Chapter 197: Chapter 197: A Family

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After dinner, they left the restaurant, and Kim took a trip to the bathroom. Bruce, familiar with Kim's habits, knew she wouldn't be back for a moment and called upon Cohler to head to the hotel lounge.

Cohler walked in front, and Bruce followed, his roaming gaze immediately finding a focus.

Stuff like faces, completely unimportant.

Perhaps it was a human's instinctual response, or perhaps a perverted gaze ignited a flame, Cohler inexplicably felt a burning sensation on her behind.

She couldn't help but slow down her steps and walk alongside Bruce.

Upon arriving at the lounge, Bruce pulled out a chair for her, "Sit."

Cohler said with a smile, "Old Cloth, you're such a gentleman."

Thinking of Martin's mannerisms, Bruce sat opposite her, "That's what everyone who knows me says."

He took out a rosewood gift box and handed it to Cohler, "This is for you, see if it suits you?"

This was a test; Cohler did not refuse but instead opened it to find a white gold pendant with a green gem.

Seeing she didn't decline, Bruce asked, "Do you like it?"

"Mhm, I like it." Cohler accepted it with grace, "Thank you, Old Cloth."

Familiar footsteps approached as Kim walked over from afar.

Bruce quietly watched as Cohler fastened the gift box and put it in her bag.

He, too, chose to remain silent, as if he hadn't given anything.

If Cohler were to mention it, Bruce naturally had another story to tell.

When Kim arrived, Cohler said nothing of the gift and followed them upstairs.

They entered a suite that had been prepared in advance, where the three of them sat on the couch and began watching television.

Bruce sat on the left, his arm draped over the back of the couch.

Kim sat in the middle, leaning on Bruce's elbow, nestled in his arms.

Cohler, sitting on the right, leaned towards the middle, appearing deeply sisterly next to her sister. Yet in a place where Kim couldn't easily see, half of her back was resting on Bruce's palm.

Bruce was as solid as a rock, except for his palm which unconsciously drifted down, halting near the waistline.

Perhaps finding it fun and thrilling, Cohler suddenly stood up and plopped down on Bruce's hand.

The cushion was soft and Bruce's hand sank completely into it.

So was the surface above, and Bruce's palm sank into it as well.

A close-knit family.

At eight-thirty in the evening, Cohler bid goodbye and left. Bruce took out another gift box and gave Kim a bracelet.

Kim liked it and instinctively reached for the wall.

Bruce felt they could still play for a while.

…

When the sunlight entered the bedroom, Martin opened his eyes, extricated himself from Louise's tangled embrace, and headed for the bathroom.

The floor was littered with several torn pieces of clothing, broken glasses, and a damaged business suit.

Martin stepped on a shirt with a torn sleeve and felt something poke him. He kicked away the clothing and found the Joker carving he had given to Louise.

Made of horn and with him as the model, hands joined at the sides.

Perhaps the clothes had covered it; even after several hours, the Joker was still damp.

Martin didn't bother with it and went to wash up. Coming back out, he heard a sound and found a phone still in call mode under Louise's business skirt.

Kelly's voice came through, "Bastard, when are you coming back to Atlanta?"

Martin said, "Mid-next month. Is the surprise for Louise ready?"

With muffled laughter, Kelly replied, "It's ready. You need to coordinate with me."

She could listen but not use, and when the time came, Louise would be able to see but not use.

Martin heard footsteps and turned back to see Louise getting up, casually draped in a nightgown, walking over.

"What are you talking to that slut about?" she asked.

Martin nonchalantly ended the call, "Kelly was asking when the crew is going to Atlanta."

Louise hugged him from behind, "I always feel like you and the slut are plotting something."

Half-jokingly, Martin said, "Planning to tie you up and hoist you for a spanking."

Louise chuckled, "With what? Your whip?"

Martin tossed his phone on the floor, "I'm afraid I might fracture you."

After Louise had freshened up, they both quickly tidied up the things on the floor.

Seeing Martin's Joker, Louise cleaned and wiped it carefully like a treasure, then disinfected it with disinfectant before earnestly storing it in a box.

Martin asked, "Is that necessary?"

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Louise put on a ladies' suit jacket and picked up a pair of glasses with black frames to put on, saying, "Lily did a good job on this clown sculpture using you as a model, Martin. It's sufficiently slender, with a very large head, and its head and body are all uneven..."

Martin thought to himself, what an odd thing to say! He had worked hard the night before and was feeling quite hungry at the moment, so he said, "Let's go, let's have lunch."

Louise linked her arm with his and they headed downstairs together, while she said, "Once we get to Atlanta, I definitely want to meet Lily, she seems like an interesting girl."

Martin paused in his step and then casually said, "She's just an ordinary girl, nothing much to see."

Louise seemed to mean well, "I think she's quite talented in sculpture, should I introduce her to a good teacher?"

Lily had learned sculpting from interest class teachers at school. Martin thought it over and conceded that perhaps she did have some talent, "I'll ask her when we get back to Atlanta."

He glanced at Louise, knowing her ill intentions, and specifically said, "She's just a normal high school student, don't make a fuss."

Louise smiled and didn't say more, but she thought that high school students had more potential to be shaped.

Once they arrived at the restaurant, the chef immediately served up breakfast.

The butler Mary brought over a few newspapers and placed them on the dining table.

They chatted and read as they ate.

This time, there was no news of Brad Pitt, but Martin saw news about Jolie in the entertainment sections of several newspapers. Sёarᴄh the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Jolie had officially adopted a second child, a Russian orphan.

The article was full of praise for Jolie, extolling her maternal love and her willingness to give her all for the children.

Louise was well acquainted with Jolie and commented, "She actually adopted the child last year. According to the normal process, the paperwork could have been done by the end of last year, but they waited until now to make it public."

"This is taking turns," Martin quickly glanced at the paper and then pushed it aside, "Once the groundwork is laid, Pitt and Jolie'll seem like they had no choice, all because Aniston is such a workaholic that she'd prefer a miscarriage over having kids. A huge publicity campaign starts and then from the production company to the distributors to us, everyone benefits."

Louise added, "Only Aniston gets hurt." Without hesitation, she said, "When the news breaks out, I will also push Pacific Pictures to back it up. I only know Aniston, but if Jolie's influence grows stronger, it's good for 'Wanted Order'."

"Alexander the Great" only made 34 million US Dollars at the North American box office, barely covering the production costs, and its DVD and videotape sales were so low that they were negligible.

Louise needed a hit movie to reestablish the reputation of Pacific Pictures.

After breakfast, since it was the weekend and neither of them had to work, they went out through the back door and into the park behind the mountain for a walk.

They hadn't walked far when Martin heard a dog barking, and then the four Olsen siblings came from the opposite direction, with Elizabeth holding the leash of a big Golden Retriever.

The older Olsen sisters were twins.

The younger Olsens were fraternal twins.

Louise, being a neighbor with a good relationship, gathered with them and started chatting.

Among their peers, the Olsen sisters belonged to the category of the very rich.

Rich people have more common topics to discuss.

So, being very conscious of his social status, poor Martin went to chat with the students instead.

"What's its name?" Martin pointed to the Golden Retriever, "It really listens to you."

Elizabeth smiled sweetly, "It is yellow, and potatoes are also yellow, so I named it Potato. I raised it, so it listens to me a lot."

She looked at Martin and asked, "Didn't you star in a movie called 'The Summer of Jeans'?"

Martin nodded, "Yes, I did it last year, but I'm not the main actor; I played a small supporting role in it."

Elizabeth glanced at her sisters and stepped a few paces away, lowering her voice, "You're not like most stars. When my sisters play a minor role, if someone asks, they can't wait to claim they were the main actor or that they invested in the movie."

Seeing an opportunity, Martin first emphasized a newcomer's mindset, "What you say to the media is different from what you say to friends. To the media, you have to exaggerate, but with friends, of course, you have to be honest."

Elizabeth agreed with Martin's reasoning, which essentially confirmed that she saw Martin as a friend.

She then said, "The middle school I attend is having a competition with Burbank Middle School, sponsored by 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants' crew for some promotional event. Will you be there?"

Martin had already confirmed his schedule, "I'll be there."

"So will I," Elizabeth explained, "I'm part of the cheerleading squad at my school, and we'll have a cheerleading competition with Burbank Middle School."

Martin remembered Blake Lively mentioning that she seemed to be the cheerleading captain at Burbank Middle School.

He decided to give a hint, "You're going to face a strong opponent; the female lead of 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,' Blake Lively, is the cheerleading captain over at Burbank."

"That's not fair," Elizabeth said a bit loudly, drawing the eyes of her sisters. She quickly smiled and waved at them, then turned to Martin and said, "Our cheerleading team has been training an extra time each week for over a month now, and we don't even have a chance to compete fairly?"

Martin said, "The normal promotional template certainly calls for showcasing Blake."

As a 16-year-old girl, Elizabeth was well protected by her sisters and was grateful to Martin, "Thank you for sharing this important information with me; it's crucial to our preparation."

Martin accepted graciously, "I'm glad I could help."

Elizabeth's fondness for Martin significantly increased as she took out a crimson phone and asked, "Can I have your phone number?"

Martin immediately gave her a string of digits.

As Elizabeth pressed the call button, Martin's phone vibrated.

Martin took out his phone and saved the number.

Elizabeth, still a young girl showing off, said, "When the time comes, can I bring my classmates to get pictures with you and your autograph?"

Martin replied, "Sure, you'll definitely be fine."

Elizabeth was delighted, knowing she would be the center of attention then.