Hunting in Hollywood

From New York to London and back, Alice Ferguson meticulously planned her sixteen-hour itinerary: six hours of rest, four hours attending to her boss, and the last six for work.

She was responsible for the Eigrétt Online App Store project, which was already in internal testing. While it was just a straightforward software download and sales platform and fairly easy to develop, creating a successful business model was anything but simple, requiring the resolution of myriad issues.

The project team was currently developing a security software specifically designed for online payment protection, in collaboration with the online payment team. The need for this had become urgent.

Following the Morris worm incident three years ago, hackers and viruses seemed to be on the rise. As one of the most successful internet portals, Eigrétt was a prime target for hackers wanting to showcase their skills. Just last month, the site had experienced a twenty-minute outage due to a hacker attack; fortunately, it occurred late at night and did not cause significant disruption.

If it weren't for online payments, these issues might only pose an inconvenience without leading to serious accidents. Now, however, ensuring payment security was crucial to encourage consumer spending over the internet.

Realizing the severity of this issue, Eigrétt was rapidly expanding its security team. Encountering attacks was inevitable, but reducing risk through a robust technical team and sound response strategies was viable.

Simon's idea was to develop free security software.

Some saw a business opportunity and suggested charging for it. However, Simon's comments dispelled many of these notions: once it became a fee-based service, spawning an industry of competing security software, the internet would likely suffer frequent massive virus attacks.

Grasping the implications, even Alice had to admit, Simon was right.

Just as the world they lived in was inevitably drawn into wars due to the massive interests tied to the arms industry.

The Boeing 767 touched down again at New York's Kennedy International Airport. Alice approached a cabin door in the middle section, knocked, and when it opened, she said coolly, "Ms. Jenner, a car has been arranged for you outside. The driver will take you back to Manhattan."

Kris Jenner had attempted to ingratiate herself with Simon's housekeeper during the flight but stopped after receiving no reciprocation. She simply nodded, picked up her purse, and walked out.

Alice escorted her from the cabin, noting the woman's slightly unnatural gait even after hours had passed, and frowned slightly in mild concern.

During the long hours previously, the woman had spent just over an hour in the front cabin before being dismissed. During that time, Alice had been called in by her detestable boss to deliver something and had inadvertently witnessed something she shouldn't have.

It was a memorable moment.

Thus, she thought, if that man ever dared such a thing with her, she would resist.

Definitely.

After seeing off the visitor, Alice and the other girls tidied up the cabin and made sure the plane was stored in the hangar before leaving Kennedy International Airport to start their week.

First, she had to oversee the routine cleaning of several properties in New York owned by her boss.

As Simon's property portfolio had expanded, so had the maid team, now boasting over 30 members. Many girls were now stationed directly in the cities where the properties were located, working part-time, just cleaning a couple of days a week for a handsome reward.

Alice realized that Simon's initial insistence on them shuttling between cities was born of concern that outsiders managing these properties might use them for other purposes.

In the half-year since, with the rise of the internet, all of Simon's properties had been equipped with 24-hour video surveillance systems. The cameras covered every angle inside and out, only being removed when the properties were occupied.

With ordinary users managing with internet speeds of only 56K or 128K, such constraints were no issue for Simon's properties, all of which were connected via 5M fiber optics, monitored directly from Dumé Point estate.

Another duty for Alice and her direct subordinates was to monitor the work of maids in distant cities like Seattle or Miami through these videos, ensuring they did nothing inappropriate.

Despite being warned about the surveillance, some still acted out.

Some hired others with their substantial salaries to clean for them, some used the master bath without permission, others tried to skimp on their duties, and some even planned parties in Simon's villas...

These individuals were not only fired but also faced punitive damages according to their contracts.

Thus, even Alice began to understand her boss's intense sense of territoriality.

The properties Simon frequently visited on the East and West Coasts were still directly managed by Alice and her crew, meaning the girls had to fly between coasts at least once a week.

Initially excited about having a private jet at their disposal, the novelty eventually wore off for the girls.

However, Alice noticed that her colleagues, even in the presence of ordinary people, carried a pronounced sense of superiority.

Even

 she wasn't immune.

Hmm.

Of course, except for that one person they all looked up to.

From Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday morning, after cleaning properties in Manhattan and Greenwich, Alice and the girls boarded their Gulfstream IV to return to the West Coast.

After spending a day managing properties in Los Angeles, the girls mostly wrapped up their work for the week.

Thus, to say that the man was merely splurging on "vases" to decorate his properties was an apt description.

Janet had jokingly told the housekeeper and the others in private that they were just ornamental vases for Simon Westerlo.

But most of the girls were more than happy to accept their role as well-compensated vases.

Even with a $10 million vase fund, many accustomed to such luxury found little motivation to do much else.

Janet had promised that as long as they performed exceptionally, they could work until they were 30, not just for a five-year contract.

Most people work their entire lives without earning a million dollars.

At 30, with a few million saved, they could essentially retire and do whatever they wanted thereafter—why bother with more stress?

Moreover, accessing that $10 million vase fund wasn't easy.

Alice certainly didn't share this perspective.

If she weren't intent on achieving something significant, she wouldn't have accepted her current job.

Dedicated to her 'day job,' Alice used her spare time to work on projects for Eigrétt.

Privately, she was also figuring out how to secure her share of the $10 million vase fund.

Her due rewards were not to be wasted.

Certainly not to save that man some money.

Moreover, she harbored some competitive spirit towards another 'vase.'

When she first started, she'd been tricked by one of Simon's C-girls.

Women can hold grudges.

The card camera project led by C-girl Claire Gain and Simon's seemingly partial support made Alice feel a slight threat.

Eigrétt had officially purchased the first 1,000 units of Tinkerbell's iCam 10 for a free trial targeted at blog users in June, generating significant buzz.

To promote iCam, the blog team developed a special web interface.

Every user who sent photos via iCam had their blog post tagged with a 'Picture From iCam' note, which linked directly to Tinkerbell's official website.

As the first product, iCam inevitably had some issues. However, against its high cost-performance ratio, other professional digital cameras costing thousands of dollars stood no chance.

Moreover, Eigrétt's official support was comprehensive.

Amidst the photo-sharing trend on Eigrétt blogs, many users inquired where they could purchase such a camera.

Savvy North American merchants naturally didn't overlook such a business opportunity.

By early July, Tinkerbell had received over 100,000 order requests from electronics retailers across North America.

Fulfilling such a large order quickly was unlikely, but it was undoubtedly a promising start.

C-girl Claire had discussed with Simon early on that if they couldn't establish a smooth retail channel, they'd sell the cameras online, much like TV shopping.

Now, given the popularity of iCam, some things seemed predestined.

Competition was inevitable.

Simon had warned Claire that major electronics manufacturers like Sony and Panasonic could potentially produce a simple point-and-shoot camera within a month.

However, Tinkerbell's advantage, thanks to Eigrétt's support, was also clear.

Besides the obvious first-mover advantage, iCam's use of the GIF format developed by Eigrétt, substantial enhancements by Photoshop software, and official technical and promotional support from Eigrétt made its benefits evident.

If it couldn't succeed with such clear advantages, Simon was prepared to let other manufacturers enter the market. According to the development plan set earlier, enriching the internet platform content was the top priority.

While Simon personally followed the filming of "Wonder Woman" in the UK, the summer box office continued in North America.

From June 28 to July 4, "Terminator 2" grossed $56.93 million in its opening week.

This performance couldn't compare to "Batman: The Dark Knight." However, a first-week box office of $56.93 million exceeded most expectations, and Fox was relieved.

A first-week gross of $56.93 million meant that a domestic gross of $200 million for "Terminator 2" was very likely, essentially recouping all production and marketing costs.

As Hollywood production costs continued to rise, along with the expansion of international markets, video cassette channels, and television platforms, the domestic box office was becoming less critical.

The domestic box office was more often seen as a measure of a film's ultimate commercial potential.

Many films with budgets over $50 million couldn't recoup costs from domestic box office alone.

For a film like "Terminator 2," with a combined production and marketing budget of $100 million

, being able to cover costs through North American theatrical release alone was quite rare.

A domestic gross of $200 million indicated equally high potential for international box office, perhaps even higher.

Including subsequent video and television revenues, the project's net profit over the next three years was also expected to reach $200 million.

The profit scales of the two DC Universe blockbusters could only be described as miraculous, with no real comparison. A project like "Terminator 2," expected to yield $200 million in profits, was the goal pursued by Hollywood studios.

Additionally, from June 28 to July 4, "Batman: The Dark Knight" fell 23%, adding $34.77 million for a cumulative $242.05 million.

The film's weekly box office falling into the $30 million to $40 million range was unlikely to impact other summer films significantly.

At the current rate, "Batman: The Dark Knight" was expected to break $300 million domestically in about three weeks, with hopes to push towards $400 million depending on market performance.

Leveraging strong performances in international markets and ancillary markets, "Batman: The Dark Knight" had already recouped all production and marketing costs in its second week of release, now continually generating profits for Daenerys and Time Warner.

On July 5, as the Fourth of July holiday atmosphere lingered, three new films premiered in North American theaters: Universal Pictures' (now under Daenerys Entertainment) comedy "Problem Child 2," Disney's re-release of the classic 2D animation "101 Dalmatians," and Paramount Pictures' drama "Regarding Henry."

Set in the summer, all three films were major projects for their respective studios.

However, their market performances were quite mediocre.

The best box office performer was Disney's "101 Dalmatians," which earned $16.86 million in its first seven days. "Regarding Henry," starring Michael Douglas and Annette Bening, earned just $10.91 million in its opening week. Universal clearly attempted to replicate the success of "Home Alone" with "Problem Child 2," but it only garnered $10.29 million in its first week.

Thus, from July 5 to July 11, "Terminator 2" and "Batman: The Dark Knight" continued to lead the North American box office.

In its second week, "Terminator 2" saw a 37% drop from its opening week, a better hold than "Batman: The Dark Knight." Of course, the initial box office volumes of the two films were not directly comparable.

Still, a second-week tally of $41.33 million brought "Terminator 2's" North American gross swiftly to $98.26 million.

It was essentially a double-week blockbuster.

Hollywood studios were thus realizing that a more intensive, saturated all-out release era had officially arrived with the releases of "Batman: The Dark Knight" and "Terminator 2."

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