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After making sure there was no one tailing them, three business vans entered an estate. In keeping with the original agreent, everyone's mobile phones and other electronic devices were to be locked away in a safe and only retrieved upon departure.
There were three villas inside the estate, and Martin chose the one on the far east side, heading there with Marina, Natalia, Svetlana, and Sasha Rose.
The Cold War might have ended, but the battle between Arica and Russia was just beginning, more fierce than ever.
The struggle was not only happening in the Middle East or through proxy wars.
There was also the fierce fight tonight.
Representing Arica, the scumbag conquered over the four Russian ladies, in an unspeakable victory.
Eventually, the bald eagle triumphed over the polar bear.
At nine in the morning, Martin woke from a tangle of arms and legs to find that only four people were left in the room—Marina was gone.
He went to the bathroom to freshen up, ignoring the three still asleep from extre exhaustion, then dressed and left the room.
So noises were faintly coming from the kitchen.
Martin turned around and stood in front of the marble countertop, watching the woman preparing breakfast.
All the food and clothes here had been prepared in advance by Leonardo.
Marina was wearing a set of lady's casual wear that accentuated her figure, making her look shapely and leggy.
Martin thought to himself that young Russian girls were like those blessed by Venus, truly top-notch in body and appearance.
Marina seed to sense his presence, turned her head, saw Martin, and put down her work to co over and kiss his face on tiptoe, saying, "You must have worked up an appetite last night, right? Breakfast will be ready soon."
Martin patted his stomach, "I am indeed a bit hungry."
Busy at work again, Marina asked, "The other three haven't gotten up yet?"
"Don't bother with them, let them sleep a bit longer," Martin said as he pulled out a chair and sat down at the dining table. "I can't wait to taste your cooking."
Marina brought breakfast over and sat across from Martin, her five snowy fingers sliding up and down, asking, "But you've already tried my 'cooking' last night, haven't you?"
The modest and fresh cook, making such a gesture, gave Martin a strong sense of contrast and thrill.
Luckily, Having gone through the sweetness and wickedness of Elizabeth, the icy heat of Charlize, and other trials, he could sit and continue eating breakfast instead of "devouring" a person.
Martin took a sandwich, biting into it and savoring the flavor, comnting, "This tastes really good."
Marina replied, "It's mainly because the ingredients here are excellent. Top-quality ingredients won't disappoint when it cos to taste."
Martin, while eating, said, "But even the best ingredients, in the wrong hands, end up like poison."
"It seems you've had your share of bad experiences," Marina continued, "If you like, I could cook for you more often in the future."
Martin caught her underlying aning and responded, "You live in Saint Petersburg, which is too cold. I'm more accustod to the sunny warmth of Los Angeles."
Marina said laughingly, "I also love Los Angeles. Which actor doesn't want to have a look at Hollywood?"
After finishing his sandwich, Martin picked up a napkin and wiped his hands.
Marina took out her business card and slowly slid it over to him: "Whenever you want to eat sothing I've made, just call ; no matter how far, I'll co to you."
Martin pressed down on the business card and half-jokingly said, "I can't afford to hire you."
"You don't have to pay ." Marina knew too well that offering sothing for nothing could arouse suspicion and said, "Martin, could you give a chance? It doesn't have to be a lead or supporting role, just a role with so substance."
As an organizer, Leonardo had indeed promised opportunities to every participant who joined the gathering.
Marina had carefully studied the relationship between Martin and Leonardo. Knowing they were close friends and infamous mbers of Hollywood's Trio of Scoundrels, if she took the initiative, it was highly likely Martin, who valued brotherhood, wouldn't pass the responsibility to Leonardo.
Martin pocketed the business card, saying, "I'll have soone call you if there's a suitable opportunity."
Marina gestured the phone with her hand, "I'll be waiting for your call."
She wasn't too impatient; instead, she pushed forward slowly, step by step.
Even though there was a chance that the right opportunity might never co, Marina was confident in her charm.
After chatting for a while, the other three won ca down from upstairs.
Martin was a man of his word and, having promised an opportunity, he wouldn't trouble Leonardo but directly took the contact information of the other three won.
Natalia and Sasha Rose wanted to join the Fashion Supermodel Group, and Martin told them to call KK or Angela Lindvall to arrange the specific ti and place.
Svetlana was an actress currently without an agent in Arica.
Martin had her contact Thomas, through WMA it wouldn't be difficult to find her a suitable vase role.
Before noon, Bruce arrived in a car, and after Martin exchanged greetings with Leonardo and Nicholson, he dropped the four won back, and returned to the hotel to et up with the production crew, ready for the next promotional tour.
Back at the hotel, Martin and Bruce were packing up their luggage when Nolan and Emma Thomas had soone notify them not to leave just yet.
Martin found this strange and went out to check the situation, encountering Ellen Page, and asked, "What's the matter? The plane tickets were all booked, why the sudden change?"
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Ellen Page stayed at the hotel, keeping tabs on the crew's whereabouts. She said, "Tom Hardy disappeared; he's been gone since this morning. Everyone thought he just went out on his own. An hour ago, Michael Caine tried calling him when he still hadn't returned, but his phone was unreachable, so he went to find Director Nolan."
As Martin headed towards the elevator, he asked, "Still no contact?"
Ellen Page followed and answered, "None. His phone's been unreachable the whole ti. The hotel staff checked the surveillance footage, and Tom Hardy left the hotel yesterday and hasn't returned since."
She thought of another person, "Tom Hardy had an assistant with him. Michael Caine knows his number, but the assistant's phone is unreachable too."
The two took the elevator downstairs to the hotel's temporary office and eting rooms rented by the film crew.
Emma Thomas and Michael Caine were incessantly making phone calls.
Nolan walked back and forth anxiously, showing signs of impatience.
The others stayed well away, keen not to provoke the director.
Martin briskly approached and asked, "Chris, have you not found him yet?"
"No," Nolan pointed to the two on the phone, "We've tried all the ways to contact Tom Hardy, and it's not just us who can't reach him—his agent can't either."
Curious, Martin remarked, "How can a grown man disappear into thin air without cause?"
Nolan, an Englishman who thought differently from traditional Brits but shared certain attitudes, said, "The security in Paris is terrible, full of robbers. I'm worried Tom Hardy has run into so criminals."
Martin nodded and inquired, "Have you called the police?"
"We have," Nolan replied. "And, the Paris police haven't shown up yet."
At that mont, the hotel's head of security knocked and ca in, went straight to Nolan, and inford, "We've asked several employees who were on duty last night, and now we can confirm that Tom Hardy left the hotel yesterday afternoon with a British man nad Rogers. They drove out of the parking lot in a silver Citroën."
Hearing about the silver Citroën, Martin rembered the car from last night.
Nolan asked, "Do you have the license plate number?"
The head of security recited a sequence of numbers.
Martin had rembered the license plate number just for that mont last night. After all the commotion, it wasn't clear anymore. He glanced at Bruce behind him.
Bruce blinked rapidly.
Martin understood; that was the car that had followed them last night.
The representatives from the Paris police station had arrived, and Nolan, along with the hotel's head of security, went to greet them.
Seeing no one around, Martin asked, "Tom Hardy was following us, obviously up to no good. Did you ss with that car?"
"No," Bruce was certain, "We shook that car off as soon as it left the parking lot."
The two briefly left the eting room and found an empty space to talk.
"Why would they disappear?" Martin couldn't figure it out, "Did they run into robbers for real?"
Bruce explained, "The bodyguard saw their car enter the parking lot, but he didn't go in. Instead, he turned back and followed us."
Martin muttered softly, "The places we went through yesterday were very safe areas in Paris. Logically, even if they encountered robbers, the robbers would only want money. Taking a life turns it into a major case, a completely different nature."
Bruce added, "And Tom Hardy is a sowhat well-known actor."
Martin continued, "He was following us, and that posed a threat to our gathering..."
He pulled out his phone and called Leonardo and Nicholson, hinting at the situation, but they were both unaware of it.
Bruce mused, "Following your logic, if Tom Hardy was a threat to the gathering, and if soone didn't want him interrupting it, could they have taken care of him in advance?"
Martin rembered sothing, "I ntioned the information of the silver Citroën when we were in the car."
At this point, he suddenly had an absurd yet seemingly plausible thought and looked at Bruce.
Bruce had co to the sa conclusion.
They exchanged glances.
This was utterly ssed up!
Scratching his head, Martin said unsurely, "There wasn't really a 'swallow' in that car last night, was there?"
Bruce found the idea preposterous as well and spread his hands, "It couldn't have been a 'raven'."
Once the thought took hold, it was hard to shake off.
Martin, who often dealt with underhanded situations and was naturally paranoid, beca increasingly convinced of its possibility, asking, "Old Cloth, among the won last night, who do you think was most likely to be a 'swallow'?"
Bruce shook his head decisively, "I've never dealt with 'swallows' before. I don't know their M.O. I only glanced briefly at those won last night, couldn't make out anything."
He reminded, "If it's a 'swallow' trained rigorously, it'd be hard to identify. Just last month, when the FBI caught Anna Chapman, the records released by the FBI showed that after half a year of surveillance, she didn't slip up once. If it weren't for the FBI setting a trap, they wouldn't have had solid evidence."
Martin frowned, "Is there surveillance on the bus?" He slapped his forehead, "I had you turn off the caras."
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