Backstage at Helen Yarmak's fashion show, Yekaterina and her two friends eagerly promised to attend Lyudmila's Mark Jacobs show that night and immediately invited her to dinner afterward. This had become a common move recently.
The three girls had developed a recent obsession with inviting Lyudmila to meals. Watching a girl who, in order to maintain her figure, had to "graze" on salads three times a day was oddly satisfying for them.
Eve Bessonoskova, watching all of this, felt somewhat helpless.
Lyudmila was her younger sister, and as head of security for Yekaterina and her friends, Eve had spent so much time with them that her big sister instincts had kicked in. She treated the girls like her own sisters, but when they bickered, Eve, being non-confrontational by nature, had no idea how to handle it. She only hoped things wouldn't escalate to physical fights.
Sometimes she would recall how her sister had once been scolded, with her ear being tugged, by that one man. The little troublemaker of their family, whom even they couldn't manage, seemed only to be controlled by him.
Unfortunately, it had been months since he last showed up.
As for her relationship with Simon, Eve had resigned herself to it. The man had done so much for her and her family, without her even realizing it. Not only had he paved the way for her sister to become a potential supermodel, but he had also arranged for her father and brother to join the management team of a military-themed amusement park, something their family could never have imagined just a few years ago.
The only way she could repay this kindness was by giving herself to him.
After dinner with the four girls, during which Eve occasionally played peacemaker, Lyudmila rushed off to prepare for the Mark Jacobs show, while the other three continued to tag along. Finally, at 8 PM, New York Fashion Week wrapped up.
Next was a brand party hosted by Melisandre.
Lyudmila had been invited, and naturally, it was easy for the other three girls to secure invitations as well.
Eve continued to accompany the girls, mainly because she was concerned about their safety.
Over the past week, Lyudmila had received numerous invitations, with people sending her flowers and business cards after every show. Some had even directly offered as much as $50,000 just for a dinner date. A few years ago, that amount would have been enough to sell oneself in Ukraine—a sum most people there would never see in a lifetime. But now, Eve wasn't tempted in the slightest. No matter how rich those men were, could they ever be as wealthy as him?
Tired of the constant attention, Eve even considered telling him about these men, hoping he would discipline them.
She had initially thought he would attend Fashion Week to watch her sister's show, especially since he had organized her training over the past year. But as Fashion Week came to a close without him appearing, she had resigned herself. Little did she expect to see him at Melisandre's brand party.
Without hesitation, the four girls rushed over to him, and Eve quickly followed.
Watching her sister cling to him, clearly competing with Yekaterina and the others for his attention, and then seeing him playfully swat her on the backside, Eve felt strange—not angry, but experiencing an emotion she couldn't quite describe or admit.
If... maybe... but no, that wouldn't be right.
When she finally got close, she didn't dare to embrace him as the other girls did, and he made no move to hug her either. He just smiled warmly at her.
She smiled back.
That was enough for her, and she quietly stepped aside.
After a brief conversation with the four girls, he sent them away, clearly still busy with other engagements. Eve chose not to follow the girls this time. With him present, her protective role wasn't needed, so she found a quiet corner where she could still see him, her gaze fixed only on him, indifferent to the other women who approached him.
Such a dazzling man was meant to be surrounded by admirers.
After about ten minutes, Eve noticed Simon heading toward the party's entrance. Just as she began to feel disappointed that he was leaving so soon, a staff member approached her and told her that Mr. Westeros wanted to speak with her.
She hurried after him.
Catching up with him at the elevator, she asked what was going on. He simply replied that they were going home together.
Huh?
It felt like a dream. When she woke up the next morning, she found herself in a seaside mansion in East Hampton.
The sky was still dark.
Noticing her stirring, the man who was dressing beside her softly told her she could sleep in as long as she wanted. But she insisted on sitting up, even helping him button his shirt, savoring this life she had come to expect.
It was 6 AM.
In February, winter still lingered on Long Island. The barren landscape outside the floor-to-ceiling windows of the indoor gym was illuminated by the faint glow of dawn, but Eve's mood was light as she worked out alongside Simon. It wasn't until after breakfast that her thoughts drifted to her sister and the three other girls.
She didn't know how to feel.
At the party last night, there had surely been many girls hoping he would take them home, perhaps even her sister and the others.
Yet, it had been her.
Apart from her height, she couldn't think of anything special about herself.
She stole occasional glances at him.
She had questions, but she didn't dare ask.
Instead, her heart swelled with warmth, a feeling that even if she were to die now, she would have no regrets.
During breakfast, Simon mentioned how impressed he was with Lyudmila, predicting she would soon become the next supermodel.
Eve recalled a small detail from the party last night and quickly pushed it out of her mind, pretending nothing had happened.
The New York Fashion Week had ended yesterday, and today, Friday, marked the start of London Fashion Week. While London didn't have as many major brands, Elite had arranged 12 shows for Lyudmila, and she needed to head over there today.
When she brought this up, Simon said he would arrange a private jet to take them to London without delay.
He also mentioned Yekaterina and the other two girls.
He seemed to be aware of the recent bickering among the four girls and decided to send them back to Ukraine. Eve wanted to say it wasn't necessary, but knowing he had made up his mind, she didn't oppose the decision and quietly accepted it.
After breakfast, it was just past 7 AM.
Today was the day Tingcobair was set to go public.
They needed to get there early.
They took the Westeros family's custom Black Hawk helicopter from East Hampton, covering the 200-kilometer distance in just over half an hour.
On the flight, Simon chatted with Eve about trivial matters while intermittently reviewing some work documents.
It was February 16, a Friday.
The week had coincided with Valentine's Day.
On February 9, New World Pictures, a subsidiary of Daenerys Entertainment, released Rush Hour, starring Jacky Cheng and Chris Tucker, across 2,679 screens.
This was Daenerys Entertainment's first major release of 1996.
In addition to the $30 million production budget, Rush Hour had a $20 million marketing budget.
Over the past few years, Daenerys Entertainment had been deliberately promoting Hong Kong films in North America, and with the success of Rumble in the Bronx, Jacky Cheng had built a solid fan base here. Although the buddy-cop film wasn't the best fit for the romantic Valentine's Day audience, being a comedy, it was still appealing to couples.
While critics weren't overly impressed with the movie, giving it a score of just 6.5, the box office numbers told a different story. Rush Hour grossed a surprising $33.01 million in its opening weekend, dethroning Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which had held the top spot for seven consecutive weeks. The audience clearly loved the film more than the critics, and Jacky Cheng, who had been trying to break into Hollywood since the 1970s, finally became a star.
From February 9 to February 15, Rush Hour grossed $42.83 million in its first full week.
The initial reaction from the media had been lukewarm, but after the opening weekend figures came in, many outlets changed their tune, comparing the film to the Lethal Weapon series. Based on the box office performance, it seemed likely the movie would surpass Lethal Weapon and gross more than $150 million domestically.
In the original timeline, Rush Hour grossed $141 million in North America.
With Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice still in theaters, Simon had expected Rush Hour to face stiff competition. Given all the differences from the past, he thought breaking $100 million at the box office would already be a success.
But the movie had exceeded $40 million in its first week alone.
Thinking it over, Simon realized it made sense.
After all, Daenerys Entertainment had a stronger distribution network than New Line Cinema did in the original timeline. Moreover, the $20 million marketing campaign, accounting for over 60% of the production budget, and the Valentine's Day release date both helped boost the film's performance compared to its original fall release.
With a $42.83 million opening week, it now seemed entirely possible for the movie to hit $150 million domestically.
Following the impressive debut, a sequel was immediately greenlit.
Anticipating success
, Daenerys Entertainment had already signed both leads to a trilogy deal. This had become standard practice for the company, now that the balance of power had shifted. In the past, major stars rarely signed long-term contracts with studios, and even newcomers tried to avoid being tied down.
But now, with Hollywood's landscape changing and inspired by the success of the DC film universe, long-term contracts were becoming more common, and increasingly favorable to studios.
The contracts for the two Rush Hour leads were a perfect example.
Jacky Cheng's fee for the first film was $5 million, with the sequels capped at $10 million and $15 million, respectively.
The $15 million cap was currently the ceiling for fixed salaries in Hollywood.
This was $5 million less than the $20 million cap from the original timeline.
Chris Tucker, being a newcomer, earned only $1 million for the first film, with his sequels capped at $2 million and $4 million.
However, the contract wasn't entirely rigid.
If a film performed exceptionally well, Daenerys Entertainment had a policy of giving its stars a share of the profits.
While fixed salaries wouldn't change, ensuring that production costs remained under control, profit sharing incentivized actors to deliver their best performances and aligned their interests with the studio's.
In the original Rush Hour series, the stars' salaries had ballooned for the sequels. While the second film was still somewhat profitable, the third installment became a financial burden, with a $140 million budget and a global box office of only $240 million. New Line Cinema had barely broken even through DVD sales and other channels, while the two stars walked away with over $50 million each from salaries and profit-sharing.
This scenario was impossible under Daenerys Entertainment's current structure.
Under the new model, Daenerys Entertainment was poised to make $100 million in profit while the actors earned only a fraction of that.
It was all about leverage.
Today, Daenerys Entertainment held the same kind of sway as Disney had during its most powerful years.
Take the live-action Beauty and the Beast remake, for example. The lead actress, Emma Watson, had a base salary of just $3 million. It was only after the film grossed over $1 billion globally that she earned an additional $12 million in bonuses, bringing her total compensation to $15 million—a mere fraction of the film's profits, which far exceeded that amount.
This was the profit distribution model Simon favored.
As Rush Hour's box office potential became clearer, Chris Tucker's team had already requested a renegotiation of his contract. Daenerys Entertainment had no intention of budging on the base salary, but Simon personally approved an additional offer: a 10% share of global box office profits for both stars, calculated after recouping production and marketing costs.
Take the first Rush Hour as an example.
The project's total production and marketing costs amounted to $50 million. Based on current projections, the global box office could reach $300 million, with Daenerys Entertainment expected to receive approximately $130 million in distribution revenue. After deducting the $50 million in costs, there would be $80 million left to split.
At a 10% share, each star would walk away with $8 million.
Of course, there were no profit shares for the first film. The agreement would only take effect with the sequels.
And if the sequels saw increased production costs but lower profits, resulting in a smaller or even negative margin, then, unfortunately, there would be no bonuses. If the sequels performed better—like Rush Hour 2 in the original timeline—the actors would naturally earn more. But under no circumstances would either star receive the kind of exorbitant deals that had been handed out in the past.
If either actor refused to participate in the sequels, the solution was simple. Under the terms of their contracts, they were prohibited from starring in any other films without Daenerys Entertainment's approval until the trilogy was completed. In other words, if they didn't want to make the sequels, they would be out of work.
Even if Jacky Cheng returned to Asia, violating the contract would still subject him to Daenerys Entertainment's legal actions.
This was the position of strength Daenerys Entertainment now held in Hollywood.
With a constant pipeline of hit projects, no actor, no matter how big, could dictate terms to Simon.
In addition to Rush Hour's strong opening, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which had been pushed to second place at the weekly box office, was still performing well.
Bolstered by the second wave of marketing tied to the Academy Award nominations and the Valentine's Day boost, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice saw only a 13% decline in its eighth week, grossing an additional $24.39 million. The film's domestic total now stood at $556.61 million.
It was edging closer to the $700 million mark, with just $143 million to go. Based on recent trends, breaking the $700 million barrier now seemed increasingly likely.
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