"Scene thirteen, take one!"
"And... action!"
Zane sat in the director's chair, his eyes glued to the monitor. He was in the zone, watching his actor, Paul Walker, perform.
"And... cut!"
Zane called out, stopping the scene. Paul looked over, a little confused.
The scene they were filming was where the main character, Adrian, was bragging to his friends in a coffee shop. Adrian was a piano player who, after failing a big competition, decided to become a piano tuner. He was only pretending to be blind. He secretly enjoyed this, because he could "watch" people's private lives. In this scene, he was telling his friend about watching a girl change her clothes.
Zane walked onto the set with a friendly, slightly sheepish grin.
"Paul, my friend, that was great. Really good," Zane said. "But... you forgot one tiny, little thing."
Paul looked even more puzzled. "What?"
Zane just smiled. "Man, you forgot to mention the LinkedIn website!"
Paul Walker just stared at him for a second. "..." The crew around them started to chuckle. "..."
Oh, boss. He was always finding ways to advertise. He couldn't help it!
Zane just loved to see all his companies working together. He knew The Tuner was going to be a popular short film. Why not use it as a fun way to give his other company, LinkedIn, a little boost?
He knew what some people might think. 'Putting an ad in an art film?'
But he wasn't worried. This was the very first year the Cannes Film Festival even had a short film contest. He knew his movie was really good. He was pretty sure it was better than all the other amateur films. A little, tiny ad wasn't going to hurt anything.
"Alright, let's go again from the top!" Zane called out, his voice full of energy.
The second take was perfect.
At noon, Alexander, his chief assistant, poked his head onto the set. "Boss? Ms. Daisy, the reporter from the Los Angeles Entertainment News, is here for your interview."
"Oh, right!" Zane said, quickly wiping his mouth from lunch. "Send her in. It's fine."
Ms. Daisy was a professional-looking woman in a nice white suit. After a few friendly handshakes, the interview began.
"Mr. Blackwood," she asked, "it's been two years since you last directed a movie. Why did you decide to step back behind the camera for this one?"
Zane just smiled, his eyes lighting up with genuine excitement. "Honestly? It's because of dreams! Because of passion!" he said.
He really meant it, too... mostly. He loved being a boss and making money, but he also loved being on a set and making a movie.
Daisy asked again, "But you run a billion-dollar company. By taking time off to direct a movie, won't that hurt your other businesses?"
The question hung in the air. Paul Walker and the nearby crew members all leaned in a little, curious to hear the answer.
Zane nodded, and his face suddenly turned very serious.
"Yes. It absolutely will," he said. "My companies have amazing leaders running them. They are all great. But... all the parts just run a little bit smoother when I'm there. So, me taking time off to direct this film will have an impact on the company."
"Oh?" Daisy asked, surprised by his honesty. "In that case, why are you insisting on doing it?"
"Haaaah," Zane let out a long, loud, super-dramatic sigh. He spread his hands and shook his head, looking almost sad.
"To be honest... I regret it," he said.
Everyone just stared at him.
"No, I'm serious!" Zane said. "I don't regret this movie. But I regret creating the Golden Sun Entertainment Group! I regret buying the UPN television network. I regret creating ICQ and LinkedIn and all those other ventures!"
Paul Walker's jaw dropped.
"Don't look at me like I'm a billionaire," Zane said, his voice full of (very dramatic) feeling. "The time I miss the most will always be that day in 1996 when we were just a small team filming Static. That was fun."
He looked right at the reporter. "What is money? It's just... stuff. Compared to a dream? It's nothing!"
"If I could choose my life all over again," he said, "I would give up all these billions in wealth and just be a normal, happy director, making the movies I love. I really, really mean that. Haaaah."
Paul Walker: "..."
Reporter Daisy: "..."
Alexander: "..."
At that moment, everyone in the room felt the exact same urge: they all wanted to hit him.
Zane saw their totally shocked faces and had to hide his smile.
Oh my goodness, he thought to himself, feeling a rush of joy. I finally understand how that other famous billionaire, Jack Ma, felt when he said he regretted creating Alibaba. Darn, it feels so good to just be dramatic and honest!
...
Half an hour later, Reporter Daisy and her team left the movie set, looking like they were in a daze.
The next day, the headline of the Los Angeles Entertainment News was huge:
Billionaire Zane Blackwood: "I Regret Creating the Golden Sun Entertainment Group"
People all over the country bought the newspaper and felt the urge to curse.
In Silicon Valley, Steve Jobs saw the paper. "He's really good at pretending! If he 'regrets' having so much money, then why did he just buy all that Apple stock? Go to hell, you bastard!"
Jeff Bezos saw it, too. "If you 'regret' it so much, then why are you still clinging to your LinkedIn shares and not selling them to me? You're so full of it!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Discount Code : F014B
Check My New Story : Dimensional Chat Group: Surviving Stranger Things
Huge Content: Read 500+ chapters ahead.+ Access to all my Fanfics Chapters.
Link: https://www.patreon.com/c/kapa69
100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter.