AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Expressionless looks are all I get.
We stare at each other for a few seconds, before the boss man adds, “You’ll find out soon enough.”
“When?”
“This week.”
With a slight bow of his head, he turns away from me. The other gray coats follow suit.
Dazed, but determined not to show it, I strut to the clothesline, remove the clips, and swoop up the dripping tees and towels against my chest. Then I remember the rain has stopped. I hang my laundry out again and stumble into the trailer on wobbly legs.
CHAPTER2
LOUIS
Magdalena and I amble through the immense Studio 3 filled with vintage cars, stage props of all shapes and sizes, crates with equipment and furniture wrapped in tarps. Everything here speaks of bygone glory. I lead her down a corridor with dressing rooms on either side. The walls between the doors are lined with black-and-white portraits of legendary French movie stars. Young Brigitte Bardot, Alain Delon, Belmondo, Deneuve, and others look down on us, dripping glamour.
“Did all of them make a movie here?” Magdalena asks.
I nod. “In the second half of the last century, Royal Riviera was a major studio, the most prolific here in the South.”
“Bigger than the iconic Studios de la Victorine?”
I bow, moved. “I am impressed and delighted that you know of Victorine. Few do, even in France.”
“My agent briefed me,” she says with a coquettish smile. “He’s very thorough.”
“In their heyday, Victorine and Royal Riviera were competitors, fighting each other to snatch the next James Bond or François Truffaut.”
“And now both have fallen into financial ruin and disrepair,” she concludes.
We reach my office where Angie has laid out Magdalena’s preferred refreshments and vegan snacks in the lounge area.
“May I introduce my linchpin?” I say to Magdalena. “Angele Gockler, my indispensable and irreplaceable personal assistant.”
Magdalena inclines her head. “Enchantée.”
“It’s an honor to receive you here!” Angie looks starstruck. “I’ve seen all your movies. You’re even more beautiful in person than on screen.”
Magdalena flaps a hand, looking pleased. “You’re very kind.”
“It’s the truth,” Angie insists.
With a glance at me to check if I need anything, she leaves the room.
I motion Magdalena to the sofa. “The film I hope you’ll sign on to make is going to be a smash hit, and it will save this studio, likeThe Intouchablessaved Gaumont.”
“I was briefed about you, too,” she says, sitting down. “Old European nobility, seasoned diplomat, heir to a fortune… Why do you care so much about this studio?”
I serve her a drink and consider my reply.
“Is this your artistic pet project?” she asks. “A way to express yourself? A way to meet movie stars?”
“All of those things, plus a sentimental reason.”
She arches a beautiful eyebrow. “What reason is that?”
“This studio and production company is a family project started by my grandfather.”
