My Life in Hollywood C21 Start-up (Patreon)

February 20, 2010.

Winter was winding down in California, though the morning air still carried a chill—softer now, but present. Marcus sat outside the house with his coffee, letting the pale sunlight warm his face. It was Saturday, and he was taking it easy.

The light spilled over the neighborhood in that hazy way it did before spring fully arrived. He could feel it—the warmth creeping back after months of cold. He sighed, feeling oddly reflective.

'It's been a while since I landed in this world,' he thought. At first, being stuck in a broken family had felt pretty hopeless. But then the System activated and changed everything. Thanks to it, he'd made his first film and managed to land a $370,000 deal.

The money wasn't in his hands yet—and the state would tax it heavily regardless of him being sixteen—but he was still in a good mood.

He was pulled from his thoughts by the growl of a motorcycle rolling to a stop. Amy swung off the bike, with Katherine seated behind her. He rose and walked over to meet them. "Ms. Katherine. Amy. You made it."

Katherine nodded, pulling off her helmet with a smile. "I heard you finally got a deal with Summit?"

They'd already heard the news from Marcus and Nathan, but Katherine clearly wanted details.

Marcus grinned. "Yeah. I got a pretty solid deal out of them."

Katherine and Amy both looked excited.

"Can you break down the deal for us?" Katherine asked. She had an agreed profit share with Marcus, so she had a vested interest.

Marcus walked them through it.

A few minutes later, Katherine and Amy were staring at him with genuine admiration.

"That's unbelievable," Amy said, shaking her head. "A fifteen-thousand-dollar movie just got you three hundred seventy grand?"

"How did you pull that off?" Katherine asked, clearly impressed.

Marcus leaned back with a cocky smile. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just that good of a negotiator." Though honestly, he was grateful Summit had agreed to his terms at all.

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