King of Hollywood
Chapter 511 - 232: Oedipus Complex?!

Chapter 511: Chapter 232: Oedipus Complex?!

"This is my paper folding, Mommy, is it better than Auntie Sarah’s?" Lily waved the origami in her hands, calling out to her mother, seeking praise with a face full of pride, her eyes brimming with hope and desire, seemingly impatient to receive admiration.

"Indeed, it’s beautifully folded, but whether it’s better than Auntie Sarah’s, we’ll have to ask her." Kate affectionately stroked her daughter’s head, prompting the little one to immediately turn to Sarah and shout, "Is my folding better than yours, Auntie Sarah!"

"Yes, it’s very pretty, Lily is a smart child," Sarah replied, affectionately pinching her chubby cheeks.

"Daddy, I made an origami prettier than Auntie Sarah’s, Daddy!" Lily then excitedly called out to her father, not far away.

"Well done, my dear," Adrian turned his head to compliment his daughter but quickly added, "How about trying a more difficult origami next? Have Mommy and Auntie Sarah join in, see if you can surpass both of them."

"Yay, yay!" The little one shouted, happily pulling her mother and Auntie Sarah to continue.

Adrian watched with a silent smile and turned back to continue discussing with Charlize sitting next to him.

"I’ve already tried it; they’ve done a great job, we can release it as planned," he said to his secretary assistant, flipping something in his hands.

"What about the movie? Should it be scheduled?" Charlize asked, "You’ve mentioned it a few times before."

"Yes, that’s right," Adrian paused and then remembered, "But there’s no rush. After the game’s release, I’ll see what the gamers think, especially about the ’Fourth Survivor’ mini-game. Of course, some preliminary planning can be done, ready to be pulled out at a moment’s notice."

Despite AC Media’s rapid expansion and Adrian playing the role of a hands-off manager, he was actually very clear about the company’s situation and would occasionally guide and make requests on projects that interested him, such as the soon-to-be-released "Resident Evil 2" later in the year.

The group was now involved in many industries: film and television production and distribution, radio and cable networks, record production and distribution, animation, comics, games, as well as lingerie modeling, web portals, publishing, and newspapers, all developing well. Yet, the group’s main core always remained the same—media!

All industries revolved around this core, even Victoria’s Secret, acquired due to Claude’s interest, still had a significant effect on boosting ABC’s viewership, not to mention the others. However, the most important thing at present was film and television, and the shortcomings in traditional print media led them to collaborate with established media groups. Although web portals were thriving, they still had hurdles to overcome before they could develop healthily.

Actually, Adrian was not worried about this, as he already had plans in place; otherwise, he wouldn’t have taken the opportunity of Jobs returning to Apple to get involved, and especially since a future behemoth was set to be established later this year, and his relationship with Stanford had always been close. This was the advantage of rebirth—using the benefit of foresight to be half a step ahead of others. When others were still exploring, he was already prepared.

Of course, as always, this was for several years in the future, but for now, film and television production and distribution were the main focus. With Universal Pictures soon to be in the bag, the company would inevitably undergo a new round of adjustments and reorganization, similar to when TBS and ABC were acquired. Universal was different from Bossworth, which Adrian had developed from scratch, and also different from Miramax and New Line. Although its performance was not currently strong, as a classic film company, its influence and industry presence remained at the forefront.

"Tell Ed Kammer that if ’Toy Story 2’ meets our expectations during the summer release, then Pixar won’t need to go public," Adrian said to Charlize.

In his previous life, Pixar went public because Jobs simply didn’t have the funds to produce animations and Disney was notoriously stingy, forcing them to go public to raise money. But now, after Adrian acquired Pixar and took back the merchandising rights from Disney, Pixar’s benefits far exceeded expectations. The film’s merchandise was profitable, and even more so was the animated merchandise. With this being the case, why go public at all?

As long as employee welfare was in place, the working environment remained unchanged, and the necessary talent was poached, there was no need to worry about any negative reactions at Pixar. This could also provide a good example for Blue Sky Studio, urging them to work even harder—they were already aiming for next year’s Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.

"Alright, that’s that," Adrian was about to bring up the record company’s matters but stopped himself, thinking of something else.

"No one beats you, Charli," he sincerely said, although he had said it many times before, he still felt the need to express it from time to time.

Accustomed to such praise, Charlize merely shrugged and did not respond. Then her gaze fell on the other side of the couch, "What’s the matter, Lily?"

The little one poking her head around promptly shrunk her neck when she caught her father’s eye and pulled a face, then cautiously asked, "Are you guys done with your work?"

"Of course, dear, what’s the new scheme this time?" Adrian asked his daughter leisurely.

Lily chuckled and bounced over to Charlize, handing her the object in her hands: "This is for you, Auntie Charli."

It was a small paper flower, pink with over a dozen petals; it must have taken some time to fold so neatly. Charlize looked surprised at the little one, then happily accepted the paper flower: "Thank you, sweetheart, you folded it beautifully."

"I knew Auntie Charli would like it!" The youngster immediately boasted to her mother and Aunt Sarah sitting by the round table, looking quite proud, which made all four adults burst into laughter.

"Lily is really adorable, Kate." Charlize held the little girl and walked to the round table, then passed her into Kate’s arms.

"Thank you, Charli," Kate said, kissing her daughter with a loving expression.

Having finished his work and walking over, Adrian also smiled secretly to himself. Although the relationship between the three women was quite harmonious, they didn’t talk much when together. However, it was different with the little one around. Lily’s presence functioned like a lubricant, dissolving any awkwardness as she ran back and forth between them.

Well done, indeed worthy of being my sweet daughter. Adrian thought to himself with some jest and then turned to Sarah, "Sarah, can we step outside for a moment?"

Sarah was startled and then nodded, teasing Lily before standing up to leave with Adrian. Kate intended to ask something but remained silent as she watched their retreating figures, while Charlize entertained the little one with conversation, seemingly unconcerned. She appeared to be aware that Adrian had some business to discuss with Sarah.

"The air here is so fresh; no wonder everyone loves buying houses in Beverly Hills," Sarah said, taking a deep breath in the garden while facing the evening sky.

"You could buy a house here, too. I could offer you some guidance," Adrian laughed, following her, "If you find it troublesome, you can also stay at my place."

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" might not have a wide audience, but stable viewership allowed Sarah to enjoy a treatment of $300,000 per episode. "I Know What You Did Last Summer" had good box office results, which increased her value to $2 million. If "Legally Blonde," released during the summer, could match the success of the original, reaching $5 million was definitely not a problem. Buying a nice house in Beverly Hills would be a piece of cake for her.

Sarah turned to look at him wordlessly, her lips curved in a teasing smile that was exceptionally enchanting.

"You didn’t call me outside just to talk about this, did you, Ed?" The girl—or perhaps lady by now—asked indifferently with her hands clasped behind her back.

But Adrian suddenly fell silent, his smile vanishing, and sensing something, Sarah’s smile disappeared as well, and she looked at him with unease.

After what seemed like a long time, he finally spoke softly, "There’s news about your father."

Sarah stiffened, then seemed as if punched, stepping back twice, her pretty face draining of color, and her features twisted in shock.

"In New York," Adrian continued softly as if he hadn’t noticed her reaction.

The young lady didn’t respond, but her body began to tremble slightly, and after a long moment, she asked with a stiff voice, "What do you want me to do?"

Her voice quavered, filled with defensiveness, like a frightened hedgehog curling into a ball, bristling with spikes.

"No, I won’t make you do anything," Adrian shook his head, "You’re not like Liv. Even though I don’t know much, I’m aware of how irresponsible your father has been and the hurt he’s caused you. I found him and am telling you his whereabouts because..."

He looked up and gazed at her with a gentle expression, "You have the right to know, you should know these things, you should face them, and then... you can be free."

Sarah stared at him blankly. Finally, she steadied herself, and after swallowing several times, she spoke in a faint voice, "I understand... thank you, Ed... I need some time alone to be quiet... sorry..."

After she spoke, she turned and walked back into the house. Though her steps were steady, the slight float to her gait still betrayed the desperate loss inside her. Adrian watched her leave without saying anything and stood in the same spot for a moment before heading back inside, quickly reaching the living room they had been in before.

"Ed, do you want any special dishes tonight? Egg pudding?" Kate, who was speaking with a servant, asked as he came in.

"You carry on with dinner, don’t wait for me and Sarah," Adrian shook his head.

"Is something wrong?" Kate asked, surprised.

"Just a little trouble, don’t worry about it," Adrian said, glancing at Charlize who was consoling Lily before turning to leave.

He made his way to a slightly secluded room, waited a few seconds, then gently pushed the door open. Immediately, low sobs reached his ears. Adrian sighed softly, stopped hiding his presence, and walked in directly. Sarah, who was sitting in the corner and touching her eyes, immediately stood up to leave but was pulled back into his embrace by him.

Without a word, he just gently stroked her back. The sobs grew louder, and as she buried her head into his chest, Sarah’s shoulders shook even more violently. Even though he couldn’t see her face, Adrian could still feel the heat and wetness pressing against his chest.

"If... you want to..." He had barely started speaking when Sarah interrupted him with a fierce tone, "I hate him! I absolutely hate him! He’s a bastard! A bastard! How could he do that! He doesn’t deserve to be a father! He doesn’t!"

Although she deliberately kept her voice low, her tone was extremely intense and full of resentment, as if she wanted to vent the frustrations accumulated over more than a decade.

"I never want to see him again! Never! Never!" Sarah yelled hoarsely, then her body went limp and slid downwards.

Adrian quickly crouched down, knelt on the ground, and continued comforting her as he propped her on his legs. The sobs finally turned into full-on crying, and Sarah clung tightly to his clothes, squeezing despairingly into his embrace as if he would disappear the next second.

"It’s okay, Sarah, it’s okay," he said softly.

The young woman finally lifted her head, tears streaming continuously from her eyes, flowing down her cheeks in streams, her mouth agape, unable to close, her chest heaving violently, her throat occasionally making a noise as if she couldn’t even speak.

"It’s okay, Sarah, let it out if you want to cry, cry out loud. I’m here, right by your side, you’ll be okay," Adrian reassured her warmly.

"Don’t... don’t leave me... Ed..." Sarah said between sobs, "Don’t leave me... please... I don’t care about you... about what happens in the future... just don’t leave me... please... please..."

Her voice grew fainter, eventually turning into a whimper. Adrian lifted his head, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, "Don’t worry, I won’t leave you, Sarah. I never will, never."

"You... you promise..."

"I promise, Sarah. I won’t leave you, and I won’t let you cry like this again. I promise."

Should he tell her that her father was already dead, that only his body was found? No, there was no need.

-----------------------------------

Kate yawned, her hands on the banister as she walked down the stairs barefoot, appearing listless. Clad only in a thin shirt and a pair of panties, her long legs were exposed, giving her a lazy, yet alluring look.

"Is there something you need, ma’am?" Upon reaching the kitchen, a maid who was tidying up for breakfast immediately asked.

"Um... Could you step out for a bit? I’ll handle breakfast," Kate responded after a several-second daze, then hinted with an implied difficulty, "You know... let them..."

"Yes, I understand." The maid nodded and promptly left the kitchen. They were all well-paid by Adrian and knew what to do and when.

After the maid had left, Kate stood by the cupboard, lost in thought for a while, then clenched her fist and swung it in frustration, "Damn it! Why should I be the one preparing breakfast for them!"

Although her memory of last night wasn’t very clear, some scenes remained vivid in her mind, especially the sight of three women spreading their legs and overlapping each other face down, waiting for Adrian to tend to each of them was particularly memorable.

The bastard! To think he would do such a thing! And I... I must be insane! Kate thought, angrily pulling at her hair. She had believed that accepting a threesome with Charlize and Adrian was already her limit, but now there was Sarah added into the mix, damn it, that was Sarah! Sarah Michelle Gellar!

The time she met Sarah at the restaurant and the times on the set of "Memento" were still crystal clear in her memory, the adorably stubborn expression was engraved in her mind. Within just a few years, that girl had not only ended up in bed with the father of her children but also joined her and another woman in a foursome with Adrian!

"Adrian is a callous bastard, why should I be pining away for such a bastard!" Kate muttered through clenched teeth, aimlessly fiddling with the utensils on the countertop. She dared not recall the events of the last night anymore, not only because it angered her but also because it gave her a feeling of...unrestrained, exciting, and total self-indulgence; the scene where Adrian lay flat on the bed, surrounded by them kneeling in a cross formation around his lower body, was particularly so.

"Hey, a latte, please," a voice suddenly came from the doorway, startling the bewildered Kate.

"Why should I make you a latte?" she asked Charlize, somewhat angrily, who had just uttered the sentence and was turning to leave.

"Isn’t breakfast always your responsibility?" Charlize shrugged, genuinely perplexed.

"Um... yes, right, but..." Kate surveyed the woman before her, who was likewise only wearing a thin shirt and panties. Whether it was her pert breasts or her long legs, she was every bit Kate’s equal.

"Aren’t you the slightest bit surprised, Charli?" she couldn’t help but ask.

"Surprised?" Charlize blinked and quickly grasped what she meant, shrugging again, "Isn’t that just the way he is? Besides, it seems you didn’t refuse, did you?"

Just as Kate was about to speak, she closed her mouth abruptly. It... really was like that. Even when she was with Charlize originally, she hadn’t outright firmly refused...

"There’s your answer," Charlize shrugged for the third time, "A latte, thanks."

"Wait, don’t you think..." Kate seemed to want to say something, but couldn’t find the right words, "why should we... why should I put up with this, why?!"

"Are you only searching for an answer today?" Charlize gave a snort of laughter.

"...Yes, I just want to know why! Don’t you think this is so abnormal?!" Kate furrowed her brow, gesturing meaninglessly, clearly very confused.

"I think..." A voice came from the doorway, Sarah, like them, was barefoot in a thin shirt and panties, with equally long legs, and a calm expression on her face, "we probably all have daddy issues."

(To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)