HWI 28

Hollywood What If Chapter 28

Kazir and Salvatore Barlowe had a brief verbal agreement. 

The very reason was simple. 

Kazir really needs an agent. Once Se7en earned more at the box office, Hollywood companies would start contacting him. 

The one who usually talked to Hollywood companies was the agent. The two sides would start stating their offers and the client would only show up once the contract was finalized. 

Furthermore, Kazir didn't want to be bothered because he was still editing Napoleon Dynamite. 

Then the other reason was Salvatore's sincerity. Cutting the commission to 3 percent was actually a hard move for an agent. It basically decreased his income. 

However, if Kazir became a successful director, Salvatore's decision would be the right one. 

For Kazir, Salvatore was showing a gambling tendency. 

'Well, I'm gambling my future as well. So I can relate.'

All that Kazir could do was prove himself and make sure that this young-looking agent would never regret his decision. 

"Kazir, about the film..."

"Don't worry, I'm halfway done. Two-thirds to be precise. However, I want to take it slow. At least wait for the income of Se7en this week."

Se7en was only released in five days and it earned 23 million. He wanted to see if the performance of the movie would increase this week. 

"Okay. I will wait then," Salvatore nodded. 

He was just a new agent and Kazir still didn't sign a contract with him. This was just a verbal agreement. 

He knew that making a movie would take time. 

"You can pass the contract to my lawyer and I will sign it later."

"That's good to hear."

The two people had a firm handshake. 

A few years later, agents would regret their decision of not contacting Kazir earlier. 

'I didn't know Salvatore Barlowe in my past life. He is probably not famous and his clients are maybe small actors. However, I'm the same as him. I'm not famous in my past life.'

There were famous agents in Hollywood such as Pat Kingsley, Kevin Huvane, and Bryan Lourd. Kazir knew damn well that these agents would never look at a small director like him. 

They went on separate paths after the meeting. In a way, this first meeting of them was eventful. 

Kazir contacted his lawyer when he returned to the studio.

"Hello, Terrence? Yeah, it's me. Oh come on, are you still mad that I give Cassandra the house? What? You're disappointed in yourself because you didn't defend your client against a cheating bitch? Dude, let's forget about that. I have a job for you. Yes, it's job related. Yeah, you will receive a contract later. Okay, thanks."

He sighed. The first hurdle was successfully overtaken. 

The first five days of Se7en were a great start and Kazir could relax his nerves at last. 

"Hello, Director!"

"Hm?"

Suddenly, before he could enter the editing room, a woman greeted him. 

Kazir turned around and found Reese Witherspoon approaching him. 

"Reese? Why are you here?" He was confused. 

"I'm here for the dubbing."

"Ah, I'm sorry I forgot about that." 

Perhaps because of too much pressure, Kazir didn't remember that part. 

Reese and the other actors need to dub their speeches in the movie. So far, Ed Helms had the most lines and he finished dubbing all of his lines in just two weeks. 

Reese was attending acting school so she was quite busy these days. She listened to Kazir's suggestion. 

Shooting a scene usually had a problem with recording the sounds. That's why dubbing was needed. 

'I hired a sound director last week because of that.'

The sounds that people heard in the cinemas were usually created by the sound director. I'm not talking about music but the noise to be exact. 

The sound of punching was created by them by literally punching a piece. The sound of a lion roaring was created by a sound director as well. They were an important part of post-production. 

"This will be my last dubbing, so director Kazir, can you please give me a favor."

Reese sweetly smiled and leaned closer to Kazir. 

Kazir caught her scent. If he was going to be honest, it smells so good. He was a man who appreciates the smell of a woman, of course. 

He bitterly smiled. As a man who just divorced last October, he wanted to stay away from love as much as possible. However, it was impossible for a raging man like him to keep his rationality for a long time. 

He needed a release. On the other side, he wanted to keep his sanity. 

"Once my dubbing is over, can I invite you to dinner?"

"..."

Kazir maintained his smile. To be honest, he wanted to say no. 

"Reese, I'm sorry but--"

"Are you going to say no again? Mister Grey, you're quite infuriating."

She smiled but not a smile at the same time. To be honest, she didn't know the reason why she was doing this as well. 

Perhaps she was just interested in Kazir after watching his shooting. Unlike most directors who will shout, Kazir was always calm and encouraged her. Furthermore, he was quite good and handsome while doing what he loves.

The other reason was because of her pride. She was already rejected thrice, she wanted to take a victory by seducing him... What do you know? A woman wants to prove her worth by seducing a serious man... perhaps? 

In this regard, Reese was taking this as nothing but a fun yet frustrating game. 

"What do you think, Mister Grey?"

She said and got closer to him, almost touching his wide chest.