Joanna looked down at her somewhat gray fingers, there was still dirt left between the nails, which made her nervously buckle with her left hand, she clearly remembered that she had only taken care of it carefully before going out in the morning, why did there still be dirt? After rubbing her left hand vigorously, Joanna realized that it was not dirt, but the bruise she had left on the table the day before.

The illusion of eyes made Joanna's heart shrink suddenly and then relieved, but then she heard a polite voice in her ear, "Ms. Rowling......" This made Joanna raise her head in a panic, look over uneasily, and then see Rick's dark and thin weak body, that seemingly ordinary, easy to be bullied honest face has a pair of sharp eyes, which makes it difficult to look directly, "Joe, please call me Joe." ”

"Joe, I remember you also have a daughter, why didn't you come to Los Angeles this time?" When Rick received Joanna's call, he didn't react at first, but later remembered the author recommended by Hugo, and he also remembered Hugo's super high opinion of her, so he was still very concerned.

"Oh, Jessica is too small for a long flight, so I left her with my sister." Joanna said stiffly and embarrassedly, pausing for a moment, but then speaking with some urgency, "That...... I'm really sorry, but I'm coming to L.A. because, uh, because Hugo said I could get help here, I know it was sudden, but I still ...... I'm sorry, but I'd like to ask if I'm looking for help from private funds, government funds, or ...... What else? ”

Joanna knew that her behavior was inappropriate, but it was her last straw. She's been through so much in the last nine months, she's filed for divorce, she's spent another nine months on behavioral therapy, and she thought her life had hit rock bottom and couldn't get any worse, but now she's in an even more terrible situation, she's almost desperate.

The government relief money is no longer enough to support her, and her sister's help has reached the limit, she has no way to continue writing, she has to go out to find a job, but it is not so easy for her to find a job without any job skills. She tried to apply for a teaching certificate while applying for a benefit from the foundation, hoping that she would be able to improve her life through her own teaching. However, the foundation has not approved the relief fund, and the teaching certificate has still not been examined, and her life is completely bankrupt, and even next month's rent is already in jeopardy.

Once again, Joanna did not choose to end her life pessimistically, not only because she had just completed behavioral therapy, but also because she remembered again the pair of amber eyes she saw in her desperate moments - Hugo.

In fact, after Joanna got Hugo's business card, she considered calling Hugo for help, but Hugo's words at that time were really not convincing enough, even if he was not a swaggering gambler, he definitely did not look like an employee of a regular brokerage company. And at that time, Joanna had already recovered her spirits and thought she could support it, so she didn't call in the end.

But now, that business card seems to be her last straw.

"So, you still don't know what my place is?" Rick was not in a hurry, and a warm smile appeared on his face, which made Joanna a little embarrassed. "I'm a broker, and this is a brokerage company." Rick explained simply.

In fact, Joanna knows that Endeavour Elite Agency is a brokerage company, and Hugo's business card has been studied countless times by her, but the problem is that Joanna doesn't know how an entertainment agency can help her.

"Our company's main business is currently in the film and television industry, and occasionally in the music industry." Rick still unhurriedly explains, "But our company has always wanted to go into other industries, including sports, fashion, marketing, and, of course, publishing. Rick did not explain the company's plan in further depth, the fact is that at present, Endeavor Elite Agency is concentrating on the development of the film industry, and the TV drama department is also in full swing, but for other parts, the company does not have the energy to take care of it for the time being.

However, when Hugo mentioned Joanna Rowling to Rick before, Rick actually had a plan, maybe Joanna could become the first pawn of Endeavor Elite Agency to open up the publishing market. In fact, the publishing department has always been a piece of the company's planning map, but because the company has just been established, they don't have the energy to take care of this part for the time being, but now that they have the opportunity, they can gradually use Joanna as the first soldier to explore the way, and gradually establish the publishing department.

For one, Joanna's novel won't be finished anytime soon, which gives Rick more time to prepare and work steadily; Second, with goals, they can also plan around the work, which is conducive to the early construction of the publishing department; Thirdly, Hugo was willing to highly recommend, which really attracted Rick's curiosity. What's more, after these months of precipitation and gestation, Rick now has more confidence in the publishing department, which is why he directly asked Joanna to fly over from Edinburgh after receiving the call.

"Hugo has talked about your situation before, so we already have preliminary preparations. If you are willing to sign a contract with us, we will first win the support of the foundation for you, so that you can create literature with peace of mind. Of course, this benefit may not be too generous, but at least it will relieve you of most of the stress in your life. Rick said very implicitly, he didn't ask Joanna how difficult her life is now, and he didn't emphasize how generous the Foundation's relief money will be, "Then, after you're done creating, we'll reach out to the publisher to seek publication and get you an excellent contract, and as for ......the rest," Rick nodded with a chuckle, "The market will give us an answer." ”

Rick succinctly stated his plan, and Joanna heard it clear, but she also knew that these conditions sounded so superior, there must be a quid pro quo, after all, the agency is not a charitable organization. "And what are your requirements?"

"We can negotiate the details," Rick took out a draft contract from a drawer and handed it to Joanna, "but there are two things that cannot be changed, the first is that you must finish the first novel within two years; The second is that the brokerage company's commission cannot be compromised. ”

Endeavour Elite Brokerage Company's commission is 8 percent, although it is not as good as 10 percent of the current three major brokerage companies, but it is also the highest batch of brokerage companies in the world. In turn, it can also be seen as the confidence of Endeavor Elite Brokerage Company.

Joanna knows that although these two conditions are harsh, they are already very good, and generally no agency is willing to deal with a nobody like her. But Joanna is also a little hesitant, because once she signs with the agency, it means that she becomes a full-time author, as Rick said, she must complete the creation of the first novel within two years, otherwise she will have to pay liquidated damages; And even if the novel is published, it doesn't necessarily sell well.

Joanna came to Los Angeles in a desperate mood, hoping that the agency introduced by Hugo would build a bridge for her and introduce her to an interview with the foundation, so that she could get a grant from the foundation. But now it seems that how can the agency do this kind of free referral work without any return, and she has no friendship with Hugo. It is already very rare that the agency is willing to sign a contract with her.

Joanna hesitated, not sure what she should do, looked at the contract in her hand, and fell silent for a while.

Rick, the old fox, naturally noticed Joanna's feelings at the first time, and he was not in a hurry, but said gently, "Well, I think you need time to think about it slowly and read the contract carefully; At the same time, I need time to think about it, I need to read your novel, and then contact the professionals of the publishing house to try it out. So, how about we all give each other a little time and arrange to meet again the morning after tomorrow? ”

Joanna's cheeks turned red with a sudden, and now she was in a situation where there was no way out, and she had to ask for the door, but she was here to take Joe. She didn't even realize the most important point: if her novel wasn't good enough, let alone a publisher, and even an agent like Rick wasn't optimistic, then what right did she have to negotiate terms with someone else? Now that Rick is still so kind and pleasant without reading it, she is still hesitating, which is really embarrassing. Instead, Rick was thoughtful.

Although Rick didn't say anything, Joanna was still embarrassed, and she quickly nodded, "No problem, of course no problem." Then he left a printed copy of the first part of his novel, packed up the contract in his hand in a panic, and said goodbye and left.

Rick didn't think much about Joanna's attitude, as an agent, he had seen more people and encountered more things, and there were countless more people than this, especially those who claimed to be artists rather than the entertainment industry, on the one hand, they thought that their works were priceless art, but on the other hand, they had to exchange art for commercial interests to continue their lives, this contradiction made their attitude very complicated, far worse than Joanna. So he doesn't care at all.

After Joanna left, Rick was quiet and opened her novel, although he only had a quarter of an hour's rest, but reading was not a move that could be done by someone else's hand, he still had to go into battle on his own. After ten minutes of reading, Rick raised his gaze and fell into deep thought, his brow furrowed slightly, looking a little struggling.

After a moment's hesitation, Rick picked up the phone on his desk and dialed Joseph's, "Hey, Joe, is Hugo on shoot now?" No? Oh...... Leo went to visit...... Yes, that's right, I'd like to ask Hugo something, is it convenient for him? Okay, you give him the phone. ”