Chapter 405: Date

For the executive position at Lionsgate, Link had initially considered Catherine and Mandy. However, both of them lacked experience in managing a company and needed more training. It was more suitable for them to stay at Palm Beach and Palm Bay, two smaller companies.

Ivanka, on the other hand, had grown up working with Mr. Trump and graduated from an Ivy League school with a double master's degree in economics and management from Wharton. In her early twenties, she served as vice president of the Trump Organization, a real estate group with a market value of tens of billions, and also founded her eponymous jewelry and clothing brands, with a market value of hundreds of millions.

In recent years, her experience at Link Music had also been recognized in the business world. She had been listed in Fortune magazine's "40 Under 40" list for two consecutive years, and Link Music's market value had soared under her management, with breaking through ten billion dollars just a matter of time.

Ivanka had extensive experience in managing companies, making her a suitable choice to manage Lionsgate. Link offered her an annual salary of three million dollars, plus a 10% share of the company's dividends, with the highest decision-making power in the company's management and operation.

After consideration, Ivanka agreed to join Lionsgate but did not accept the three million annual salary, only retaining the 10% share of dividends.

Hearing Ivanka's agreement, Link was also relieved. With Ivanka in charge of Lionsgate, the executives below would probably be afraid to play tricks.

At the same time, Ivanka also mentioned to him the issue of establishing a board of directors for Link Music. With a board of directors, the company's operational issues could be directly handed over to senior executives such as George Kapal, Bob Harrison, and Graeme Augud. These executives would be responsible to the board of directors. If their annual performance was qualified, they would be promoted and given a raise. If not, they would be replaced. This could also improve the company's internal structure, increase operational efficiency, and reduce Ivanka's workload as the president.

After consideration, Link agreed. The current shareholders of Link Music were mainly him and Ivanka, who together held 88.5% of the company's shares, while Scooter Braun held about 4.2%. Graeme and other executives held about 4.1%. The four signed platinum singers held about 3.2% of the shares, mainly through song copyright dividends.

In the future, these people would also be members of the board of directors. They were all acquaintances, and after the establishment of the board of directors, the company's operation mode would not change. The only benefit was to liberate Ivanka, giving her more time to manage Lionsgate.

However, there was also a downside. That was that the bond with Ivanka was getting deeper and deeper. This made him increasingly inseparable from Ivanka. Once she was gone, the companies under him would probably fall into chaos, and his net worth would plummet.

According to this situation, he could only marry Ivanka.

"Marriage?"

Link folded his arms and looked out the window at the sunny and bustling Santa Monica Boulevard, shaking his head.

It was okay to marry Ivanka, but he was already used to this way of interacting with Ivanka. What would it be like after marriage? Would it get worse? He couldn't predict.

This was also his concern. Even as a world boxing champion, he would still have concerns about this matter before getting married.

He also suddenly understood why Fat James would rather risk coming to Los Angeles and New York than get married.

But as an adult, this step had to be taken sooner or later. What he could do now was to learn to accept it and start preparing.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Chairman, this is the box office information for the new films released at the beginning of the year, as well as the films currently in promotion and the film projects in preparation," Secretary Amanda walked into the office with a stack of documents.

"Put it there, I'll look at it later."

After Amanda left, he poured a glass of mineral water, sat in his office chair, and looked at the information.

After several acquisitions, Lionsgate's distribution capabilities were among the best in the independent film industry. In addition to distributing its own films, it also participated in the distribution of films from independent production companies such as Relativity Media and Blue Sky Studios. On average, it released one film per month, 10 to 18 films a year, depending on the financial situation of the previous year. If there was money, they would make more films; if not, they would make fewer.

The films released in the first three months were "Little Miss Sunshine," "Step Up 2: The Streets," "Red State," and "The Lincoln Lawyer." The box office results of these films were relatively average. The first three films were released for about two months, with a cumulative North American box office of less than 30 million, barely breaking even.

The fourth film, "The Lincoln Lawyer," starring Matthew McConaughey, was produced and distributed by Lionsgate. It was released on March 18th and earned $13.4 million in its first week, with a cumulative box office of $29.07 million in three weeks. Compared to the cost of $4 million, it was expected to just break even.

However, the film's reputation was good, with an average media rating of B, a Yahoo audience rating of A-, and an 80% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Veteran handsome guy Matthew McConaughey's acting was still very good, and the plot didn't have many flaws. Media reviews said the film was expected to be shortlisted for next year's Academy Awards.

Seeing Matthew McConaughey, he remembered another famous movie, "Dallas Buyers Club," which was considered the original version of "Dying to Survive" and had a very good reputation, helping Matthew McConaughey win an Oscar for Best Actor.

Link didn't know if this film had started shooting, so he wrote down the script name and asked someone to check it later.

This month, Lionsgate was about to release a comedy film, "Madea's Big Happy Family," a B-movie, scheduled for release on April 22nd. Link hadn't seen this film and hadn't even heard of the name. In this case, the box office results probably wouldn't be too high either.

In the past, when he looked at the movie box office rankings, he could stay out of it and watch coldly, but not now. Every movie was made with the company's money, which was also his money. Every extra dollar at the box office meant an extra dollar for him, and if the box office flopped, he would lose money.

Thinking of this, Link suddenly felt that buying a company was easy, but making it successful and standing firm in the competition with peers was not an easy task.

While reviewing the information, he also looked at several film projects in preparation, such as "Playing for Keeps," "The Hunger Games," "The Cabin in the Woods," and six other films, including "Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D," which seemed to be the one Alexandra Daddario participated in.

He thought for a moment, then called Daddario and said that Lionsgate had several thriller film projects that needed a large number of young and beautiful actresses. He asked her if she wanted to try.

"No, I'm...studying at an acting school now," Daddario said on the phone.

"Are you sure? Lionsgate is the largest thriller and suspense film production company in Hollywood. If you don't act in Lionsgate's films, do you want to quit the industry?" Link leaned back in his office chair and laughed.

Originally, their relationship was normal. Since the news said that he spent 800 million for Jennifer Lawrence to buy Lionsgate, Daddario seemed to mind and hadn't taken the initiative to call him for several days.

"I can play other roles, not necessarily horror movies. I'm not scary," Daddario said in a sweet voice.

Hearing her speak, Link couldn't help but picture her in his mind. Blinking big blue eyes, round cheeks, a perky nose tip, soft red lips, and down her slender neck, a delicate and sexy scented collarbone, and then further down, plump and soft mounds.

Indeed not scary.

"Annie, I miss you. Come to Los Angeles. Whether you act or not, I want to see you every day," Link said.

"...Every day? Don't you need to accompany Jennifer Lawrence, who is worth 800 million?" Daddario asked jealously.

"Annie, don't believe those rumors. The reason I acquired Lionsgate is that I want to have an independent film distribution channel. If it were for Jennifer, I would only need to buy a part of Lionsgate's shares to help her get that role, not all of them. Speaking of which, when I acquired Lionsgate, I also considered you. You told me that you are suitable for thriller and suspense films, and Lionsgate produces a large number of suspense films every year. If you are interested, you can choose any of those film roles. But filming is very hard. If you don't want to act and are ready to quit the industry and do something else, I will also support you," Link said slowly.

"I love movies and haven't thought about quitting the industry, but my parents want me to stay away from you, saying you're too fickle."

"Really? What do you think?"

"...I love you, very much. I don't mind you being fickle. I just want to know if you love me more or Jennifer Lawrence more?" Daddario asked carefully.

"Annie, it's you. I don't know how to describe your importance in my heart. I want to tell you that the first person I think of when I wake up every day is you. I also think of you when I run. The thing I want to do most now is to kiss you. Kissing you is one of the most wonderful things I've ever experienced."

"I miss you too, and... I'm also in Los Angeles," Daddario said softly.

"Really? I'll be right there."

Link asked for the address from the girl, put away the documents on the table, gave a few instructions to the secretary, and asked Bob to drive him to an ordinary apartment on Byrd Street in West Hollywood.

---

When he arrived, he suddenly felt that the street scene nearby looked familiar. He looked around and remembered that Gal Gadot had lived here for a while, and he often came to stay overnight during that time.

Later, he moved to New York, where he trained and prepared for competitions, and rarely came to Los Angeles. Gal Gadot also had to join the crew to film. By 2009, he entered the music industry and started dating Taylor, and his contact with Gal Gadot gradually decreased.

Later, he heard that she married a wealthy businessman in Israel, and they completely lost contact.

Thinking of Gal, Link felt that he was very immature in relationships at that time and had too many concerns when dealing with problems. If it were now, he would never easily let go of any girl who was willing to stay by his side.

Seeing several bunches of fresh red roses displayed at the flower shop on the roadside, he got out of the car wearing a baseball cap and bought a bunch. Holding the flowers, he came to Daddario's apartment door, knocked twice, and the door opened.

The big-eyed beauty Alexandra Daddario was standing at the door.

Chapter 405: Date (continued)

She had her golden-brown hair loose and wore light makeup, making her round face look even more delicate and sweet. She was wearing a blue knee-length dress that showed off her tall and sexy figure, with her chest curves still high and full.

"Link, you're here!" Daddario smiled, her lips curving.

Link smiled gently, looking warmly into her eyes. Daddario bLinkd her big eyes, her pretty cheeks gradually turning red. Link put down the bouquet and reached out to hug her.

He kissed her soft, red lips intensely and domineeringly.

He closed the door with his foot.

The two kissed in the hallway for more than ten minutes, condensing all the unspoken words into this kiss.

Link embraced the limp Daddario and moved to the sofa, hugging and chatting about her recent events.

She had arrived in Los Angeles the day before yesterday. Her agent contacted her for an audition for a new movie role. She hadn't planned to tell him so early, wanting to surprise him.

Daddario leaned on his shoulder, blinking her sly and beautiful blue eyes, smiling.

Before she could say anything else, he kissed her eyes and gently pressed her onto the sofa.

As he removed Daddario's bandeau bra, he couldn't help but recall their first intimate experience.

It was at the end of December last year, on Christmas Eve. Daddario had to stay home with her family for Christmas, while he promised to spend Christmas with Catherine and New Year's Eve with Ivanka. So they agreed to spend the day before Christmas together in Daddario's small apartment.

That day, they got up early and ran in Central Park in the snow, shopped at Walmart, made breakfast together back at the apartment, watched the snow fall from the balcony, and kissed in the snow.

They cuddled on the sofa, watched a comedy movie, and kissed until she was limp in his arms.

Just like today, he held her and rolled on the sofa, slowly undoing the restraints on her body.

Like a scientist peeling away the outer layer of an atomic nucleus, revealing the explosive interior.

When he further explored the mysterious interior of the atomic nucleus with a rigorous scientific attitude and tools...

That wonderful feeling made him tremble all over, his spiritual world was like a nuclear explosion, a huge mushroom cloud rose in front of his eyes, the world was left with only red, white, and pink colors, and his nostrils were filled with the smell of the aftermath of the nuclear explosion, wonderful beyond words, as if floating in the air.

From then on, he never let go of the girl until after 5 pm, when it was almost dark, there was a sudden knock on the door of Daddario's apartment.

At first, he and Daddario ignored it, but then the knocking became heavier, and someone outside shouted, "Annie, I know you're in there, I heard your phone ring, open the door quickly," the voice was rough and serious.

When Link heard Alexandra say that the person outside was her father, he knew their date had to end early.

"Phew! Annie, no one will knock on the door today, right?" Link looked at Daddario and smiled.

"Not necessarily." Daddario wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him with a smile.

"Then we need to be more focused and let me see your limits."

Link pulled up the blanket and covered them both.

The space under the blanket became closed, and the temperature gradually rose, and the blood flow accelerated.

This also caused the taste, touch, and sensory stimulation to double.

When the Los Angeles sun shone from the east balcony into the west bedroom window, the battlefield in the house also shifted from the living room carpet to the bedroom, and this protracted battle finally ushered in a halftime break.

"Annie, you're so beautiful, your eyes and... everything is big, you're suitable to play the leading lady in commercial blockbusters. Do you want to consider a transformation? I can find you some suitable roles," Link hugged the girl, his hand resting on his favorite place.

"No, being a vase is boring. I prefer to play challenging roles," Daddario said lazily with her eyes closed.

Link smiled gently. When actors first start out, they all dream of winning an Oscar for Best Actor or Actress, thinking it's easy. When they come to Hollywood and see that many of the actors around them are more beautiful, more talented, and better at acting, but still ordinary actors, many people will then recognize the reality and constantly adjust their established goals.

From Oscar winners to movie stars, in the end, as long as they can get a role with lines and appear on the screen, it's good enough.

Later, they find that it's too difficult to get ahead as an actor. Some give up, and some persist. Giving up doesn't necessarily mean failure, and persisting doesn't necessarily mean success.

Only those who persist in their goals and finally stand on the Oscar podium can be considered to have truly achieved their goals.

Among Daddario's generation of actors, only a few, such as Emma Stone and Jennifer Lawrence, have done it, while others have become stepping stones.

Currently, Daddario had only acted in a few films and was not even a second-tier actress in the industry. Her previous path had been relatively smooth, so she wanted to take on some challenging roles and strive to win Golden Globe and Oscar awards, to gain recognition from the mainstream film industry.

According to the original trajectory, after encountering setbacks in her career, she would helplessly choose the path of a vase, acting in many films that focused on her face and figure, and even exposing her sexy and hot body in the TV series "True Detective," just like she was now.

But now Link had appeared.

He wouldn't allow her to continue taking on those kinds of roles, and it was best not to even have intimate scenes.

For an actress like her, even if she took off her clothes, gained weight, or became ugly, it would be difficult to win the favor of the Oscars. So she might as well not sacrifice herself and just treat acting as a hobby, acting in good roles when they came along, and resting, beautifying, and exercising when there weren't any. Maintaining her beauty was the most important thing.

"Annie, what do you think?" Link asked, stroking her fluffy long curly hair.

"No intimate scenes?" Daddario bLinkd her long eyelashes.

"Yes, I love you too much and want you to belong only to me. Seeing you and a male actor in an intimate scene would make me uncomfortable," Link hugged her tightly, feeling the soft pressure on his chest and the fragrance of her hair.

His muscles became harder and firmer.

"Honey, you're so domineering," Daddario said softly, hugging his waist.

"Do you really want to win an Oscar? I think being a producer is also good. You've been in the film industry for more than two years and have some understanding of things in the circle. Do you want to consider being a producer? Start by making small-budget art films, thrillers. Think about it, when you turn a piece of text into a movie that is accepted by many audiences and recognized by major film awards, with both box office and critical acclaim, wouldn't that sense of accomplishment be more fulfilling than being an actor? When you're a producer, you can also act in suitable roles, becoming a filmmaker who can both act and produce. Even if you're beautiful, people won't call you a vase," Link whispered in her ear.

He remembered that Daddario had also been a producer later, so it wouldn't hurt to try now. Even if she didn't know how to do it, she could learn from the experienced producers in the company, and over time, she would become proficient.

"I'll listen to you, no intimate scenes, and don't let anyone else kiss me. My whole body belongs to you, okay?" Daddario wrapped her legs around him and said affectionately.

"Okay, don't go back on your word," Link said, looking into her blue eyes, their noses touching.

"I won't. I can tattoo your name here, tattoo 'I love you,' everything about me belongs to you," the girl bLinkd her big eyes and pointed to her ribs.

"No need. Your body is perfect, don't let tattoos ruin it. Tattoo it in your heart, let me know that you will always love me."

"I will. Ever since I met you, I feel like every day is great, and time has slowed down. I'm not as impatient as before because there's a still you in my heart, Link. I like you so much, I can't imagine what I would be like without you, so please don't leave me, okay?"

"Of course not."

The two of them huddled under the blanket and exchanged sweet nothings for dozens of minutes.

Until the bed was bathed in the setting sun, and the temperature under the blanket gradually rose.

The nuclear war broke out again.

The world under the blanket was turned upside down, magnificent and turbulent.

---

Knock, knock, knock! Knock, knock, knock!

The war was still ongoing when a clear knock came from outside the door. Link and Daddario were too engrossed to pay attention. The knocking stopped after three times, and a phone ringtone came from the living room. It was Link's song "Stay With Me."

I don't want you to leave

Will you hold my hand

Oh, won't you stay with me

'Cause you're all I need

"Could it be your parents?" Link stopped and looked at the girl with flushed cheeks as he listened to the ringtone.

"Impossible, they're working in New York and wouldn't suddenly come to Los Angeles. It might be my agent, Susan. She said she would come over this afternoon to deliver a new script."

Just as she was speaking, someone outside shouted, "Annie, are you there?" Daddario said it was Ms. Susan Waters' voice.

Susan was a former colleague of her mother and now an agent at William Morris Agency. Daddario was one of the many artists under her.

Link released Daddario's waist, and she slowly got up, wrapped a blanket around her chest, and opened the bedroom door.

Link lay on the bed and waited for two minutes, hearing a chatter of conversation coming from the living room.

Susan asked Daddario who she was dating, and Daddario said no one.

Susan said she didn't need to see with her eyes or smell with her nose, just hearing the voice, she knew there must be someone. She also said that she didn't want to interfere in her private affairs, but her mother had told her that she was too naive and easily taken advantage of in Hollywood, so she had to ask a few more questions.

Link smiled as he listened. After more than ten seconds, Daddario came in holding his clothes and said that Susan had come to deliver the script.

"Guess what script it is?" Daddario bLinkd her big eyes and smiled.

"Is it a Lionsgate film?"

"Yes, 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre,' another horror film. I originally wanted to act in an art film, but Susan said my acting was still immature and needed to be honed. She wanted me to act in thriller and suspense films first, so she often helped me get this kind of film," Daddario said.

"That makes sense."

Link went into the bathroom to shower, and Daddario also took off the blanket and followed him in. He looked at her and said, "Being an actor is hard work. Your parents are both career elites. Haven't they ever advised you to do other jobs?"

"Of course. When I graduated from high school, they helped me with some career planning and wanted me to be a lawyer. They even asked me to practice debating. I said I wanted to be an actor, and they didn't object, thinking I would give up when faced with difficulties. But I persisted for three years. Now not only me, but also my younger sister and brother want to be actors. Fortunately, my older brother is a lawyer, otherwise our whole family would become actors," Daddario smiled and helped him apply some shampoo.

After washing off the sweat, Link put on a T-shirt and pants and went to the living room first, preparing to chat with Daddario's agent, Ms. Susan Waters.

---

Ms. Susan was in her forties, with ordinary looks and a slightly plump figure. She had dyed red long hair and wore a casual suit and jeans. She was dressed fashionably and looked capable.

"Mr. Link Baker? I'm Susan Waters, nice to meet you here," Ms. Susan looked at him and greeted him with a smile.

"Hello, Ms. Waters!"

Link shook hands with her.

Although she was just an agent, the most important profession in the entertainment industry was the agent. They were considered the lubricant that kept the giant Hollywood machine running smoothly, and they were also the "behind-the-scenes" of the entertainment industry.

In contrast, the actors were the "face."

Sometimes, agents played a more important role in the entertainment industry than actors.

This profession was also similar to the professional promoters in boxing promotion companies. The job of a boxer was to train every day and strive to improve their boxing skills.

The work of a boxing promoter was more extensive. They needed to constantly promote the boxer, help them find suitable opponents, and then negotiate the appearance fee, match time, venue, pre-match promotion, and so on. It often took months or even more time to prepare for a boxing match.

After they arranged everything, the boxer would go on stage, and whether they won or lost was only a matter of minutes. In comparison, the promoter was more active in this industry.

The same was true for actor agents. After signing an actor, the agent needed to package and promote the actor, help them choose scripts and find suitable roles. They needed to have a certain level of education and know what kind of scripts were more suitable for their actors.

Sometimes, they also needed to know some acting skills, as well as crisis management, award public relations, etc. These were all the abilities of a professional agent.

Compared to actors, they often surpassed many actors who hadn't even finished middle school in terms of knowledge, education, IQ, and connections. This was also the reason why many agents could firmly control their artists.

In the Hollywood agent circle, there were also different levels.

CAA (Creative Artists Agency), WMA (William Morris Endeavor), ICM (International Creative Management), and UTA (United Talent Agency) were considered the "Big Four" in the entertainment agent industry.

Among the Big Four agencies, WMA, where Susan Waters worked, was founded in 1898. The other three agencies combined couldn't match its history, and it was considered the mother of Hollywood agencies.

Before the 1970s, WMA was the most powerful agency in Hollywood.

In 1975, five agents, including Michael Ovitz, left WMA and founded a new agency, CAA, ending WMA's monopoly and becoming the most powerful agency in Hollywood.

However, by 1995, Michael Ovitz and others left CAA. With the newly founded ICM and UTA, CAA's strength greatly diminished, and WMA rose to the challenge. In recent years, it had been able to compete with CAA in terms of strength.

There was a famous "mailroom" at WMA, which all agents had to go through. Only newcomers who did well in the mailroom could further become official agents.

The work in the WMA mailroom was very complicated and could really train people. It mainly involved running errands for celebrities and veteran agents and handling many miscellaneous tasks.

For example, delivering a check to a celebrity having a party at the Beverly Hills Hotel, telling them that a certain script had been negotiated, or delivering the script to an artist who was having fun on a cruise ship, and by the way, bringing a pork knuckle rice from Chinatown for a veteran agent, helping actors with their scripts, carrying bags, cleaning suits, etc., 24 hours a day without rest.

It was said that people who could initially persevere in the mailroom would become very capable.

For example, CAA founder Michael Ovitz, former Disney chairman Michael Eisner, former Paramount CEO Barry Diller, DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, and other Hollywood bigwigs had all been trained in WMA's mailroom.

Because the people trained in the mailroom were too capable, all of them were rebels. In the 1980s, WMA took the initiative to shorten the training time for newcomers in the mailroom from two years to three months.

Link didn't know how long Ms. Susan Waters had been trained in the mailroom, but judging from her behavior, she was also a very capable person.

"Mr. Baker, what a coincidence. I just saw Catherine not long ago, and now I see you here," Ms. Susan said with a hearty laugh.

"You know Catherine?"

"Yes, more than ten years ago, when she came to Hollywood to try her luck, I had just entered the industry, and we worked together for a while," Ms. Susan said, spreading her hands.

"It's really a coincidence."

Link shrugged.

"Oh, I forgot to congratulate Mr. Baker on successfully taking over Lionsgate and becoming the youngest film company leader in Hollywood. Mr. Baker has made brilliant achievements in both the boxing and music industries, and he will surely make amazing achievements in Hollywood in the future," Ms. Susan praised with a smile.

"Thank you! I hope so."

Link smiled gently and looked at the script "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" on the table. "Is this the next movie you prepared for Annie?"

"Yes, it's also a coincidence that it's a film project of Mr. Baker's company," Ms. Susan said.

Link nodded and looked at the script. "Annie should have no problem auditioning. In the future, if Lionsgate has any suitable roles, as long as Annie likes them, she can come and try them out. Also, Ms. Waters, Annie is my girlfriend. Please take care of her in her work.