Hollywood Zenith

" Oh, look who decided to grace us with his presence." As soon as Samuel exited his Ferrari, someone made a snide remark.

" You should add 'your excellency' to it. I don't call queen Grandma for nothing!" He only chuckled. It was usual banter between friends; there was no need to make a fuss over it. Besides, Samuel might be in the wrong here; he had barely spent time with them since he landed.

" You wish!"

" Look at you all, handsome! With Kayla's temper, I thought you were living rough, but what's with the glowing face suddenly?" Emma came and hugged him, inspecting his face. He was already handsome, but somehow, she could feel he became even more outrageous in a few days!

" She is right. I can definitely feel a change, maybe because you took proper rest this time? I always wanted to say it, but I have never seen you relax like you used to, even during a few month breaks between films. Whenever I called you, you always said you were busy." Rupert came forward, rubbing his chin, looking at him weirdly.

" Don't stroke his ego! If you gas him up this much, his arrogance will explode!" Darren came in between Emma and him, separating them. He, too, could feel the change, but there was no way he would outright praise him.

" Wah, are you jealous-" Emma was about to make a sarcastic comment, but before she could finish, Samuel pulled her closer and peered into her eyes.

" He has every right to be jealous, my little Emma?" Samuel said while smiling gently. Emma was dumbstruck and was silent for a second.

" You bastard! What do you think you are doing?" Emma slapped his chest, separating herself from her.

" Pff~ Hahahaha, that it! I really missed your innocent, blushing face! hahaha"

" Ahhh, fuck! Are you looking for a beating?" She started swinging her fist like a cat, but he skillfully avoided her every blow.

" Hahaha, admit it! You like my handsome face! Hahaha." He teased her some more.

" You are sick! I will rip out that cheeky tongue of yours; just you wait!"

" Oh, humph, right, left... that's ten misses! You are out!"

Darren looked at them enviously while they were making a scene in the hotel lobby.

" You don't have to make that face; they are always like this. Fighting like siblings since the beginning. Emma was quite reserved then and secretly admired him, but no feelings were involved. I am sure of it because I asked them separately." Rupert said to Darren.

" Why?"

" Well, I never wanted to, but Director Columbus asked me to investigate; we practically grew up together on the set, so he wanted to know if something was going on between those two so he could make some adjustments. It's all in the past now."

" Hmm.." Darren felt left out. Samuel was his best friend and knew almost everything about him. He knew he was pursuing Emma in earnest, and with his history, Darren thought Samuel would stop him, but he never did because he had that much trust in him.

Now, suspecting them almost made him feel bad; he had been to a few events where he saw them interact, but those were public parties, so he never knew how close they were before he started dating her.

" I can tell what you are thinking, but the problem is not them, but you. I will tell you beforehand that Emma doesn't find fickle people attractive, so you better seek her earnestly, or you will lose her eventually, not to him but to someone else."

Darren's eyes widened when he looked at Rupert's serious face; he could understand his words, but what surprised him was their unbreakable bond; even Rupert made his suggestion so that he could look out for Emma.

" I know, but who are you?" Darren asked with a smile.

" Huh?"

" Where did that numbskull joker go? I can't believe I am talking to the same person."

" Numbskull! You!"

" Alright, no need to be offended; we are already late. If they continue messing around, all the good seats will be taken! Even the VIP section has a different view!"

Despite meeting up a few hours before the concert started, they barely made it to the venue with half an hour to spare.

As usual, Emma had to touch up her makeup after the fight, which took most of her time. If Samuel was her idol at home, the bands performing were a level above him. She couldn't show them her messy appearance, knowing they would get a chance to meet them personally!

...

...

...

On the day Samuel enlisted Lucie's help with the ticket, the event organizer received a call from her. With her connection, it was straightforward for her to get the person's private number.

" Hello?"

" Hi, are you Mr. Jean?"

" Yes, who is this?"

" I was enquiring about the VIP-"

" It's you guys again! How do you get this number? Now you are even harassing me on my personal cell?"

" No, I was on the behalf-"

" I don't care who you represent; even if it's a CEO or a chairman, I can't help you. We have put the tickets on sale for a few months now, and since you are calling only a few days away from the event, you missed the opportunity." Jean said sturdy, without flinching.

It was not an exaggeration to say the event was massive. With the band's recent popularity through the internet, everyone was going crazy for them. He had strict orders; unless it was a call from the president, he didn't have to put anyone in his eyes.

Many prominent figures had already contacted him; for the first few times, he was respectable, but that only bolstered their pride, so he started outright screaming over the phone to make them shut up. If they had any problem with him, they could lodge a complaint to the French cultural department that owned the venue!

" Can't you even listen to me?"

" I don't have any reasons to tell you, boss, or whatever, that no seats are available. VIP? Does everyone think they are a boss if you have little money? This is France, and if you have any problem, contact the president and stop bothering me! I got better things to do!" Jean hung up the phone. 

Although he felt a little bad for rudely shouting at a girl, he loved his job more than making an unknown girl happy. Everyone was so busy because today was the arrival date of the performers; he had to receive them and drop them off at the hotel, too!

" I should have asked for a raise months ago!" He thought and rushed out of his office door.

Lucie was startled on the other side of the phone; she couldn't figure out what she had said wrong? She had dealt with rude individuals before but never with someone who refused to listen to her.

" Should I call young master for help? No! he came in person to make the request; how could I disturb him over trivial issues? If he wants approval from the president, I swear to give him one! Humph," She said to herself and moved to plan B.

If she put her mind to it, she could get at least the president's secretary's personal number, right? No, she decided against it. There was no reason to complicate things. With half a decade of experience and being a native of France, she built up a few connections over the years. A minor minister was not out of the option. 

After thinking for a while, she dialed a familiar number but didn't know the chain even though she was about to start.

" Aurelie! Aurelie!" an old man entered the office door, panicking. He rushed two floors to reach her, but he was screaming her name instead of catching his breath.

" Old man! Can't you even knock? Why are you making a fuss in my office!?" Aurelie exclaimed. Alain was one of the state's secretaries, the lowest rank in the French ministerial hierarchy. But because they were acquainted long before she took office, she still called him an old man out of fondness.

" It's big news! I just got off a call....wait, let me catch my breath...ha ha..." the old man was grabbing his knees, panting. She didn't know what got him riled up this much, but she passed him a chair because he looked pitiful.

" Maam, I am sorry. I couldn't stop him-" Her secretary came in right after him, trying to explain herself, but Aurelie only waved her hands to shut her up.

" It's alright. I will handle it; you can close the door while you are at it."

" Y-yes, ma'am." Her secretary bowed respectfully and left, following her order. Despite Aurelie being relatively young from the perspective of a ministerial position, everyone respected her for her tenacity.

" I am sorry for barging in."

" Cut to the chase, old man! You know how busy I am because of those old fogies blunder! They couldn't keep their legs close before presenting it to the highest bidder, fucking bastards!" She had a foul mouth, but only in front of trusted people.

She was referring to Samuel's arrest; when she heard he was the heir of the Rothschild family, her whole world seemed to collapse. Others might not know, but she knew what kind of damage making them an enemy could do to their economy. They were that big of a deal!

" I just got off the phone with someone speaking about VIP tickets for an upcoming concert. It's for the foreign group-"

" VIP? Concert? Old man, have you gone senile?"

" You rascal, is that how you talk to your elders?" Alain lashed out, too; someone had to correct the rude brat!

" What the hell are you going on about? I really don't have time for this-"

" She said she was asking on behalf of Samuel Rothschild!"

" What?!"