That night, on the 39th floor of the Sky Hotel, Richard pushed open the door.
The living room was brightly lit, and there was Mrs. Theron, dressed in a red dress, holding a glass of red wine, crossing her long legs, and smiling as she looked at him.
"You're back. Congratulations on winning another belt."
"Thanks. Aren't you supposed to be filming? How did you find the time to come here?" Richard asked with a smile, loosening his tie.
"If you won't come to Los Angeles, I had no choice but to come to you. Don't you want to see me?" Mrs. Theron smiled.
"How could I not want to see you? I'm just pleasantly surprised. You look tired, though," Richard said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. Her face looked a bit pale, and there were dark circles under her eyes. The vibrant blue in her eyes was dulled with exhaustion, far from her usual liveliness.
"Yes, I've been filming action scenes the past few days, three or four scenes each day. Sometimes I was hanging in midair all day. This afternoon I was still shooting, and I drove straight here in the evening. I'm just too tired!" Mrs. Theron leaned on his shoulder as she spoke.
"You've had it rough. Would you like me to give you a massage? I'm quite skilled."
"Do you charge?"
"Yes, a kiss will do."
"No problem!"
Mrs. Theron gave him a quick kiss before collapsing onto the sofa.
Richard chuckled, "Let's get you changed first."
"I don't want to move. You do it for me."
Mrs. Theron opened one eye, peeking at him.
"Alright, just like changing a baby's diaper."
"Get lost! You're the baby!" Mrs. Theron kicked him lightly.
Richard smiled, fetched a set of pajamas, and as he helped her change, he noticed a few bruises on her legs.
"How did you get these?"
"Got them while doing wirework. It was my first time, and I wasn't used to it. I kept bumping into things, but I didn't want anyone to think I was unprofessional, so I just endured it," Mrs. Theron said, batting her long eyelashes.
"Are there more injuries?"
"Not too many—just some on my waist, legs, back, and here." Mrs. Theron pointed to her forehead, where there was indeed a small, finger-sized red mark that was hard to notice unless you looked closely.
"We should go to the hospital to check if you've injured any bones."
Richard picked her up and started to head out.
"No need for a hospital visit. It's just minor stuff. A good night's rest, and I'll be fine. I have to be back on set tomorrow," Mrs. Theron said, holding onto his neck and shaking her head firmly.
"Do you really need to push yourself this hard? If I had known, I wouldn't have encouraged you to take on action roles."
"This was my choice; it has nothing to do with you."
"It does. You're my family. I'd rather get hurt myself than see you injured."
"Hmph, easy for you to say."
Mrs. Theron pouted slightly.
Back in the bedroom, Richard filled the bathtub with warm water and made a quick call to the team's masseuse, asking them to prepare some therapeutic massage ointments.
After a while, the supplies arrived.
He prepared everything, then gently lifted the drowsy Mrs. Theron out of the bathtub and laid her on the bed. There were several noticeable bruises on her body—clearly, she had been hurt more than she let on.
Richard shook his head and began applying ointment, massaging her from head to toe.
"Mmm~ That feels so good. I came here just to get a massage from you," Mrs. Theron murmured, resting her chin on the pillow.
"Just a massage?"
"Yes, just a massage. Nothing else."
"Alright then."
Suddenly, Richard grabbed her arm, pressed down on her waist and legs, and with a firm motion, there was a series of cracking sounds as her bones aligned.
Mrs. Theron let out a soft gasp and took a deep breath, slowly recovering.
"Nearly killed me! Couldn't you have warned me before doing that?"
"Nope. The element of surprise is key. How does it feel?"
"Feels amazing!" Mrs. Theron said with a slight smile, her exhaustion starting to fade. Here is the translation of the text from Chinese to English:
"Very comfortable, give me a few more. I didn't know bones could make such a sound. It sounds quite nice."
"Wait, relax your body!"
As he spoke, Richard's hands didn't stop moving. With his adjustments, there was another crisp sound from Theron's body.
"I feel like you've broken every bone in my body. I have no strength left at all now."
Ms. Theron lay lazily on the bed, not even wanting to move a finger.
"Having no strength is perfect. That way, you can't resist whatever I want to do later."
Richard joked.
"Haha, what do you want to do?"
Ms. Theron lazily asked, biting her lower lip.
"I'm not telling you yet."
Richard smiled and continued applying medicine and giving her a massage.
In less than five minutes, Ms. Theron fell sound asleep, not responding at all.
Richard smiled softly and continued to massage her for another half hour.
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the curtains, warm and bright. Ms. Theron rubbed her eyes and stretched comfortably.
"That felt amazing!"
She moved her waist and legs a bit; it really felt great. Every part of her body felt relaxed. Unlike the past few days when she woke up with aches all over, today she felt both physically comfortable and mentally refreshed.
Ms. Theron threw a few punches and kicks, even did a backflip with no issues at all.
"Come out for breakfast if you're awake!"
Richard called out, pushing open the door.
"Richard, what did you do after I fell asleep last night?"
Ms. Theron asked with her arms crossed.
"I did everything that needed to be done. Don't believe me? Feel for yourself."
Richard laughed.
"You're a pervert!"
Ms. Theron kicked him, laughed out loud, and ran into the bathroom.
After breakfast, Ms. Theron left Las Vegas. "Charlie's Angels" was in the middle of shooting, and she didn't want to be underestimated. She was the most diligent in the crew every day.
Richard still had activities in Las Vegas, so he stayed for two more days before returning to Los Angeles.
In mid-January, the professional boxing magazine "Ring" selected the 1999 Boxer of the Year, which went to Richard Brad, who had just won his third light heavyweight championship belt.
In the "Boxing Archive" world champion rankings, Champion Richard was ranked eighth. Those ahead of him had been in the ring for more than ten years.
The ranking is mainly based on a boxer's influence and commercial value. Last year, Richard didn't make the list; this year, it was his first time breaking into the top ten.
Besides boxing newspapers and magazines, other mainstream media also published news about Richard.
"With his handsome and elegant appearance, well-developed muscles, lightning-fast speed, complex and varied offensive and defensive techniques, and his powerful punches that leave opponents breathless, his matches have a high level of athletic beauty and entertainment value. Especially with his performance style that incorporates the artistic essence of predecessors like Rocky, Ali, and Leonard, he is well-loved by the audience. He is sure to become one of the most influential athletes in the world."
—"Newsweek" magazine, January 2000 cover story: WBC-WBA-IBF triple-belt holder, Super Champion Richard Brad.
"This cover turned out well."
Richard smiled as he held the freshly printed magazine.
"Newsweek" is one of the largest-circulation magazines in the United States, alongside "Time" and "U.S. News & World Report." It has a monthly circulation of over 2 million copies. Being on the cover of this magazine requires significant influence.
"You are a super champion, fully qualified to be on the cover of Newsweek. The next step is to be on the cover of Time."
Anthony laughed.
Richard smiled lightly. "Compared to these two, I'd rather be on the cover of Forbes and Fortune."
"You'll get there. How are your internet stocks doing? I heard internet stocks are still booming. If you invested a hundred last year, you'd make a thousand this year. I should have joined you in the stock market."
Anthony said, frowning, with his still somewhat chubby cheeks. He had dabbled in stocks before, made a few thousand, and then pulled out. Now, he regrets it.
Richard shook his head. "You only think about making money, but you don't realize the risks behind it. These days, I'm watching the stock market every day, and it feels like sitting on a volcano. One wrong move, and everything could go up in flames."
"You've been investing in stocks for the past two years. You should have made a lot of money by now. Why not cash out early?"
"Now I check my account's earnings report every week. Do you know how much I make every week without doing anything?"
Richard smiled lightly.
"How much?"
Anthony frowned.
Richard held up two fingers.
"Twenty thousand?"
"Add another zero!"
"Two hundred thousand?!!"
Anthony's hand trembled, and he accidentally knocked over the teacup on the table. He clutched his chest, gasping as he leaned back in his chair.
"That much? I regret it now. If I hadn't started this agency, if I had given you my money to invest, I could be lying back and making money too."
"Haha, don't envy me. Your business is the agency; do it well, and fame and fortune will follow."
"It's so difficult. To get resources and build connections, the company has invested tens of thousands over the past two years. If you weren't so good at landing roles, the company would have run out of money by now."
Anthony shook his head. The company was just starting out and needed a lot of money. Most of the company's income comes from the actors' pay cut, and now the only profitable actors are Richard, along with Naomi, Jessica, and Franco, three newcomers. The newcomers don't earn much, and the company's revenue is low, relying heavily on Richard.
Richard knew about the company's situation too. A startup company needs to burn money; the three of them only invested a little over a million initially, and it's probably all gone after two years.
"Do you need money?"
"Not for now. The actors are getting roles now, so if we get through this period, the company's situation will improve gradually."
Anthony picked up the teacup and said.
Richard nodded and then talked about the new role.
The role in "Miss Congeniality" was set, with a salary of 3 million. Since this movie required many female actors, BAA took the opportunity to place two promising actors into the crew, killing two birds with one stone.
"Richard, this movie starts filming in April and will take about a month. Do you have any matches?"
Anthony asked.
"I should have one, but the exact date hasn't been set yet. You can contact Andy."
After beating Antonio Tarver, Richard's position in the light heavyweight division became more stable.
There are currently two more matches lined up: a fight with WBA European light heavyweight champion the Polish Tiger, and WBO champion Richard Hall, with the rest being challenge matches.
"Richard, there's also this."
Anthony took out a few more documents. "Award season is here, and you and Drew have been nominated for the MTV Best Kiss Award, as well as the Teen Choice Award for Best Actor. For the Golden Globe Awards, the films you starred in, "The Talented Mr. Ripley" and "Girl, Interrupted," have been nominated for awards, and the organizers invited you to attend the ceremony, which is this weekend."
"No nomination, so I'd just be a spectator."
Richard shook his head.
"We considered helping you with the award campaigns, but so far, the roles you've played, except for the painter in "A Perfect Murder," haven't been well-received. There's still a long way to go before you can win an award."
Anthony shrugged.
Richard understood this too. For a boxer, especially a famous one, breaking into the film industry and gaining recognition was quite challenging.
After chatting for a while, Richard left the company with some documents.
On the way, he got a call from Naomi, so he went to her house.
Naomi had moved into a new place, a high-end apartment in Santa Monica's Ocean Park area, with two bedrooms and two bathrooms, just the right size.
She had returned home before Christmas, just came over from the UK, and was preparing for a new film audition. Currently, "Pitch Black" hasn't been released yet, so she's still a third- or fourth-tier actor, not famous in the industry, and can't land good roles, so she's mostly playing supporting roles for now.
Richard had spoken with director David Lynch before, hearing he was preparing a new film, "Mulholland Drive," and requested a script to help Naomi get a role. Whether she gets it or not depends on her performance.
"You don't need to worry too much. I'll recommend you if there's a suitable role."
Richard said, caressing her cheek.
"I'm not in a hurry. After seven or eight years of struggling in the entertainment industry, patience is the one thing I'm not lacking. Now that I've met you, I'm even less anxious."
Naomi said with a light smile.
"Haha, that's the right mindset!"
In the afternoon, after returning to the hillside villa, Richard spent some time in the study reading materials. It wasn't long before Reese came over.
Reese lived in Berkeley, not far from here, so they often visited each other.
This year has been good for Reese. With her brilliant performance in "Election," she earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress