Ryan smiled and said, "Please, go ahead."
The money hadn't arrived yet. As long as the requests weren't unreasonable, the right move was to agree first and sort out the details later.
Mansour spoke slowly. "The film cannot contain anything that praises Jewish people or portrays Arabs negatively."
Ryan came in right away. "You have my word. Arabs will save Americans in this film."
Mansour nodded. "The name of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority must appear prominently in the credits."
"Of course." Ryan thought for a moment. "Like the Starlight Entertainment logo, it will appear on its own at the very beginning of the film."
Mansour had seen enough Hollywood films to understand exactly what that meant. "That's fine." He continued, "You must push for a proper theatrical release. Not just a video release."
"Absolutely," Ryan said, with complete seriousness. "That's my goal. It was my father's goal too. To grow Starlight Entertainment, theatrical releases are essential."
Mansour looked satisfied. "One last thing. Distribution and exhibition of this film in the Arab world will be handled by my side."
Ryan gave a small nod. "Agreed."
"Since there are no objections," Mansour said, and once he made a decision he moved quickly, "we'll sign the contract this afternoon."
For Ryan, the sooner the better, but he kept the excitement off his face and said calmly, "I'd like Lawyer Ibrahim to be present. Legal matters aren't my strong suit."
Mansour had no objection to that kind of formality. "That's the right approach." He turned to his thin aide. "Go and make the arrangements."
After that, the two of them spent some time talking, mostly about how the Western world perceived the Arab world. Ryan wasn't deeply versed in international politics, but his perspective went well beyond the present moment, and by holding firmly to his anti-Jewish stance he kept the conversation moving. Mansour seemed genuinely engaged.
By noon, Mansour had arranged a private lunch for Ryan.
At this point in time, even many European investors didn't fully understand Hollywood's third-party completion guarantee system or the common practice of setting up separate production companies for individual film projects. Arabs certainly didn't. Mansour hadn't raised it, and Ryan had absolutely no intention of bringing it up himself.
Even if Mansour had some awareness of it, Ryan had ways to handle it. Independent films in Hollywood frequently skipped completion guarantees even ten years into the future. The independent world had always operated on much looser terms than the mainstream studio system.
The signing ceremony that afternoon went smoothly. With lawyers present on both sides, Ryan signed on behalf of Starlight Entertainment and Mansour signed on behalf of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, completing a three-year investment contract for The Purge.
The Investment Authority was responsible for the capital. Starlight Entertainment was responsible for development and production. After three years, the principal plus a share of box office revenue proportional to the investment would be returned.
By the time Ryan got back to the conference hall it was nearly closing time. Apart from Mary and Robert and the local staff the Investment Authority had assigned to help, the hall was almost empty.
"How did it go?" Robert pulled Ryan into a quiet corner. "You were gone all day."
Mary looked at him with concern. "Did you get it done?"
Ryan exhaled hard, clenched his fist once, and said, "I signed an investment agreement with the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority this afternoon."
Robert leaned in. "How much?"
The excitement flashed across Ryan's face and then he steadied himself. "Eight million dollars."
Mary unconsciously reached up and touched her ear, as if she'd misheard. "How much?"
Robert's eyes went wide. "Eight million dollars?"
Ryan pointed toward the Arab staff still working across the hall and put a finger to his lips. Robert nodded quickly. "I understand, I understand."
The document in his hands slipped right out and fell to the floor. His hands were shaking.
Mary's breathing went heavy. She murmured, "God. God. Ryan, how did you do it. Eight million dollars."
"Alright, you two." Ryan was just as excited, but he kept it in check. "Calm down. The money won't hit the account until tomorrow morning. We hold it together until then."
Robert turned to face the wall and dropped his voice as low as it would go. "Ryan. Are you some kind of miracle?"
Ryan shrugged. "This is Arabia. Miracles work differently here."
Robert couldn't hold it. He burst out laughing and immediately bit down on the corner of his jacket to muffle it, his teeth scraping against the fabric and producing a strangled sound that made things worse.
Mary shook her head. "I need some air."
She slipped out through the side door onto the terrace and gripped the railing with both hands, just to confirm that all of it was real.
When Ryan had first laid out his plan, she hadn't been entirely convinced. But Starlight was on the edge of bankruptcy and they had no real alternative but to try. At the very least, she hadn't wanted to watch everything Old Anderson had built come to nothing.
What she hadn't expected was how much Ryan had changed after the failure. He hadn't rushed in. He had done his research first, studied the landscape carefully, worked his media contacts, taken the time to genuinely understand the Investment Authority before making any approach. Thorough preparation, and some luck on top of that, and the whole plan had held together.
After the Los Angeles press conference, when she first met Saleh, she had thought maybe they could raise a few million. Everything that unfolded in Abu Dhabi had pushed that estimate up to three or four million.
The actual result was eight million dollars, secured by Ryan alone in a single afternoon.
"John, are you watching?"
She didn't realize until it happened that two tears had rolled down her face.
"Ryan has grown up. He's come into his own. He's going to be something remarkable."
Mary had been with Old Anderson from the very beginning. She had watched Ryan grow up from a child. In this moment the pride she felt was more than she could contain.
After collecting the key documents and handing the hall back to the local staff, the three of them made their way to the hotel. Both Robert and Mary had calmed down considerably by then.
They had business to go over, so they skipped going out for dinner and had food brought up to Ryan's room. The Investment Authority had put Ryan in a suite and was covering all expenses without question.
Ryan drank half a glass of water. "What's the total from the conference, intended investment included?"
Mary had just finished her tally. She looked at her notes. "Four and a half million dollars."
Ryan gave a small nod. "Not bad."
With eight million already locked in, that number landed differently than it would have the day before.
Robert had come back down to earth. "These are just letters of intent. The final signed amount will be lower."
Ryan thought it through, rubbing his chin. "Here's what we do. Once the Investment Authority's funds come through tomorrow morning, we sit down with the remaining prospective investors. With eight million committed, the news will get out one way or another."
Robert understood immediately. "Even if we don't push it ourselves, we let it be known in the right places. News like that doesn't stay quiet when people with something to gain are listening."
"Exactly," Ryan said.
Mary looked at him carefully. "How will the funds be used? All of it for production?"
"We'll talk through that when we're back in Los Angeles," Ryan said, keeping it vague.
Robert jumped in. "First we secure the money. Everything else gets sorted after." Then, almost casually, he added, "Ryan, what do you think about heading to India next?"
One percent commission on eleven million dollars didn't need to be spelled out. And this had come together far more easily than any ordinary day of work.
Ryan felt the pull of it. But he kept it in check. Greed was a useful engine. It just needed to be managed.
"Not India. Not yet." He held up a finger. "We have serious money now. The Arabs may well be keeping an eye on us for a while. Let's go back to Los Angeles and get The Purge moving properly. No new complications right now."
Mary added quietly, "Don't forget how much work went into setting all of this up. Don't underestimate the other side."
Robert let out a slow breath. He wasn't a young man. "You're right."
Ryan looked at the two of them. Both had their heads on straight.
That night he couldn't sleep. Eight million dollars had a way of keeping a person awake. Lying on the enormous mattress, all he could think about was money, and all the things money could buy.
The next morning, the eight million dollar transfer came through without any problems. Abu Dhabi media picked up the story. Ryan and his team's follow-up conversations with the remaining prospective investors went smoothly, and before they left Abu Dhabi, three million dollars of the four and a half million in intended investment had been formally signed.
The first phase of the plan had worked.
Ryan attended the Investment Authority's press conference and spoke warmly about the friendship between Hollywood and the Arab world. The local press described him as Abu Dhabi's American friend.
Then he boarded a plane back to Los Angeles with eleven million dollars in secured investment.
When the wheels touched down at Los Angeles International Airport, Ryan let out a long, slow breath.
For the first time in months, the future looked like something worth heading toward.