In one of the studio offices, Matthew and Amanda sat on a long sofa without a word, simply watching as Helen negotiated with the record company. She went over every aspect of the deal, including many terms Matthew didn't even understand, aside from the paynt for the role.
For instance, it was out of the question for the record company to provide a car for a minor actor like Matthew, but Helen managed to secure a car rental allowance for him of $50 a day.
The studio had four dressing rooms, and Helen requested a private one for Matthew, arguing that the lead actor needed to be well-rested for the shoot.
She didn't overlook other details either, such as compensation insurance and the actor's rights.
Helen was doing everything possible to get Matthew the best deal without violating the record company's policies.
Matthew didn't say a word, but his eyes took it all in. Helen might have been a bit arrogant, but she was an exceptionally diligent agent, fighting to secure every possible privilege for her actor.
The negotiations between the two parties were dragging on when suddenly, the faint sound of an argunt and shouting reached them.
"That voice." Not just Matthew, but Amanda heard it too and whispered, "It sounds familiar."
Matthew listened, a smile flickering at the corners of his mouth as he lowered his voice. "Sounds like Michael to ."
"Michael?" Amanda wondered. "Didn't he leave?"
"Who knows." Matthew shrugged slightly. "Guess he ca back."
Just then, Helen's phone rang. She excused herself, answered it, and after hearing sothing, shot to her feet.
"What?" Her eyes, hidden behind dark sunglasses, were wide with astonishnt. "I'll be right there."
With that, Helen rushed into the hallway. Luckily, she was wearing a pair of flat leather shoes, otherwise she definitely would have stumbled.
"What happened?" Amanda was surprised; she rarely saw Helen so flustered.
The people from the record company were also running out one after another. Matthew stood up and said to Amanda, "Let's go see."
Matthew and Amanda left the office and followed the voices down a side corridor, only to see a small crowd gathered a dozen ters away. The argunt they had heard had escalated into a tirade of insults.
"Martin Jackson, you bastard! I'll kill you!"
Hearing the voice, Matthew was certain it was Michael. He moved closer to the onlookers and saw Michael, his face flushed red and a steel pipe in his hand, blocking the door to one of the offices and screaming.
From inside the office ca Jackson's trembling voice, "He's crazy! He's lost his mind! Call the police!"
"Michael!" Helen, standing in front of Matthew, yelled. "Stop it!"
Michael was enraged, at the peak of his fury, and paid her no mind.
Helen wasn't a fool. She just stood at a safe distance and shouted, not daring to rush forward and stop him.
In that state, it would be bad luck for anyone who crossed his path.
The office door was locked, and Michael couldn't break it down.
"Bang! Bang!" The sound of Michael striking the door echoed through the hall.
"Has he lost his mind?" Amanda instinctively hid behind Matthew. "I can't believe he's doing this here."
"Matthew?" The assistant to his left was York. Seeing Matthew standing next to him, he explained, "Director Jackson had just left the audition room when that psycho hit him on the shoulder with the steel pipe. If Director Jackson hadn't locked himself in this office, he probably..."
York shook his head, trailing off.
Michael kicked the door, the pipe still clutched in his hand. He looked so unhinged and was ard, so no one even tried to approach him. They just called the police.
"Damn it!" Helen was no longer calm, growing anxious. He was her client, after all. "Damn it all! Sobody stop him before he breaks down the door and kills Jackson!"
But this was Hollywood, where self-preservation was second nature. No one listened to her.
"Bang!" Michael kicked the wooden door again, sending splinters flying.
The more he failed to get to Martin, the angrier he beca. The angrier he beca, the more his ass hurt. The more his ass hurt, the more he thought about what Jackson had done to him. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to break down the door. The longer he failed to break down the door, the angrier he got. And the angrier he got, the more he needed to vent.
People in a rage are irrational.
So, for the ti being, no one, including Helen, tried to stop him, afraid the steel pipe would co down on their own heads.
Matthew guessed it was partly because Martin Jackson was just a minor music video director. If so big-shot director had been in that office, he figured soone would have already rushed in to intervene.
"Bang—bang—bang!"
The loud banging continued, followed by Michael's furious, unhinged scream, "You fucked
in the ass! And you didn't give
the part you promised! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"
At those words, an instant silence fell. Matthew and Amanda exchanged a bewildered look.
Things like this weren't exactly a secret in the industry, but no one ever spoke about them openly. Now that it was shouted out for everyone to hear, the crowd was stunned.
Helen imdiately understood what had happened. She also realized that this could bring down the Angel Acting Agency, which was her heart and soul. With a rush of blood to her head, she made to charge toward Michael.
She was standing right in front of Matthew and was about to step forward when he noticed her movent.
It was hard to find an agent with such professionalism and a solid network. Matthew didn't want to see her get hurt, so he reached out, grabbed Helen's shoulders, and warned, "He's lost his mind, have you lost yours too? Do you want to get injured?"
Michael was spewing profanities, his feet kicking the door and the steel pipe swinging wildly in his hands. It was more than likely that if anyone got close, he would use it.
Helen felt a large, rough hand clamp down on her shoulders with an iron grip. Even if she tried to surge forward, she wouldn't have been able to break free.
After Matthew's reminder, Helen cald down as well. She wasn't impulsive or reckless, after all.
"You're on good terms with him." Helen imdiately turned her head and asked, "Why is he acting like this?"
Matthew let her go and scratched his head. "He already said why."
The wail of sirens sounded from outside the studio, followed by heavy footsteps. Several police officers rushed inside, and the incident was quickly brought under control. A few burly patroln tead up to subdue Michael, cuff him, and forcibly drag him out of the studio.
Then, the office door opened from the inside. A disheveled and grimacing Martin Jackson erged, one hand on his shoulder. His face was pale and covered in fine beads of sweat; he looked to be in considerable pain.
At that mont, a representative from the record company stepped forward. "To the hospital. He needs to go to the hospital."
Imdiately, several crew mbers escorted Martin Jackson out.
"Ah..." Martin Jackson cried out, likely because of the pain in his shoulder.
"Let's break it up," the man from the record company said, waving his hand. "The show's over."
The crowd dispersed, but Matthew saw that Helen hadn't moved, standing rooted to the spot with Amanda.
"Call the main office. I need to speak with the director," the record company representative instructed his assistant. "And keep an eye on Jackson and that psycho."
With that, he looked up at Helen. "Helen, what's going on?"
"I don't know," Helen answered quickly. "Perhaps Director Jackson made so kind of private agreent with Michael."
The record company representative glanced at Matthew and Amanda and frowned. "If what he just said is true, we have a problem."
Helen saw his glance, turned to Matthew and Amanda, and said, "Go back to the office and wait for
there."
It was clear the company representative wanted to speak with her in private.
Without a word, Matthew and Amanda turned and left the area. They returned to the office where they had been negotiating earlier and waited patiently for Helen's return.
"Is this going to be a problem?" Matthew asked in a low voice.
Amanda shook her head. "It's fine. Helen will handle it."
Matthew hadn't expected Michael to be so impulsive in his anger and to co down so hard on Martin Jackson.
This was far more than he had anticipated, but when he thought about the price Michael had paid, it seed almost normal.
He probably wants to settle a score with , too, right?
So of what happened today had been part of his plan, and so of it was coincidence, but overall, it had largely achieved its purpose.
Matthew and Amanda waited for almost twenty minutes before Helen returned and resud her negotiations with the record company staff.
The terms were agreed upon, a contract was drawn up, and Matthew signed it in duplicate in the presence of their respective lawyers.
Helen had managed to secure a number of favorable terms, but Matthew was most concerned with the pay: $4,000 for four days of shooting, with an automatic increase of $1,000 for each additional day.
Matthew received the script for the music video but had no idea when filming would begin. The director had suddenly found himself in a ssy situation, so he would have to wait for the production team to inform him of the exact shooting schedule.
The audition, which had cost Matthew so much effort, was finally over. He went with Helen back to the Angel Acting Agency, then caught a bus to his job on Hollywood Boulevard.
The bus had barely left Burbank when Helen called, asking him to co to the Angel Acting Agency again tomorrow. For so reason, her voice was cold.
Helen was no fool. She had suspected sothing was amiss and had questioned Amanda, who, under pressure, had spilled the beans.
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