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76% Becoming a Superstar 1988: Being Edited / Chapter 56: Family time

Chapter 56: Family time

Sunday July 3rd 1988, Morning Williams Residents Brooklyn.

Oliver slowly opened his eyes to the early morning sun streaming through the curtains, casting a warm glow in the room. Glancing at the clock on the bedside table, he realized it was already past ten o'clock. Last night had been truly unforgettable, especially the passionate lovemaking session that followed their date.

Feeling a sense of exhaustion he had never experienced before from a night of intimacy that lasted for hours, Oliver looked down at his wife, Martha, who was still sound asleep, her naked body nestled against his. Despite feeling a stir of desire for another round, Oliver managed to resist, not wanting to disturb her peaceful slumber. Carefully extricating himself from her embrace, he got out of bed and stretched, the covers falling away as he sat up.

Admiring his wife's serene form, a faint smile played on Oliver's lips as he reminisced about the events of the previous night. He rose from the bed, feeling the stiffness in his body dissipate as he stretched his arms wide. Making his way to the closet, Oliver reached for his green bathrobe and draped it over his shoulders before tying it securely around his waist. Casting one more glance at Martha, he couldn't help but smile tenderly.

Meanwhile, downstairs in the living room, Alex, Duke, Jennifer, Ashley, and Ji-woo were gathered, watching a movie together. Alex couldn't help but stifle a yawn, the events of the previous night still fresh in his mind. His parents had been unusually passionate, prompting all five of them to have an impromptu sleepover in the living room.

Typically, his parents were more discreet in such matters, but Alex found himself enjoying the unexpected slumber party with his sisters and Ji-woo. The night had been filled with deep conversations that had carried on until they all drifted off to sleep in the cozy living room.

As they sat together watching the movie "The Secret of My Success," starring the charismatic Michael J. Fox, Jennifer turned to Alex with a curious expression. "Hey, Alex, what's it like filming a movie?" she asked, her attention fully captured by the on-screen action.

Alex chuckled softly at Jennifer's question, shifting comfortably on the couch before responding, "Well, it's definitely a lot of hard work, but also incredibly rewarding. The whole process, from auditioning to filming on set, is quite exciting."

Duke, who had been quietly sipping his tea, interjected, "So, little brother, when can we expect to see one of the projects you're working on?"

Alex, rubbing his chin, decided to give an honest estimation. "Well, *Saw* is already well into production. We still have about four more weeks of footage to shoot, along with editing. So, maybe two months or so, not including any potential reshoots."

The filming conditions for this project were much better compared to the original work, which had faced multiple challenges, including scheduling issues with actors like Danny Glover and Michael Emerson, who were only available for limited days.

This time, the film has a bigger budget—around $900,000 USD compared to the original $700,000. And they have a four-month shooting schedule, including reshoots.

Ji-woo turned to Alex and posed a question, " So Alex are you involved in the film production?" She had been taken aback by Alex's decision to leave school at a young age, something that was not common in her culture unless it was due to family circumstances.

Despite his age, she couldn't help but recall how Alex excelled in his O-level exams, achieving eleven A-stars, which was expected considering the success of his siblings. Not only that, but Alex and his two friends also started a profitable business under their parents' names.

"I'm not a part of the actual filming process," Alex clarified. "I work as a screenwriter and advisor, providing suggestions to the director and producer. Plus, I'm occupied with managing the game studio and television series, so I don't have much time for the film industry."

Alex would prefer to focus his attention on gaming industry, which would become ten times bigger than the film industry. However, he didn't want to completely neglect the film industry and still played a part in writing the script.

"So, Alex, do you have any plans for your future education?" Ji-woo was curious about his ambitions.

"I don't see the need for further education," Alex replied. "I have no intention of becoming a lawyer or pursuing a similar profession. But, my parents may have different expectations for me."

Alex explained that his parents' agreement was for him to pass his O-level exams and ensure that their game studio remained profitable for the next two years. If he and his friends could achieve this, his parents would reconsider their stance on further education.

However, Alex acknowledged that his parents would prefer him to continue his education regardless. It was only through his and Mark's father's persuasion that they were given a chance to prove themselves, otherwise, all three of them would still be sitting in a classroom right now.

Alex concluded, " In any case we'd be juggling school while trying to run Blue Star Interactive with a hands-off approach, given how our focus would be split."

After considering all the factors, Alex had reached the conclusion that it would be impossible to juggling both school and running Blue Star Interactive. This would be a challenging task, as their focus would be split between two important responsibilities. Ji-woo found Alex's reasoning to be sound, but she couldn't help feeling that he should have prioritized finishing school before delving into business ventures. The same went for his older brother Duke and their two friends.

Ashley, who was sitting on the sofa with ther sister and Ji-woo in between them, looked over as Alex and Ji-woo discussed his current situation. From Ji-woo's expression, she could tell what her friend was thinking.

Although she also shared the same concerns, Ashley couldn't deny that she had witnessed Alex's success in making large sums of money. Weather it was his deals with Apple and Microsoft, his bestselling book, with the possibility of a movie adaptation - everything he had done so far had been a huge success. The only exception being Star Horizon, which Alex had explained was part of his business strategy.

Despite the success, Ashley still couldn't fully understand it. Even with all the sales they were making, the majority of the money was being reinvested into the business itself. If it weren't for Duke explaining the strategy to her and her sister, they would have thought that they were on the path to becoming millionaires within a year. She couldn't fathom how her parents had agreed to run a business like this at a loss.

In comparison, Blue Star Interactive was operating in a completely different manner. With their game sales already turning a profit, Ashley couldn't help but find it strange how much Alex had changed since his accident. It was almost scary.

"Hey, Ashley, what are you currently working on?" Alex called out to Ashley, interrupting her thoughts. Ashley looked down at her notebook, where she had been sketching out a detailed design for a long dress. Ashley flipped her notebook to reveal what she had been drawing.

" Nice...hmmmm you, Jennifer, and Ji-woo do plan on returning to Cambridge next year to finish your studies?" Alex asked.

Confused, Ashley dropped her notebook down and questioned, "Yes, why do you ask?" She gave Alex a suspicious look, knowing how he had a tendency to persuade others into his ideas. Duke and Jennifer also gave their younger brother questioning looks.

Alex explained that now his parents were able to financially support his sisters in their chosen fields, including Ashley in the fashion industry. He suggested that they take this opportunity to learn about running a business and come up with new ideas for the future.

Still wary of her brother's intentions, Ashley asked, "Is that all?" She knew he had something up his sleeve, and Duke and Jennifer shared her skepticism.

Feeling uncomfortable with the tense atmosphere, Alex clarified that he was simply making a suggestion for their future paths. He had no plans to interfere or control their decisions, especially since they were pursuing careers in the artistic field. He had only wanted to offer an honest suggestion to his siblings.

Ji-woo was a little confused at the looks Alex siblings were giving him. As she honestly thought that it was a good suggestion, to use this time to study how their parents ran their business as it help them in the future.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps caught everyone's attention, coming from upstairs. Oliver's pov having just gotten out of the bathroom to find Martha still asleep. And looking at the time, he decided to wake his wife; otherwise, she would struggle to fall asleep later in the night.

It was already close to eleven-thirty, and they had missed breakfast. The kids were likely already up and downstairs. Sunday was designated as family time, and since Alex—their youngest—was now staying with his brother's family while working on his projects for Blue Star Interactive, as well as multiple television shows.

Along with a movie as an advisor and screenwriter, Martha would be quite upset if she missed most of the day. Oliver knew that Martha would be very disappointed if she awoke to find that she had missed so much precious family time free from work.

Oliver gently shook Martha's shoulder. "Honey, it's almost eleven-thirty. If you sleep any longer, you'll have trouble falling asleep tonight," he whispered.

Martha groaned softly but opened her eyes, blinking away the remnants of sleep. "What time is it?" she asked groggily.

"It's almost eleven-thirty. We've missed breakfast, and the kids are probably already downstairs," Oliver replied.

"Oh really, it's already that late," Martha said, sitting up in bed. " I promised Alex I'd spend some time with him and learn about his new projects."

"Don't worry," Oliver reassured her. "We still have plenty of the day left. Let's get downstairs and join everyone."

Meanwhile, downstairs, Alex was still talking with Ji-woo and the rest of his siblings: Duke, Jennifer, and Ashley. The sound of footsteps descending the stairs made everyone look up as Oliver and Martha appeared.

"Good morning, Mom and Dad," Alex greeted them cheerfully. "You finally decided to join us."

"Morning, everyone," Martha replied, a bit embarrassed. "I'm sorry for we, overslept."

"Don't worry about it, Mom," Jennifer said, smiling. "It's Sunday. You're allowed to relax a little."

"Yes, and besides, we haven't been up for that long ourselves," Ashley added. "We were just catching up with Alex on his projects."

Ji-woo, also greeted Martha and Oliver politely. "Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Williams. I hope you had a good rest."

"Good morning, Ji-woo," Oliver replied warmly. "Thank you, we did. How are you finding your stay with us so far?"

"It's been wonderful, thank you. Everyone has been so welcoming," she replied, returning the smile.

Martha shifted her focus back to Alex, her keen eyes searching for any hints of stress or exhaustion. "So, how's everything been going with your aunt and the baby? Are they both doing alright?"

Alex reassured her with a smile, "They're doing well. Benjamin spends most of his days sleeping." Martha and Oliver both breathed a sigh of relief at the news.

"And what about the game studio and your other projects?" Martha asked, beckoning Oliver to join her in the kitchen to grabbed something to eat.

Alex eagerly updated his parents on the progress of the game studio's ventures. He made sure to highlight the significant advancements they were making thanks to their full dedication to the projects.

He also mentioned the minor setbacks they had faced with one of their key projects, DOOM. "But overall, we wouldn't have been able to achieve this level of progress if we were still juggling school," Alex concluded gratefully. "Thank you both for supporting us."

Oliver nodded in satisfaction, proud of their decision to allow the boys to focus on their business and personal growth. As for the bumps in the road they encountered, he wasn't too concerned as their strategies had already been adapted.

"Keep up the good work, Alex. You've proven that you can handle this responsibility. And remember, education comes in many forms and what you're learning now can be invaluable in the real world," Oliver reminded him.

Martha also chimed in, adding her thoughts to the conversation. "But don't let your success make you complacent. Our agreement is still in place," she reminded him sternly.

Although she felt some hesitation deep within, she couldn't help but feel proud of her youngest son's success. Still, she couldn't shake off her worries about him getting too wrapped up in it all. That's why she firmly reminded him not to let it get to his head.

Oliver stepped in, sensing the tension in the air, and suggested that they all take a break from it.

"Let's grab a bite to eat and the rest of you can all get ready. We'll head out for the day," he proposed, looking at his five teenage children gathered around the TV. He wanted them all to have some quality time together and just enjoy themselves.

Alex immediately sprang into action upon hearing his father's words, rushing to the bathroom before his siblings could react. Duke, always quick-witted, followed close behind and playfully tackled Alex to the ground.

"Hey, it's ladies first!" Jennifer exclaimed, pushing away the blanket she was sharing with Ji-woo and Ashley. And chased after her two younger siblings, with Ashley joining in on the pursuit with her three siblings.

Ji-woo watched with a perplexed expression as all four siblings raced upstairs. "We really need a bigger house," Martha commented with a smile as she observed her four teenage kids all acting so childish, over the smallest things. "Hahaha, that's so true," Oliver chuckled in agreement.


Chapter 57: Making Deals

Monday July 4th 1988, Fire Foxx Production House New York.

In his spacious office, Harry looked through the details of the list of projects in progress. First and most importantly, he saw that Saw was proceeding smoothly with production. However, Quentin Tarantino's increasing dominance was causing some issues.

Everything was proceeding on schedule for the film. As for the television aspect, Friends would begin principle photography next week. A total of six episodes were to be shot before going on air, depending on its reception with the audience. As Harry read the reports, a sudden knock on his door broke his thoughts.

"Enter," Harry spoke, his gaze still focused on the documents in front of him. The door slowly crept open, revealing Laura's figure as she entered the room. "Busy?" she asked as she walked over to Harry's desk.

Harry glanced at Laura as she sat down across from him. "A little. What brings you here, may I ask?" he inquired, hoping there weren't any more issues coming his way. He already had a headache with the UK production studio branch.

As he tried to rebuild their main branch into something bigger, with a movie currently in filming and developing new programs for their main television channel.

"Really, no how are you or what's been going on, Laura?" she teased with a playful smile on her pretty face. "Oh, my apologies, how are you doing?" Harry backtracked, properly greeting his second-in-command this time. Laura waved her hand in reply, "I'm fine, no need for apologies. So now, let's get to the reason why I came here."

Hearing this, Harry's interest was piqued as he leaned back in his seat with his hands folded. "Go on," he encouraged, wanting to hear Laura's thoughts.

" Alright, there are a few topics I'd like to touch on firstly being our limited budget, we currently lack enough programming to sustain either network. And currently we only have five upcoming projects, two of which are already set to start shooting. "

The two shows in question being Friends and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Which would both start filming the in two weeks time.

Laura explained, her eyes shifting to the documents on her bosses table. " Yes, I'm well aware of that situation. And don't think it's that big of an issue as there plenty of existing programing on rerun. But, I'm guessing you have an issue with that too."

Laura gave a Harry smiled charming smile before placing the document she has been caring on the desk. And pointing her slander fingers on the graph showing the viewership statistics.

Harry glance at the graph his expression unchanging as he receives this type of viewership detail every week. Showcasing the number of viewers the each channel stations receives. With which shows or programming is popular with the audience.

Laura continued her words as she pointed her finger on the graph. " I'm well aware that you've already received this report already, and I'd like to point out a crucial details. As you can see from this report there's a clear distinction between viewership between both channels."

Harry glance at the document, before turning his attention back to Laura, " So, what are you proposing. " Harry questioned, knowing that Laura should already have a proposal ready. If she decides to bring this topic up with him.

Right now both the US and UK cable channels were broadcasting similar content with the US branch having three exclusive content to itself. " Well, three days ago I was chatting with that little nephew of yours, "

" Alex," Harry couldn't help but blurt out as he thought about that little rascal of a nephew of his. He was honestly wondering why that little guy couldn't stay focused on one task. At the last meeting, he had brought out the topic of turning the entire UK studio into a reality TV channel.

Which would be much cheaper to produce and film compared to normal TV series. As much as, Harry loved to get ideas thrown at him he understood the principles of taking things one at a time. He would need to have a talk with Alex, about staying focused on what he was currently already working on.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to focus on the her and now. " Ahh, yes Alex I was talking to him about how it how it would be difficult to find something that both our audience could enjoy collective. When he mentioned the idea of tailoring our content for broad audience."

Harry couldn't help but, place his folded hands over his mouth as he took a deep breath in. Before exhaling deeply venting his frustration at his little nephew filling the people around him with various ideas.

Couldn't he just wait at least until they finish the movie and TV shows yet before throwing more work his way. " Alright let's hear it, " with that Laura began presenting her ideas.

Fire Foxx Production Studio Mortal Kombat, Studio Lot Eight.

" Alright, take six and ACTION!" Alex shouted as Kerri Hoskins, got into character as she walked on the treadmill. In her fighting stance as she walked, her left arm raised up near her chin with her right hand near her chest.

The camera man carefully followed Kerri movements on the treadmill, with Nicholas Phillips watching her on the side. They had finished capturing the rest of the Mortal Kombat cast movements last week.

With Kerri being the last to shoot, simply because she was the only one untrained in martial. But, did have a lot of experience as a cheerleader making her very flexible with her movements.

For the next three days which would complete the filming process for the game. As for Gorro Jeff, their sound designer along Alex himself. Had done all the stock motion capture of the puppet himself on a table Studio.

The filming went quickly, thanks to Nicholas helping correct any mistakes made by Karri as she did her movements. Soon shooting ended for the day with Alex running back to the filming set of Saw.

As they filmed the bathroom since which Tarantino had made even more disturbing and brutal in the process. That made a little uncomfortable as he left soon after arriving, back to were his team was set-up to work on the game.

Brooklyn Blue Star Interactive Main Headquarters.

Michael set in the meeting room with Tom sitting across him as the two of them spoke with the man on the telephone, on the table. " Yes, we've decided to accepted your offer and are willing to help with development along with distribute your game. "

On the other end of the line Will Wright, listed carefully over the telephone as he stood in place stunned. As he tried to process what he was hearing over the telephone as he kept silent. Having no words to say as he had already given up on his hopes of getting his city building game published.

He had spent nearly three years trying to get the game a publisher but was rejected time and time again. With the same old it good but it won't appeal to a large audience or could neither be won nor lost; and so it was difficult to market the game.

He had heard this same thing repeated to him anytime he presented his game time and time again. He had thought that it would be the same with this up and coming game Studio while casually browsing the web. Especially, looking at the the type of game they had launched as their first title.

" Uhh, Mr Wright are you still there, " Michael's voice rang through Will ear again,breaking out of his thoughts. " Ahh, yes so sorry I was a little surprised that's. Are you sure you're game studio wants to publish my game."

He asked, worried if this was just a prank, " Yes, we're very serious. We've already drafted a contract here once you have your own legal representative look over it. We can sign the contract and get started on the game. " Tom at this point spoke up, at this time assure that they were quite serious.

Wright on the other end of the phone, let out a sigh of relief, as a few tears flowed from his eyes. " Alright, thank you so much. " Will finally said as he barely kept his voice from choking up.

As the call finally concluded, Joell who had been silently to the conversation. Looked at her husband appearance as he put the telephone down. " So, what did they say?" She asked, nervously worried how another rejection could do to him.

" They, Uhmm..." Will stabled to the words as he was quite emotional at what he had just been told. Joell quickly walked over carrying her daughter in her arms as she placed her hand on her husband chest. " It's ok you don't have to say it if you don't want to. "

As Joelle tried to console her husband's who was now shedding a few tries, however before she could continue to console, Will finally got the words out. " Their willing to publish my game. "

Hearing those words Joell hand froze in place as she processed her husband's words, before tears of joy burst out at the revelation. " Really? " Joelle couldn't help but ask this question wondering if she had her wrongly.

" Yeah, they already drafted the contract and all I need to do is have my lawyer look over it, and sign it. " Will spoke with a smile as, a few tears fall from his over the joy he was feeling right now.

Hearing his conformation a sense of relief wash of her. For the last two and a half years she had watched her husband slowly fall into a deep depression, over the fact of being rejected by various game publishers.

She had been worried about, how her husband was handling the constant rejection. But, now she could rest easy knowing that this phase in their lives would finally end.

As the couple comforted each other as their emotions flow out, on the other side of the telephone. As Tom and Michael ended the call Michael couldn't help but, lean back in his seat revealed that was over.

" Hmmm... what's wrong. Was that so difficult?" Tom asked jokingly as he looked at Michael who had his head lead back as he looked at the ceiling. Hearing Tom's words Michael turned his attention back to Tom who had a grin on his face.

" I much prefer to left out of this type of negotiation and focus on making games. " He admitted, this really wasn't his cup of tea and he had little interest in this sort of thing.

" That fine but, as a founding member of this company you should be well aware of what is happening around you. You wouldn't want to be left high and dry if any off you guys have a falling out in the future. "

Michael hearing Tom's words frowned at this but, he didn't dispute this calm. Giving Tom a light nod of his head showing his affirmation. As his father had told him the exact same thing and even Alex encouraged both he and Mark. To take some responsibility involved in the day-to-day operation of the game studios.

Hence, Michael although didn't want to believe that the three of them would ever have a falling out. He couldn't totally dismisse the fact of that ever happening, he was mature enough to understand this.

Seeing Michael nod of affirmation he was a little surprised, as he thought that Michael would burst out at his comment. But, having been in contact with all of the three young boys for a while now he could see how mature all of them were at different extents.

He could say Alex, was the least mature out of the three not only because of his age. But, due to the fact that he had trouble keeping himself focused on a single task at a time.

As three month into official establishing the Game Studio Alex ran off to Fire Foxx Production. To work on a movie and several TV shows granted he was working mostly on Mortal Kombat. Which required filming of real actors who would be put into the game itself.

Soon, Tom got up to leave, " Alright then I guess my work is done here for the day. And I'll see you later. " Tom said, as he picked up his briefcase from the table. " Oh, leaving already? " Michael asked, as he also got up from his seat.

" Well, with your dad away we at the firm need to make sure everything is running smoothly while his away. " Tom explained, as he walked over to the door as opening it as he left the room with Michael following behind him.

As the two continued their conversation, " His return today with you're mom right?" Tom asked, as the two made their way downstairs. " Yeah, I'm supposed to go and pick them up today with my sister. " Michael explained.

" Oh, did your driver's license." Tom inquired as the two reached the stairs leading to the first floor. " Yeah, eight weeks ago actually. You sure you'd don't want to stick around to see what we're working on. It's really cool. "

Michael encouraged as the two finally walked downstairs where they, could hear the chatter and clicking of keyboard coming from the living room. As the two reached the doorway, turning back to look at Michael Tom shook his head before patting Michael shoulder.

" It's alright, I wouldn't want to interrupt what you're all working on. And besides my schedule is kinda packed today, but my next time. " Tom finally said, before opening the front door to leave, as Michael watched his departure.

Scratching his head, Michael closed the door and turned around walking back into the living room. To find Jack, Thomas and Drew all playing Wolfenstein 3D on their computer while talking smack to each other, and the enemy sprites on the computers.

The other half of the team had decided to actually go on their two week long leave for the month. Walking into the living room and looking at the three playing the game with their backs facing him.

Michael glanced at the clock hanging on the wall showing it was now twelve o'clock in the afternoon. Decided to make his present known to the three, as he clapped his hands together.

Grabbing the three attention as they all paused their screens to turn their heads back to Michael who to behind them. " Boss, how long have you been standing there. Ahh.. We've been we're just testing the game making sure everything working properly. "

Drew an 18 year old joined as a programmer. Whoes primary duties are to write the code that makes the game playable on various gaming consoles and personal computers. Their responsibilities include developing gaming software, incorporating artwork into the game and configuring how users will access and interact with the game.

" I'm not here to dictate how you guys spend your leave. Am just here to make an offer the three of you can continue to spend the rest of the day or weeks sitting here all the playing the game. Or you guys can push your two weeks leave back and follow me upstairs to help on the other project I'm working on until the rest of you team returns. Ok, I'll leave you guys to think about it carry on."

After Michael finished his proposal and returned around to leave, he paused his steps before leaving another sentence and glanced back. " Carry your PC upstairs, if you want to join. " He said before he turned to leave the room. Leaving the three of them to think things over as they set at the computers.


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