Chapter 140 — What a Perfect Place
By mid-March, filming on Bram Stoker's Dracula had officially wrapped.
Ridley Scott flew to Los Angeles to begin work on The Mask of Zorro.
After settling the affairs of Dawnlight's UK branch and launching preparations for Four Weddings and a Funeral, Aaron returned to New York.
At the same time, AOL—America Online—made its formal debut on NASDAQ.
The IPO was priced at $11.50 per share. Through bidding and negotiated purchases, Dawn Capital acquired 220,000 shares for three million dollars.
On the first trading day, the stock surged 28.3%, closing at $14.75 per share and giving the company a market capitalization of $62 million.
"A 4.83% stake… impressive."
Leaning back in his chair in the West Village office, Aaron followed AOL's listing in real time.
Dawn Capital now controlled nearly five percent of the company. When the internet boom arrived, one clean exit would mean a fortune.
Meanwhile, Quentin Tarantino's debut Reservoir Dogs began its quiet release as an indie feature—no stars, no ads, yet already gaining cult buzz.
And on the other front, Tony Scott officially started production on True Romance.
With a modest budget of just over ten million dollars, casting Sophie Marceau had been easy.
---
Not long after, Aaron left New York and flew to Miami Beach with Jennifer Connelly, who had just begun her spring break.
Sunshine.
White sand.
Bikinis.
Every year, Spring Break brought with it alcohol, chaos, and temptation.
"You're really not attending the Oscars?" Jennifer asked, watching Aaron lounge beneath a parasol on South Beach.
The ceremony was less than a week away.
"Why would I?" Aaron smiled lazily.
"I'm not a star who needs exposure."
After half a month of London's bitter skies, he wanted nothing more than warmth.
"What about Speed?" she asked. "It starts filming in June, right?"
Jennifer smiled brightly.
"Everything's ready. I even learned how to drive a bus!"
Then she added,
"But Reality Bites is starting earlier. I'll probably be on set next month for four to five weeks."
"That soon?" Aaron rubbed his chin.
With Winona Ryder attached and Dawnlight backing the film with $12 million, Reality Bites was already rivaling Tony Scott's new project in scale.
"So you'll be heading to Houston next month?"
Jennifer nodded.
"That's fine," Aaron said warmly.
"It's perfect for you—young, raw, real.
When you're done, you can jump straight into Speed."
---
That night, a South Beach bar overflowed with college students.
Latin rhythms throbbed through the walls.
Sweat and perfume filled the air.
In denim shorts and a loose white shirt, Jennifer danced with Aaron beneath red and blue lights.
"No wonder everyone loves this place," she laughed.
"Music, food, beautiful people—Miami really has everything."
Aaron felt the warmth in his arms and chuckled to himself.
A city like this?
Of course retirees flocked here.
Suddenly, someone shouted from behind:
"Yo, man—your girl's smoking hot!"
Aaron smiled to himself.
What a perfect place.
Two young men staggered over toward Aaron and Jennifer Connelly, swaying with alcohol and bravado.
The club lighting was too dim to make out their faces clearly—but Jennifer's figure was impossible to miss.
Aaron immediately stepped between them.
"Whether she's 'hot' or not," he said coldly, "isn't up to you to decide."
One of the guys laughed it off.
"Hey, man, we've got a bonfire party down by the beach later. You two should come."
They weren't ready to give up easily.
Jennifer wrapped an arm around Aaron's waist and smiled sweetly.
"A bonfire party under the stars? Sounds kind of fun… want to take a look?"
"Probably some college kids nearby," she added.
Aaron shook his head.
"No thanks. Sounds like a complete waste of time."
He had zero interest in drinking with a bunch of clueless students.
One of the guys scoffed.
"Not interested? That's kinda rude, you know."
Aaron leaned in and kissed Jennifer lightly, then looked back at them with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Tell me," he said gently, "what exactly counts as 'polite' to you?"
The guy smirked.
"At least let your girl dance with us."
Aaron raised an eyebrow, then turned to Jennifer with exaggerated seriousness.
"Sweetheart, did you hear that? They're asking you for a dance."
Jennifer nearly burst out laughing—but instead she slowly tugged at the collar of her shirt, deliberately revealing more than necessary.
"Oh? You mean the kind of dance I do for you at night… in private?"
Aaron sighed and shook his head.
Adolescents. Bold in stupidity, fearless in lust.
He turned back to the two men.
"Alright, get lost while I'm still feeling patient."
"Otherwise, I'm afraid you'll be crying for your moms before the night's over."
"Fuck you."
The two glared at him, clearly provoked.
"Got the guts to come to the restroom with us?"
Aaron laughed.
"Sure."
He leaned in to Jennifer and kissed her once more.
"Five minutes. That's all."
Then, with both arms casually draped over their shoulders, he steered the two men toward the back restroom like old friends.
---
Inside—
"Damn… this guy's strong," one whispered after being shoved inside.
Before either of them could react—
Bang.
Aaron drove a punch straight into one man's stomach.
He collapsed instantly, clutching his gut, gasping.
"What the hell are you—"
The other didn't even get to finish.
Aaron grabbed him by the hair and slammed a knee into his face.
He went down hard.
Blood spilled from his nose and mouth.
His face began to swell almost instantly.
"Wait—wait—we're sorry!"
The one still standing panicked when he saw his friend motionless on the floor.
Aaron squatted down in front of him and patted his cheek lightly.
"Sorry?" he said with a soft chuckle.
"Oh no… you didn't do anything wrong at all."
The guy swallowed hard.
"T-Then why… why did you beat him?"
Aaron shrugged.
"Because he's ugly. I find that offensive."
He stood, dusted off his hands, and glanced down at the unconscious man.
"Mild concussion, maybe fractured nose.
Mouth's busted too.
Probably lost a couple of teeth."
He stepped aside.
"Better take him to a hospital."
The shaken college kid nodded frantically.
"Y-Yeah… yeah, I know the nearest one…"
He scrambled to lift his friend and dragged him out.
---
Aaron washed his hands, glanced at his reflection, straightened his shirt—
…and went back to the party like nothing had happened.