*Chapter 201: The Great Magician*

The next day, Richard continued filming with the crew.

In the pool, Eric was swimming, shirtless, wearing swim trunks that revealed his strong, muscular body.

Gracie approached from a distance, picked up a football, and threw it forcefully at him.

"What?" Eric stood up, looking at her in confusion.

"I'm here to tell you that I'm quitting. Take care of yourself," Gracie said, wearing a pink lace off-shoulder dress.

"Wait, what do you mean by 'quitting'?" Eric wiped the water off his face and removed his swimming goggles.

"I mean, you picked the wrong undercover agent. Get it?"

"Don't say that, Gracie. I've waited five years for the chance to lead a case. How could I have picked the wrong person?" Eric tried to reason with her.

"No, no, no, the only reason you picked me is because I look better in a bikini and didn’t take maternity leave."

"No, that's just what they think. Do you know why I chose you?" Eric said seriously. "Because you're smart, funny, easy to get along with. Don't be too hard on yourself. Give Victor and the other contestants a chance. Once they see what I see in you, they'll like you."

Eric looked at her, "So, will you stick with it a little longer?"

Gracie looked at him silently for a moment. "Alright, I won't let you down."

"Great, I'm glad to hear that," Eric said with a gentle smile, then grabbed her arm and pulled her into the pool.

"Cut! That was great!" Director Donald shouted, smiling as he looked at Richard and Sandra in the pool.

At first, he was worried that Richard wouldn't be able to handle the role. Richard was a world boxing champion and had never done a comedy film before. He had received a lot of negative reviews, with critics saying his acting was mediocre and that he was only good at action scenes.

But after a while of filming, Donald started to relax.

Richard's acting was actually pretty good. While he might not be at the level of top-tier actors, his performance was certainly adequate. He was also quick to learn and improve, gradually becoming more comfortable in comedic roles. His progress was impressive.

Moreover, his chemistry with Sandra was getting better and better. They were becoming more in sync, and despite the significant age difference, they were convincingly portraying their characters' relationship.

Their performances were improving, and the filming was progressing faster. Donald was becoming more confident about the success of the movie.

"Take a ten-minute break, then we'll continue filming!" Donald called out, and the crew got busy again.

By the poolside, Richard pulled Sandra out of the water.

"You were supposed to pull me gently so I could jump in naturally, but you pulled too hard—I almost choked on water," Sandra complained, rubbing her nose.

"Sorry, I was worried that if I didn’t use enough force, I wouldn’t be able to pull you in," Richard said apologetically.*"What do you mean? Are you calling me fat?"* Sandra asked, clearly displeased.

"Oh, no, no! Donald wanted that playful, prank-like vibe, and I didn’t want to do another take, so I used a bit more force," Richard explained quickly.

"Are you saying I’m fat?" Sandra pressed, hands on her hips.

Richard shook his head, his eyes momentarily drifting to her curvy figure, which was as enticing as a ripe peach.

"Creepy!" Sandra rolled her eyes at him before wrapping herself in a towel and heading into the changing room.

Richard chuckled softly and went to change his clothes as well.

Just then, Mike approached with a stack of newspapers. "Richard, here's today’s paper. The reporters have noticed you. They're calling you a magician, saying you helped Paul defeat Hashim."

"Let me see!" Richard sat under a poolside umbrella and took a copy of the Los Angeles Times.

Following Paul’s recent match, the media had heavily covered his bout with Hashim. Initially, the reports were straightforward, noting that "Werewolf" Paul, despite the odds, made a stunning comeback in the final round, defeating the formidable Hashim to become the new WBC International Heavyweight Champion.

The articles also mentioned Richard, identifying him as a fellow disciple of Alvin, just like Paul, bringing some fame to Alvin as well. Reports highlighted Paul’s relationship with US Open champion Venus Williams, with the two making a public appearance together. The media also linked this to Shaquille O'Neal and referenced the bar fight incident from before.

Amid the praise, some negative reports began to emerge. Critics claimed Paul's performance in the final round seemed suspicious, suggesting he might have been on drugs and calling for a second drug test by the state athletic commission.

As these doubts grew louder, they nearly dominated the conversation. However, yesterday, both the athletic commission and the boxing association issued statements affirming that Paul’s second drug test came back clean, with no traces of performance-enhancing drugs or any history of drug use. His integrity was declared beyond question.

A spokesperson from the boxing association also publicly stated that the match was fair and that there were no issues with Paul's knockout victory over Hashim.

Today, many media outlets published four photos, shifting public attention to a "mysterious man." In the final round, a man wearing a baseball cap was seen standing below the ring, shouting something loudly. In one photo, Paul had his eyes closed, looking exhausted yet calm. In the next photo, Paul suddenly stood up, roaring into the air, filled with fighting spirit. The final photo showed Paul landing the knockout punch on Hashim.

The accompanying captions across various newspapers unanimously identified the man in the cap as the super boxing champion, Richard Brad. The reports noted that he was currently in Las Vegas for a film shoot and also mentioned that Paul had quietly traveled to Los Angeles to train with him.

After identifying Richard as the man in the hat, the media engaged in wild speculation. Some claimed he was a magician, casting a spell at the last moment to help Paul win the match. Others brought up his reputation as a tactical genius, suggesting that Paul had used Richard's strategy to defeat Hashim.

The consensus was that Paul's fighting style in that match bore a striking resemblance to Richard’s, leading many to believe that Richard was the "mastermind" behind the victory.

"Richard, you're about to gain a new title—‘The Great Magician.’ I think it sounds pretty cool," Mike joked.

Richard shook his head. "Only a few people knew that Paul came to L.A. for training. These stories were likely leaked by someone at StarLight to divert public attention, shape the narrative, and maybe even hype up me and Paul."

"Whoever leaked it, this story is definitely getting traction. Over a hundred newspapers covered it today, and I bet there’ll be even more tomorrow. Looks like the 'Magician' title is here to stay," Mike teased.

Richard chuckled. "I'd rather not have that title. Paul won because of his own effort; I had very little to do with it. If stories like this keep spreading, Paul might get annoyed."

"Hah! He won’t be. He's been having a blast these past few days—driving sports cars, traveling. He even went to New Orleans the other day to surprise Venus at her match," Mike said, flipping through a tabloid with a laugh.

"How come I didn't know about that?" Richard frowned.

"Haha, he said he couldn’t tell you because you’d just push him to train more, but he wanted to relax for a bit."

"Relax? What about the upcoming match? David Tua isn’t going to be easy to beat," Richard sighed, shaking his head. Heavyweight matches only get tougher as they progress, with the semifinals featuring contenders like James Toney, Chris Byrd, and David Tua, and a final showdown with the big boss, Lennox Lewis. Paul still had a long way to go before claiming the world title.

"Why don't you call him back for training?"

"No, he’s 26. He knows what he’s doing," Richard shrugged, picking up the script again.

After a short break, the crew resumed filming.

(End of Chapter)