Chapter 18: Chapter 18.

Ian parked his Porsche Spyder in front of the location that had been mentioned in the invitation he got. Without a second thought, he went inside.

The party was organized by Cube Pictures, a very famous studio for everything they release which attracted a huge number of fans. They started from scratch and came a huge way in the industry in a matter of five years. The CEO, Jackson Corealla holds these parties every year with the intention of bringing people in the industry closer. 

The entire hotel hall was beautifully decorated. The music filled his ears, which was the pop music that people loved in this world. Going inside he was greeted by a staff member who wore a black and white uniform. 

“Ian Renner,” Ian said.

“Please go inside, I hope you enjoy the evening, sir,” He said after a while of checking the guest list that was in his hands.

Ian nodded and went inside. Everyone was wearing expensive-looking suits and ladies were wearing similarly good-looking clothes which screamed their wealth. As soon as he entered, he could see magnificent glass chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, a crystal water fountain, near the bar on the left, and scores of famous celebrities chatting amiably and having a fun time.

He identified some of the people even from far away. There were many famous people in the industry including famous movie stars, directors, and producers.

He could see that quite a few people at the party recognized him and gave him welcoming nods and gestures. He returned the polite gestures and walked to the bar, to get something to drink and calm his nerves.

“Hello, how may I help you?” The bartender, a large caucasian man in a white pin-up suit, asked him after he’d served the drinks to the ladies who sat two seats down from his own.

“Uhh, I’d like a sparkling apple cider cocktail, on the rocks, please. Add a hint of lemon, if you could.” He ordered. 

“Coming right up!” The bartender got to work, preparing his drink.

Taking his drink, he decided to socialize and get to know some of the people at the function.

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It had been a few hours well into the night, and Ian decided that he should introduce himself to the CEO of Cube, Jackson Corellia as it looked like he was about to head to get some drinks of his own.

Ian excused himself from his current company which consisted of a redhead who was currently trying to seduce him, and a few of her entourage of friends.

They were actors that had been invited to the party.

Making his way to the bar, carefully taking a seat next to Jackson, Ian asked the bartender for six shots of tequila and a bourbon whiskey. 

“Good evening, Mr. Renner, I hope you’re enjoying the party.”  Jackson Corellia started the conversation after taking a few seconds to recognize Ian. 

“A very good evening to you too, Mr. Corealla, the party is really amazing, I am honored to have been invited,” Ian replied cordially.

“That’s great, I hope you’ve tried our Creme Brulee, it’s to die for. And you can call me Jackson."

Jackson said, trying to make small talks. These parties hosted by him weren't only for the purpose of bringing people together. He also hosted them to make business connections. 

After a while, he started talking about Home Alone.

"I’ve watched your film, Home Alone, it was a wonderful film, Ian. It must have been difficult to come up with something of that caliber.” Jackson complimented.

“Home Alone was a project that I had been working on for some time. It wasn’t easy producing it. Thankfully, the movie did well."

Ian said, noticing Jackson's intentions.

"It did way more than just well. It's been in the number one position on the North America Box office rankings for a while now. Are you going to release it overseas?"

"Yeah, but Renner films don't have any branches outside America and we never really have good connections to release a movie internationally."

Ian replied with a sheepish smile. 

"You must have gotten some offers?"

"Yes, there are some but we are still looking over them. I don't want to rush into it. The movie hasn't even reached its potential in America yet."

Jackson felt like Ian was joking with those words. Home Alone had already garnered more than 200 million dollars and it still hasn't reached its potential.

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It was truly a black horse.

Taking a sip of his drink, Jackson offered.

“Hmm, if you’d like my company is ready to help you release the company in International Markets, if you want, we can buy off the rights to Home Alone’s international screening rights off of your hands, and we can decide the asking price at a later date. Or if you have something else in mind, I am all ears, Ian.” Jackson prodded but Ian shook his head.

Selling international rights wasn't something he would do. It meant giving someone else a lot of power over Home Alone.

“I am sorry, Jackson, I would like to hold on to the international screening rights for Home Alone for now. I was thinking that I could develop this film into something more refined for the future, but I do believe that I would be interested in exploring further avenues of partnership for my company's forays into international markets. I have a few more projects that I have in mind, and I could use an experienced hand in the more technical and financial aspects of the film business.” 

Ian countered. Jackson stared at Ian, taking in his sophisticated answer for a solid half a minute, and smiled. 

“Alright Ian, why don’t you visit my office. Here, take my business card and email my secretary Jolene, she’ll schedule an appointment for this Tuesday, I’ll ask her to keep a slot open. You can prepare a full dossier of your future prospects and we can come up with a deal that benefits both of us. Have a great evening Ian.” And with that Jackson, downed his last shot of Bourbon and returned to the party.

Ian stared at the seat where Jackson Corellia had been sitting and he knew that he had reached a crossroad that’ll define his foreseeable future in this industry. Opportunity had come knocking, now it was up to him to do with it as he wished.

He had come to this party, wanting to make such a partnership and he had been successful in the end.

Now, it was time to enjoy the party.

Ian downed his last shot of Whiskey and he too, returned to the gorgeous redhead that was waiting for him, by the fountain.

There she was, standing by the fountain. The tight black dress perfectly clung to her body, as she took a sip from the drink she had with her. Her perfectly matching set of expensive-looking necklace and earrings glowed in the darkness. Seeing Ian walking towards her, she straightened her dress and smiled seductively. 

“You brought your drink, I wish I had too. Could use one, right now,” Ian said as soon as he got closer to her. 

“We can share,” She said and offered the glass. 

“Nah, it’s alright. You can enjoy yours,” Ian said and walked closer to her. 

“Oh, okay. So, were you talking with Jackson?” She asked while taking a sip. 

“Yeah, I was. And, why are you here and not enjoying the party?” He asked faking curiosity although he clearly knew what her intentions were.

She kept her glass aside on the edge of the water fountain and ran her fingers through the hem of his collar. “I think I would enjoy the time being in here, with you.”

It was obvious to Ian what was she going to do. Alexa Carla was a D - grade actress who had acted in some side characters. She had acted in the last movie Cube Pictures released, which was why she was invited. Ian knew it all when he agreed to meet her outside. 

At first, he didn’t want to ruin his image even if it was in front of an actress, but within a matter of seconds, he agreed with Alexa, questioning why he should ruin the fun.

“Were y’all talking about your new movie?” She asked, curiosity clearly written on her face.

“No. We were just talking about a deal. Even if it was… Don’t expect a role from trying like this. I don’t give roles for seduction.” Ian said. She looked back dumbfoundedly at him.

“I’m not-”

“We can have a bit of fun if you want,” Ian said while tracing her lower lips. She was confused. “But again, don’t expect a role due to all this.”

“I didn’t expect anything, I-” She was taken back by every one of his words. Normally, the industry gave so many opportunities for actresses who successfully seduce directors. But, she understood that he was different.

“Guess what?” He asked playfully seeing how confused she looked. He knew she didn't expect that kind of an answer from him, so he had to explain things to her. 

“What?” She asked looking into his eyes.

“If you’re interested, you can audition for a role in my next movie,” 

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