The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 17: Money's In]

At the Great Salt Lake Cinema, Bruce Richmond waited for a few minutes in the back row.

His assistant Simon rushed over, handing him a clipboard. "Sir, we received 65 valid ratings, with an average score of three and a half stars."

Bruce Richmond glanced at it and replied, "Go tell Katherine to prepare for a rights negotiation. Let her know I only have ten minutes."

The assistant went off to find Katherine and Eric.

A few minutes later, they borrowed the cinema's office and began negotiations for the rights to D.C. Heights. The distribution company was at the very top of the film industry chain, so Katherine and Eric had no bargaining power and quickly agreed to transfer all rights to Castle Rock Entertainment for $350,000.

...

On Main Street, beside a streetlamp.

Hawke received a call from Katherine.

Brandt stood in front of the pizza shop window, watching Hawke pace back and forth, touching the cut on his lip, feeling particularly complicated.

In just a few days, the financial blows he suffered were greater than all that he had experienced in the past twenty years combined.

Was this what high-stakes business was like? It was nothing like what he had imagined or learned in books.

Brandt sighed, "Hawke's style is really straightforward."

Larson approached from behind, glanced outside at Hawke, and asked, "Have you learned anything?"

Brandt winced at the pain in his lip. "Feels like I'm about to learn all the hard way." He expressed again, "It's tough trying to make money quickly."

Larson remarked thoughtfully, "Aside from the tax man and capitalists, it's not easy for anyone to snatch money from someone else's pocket."

Brandt's phone rang, and after a brief conversation with Hawke, he turned to Larson and said, "I'm going out with Hawke for a bit."

Larson patted him on the shoulder. "The film festival just started. Stick with him and learn well; the troupe will rely on you guys in the future."

Brandt followed Hawke to the hotel, entering Eric's suite. Katherine handed over the newly signed rights contract to Hawke. "The rights to D.C. Heights is worth $350,000."

"Congratulations," Hawke said as he quickly flipped through the pages.

Katherine cut to the chase, pulling out a prepared check. "Here's the initial payment of $5,000."

Hawke examined it carefully, then tucked it away safely.

Katherine continued, "The rights transfer payment hasn't cleared yet. Originally, I was going to wait for Castle Rock Entertainment's bank transfer before paying you both."

Recalling Eric's remarks, she felt it would be better to settle as soon as possible and offered a personal favor. "You did a great job with the George Hansen matter, so I've decided to pay you the share in advance."

Hawke replied, "You pay, I work; that's fair."

Katherine took out her checkbook, filled it out, and stated, "Two percent share, $7,000."

Hawke received the check, stood up, and said, "Our contract is complete."

Katherine shook his hand, saying, "Hope for more opportunities to collaborate."

The benefactor was straightforward, and Hawke didn't hesitate. "You have my number."

As they exited, Eric accompanied Hawke to the elevator.

While waiting for the lift, he said, "There's a great bar next to the hotel, nice atmosphere. Want to grab a drink tonight?"

After several busy days, Hawke needed to unwind. "Sounds good. Seven o'clock; don't be late."

Eric smiled, "I'll head there early to wait for you."

Just then, the elevator arrived, Hawke shook hands with Eric and descended with Brandt.

They chose a nearby coffee shop.

Brandt guessed what was about to happen and felt somewhat excited, ignoring the pain in his lip. "How much did we make in total?"

Hawke detailed their earnings: "After signing the contract, we netted $5,000; that night, Katherine gave us another $5,000; today's news video sold for $1,000; and just upstairs, we received $5,000 and $7,000."

Brandt did some mental math and said, "That's a total income of $23,000."

Hawke nodded and added, "Regarding expenses, we had $1,000 for the party, audience fees plus sound equipment and other gear came to just over $1,000, let's round that to $1,000."

Brandt chimed in, "And don't forget the lawyer fees, the costs of meals, document copies, and payments to Damian and Lewis -- those add up to about $1,000 too."

Hawke concluded, "After deducting $3,000 in expenses, we still have $20,000 left."

"We made $20,000 in just four days? That's insane!" The money excited Brandt, making him more composed than before as he said, "We agreed that I would take 20 percent, which is $4,000."

Hawke knew the power of money and replied directly, "Let's drink this coffee, then head to the bank for the transfer."

"Sure," Brandt said, lifting his coffee to his lips but not drinking, obviously deep in thought.

The desire for money was pushing him to change.

Finally, Brandt took a big sip of his coffee and tentatively asked, "Are we going to do similar business in the future?"

Hawke sensed Brandt's transformation and said, "The film festival is still has over a week. I plan to find new crews; this kind of promotional business can attract more clients."

"Next time, I want to..." Brandt originally meant to ask for 40 percent, but feeling uncertain, he compromised. "I'll take 35 percent!"

Hawke replied, "At most, I can give you 30 percent."

Brandt nodded, "Fine, just 30 percent."

Hawke was well aware that if this continued, Brandt would eventually want 50 percent.

Money and human nature were in constant flux.

After finishing their coffee, the two went to the bank.

...

Hawke returned to the Mountain Pizza shop, settled the party expenses, politely declined the bearded man's drinking invitation, and returned to his place to rest.

After several hectic days and a late-night outing, he was tired.

After a nap, Hawke found Brandt staring blankly at the fireplace in the living room and decided to tease him. "Thinking about what gift to buy for your crush?"

"Yeah," Brandt seriously pondered. "Tiffany, Hermes, Chanel... which brand is the most suitable?"

Hawke poured two cups of water, handing one to Brandt and sitting diagonally across from him. "None of them are suitable."

Brandt was surprised, "Why?"

Hawke honestly advised, "Focus on making money. Once you have enough, any woman you want will come your way."

Brandt still believed in love. "But if I wait until I have enough, when I meet someone I like, and don't pursue it, I'll surely regret it later."

Hawke smiled, "Good luck with that." Changing the subject, he asked, "Does Park City have a gym, a martial arts school, and a shooting range? The three-in-one would be best."

Brandt shook his head, "There's a gym, but I don't remember seeing a martial arts school or shooting range. Ski resorts are the most common here."

He thought for a moment and said, "Those multifunctional clubs, you'll find them only in Salt Lake City."

Hawke made a mental note to look online for options after finishing up in Park City.

With his busy schedule and recent workouts, he noticed he had been losing weight, the puffiness in his face almost gone, but his body was far from being in peak condition.

Hawke grabbed the handheld camera, examining it closely; it had decent functionality, with clear night vision footage.

Brandt, exhausted, started drifting off next to the fireplace.

As night fell, Hawke woke him up and asked, "Want to join me for a drink?"

Brandt remembered Eric had invited Hawke out and waved him off. "If there are no beautiful girls, I'm not going. I'm going to take a nap, bring me back some late-night snacks."

Hawke agreed and walked to the bar.

*****

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