In the evening, after finishing the shoot, Luca dragged his tired body back to the hotel.
On the balcony, he lit a cigarette, gazing at the scenery outside.
In the twilight, the setting sun illuminated the distant Thames River, Tower Bridge, and Westminster Abbey, creating a breathtaking view.
As he looked out at the scenery, his mood gradually improved.
It was his first time working with director Woody Allen, and he had finally witnessed the authority of a big-name director.
During filming, Woody Allen was completely different from his usual demeanor—serious, demanding, even a bit harsh.
In the two scenes they filmed in the afternoon, Luca felt he had performed well, much better than the awkward original version. But Woody Allen seemed to be in a bad mood and singled him out for criticism without mercy.
He did take after take until he was utterly exhausted. His expressions became stiff before Woody finally let him go.
After finishing, all he could feel was tired—not just physically but emotionally. If the first day of filming was this hard, how was he going to make it through the next month?
He downed a glass of wine in one gulp.
After some thought, he lay down on the couch and gave Kate a call.
"Kate, are you awake?"
It was morning in Los Angeles.
"Of course, we're having breakfast. How was the shoot today?"
Kate asked cheerfully.
"It went well."
Luca shrugged and laughed, "I'm getting along great with Director Allen. He said this role suits me perfectly, that I just need to act naturally. It's not too difficult."
"Oh, are you off work now? What are you doing?"
"I'm at the hotel, relaxing on the balcony and watching the view. The Thames looks beautiful from here. You can even hear the church bells."
Luca picked up his phone, and the faint sound of church bells could be heard in the distance.
"Are you alone?"
"Of course!"
"I don't believe you, and neither does Lima. Come on, tell us who's there with you?"
The sound of laughter burst through the phone.
Luca rubbed his forehead and sighed, "Please stop joking around. I don't know anyone in London."
"You can always meet new people. It's lonely being by yourself in London—you should make some new friends."
Kate said softly.
"Good suggestion, maybe I will. How about you? Busy with work these days?"
Luca changed the subject.
"Not too bad. I've been spending most of my time in the studio working on designs since I'm doing fewer runway shows and endorsements. Oh, and your book—the one about the 'bad guy'—is about to hit the shelves, so I'll be busy with that soon. It's all your fault, you know."
Luca chuckled. Before I Met You was being promoted and set for an August release. Once it launched, Kate's reputation as a prominent author would be well-established.
"That book isn't a 'bad guy' autobiography; it's a novel you based on my story. Just make sure you don't slip up and reveal that to the press."
"I won't. But what if I feel guilty? It's your book, after all."
"Stop saying that. What's mine is yours, always. If you really feel guilty, could you at least hit me a little less? I mean, even domestic violence can make you feel guilty, right?"
"Haha, no way! I feel great when I hit you—it's like a spiritual cleanse, like praying in a church. My soul feels renewed! Ah, but the thought of waiting until next month to hit you again makes me sad. How about I come to London soon and give you a beating?"
"…"
"What? You don't want me to?"
Kate asked, displeased.
"Uh, of course I do! You're always welcome to come to London and beat me up."
"Good boy!"
Kate laughed happily, and after some joking, they moved on to more serious topics.
Last time, Kate had mentioned selling some emoji rights, and after negotiations, they sold them to Google for $1.8 million.
Now that Google was close to going public, their financial advisor Martina suggested selling some Amazon stock and buying Google shares instead.
At the moment, Luca and Kate's total assets were over $35 million, with income coming from royalties, endorsements, acting fees, fashion sales, movie profits, and runway shows. Last year, their stock market income was just under $3 million.
According to Martina, holding only Amazon stock was too conservative, and investing in Google was worth considering.
On April 29 of this year, Google filed for an IPO, expected to go public in August with an offering of 2.7 million shares at a price range of $108 to $135 per share. They had the opportunity to buy in at the first round.
Luca recalled a scene from a movie where Google stock initially traded at $85 per share and then multiplied in value over the next few months. There was plenty of potential for profit.
He called Martina to agree with her suggestion.
After chatting for half an hour, Luca ended the call and called Britney, Fanny, Aniston, Rachel, and Ambrosio.
Britney was struggling to write new songs. Last time, Luca had given her a classic track, California Gurls, which had motivated her to write not one, but two songs, hoping to outshine Young and Beautiful,Remember Me, and California Gurls.
Fanny was balancing school with working in the music studio, planning to release her first album next year.
Aniston was staying calm and focused, preparing for her new movie The Blind Side, which would begin filming in October.
Rachel was shooting a new movie, Wedding Crashers, in a supporting role, while Ambrosio was busy on the runway, occasionally traveling.
After catching up with the women, Luca called a few male friends. He talked business with Ed, discussed theater and literature with Mr. Ross, talked about film post-production with Billy and Annie, and chatted about football with Kaka, who was training hard for the upcoming Athens Olympics.
After two hours of phone calls, the sky darkened. The sun dipped below the horizon, leaving behind a soft golden glow.
The stars began to dot the dim sky, faintly visible. The moon appeared as a pale yellow circle, and the church bells rang out again in the distance. The lights on the Tower Bridge flickered on, and the streets grew quieter as fewer pedestrians passed by, and car horns became infrequent.
Compared to Los Angeles, the night here was much more peaceful.
Around 7 p.m., Tony called, inviting Luca to join him at a bar on King's Road, where a street full of bars was bustling with activity.
Luca declined. After all the phone calls and scenery-watching, his mood had fully recovered, and his fatigue had vanished. He no longer needed alcohol or loud music to forget his troubles.
He put down his phone, picked up his script, and continued practicing for tomorrow's scenes.
He had been scolded today, but maybe things would be better tomorrow?
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