Bab 109: **Chapter 110: A Party Invitation from Harvey**
Even if it weren't for the much higher-than-market-rate pay, he absolutely couldn't miss this chance to turn things around.
This opportunity was incredibly important to him, especially since the film was being directed by James Wan, a rising star in the horror genre who had just achieved a massive box-office success with *Happy Death Day*. Plus, it was being produced by Hemera Pictures, which had seen three consecutive blockbuster hits.
So, when Sarah and James arrived on set and the audition officially began, he quickly got into the right mindset and gave his best performance.
You had to admit, there was a reason he'd received an Oscar nomination. His acting chops were solid, and taking on the lead role was well within his abilities.
However, things didn't go as smoothly for the actress auditioning for the female lead, "Fabiana."
Martina's acting skills were still quite raw, much like her age. Plus, she'd only received the script at noon the day before, giving her just half a day to prepare. Although the role of "Fabiana" didn't demand a lot of acting skill, James still reluctantly gave her just a passing grade.
"There are still four days until filming starts. It'd be best to have Mike hire an acting coach to give her some last-minute training," James quietly suggested to Sarah after Martina left.
"No problem, I'll notify Mike right away," Sarah readily agreed. "With four days, I believe she can improve quite a bit."
"Let's hope so," James thought to himself.
Luckily, the rest of the auditions went very smoothly.
Although the role of the second female lead, "Belén," required solid acting, Eva Green—who had a proper acting background—handled it with ease.
Clark Gregg, who auditioned for the second male lead, "Bernardo," was a perfect fit. The moment he put on the suit and stood there, he looked every bit like a policeman or secret agent, practically playing himself.
The smaller roles—third female lead, violinist "Veronica"; third male lead, orchestra manager "Tito"; and fourth female lead, villa landlord "Engels"—were all minor characters with just a few lines or a couple of minutes of screen time. Acting skills weren't a major requirement; as long as they looked the part, that was enough.
The two experienced actors Annie and Mike had carefully selected for these roles handled them effortlessly. The entire audition process wrapped up in less than two hours.
"Finally! I passed the audition!"
Annie clenched her fist excitedly when she received the news. The anxiety from three failed auditions instantly vanished, and she regained her confidence.
However, already realizing the importance of acting, she didn't relax. In addition to diligently studying the script, she also continued attending her acting classes, which significantly improved her skills compared to this time in her previous life.
Before long, it was January 1st, 2001. After a twelve-hour flight, Wayne returned to Los Angeles with Mia and Jessica, who both looked more radiant and refreshed than ever after two months away.
"Ah~~ finally back!" Jessica stretched lazily, taking a deep breath of California's warm, humid air. "The weather here is so comfortable. Europe was just way too cold!"
"Damn, I never want to shoot a movie during Christmas break again! Those four extra days ended up costing us nearly a million dollars in extra wages!"
Unlike Jessica, Mia, the producer, was still fretting over the extra million dollars they had to pay because of the holiday overtime.
Wayne found it amusing.
But he was starting to understand why so many Hollywood directors and actors liked having a "trophy wife."
Soon, the three of them were back at Wayne Manor.
Though the hotels they stayed at during the shoot were luxurious and comfortable, nothing compared to the psychological and physical comfort of being at home.
However, more than enjoying the comforts of home, Wayne was eager to visit Charlize Theron. The *Resident Evil* shoot was set to start the next day, and Charlize would definitely be busy.
After all, *Resident Evil* had a lot of action scenes—fights, wirework, and all that—and it was physically demanding.
But just as Wayne finished showering and was about to get dressed, the housekeeper, Meda, came in with seven or eight beautifully designed envelopes.
This housekeeper was a new hire during his time in Europe. She was one of the top graduates from the Netherlands International Butler Academy, earning an annual salary of $500,000, which was comparable to the pay of senior executives at some publicly listed companies. However, after experiencing her exceptional service, Wayne felt that $500,000 was well worth it.
Even Mia, the "penny-pincher," had no complaints about her salary, which said a lot.
"What's this?" Wayne picked up the top envelope and curiously asked.
"It's a party invitation, sir," Meda replied respectfully, her eyes momentarily admiring Wayne's strikingly handsome face. Then, seeing his relaxed and laid-back posture, she sighed inwardly.
When a master hires a butler, the butler also chooses their master. Before signing a contract, the relationship is no different from that of an employer and employee in a regular company. But once the contract is signed, as long as the master can afford the salary, the butler is completely loyal.
As one of the top graduates of the prestigious Netherlands International Butler Academy, Meda had turned down offers from many billionaires with net worths of over $10 billion, even $100 billion, to work for Wayne.
In her eyes, Wayne had immense potential. Both his appearance and temperament were exceptional.
As a young person, she preferred the challenge of nurturing a rising star into a true aristocrat, rather than serving established old-money families.
With Wayne's potential, she believed that under her guidance, he could quickly grow into a true aristocrat, with a grace and presence that would rival even the British royal family.
For a butler, the satisfaction from achieving such a feat would be immense.
However, after signing the contract and spending a few days with Wayne, she realized that her goal might be much harder to achieve than she had initially thought.
Wayne had no interest in becoming a traditional aristocrat. All he cared about was living comfortably.
At first, she couldn't understand this, but then Wayne gave her a *Iron Man* comic book, and she finally realized his true aspirations.
It left her speechless, and her lips twitched in disbelief.
(End of Chapter)
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