Chapter 35: Hit Piece

There hadn’t been a single day since Niall had left Goldleaf Talent Agency that Callow hadn’t been embittered by and resentful of the actions of the young man.

Believing his former talent wouldn’t have amounted to anything without his help, his thoughts had twisted so far, he had begun considering the idea of ruining his image in Hollywood.

But then, his consideration became action. Something he actively sought out.

Unfortunately, given how clean of a person Niall was, all the defamatory claims he could think of laying on the young man would quickly be revealed to be hogwash.

Which was why, he decided not to go down that route.

Instead, he proceeded to use the young man’s image against him.

Afterall, there was nothing more Hollywood hated than a good man.

Currently on the phone with a journalist from Spotlight Weekly, one of the biggest and equally the most popular Hollywood journal and magazine in Hollywood, he said whilst leaning into his chair;

"Ten grand? That’s fine by me,"

"As long as you keep good on your promise about stunting his career with the piece, that’s chump change." he assured the man on the other end of the line.

*

(Two days later...)

Victor walked into HTA feeling rather recharged.

Once again, he was primed and ready to begin sourcing opportunities for his talent from the film studios, directors and producers in Hollywood in equal measure.

Having procured a couple scripts already, he felt it necessary to secure a couple more to give Niall a wealth of options to choose from.

Yet, as he stepped out of the elevator a few minutes later, he ran into Dominic first.

At first the sharp-faced, middle-aged agent’s features remained unreadable, his poker face intact as it always was.

Upon laying eyes on Victor however, his features shifted into a hint of pity.

Then, he briefly yet assuredly patted him on the shoulders as he walked past and into the elevator.

’That’s not weird at all...’ Victor tilted his head slightly, a genuine perplexity on his features.

But just before he could shake off the weird interaction, he soon ran into Marissa, her expression much the same as Dominic she said;

"Judging by that look on your face, I’d reckon you’re not aware?"

Victor furrowed his brows in genuine confusion, his eyes squinted slightly.

"Someone put out a hit piece on Niall. Painted him like a real moral zealot,"

"And I’d bet you know how Hollywood is with people like that..." she let out a concerned sigh.

No sooner had he heard that, his eyes widened in slight panic. Instantly, he shot a hand into his pocket to retrieve his phone.

As for the very first headline after Eagle searching his talent’s name;

Too Good for Hollywood? Sources Claim Niall Parker Thinks Hollywood Has a "Decadence Problem

└ By Hank Bush | Spotlight Weekly

As Victor felt a disturbing bout of déjà vu, recalling a similar event that had derailed Barry’s career, a close friend of his whom had ultimately committed suicide, he began reading the article.

He hasn’t even had his official breakout yet, and already Niall Parker is quietly becoming one of Hollywood’s most divisive new names.

The rising actor, recently signed to Hellion Talent Agency, after a five-year period with Goldleaf Talent Agency, has reportedly been drawing attention behind closed doors for his unusually firm boundaries in an industry not exactly known for them.

And while some insiders are calling it "refreshing," others are using a far less flattering word;

Judgmental.

According to multiple sources from his former agency, the newcomer has been clear about the kind of career he intends to build, and just as clear about what he wants no part in.

That reportedly includes refusing intimate scenes outright, steering clear of Hollywood’s famously exclusive social circuit, and declining the sort of image-building opportunities many young actors embrace early to gain visibility.

"Hank Bush, huh?" Victor’s gaze darkened, glancing over to the author of the piece as his expression became chilly.

’I’ll remember that name.’ he said to himself as he continued reading the piece.

Even his former work colleague, claimed that actor gave the impression that much of Hollywood’s culture had become "needlessly indulgent."

"He didn’t outright attack anyone," the source clarified. "But he definitely carried himself like someone who thinks a lot of what happens here in Tinseltown is beneath him."

"In this business, there are compromises. Networking matters. Relationships matter. Building buzz matters," they explained. "A lot of actors understand that and work with it. Niall seems determined to operate outside of that entirely."

That attitude has reportedly extended to roles as well.

Parker is said to have turned away from projects that would position him in more marketable archetypes, particularly parts that could quickly establish him as Hollywood’s next heartthrob.

His former agent also had a few words to say to that;

"He doesn’t want intimate scenes. Doesn’t want the party circuit. Doesn’t want to be boxed into a type,"

"Sounds admirable on paper, until you realize Hollywood runs on flexibility. At some point, people start asking if you’re principled... or just difficult."

Niall whom was similarly reading through the piece as his home, cocked a curious brow at those lines in the piece.

"Callow and Adrian, huh?" he muttered distastefully, his tongue rolling about the insides of his mouth.

’Truly bitter little assholes till the very, very end,’ he mused to himself.

’I must be living rent free in their heads.’ he chuckled dismissively and continued reading.

In an industry built on reinvention, perception, and carefully managed access, standing apart can be just as risky as blending in.

One question remains though?

Then, after reading the last line of the piece...

Is this just a sign of Niall’s conviction as an artist, or the suicide of his career as an actor? Only time will tell.

... the young man tucked the phone into his pocket and made his way out. He had somewhere important he needed to be.

Not that it stopped him from picking calls from his friends; David, Ivelia, Emily and Gareth; all of whom had called to check up on him and ask how he was taking the news.

Yet, somewhere upstate in LA, Callow was reading the very same piece in his condo and the comments under it, grinning ear to ear like he’d just won a lottery.

-

TroyInTheMiddle: The fuck is this article?! Leave Niall alone you insecure assholes!

CoffeeAddict:I’m too employed for this shit.

Torrent Hoarder: Newsflash! Hollywood supports debauchery and loves playing fast and loose with morals. How original. Seriously though, god forbid a man has the balls to stay true to himself.

Hot Diggity Dog: This article just reeks of subterfuge.

JustAChillGuy: So, how is this a bad thing? Dude’s just a guy with good morals. Hollyweird should learn a thing or two from him.

CriticalExplainer: @JustAChillGuy;That’s the point. Hollywood doesn’t wanna, and neither would they allow him the avenue to influence others. So, they make a hit piece on his head to send a warning to others like him and what is sure to happen to them if they go down that path.

-

Though the general public seemed to be pretty neutral, and even inclining towards a more supportive stance of Niall’s convictions, Callow knew the industry would be the complete opposite.

Afterall, Hollywood hated people like Niall whom were impossible to exploit.

To them, it was better they squashed a ’revolutionary’ before it got too big to handle and blazed a new path for others to follow in his footsteps.

’With this, his career should be stunted for a good while, if not finished, in fact.’ the agent mused to himself as he downed a glass of wine in gleeful derision.

*

Seated from across Michael in his office, and having observed the typical formalities, Niall curiously asked;

"So,"

"Why am I here?"

Seeing the relaxed demeanor the young man had despite the news on the media, the CEO opted to seal his lip shuts and respect Niall’s time.

Casually, he slid over a document across the desk, prompting Niall to arch a brow as the man spoke;

"Readers want merchandise,"

"Not a whole lot, but enough that I can’t ignore it," he gestured to the document placed before the young author.

Genuinely surprised to hear that, Niall promptly picked up the document and began perusing through the pages.

Michael was right.

There was a market for merch, especially from the younger demographics.

Out of practically 1,000 copies of the book sold, 50 readers were interested in the idea of having a merch, implying a 5% interest rate.

By that metric, and assuming one did the math of over 750,000+ copies sold, that was a probable market of 37,500 merch wanters.

And though this was just a straight projection, a rough estimate one might say, it indicated real demand.

Demand that could shift either positively or negatively depending on how the newer books would perform, and how well the fan engagement would evolve in scale over time with them.

Not that it stopped Niall from being pleasantly surprised.

Honestly, the idea of making merchandises had crossed his mind.

However, he hadn’t expected a market for it to spawn until he’d published his second book, or possibly even his third, hence why he hadn’t really bothered with himself with the thought of it.

Now though, he had no other choice but to acknowledge it.

Leaning back into his chair, his expression morphing into a reserved smile, Niall then asked;

"I’m guessing you want licensing rights?"

"Yes," Michael answered honestly, a thin smile touching his lips as he retrieved another document and slid it across the desk.

"And I’d rather not allow another company snag it from under our noses."

"Alright then," Niall quietly chuckled and picked up the contract.

Naturally, his reserved demeanor assumed an unbridled focus, his cool-gray irises heavily scrutinizing every line and clause without mercy.

Then, when he was certain that things were as they should be, he retrieved his pen.

Just before signing though, he couldn’t help but ask, his tone of choice equal parts curious and impressed;

"How is it that you snagged a 15% royalty, though? Don’t industry standards typically go for about 5% to 10% for the publication company?"

To that, Michael’s features assumed a devious, business-like grin.

Niall’s eyes widened, clearly taken aback by expression.

"Well, I just did what you did." he casually replied a moment after, seemingly gloating to himself.

"Found a company that was struggling. Proposed an offer to them. Set the playing ground and watched them have no other choice but to take it--"

"Don’t you dare look at me like that. You did right about the same to us." the CEO immediately took to defending himself when he noticed the look of concerned dismay Niall was giving him.

"And trust me, they needed it more than anyone else. I wasn’t about to watch them go under. Their products are of very high quality." he folded his arms across his chest.

Reigning in his expression, Niall shook his head in resignation and simply penned down his signature whilst thinking to himself;

’CEOs are scary...’

Though he remained self-aware that this was a trickle effect of his actions, it was still pretty jarring for Niall that Michael had learnt from their interactions and reapplied it somewhere else.

If it wasn’t the mark of a good CEO, Niall didn’t know what was.

As for the potential butterfly effects that his actions may have stirred, the young artist had come to terms with the fact that certain things were bound to go down a completely different route from the moment he’d regressed.

All he could hope for, was that they impacted the world more positively than they did negatively.

Pushing back the contract to the CEO, Michael smiled, clearly glad to have had the entire meeting go smoothly.

However,

"There’s one more thing I’d like to discuss with you, Niall," he said as he slipped the documents into an envelope.

"What’s that?" the young man curiously inquired.

"Well, originally we had no plans for it," Michael began, his palms interlocked.

"But uh, since [The Token of Fate] did as well as it did, and your role in [The Promised Queen] garnered some attention from the public..."

"We figured it’d be a good way to capitalize on it and get Feyre Publications out there a bit more,"

"What I’m getting at is that I’d like to host a book signing for our top authors," the CEO got to the crux and then gestured, almost hesitantly;

"And it’d be really great if you could--"

"Sure. Why not?" Niall interjected, responding with a genuinely excited smile.

"I’d be honored to be a part of it."

Glad to hear that, Michael simply filled Niall in on all the necessary deets.

Apparently, Feyre Publications was looking towards having the signing happen in three weeks’ time.

Considering [Polaroid] was also set to be released in two weeks’ time, one would assume Niall was extremely ecstatic about the coming month of July.

And he was. Rightfully and unequivocally so... even despite the hit piece on his head.

Advance Chapters are available on Patreon!

/Caer07