marisa, wants to participate in a film-related internship this sumr..."
Elizabeth took careful note of all this and, after Martin finished, she thought it over and said, "I'll handle this. It is more convenient for girls to talk to girls."
Back at the hotel, Bruce opened the door to find Lily fiddling with her cara; she nodded at Martin.
Martin took off his coat and hung it up, asking, "You're going out to take photos this late?"
Lily said, "I'll take pictures when you get honored, to have a blueprint for engraving."
Elizabeth added, "We'll buy them afterward, as morabilia."
Lily secretly gave Elizabeth a thumbs up on the sly.
Elizabeth winked at her in response.
Martin saw this, but couldn't bother with them, and went to his room to shower and change, saying to Lily, "Go back to your room early if you don't have anything else to do."
Lily packed up her cara and said, "I'll sleep here on the side tonight." She added, "I've arranged it with Elizabeth."
Martin, recalling so things that had happened in Atlanta, said to Elizabeth, "You don't understand her..."
Elizabeth replied, "Lily has assured ."
Lily smiled at her.
Martin shook his head and entered the master bedroom.
That night, Elizabeth did not sleep well, mostly tornted to death by Martin; even when she woke up in the morning, her voice was a bit hoarse.
Lily didn't sleep well either, with two big dark circles under her eyes, staring at Elizabeth when she ca out of her room.
She couldn't understand why a girl who usually seed so quiet could make such loud noises.
Throughout the day, Martin took the two of them to buy suitable clothes and visited a few famous sites in Washington.
During this ti, Benjamin called, and Martin made a special trip to the vicinity of the north gate of the White House to et with Benjamin.
Benjamin brought a dozen off-duty mbers of the White House Secret Service, waiting near the north gate.
Once Martin arrived, these relatively young agents, while not as frenzied and enthusiastic as fans, were certainly more orderly.
Together they said, "Forever Cola Cult! Forever Cola War God!"
Martin took photos with them one by one, asked for their nas, and when signing autographs, wrote different well-wishes for each.
For a slacker, coming up with a variety of inspiring well-wishes cost him many brain cells.
Benjamin also specifically requested autographs and photos for other on-duty mbers of the Cola Cult.
Martin fulfilled all their requests.
Although he had shared jokes with Bruce about it, he never really took it seriously; after all, the Cola Cult is a loose organization.
It wasn't long before Martin excused himself and left.
The atmosphere of Independence Day was even thicker on the streets of Washington than in Los Angeles.
On the morning of July 4th, Benjamin arrived at the Hilton Hotel on ti to escort Martin to the White House to participate in the celebrations.
Once again arriving at the North Lawn, Martin was seated in the front row.
Lily and Elizabeth were in the family area a little bit further back.
Not long after Martin sat down, more people arrived, among whom were many he recognized.
In a wheelchair was Stephen Hawking; the Presidential dal of Freedom is not just awarded to Aricans.
Coming to Martin's side was the legendary Spielberg.
Martin first approached Hawking to express his respect, hoping to receive the kind of praise Charlize Theron had given.
Such as in the endless parallel universes, Martin Davis is a hero of so sort.
What sounded from the electronic voice instead was, "Hello, Sect Hierarch."
Nearby photographers recorded it, and Martin turned back and gestured to Bruce.
Old Cloth got the hint and imdiately went to obtain a copy from the photographers.
This was an endorsent from Hawking himself, the Sect Hierarch of the Cola Cult!
Martin then shook hands with Spielberg, "Steven, you are my idol, the director I most want to work with, Jaws, E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Jurassic Park, provided all the fun of my childhood."
Spielberg said, "Today, I am your supporting actor."
Both he and Hawking were to receive the Presidential dal of Freedom.
The sa kind Martin had received previously, the one worn around the neck.
Martin admitted honestly, "Actually, I didn't want it, who would want to be in a situation like that?"
Spielberg, having seen the related video, said, "You did sothing remarkable. Let's talk more when we have ti. Kathleen has spoken highly of you more than once."
Producer Kathleen Kennedy of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" was Spielberg's right-hand woman.
As Guanhai stepped onto the podium, the site quickly quieted down.
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