King of Hollywood-Chapter 615 - 23: Super Album

Adrian didn’t take Scarlett back to his mansion in Beverly Hills, but instead, they went to his office. Compared to some—like Michael Ovitz—his office wasn’t luxurious, but it had a bedroom and bathroom, all the essentials. Certainly, it wasn’t as spacious as the mansion, but it had its own charm. Before Scarlett, only Charlize had stayed over with him here. Nicole and Penelope had only ever played around in the adjoining room.

However, this was the first time staying overnight in the office, so he made sure to inform the security guard in detail. Of course, he didn’t reveal Scarlett’s identity, and the savvy guard didn’t ask any questions and simply turned a blind eye.

For the rest of the time, the two of them didn’t do much. Scarlett had just tried it for the first time; her body hadn’t recovered, and she was in such a confined space in the car, which used more energy than usual. Adrian even had to carry her up the stairs. Although they couldn’t have any deep conversations, pecks, hugs, and cuddles were still on the menu. Adrian even opened a bottle of champagne, and they enjoyed the night view from the office while chatting and laughing, filling the office with an unusual romance.

After having a good time, they finally snuggled into bed to rest. They slept straight through until 9 a.m., thankful it was the weekend and no one was at work. Otherwise, gossip would inevitably have spread throughout the company. But then again, if it weren’t for the weekend, Adrian wouldn’t have brought Scarlett here in the first place. Then, after making sure that the girl had recovered well, his "animal instincts" kicked in, and he took the opportunity to carry her into the office and "ravish" her on the floor.

"Ed, you are really naughty!" Scarlett said somewhat annoyed after the act.

"Your record’s got another tick, hmm?" Scarlett made a face at him as they got dressed and prepared to go out for breakfast.

"Not just yet; I want much more than that," Adrian said with a laugh as he wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned in close to her ear, "I want all of you, dear Scarlett."

"Okay, bring out some of your moves then," Scarlett giggled, "Though I think monogamy doesn’t suit everyone, it goes against human nature. But you have to prove yourself first, Ed."

That settled, after taking care of some other movie and TV business, Adrian headed to the record company to find New Universal Music’s artistic director, Eric Norton.

"I’m ready," Norton said, somewhat excited, in response to Adrian’s inquiry.

"Let’s get started then," Adrian said, and they headed to the recording studio.

"You know, I’ve got a new movie to direct soon, so I might not have a lot of time. If you think something’s wrong and needs immediate fixing, just come to the set to see me," Adrian told him after they nailed the first song.

Although Universal Music had been acquired by AC Media, integrating MCM Records into it and preventing any kind of surprise hostile acquisitions from happening again would mean just maintaining basic operations for a long time. This gave Norton the time and opportunity he needed.

Even though he was an excellent music producer—having made a name for himself at MCM Records, formerly RUN Records, before the merge with Motion and Island—and reinforced his status with several albums he created for Britney and Christina, becoming a steady fixture amidst the seasoned producers of Merged MCA and PolyGram’s Universal Music wasn’t so straightforward.

As a loyal part of the entire group, who had unhesitatingly accepted the task of dealing superficially with Sony Records and had played a significant role, Adrian definitely thought Norton deserved a good reward. What better reward for Norton than a triumph in music? Adrian was prepared to crown him as a legendary music producer by producing a super album for Britney.

"Super album?" Britney, sitting on Adrian’s lap, blinked, not quite understanding his meaning, but that didn’t stop her from looking at him with eyes full of joyous adoration.

"Yes, a super album," Adrian nodded with a smile. "I’ll make every single track hit the top of the charts!"

"Really?" Britney’s eyes widened as she understood the significance of his words and what they represented after releasing two albums; her EQ might be low, but her IQ was decent.

"Doubting me, little pet?" Adrian raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, sorry, Master," Britney immediately feigned a panic-stricken look, like a startled deer, "I didn’t mean that, I just misspoke."

She then moved closer to Adrian, biting her lip and pleading adorably, "Please punish me, Master, however you want."

The term "little pet" couldn’t be more appropriate for Britney at present, as she was like a docile Persian cat; just a whistle, and she would jump and rub herself on her master or relish his caresses. Even without discussing personality, she was the most obedient among Adrian’s women, and naturally, deserved a proper reward.

Britney’s second album had sold 1.5 million copies in its first week, a record still unbroken by any artist. With a slight media stir from AC Media, the title of Madonna’s successor was quickly attributed to Britney. Even though this year’s Grammy still ignored her, her soaring popularity was something no one could overlook.

But this was far from enough. As Adrian’s favorite pet, Britney undoubtedly deserved more. She could break many more records, which led to the idea of a "super album." After all, the Millennium was the last glory of the record industry, which showed signs of decline by the second half of 2001. If they wanted to create an unmatched miracle, this year was their only chance.

The plan was simple—find ten wildly popular and outstanding songs suitable for Britney’s voice from the coming years, make slight adjustments, and let the little pet sing them. This would unquestionably generate a massive impact upon release and would also solidify Norton’s position, making this venture a sure win.

However, realization wasn’t easy. To accomplish this, everything hinged on whether Adrian could recall enough songs. Although he had listened to many English songs in his previous life and remembered some popular ones well, recalling ten appropriate songs for Britney was no small feat, and so far he had only found eight.

Moreover, having found them meant only obtaining their names and some lyrics; the melodies were almost absent. But there was no need to worry too much; with the lyrics and melodies, even if only fragments, continuously recalling them would eventually bring back the entire song. Failing to do so would be the worst case.

Besides, don’t forget Norton could help, who almost unconditionally obeyed Adrian in this regard. Those particularly successful and well-received songs by Britney and Christina were crafted in a way where Adrian would hum or speak them and then Norton helped complete them, prompting Adrian and further aiding him to hum them out. Considering that Norton had almost no experience in music production, the extent of inspiration he could draw from Adrian was remarkable. As time passed and accolades accumulated around Adrian, Norton’s reactions were understandable.

Indeed, this was why when Adrian had asked him to help with undercover work, Norton agreed without hesitation; he trusted that Adrian would neither fail nor undervalue him. Likewise, when Adrian proposed the idea of the super album, Norton agreed even more readily. After all, compared to undercover work, the benefits of a super album were clear. Should it succeed, Norton would hold unparalleled influence at the world’s biggest record company at the moment.

Therefore, for various reasons, the production process might be arduous, but that wouldn’t concern Norton. As for Britney, she wouldn’t care either; all she had to do was perform well, and besides...

"After that, I can make that fool, Christina, never surpass me on this front!" Britney said eagerly and fiercely after their intimate moment.

Both she and Christina took overwhelming each other very seriously, with each holding distinct advantages. Britney had exceeded Christina in album sales and popularity—a fact well illustrated by her $8 million Pepsi endorsement deal. Yet when it came to awards and critical acclaim, Christina shone brighter. At the start of the year’s Grammy, although she only won the Best Dance Recording—which many thought should have gone to "god is a girl"—it was enough to make Britney, who had attended the Grammys twice without winning anything, green with envy.

However, if it were just about the super album, Britney would not have been that thrilled. The real kicker was that Christina had completely outshone her in another regard—in bed!

Just a few days ago, shortly after the acquisition deal was completed as a celebration, Adrian brought them both back to his mansion. Although Britney was somewhat displeased, as the favorite little pet, she still obeyed her master obediently. Christina initially resisted but was quickly provoked by Britney’s challenging gaze. So, once they entered the bedroom, she started making out with Adrian first.

This ignited the fuse of war. From the bathtub to the bed, then to the floor, and back to the bed, the two women engaged in a tit-for-tat struggle. Their competition was much more intense than between Gwyneth and Blanchett, who, despite their rivalry, still harbored some affection for each other and frequently played their games of flirtation, now even deceiving Liv into joining them. Nonetheless, their battles always retained a playful nature.

But Britney and Christina only had one thing in mind—outdoing each other. Whatever one did, the other had to do better, especially since the little pet was well-trained; there wasn’t a position she hadn’t tried with Adrian. So, Christina had no choice but to learn and join in. Naturally, this greatly benefited Adrian, who spent the entire night enjoying their fervently competing services, turning them over like flipping clouds and rain before eventually falling asleep with both ladies by his side.

Originally, as the best-trained little pet, Britney should have had a considerable advantage. However, there was one area she had always refrained from opening up to Adrian, ultimately giving Christina the upper hand—the backdoor.

Christina, on the other hand, had no reservations. Knowing what it entailed and understanding the kind of man Adrian was, and since it was nothing new for her, she took the initiative to tantalize him in that aspect. Seeing Adrian entering Christina from behind and the mixed expressions of pain and pleasure on her face, Britney was reluctant to do the same. Thus, the outcome was clear.

Adrian never really cared about their thoughts. Wasn’t that why he had cultivated them together in the first place? As long as he ensured things didn’t go too far, it was manageable.

The super album project was momentarily shelved since it required a lot of time to produce, and he still had two songs to find. Besides, Christina also needed a few songs of her own, and it wouldn’t be fair to favor one over the other. Luckily, the songs she needed were relatively easier to find; Mrs. Norah Jones’ songs were quite fitting. Anyway, as long as it was released before September, it could compete in next year’s Grammy. So, he immediately shifted his focus to the most important task at hand—preparing the Oscar-winning masterpiece for Julia: "Erin Brockovich."

This adaptation of a true story was incredibly inspiring, and Erin Brockovich herself aligned well with the image Julia had always portrayed—at least, that was the case on screen. Real life wasn’t always so fitting; everyone has their dark sides, but that didn’t matter. The screenwriters and directors would naturally shape the film’s character into the portrayal audiences wanted to see.

And for that reason, in the past, Julia had won the Oscar for Best Actress through this role. Looking back, her experiences now were not much different from those in her past life, except now spiced up with a revised version of "Four Weddings and a Funeral," completing a quintet of romance films. Naturally, Adrian opted for "Erin Brockovich" to propel Julia to the pinnacle of Best Actress.

Taking what originally belonged to someone else to grant favors, thereby gaining gratitude and even mastering over others, was undoubtedly vile behavior. But Adrian had always been this vile, and he had done even viler things. Imagine the women who should have achieved fame and fortune abut because of his interference, ended up making adult films or doing photo shoots; thus, he didn’t need to care at all. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote or recommend on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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