November in Los Angeles was crisp and clear, with drifting clouds. Although the biting chill of early winter was mixed into the sea breeze blowing from the West Coast, autumn was still reluctant to leave. Gusts of light breeze made one's skin tighten slightly, allowing one to feel the chill where autumn and winter mingled.Hugo and Joseph finished their radio recording session this morning, then drove together to the company headquarters. The promotion for "scent of a woman" had entered its final stages, and their schedule was gradually becoming less tight.The early 1990s were not like the 21st century. After entering the year 2000, competition in the North American film market became increasingly fierce, and it was no problem for over a hundred movies to be playing in theaters simultaneously in a single week. Therefore, promotional competition was exceptionally intense; often, box office competition was just a battle for promotion. But now, there were barely twenty movies released in theaters a week, so relatively speaking, the competition in promotion was much weaker."scent of a woman" had been promoted for over three weeks in total, which was already considered quite long.After entering the headquarters, Joseph and Hugo first went to the seventeenth floor. Seeing Hugo arrive, the office staff enthusiastically waved and greeted him. In fact, compared to the floors above, the atmosphere downstairs had always been more vibrant; these agents at the middle and lower levels were more united and closer.Of course, this was only when there were no conflicts of interest. Whether the situation would turn into the cold, detached appearance of the floors above when interests eventually intervened, no one knew.Perhaps, before interests conflicted, the floors above were just as harmonious as the seventeenth floor.After Joseph confirmed at the front desk that there were no calls for him, he went to his desk and made a call to Universal Pictures to confirm next week's promotional schedule, only then beckoning Hugo back into the elevator.Watching Joseph press the button for the twenty-third floor, Hugo couldn't help but look over with confusion. "Are we going to see Ron?" Ron's office was on the twenty-third floor."No." Joseph shook his head, his expression not changing much. Having experienced the past year, Joseph's attitude toward Ron had been gradually changing. "I have something to see Rick Rosen about.""Big Rick?" Hugo was not unfamiliar with this name; the house they were currently renting was found with Rick's help. Previously, to show their gratitude, they had even specifically invited Rick to their shared apartment for a meal.Joseph nodded in confirmation. "He said he had something to discuss with me, so I'm going to check it out."The elevator soon stopped at the twenty-third floor. Joseph said to Hugo, "I'm not sure what it's about, so you just sit here and wait for a while."Since this was a talent agency—or to put it bluntly, a service intermediary—clients were always dropping by, so there were sofa rest areas set up outside every office. Thus, it was not difficult for Hugo to find a place to sit.Watching Joseph walk toward the left side, Hugo realized that Rick was an agent of the same level as Ron, as he also possessed his own large, independent office. In their previous interactions, he hadn't noticed it; Rick was not only unpretentious but also not overbearing; on the contrary, he had a gentlemanly air.For this reason, Hugo had even joked with Alex, saying, "This kind of personality won't be able to attract clients." Because in the agents' circle, one's personality must be strong to seize the initiative; this was the truth. But now it seemed, that was not the case.While Hugo was sitting on the sofa thinking about his own affairs, a staff member suddenly appeared in his line of sight, walking over with coffee. Finally, she stopped beside Hugo. "Two packets of sugar, no milk, right?"Hugo didn't react immediately and just nodded blankly. The female staff member bent down to place the coffee on the sofa, her pencil skirt perfectly outlining her figure, and then she flashed a bright smile at Hugo before turning and walking away gracefully.What was going on? In the few times he had come to the company before, this had never happened. Let alone making coffee, no one had even paid him any attention. But today, not only did someone bring him coffee, but more importantly, they remembered his coffee habits, and she even winked at him.A smile curled onto the corners of Hugo's mouth. It seemed that not only on the seventeenth floor but also here on the twenty-third floor, the attitude toward him had changed.It was hard to believe that the success of one "scent of a woman" could bring about such a huge change. As expected, the entertainment industry was the most realistic, cruel, and direct place. Fawning over the high and trampling on the low was done so obviously.Picking up the coffee, a rich aroma wafted up. He took a light sip, and the sour, astringent, and sweet-bitter taste danced on the tip of his tongue; it was indeed an enjoyment. Looking at the orderly corridor through the misty steam of the coffee, Hugo's line of sight captured an unbelievable figure.It was a black formal suit, its unique tailoring crisp and clean without losing curves, outlining the woman's intellectual temperament through the clothing; one could tell at a glance it was high-end custom-made. And this back figure, Hugo was not familiar with, but his predecessor was all too familiar with it. The alarm bell in his mind told him: this woman was Tracy Jacobs.At this moment, the man opposite Tracy was none other than Ron. These two people were not only acquaintances but also close; this was something Hugo had always known. After all, one was his former agent, and the other was his former "girlfriend." The four consecutive movies Hugo had filmed previously were all collaborations between Tracy and Ron.But the problem was, why was Tracy visiting Ron now? A collaboration project? Or was there another purpose?Tracy happened to be saying goodbye to Ron. She and Ron performed a cheek kiss, then said goodbye and walked toward Hugo's direction. Ron, standing at the office door, didn't linger and turned back inside.But Tracy had only taken two steps when her gaze fell upon Hugo. He saw a smirk trace her face as she looked at Hugo with great amusement. Without any dodging or pausing, her gaze met Hugo's.Tracy was actually not beautiful; this was something Hugo knew when he had examined her face-to-face in the hallway of the Waldorf Astoria in New York last time. But he had to admit that while time had left its marks on Tracy's face, it had simultaneously carved her temperament to become increasingly mature.Unlike their previous two encounters, today Tracy did not avoid Hugo's gaze. She just looked over naturally and even stopped in front of Hugo, looking at him with a smile.This surprised Hugo, because in their previous two brushes, Tracy had acted as if she didn't know him, but today she didn't continue doing so. Moreover, this position made Hugo feel somewhat uncomfortable. Tracy was standing, while he was sitting. Tracy was looking down at him like this; it was looking down from above, and it was also contempt.Hugo stood up with his coffee. His height advantage immediately caused Tracy to slowly lift her head, looking up at Hugo. Tracy was somewhat surprised by Hugo's action, but quickly revealed a knowing expression and said with a smile, "Long time no see."Hugo pursed his lips, a slight arc curling at the corners of his mouth. That little bit of indifferent smile seemed as if he didn't care about what was happening in front of him at all. "Long time no see."Tracy clearly hadn't expected Hugo's calmness. Her gaze paused on the corners of Hugo's mouth, and after confirming that this smile of Hugo's wasn't deliberately manufactured, she quickly lowered her head and laughed, using this action to mask the emotions in her eyes. When she raised her head again, she had become composed once more. "Good luck. I just heard from Ron that "a few good men" has set its premiere date. I hope everything goes smoothly this time."Hugo's brow couldn't help but furrow. "My agent is Joseph Gibbs." He didn't know why Tracy had to bring up Ron, and for Ron to have mentioned his premiere—this didn't sound like Ron's style at all.Tracy raised her eyebrows slightly, paused for a moment, and then revealed an apologetic smile. "My mistake." After saying this, she nodded slightly toward Hugo, continued striding, and left Hugo.Watching Tracy's retreating back, Hugo was filled with confusion. On one hand, he was confused about the reason Tracy brought up Ron; was Ron involved in his affairs, or was he just overthinking it, and he was just one of the boring topics of conversation when Ron and Tracy were exchanging pleasantries? On the other hand, he was confused about Tracy's attitude; what exactly happened between her and his predecessor?Actually, what could be certain was that the separation between Tracy and Hugo was definitely unpleasant, but as for whether Tracy abandoned Hugo, or Hugo betrayed Tracy and chose to leave, that was unclear.Now, judging from Tracy's attitude, her attitude was somewhat complex when she saw Hugo the previous two times, but it was still relatively cold, one could even say she treated Hugo as a stranger. But today, Tracy took the initiative to greet him, her gaze changed twice, yet he couldn't grasp the emotions within, and it ended with a cold farewell, not even saying "goodbye."Hugo really couldn't find a clue; this part of the memory had never merged, so he couldn't investigate it. However, relying on his intuition, no matter what happened before, in any case, Tracy had no intention of letting Hugo have an easy time now; this was beyond doubt.From the circuitous rejection of "a river runs through it," to the turning of a blind eye in the hotel hallway, to today's maneuvering, it could be seen that Tracy was stepping into opposition to Hugo step by step, and it was becoming increasingly resolute. Hugo felt very ominous.As for whether this was Hugo's illusion or the truth, that was unknown.Hugo looked at the coffee in his hand, and his interest was immediately reduced by half."Hugo, Hugo..." Joseph's voice came from the right side. Although he was suppressing his voice, it still seemed very abrupt in the quiet twenty-third floor. As soon as Hugo turned his head, he saw the joy overflowing on Joseph's face, and the thin man standing at the office door behind him was none other than Rick. "Come here! Quick." Joseph waved his hands at Hugo, the excitement between his brows shining with a faint light.Hugo was somewhat surprised; the matter Joseph and Rick discussed actually involved him.
