Chapter 79
‘Babylon AD’ shooting. Czech Republic.
Vin leaned backwards, nodding, as though he was paying attention to Oliver while the PA translated Kassovitz’s endless ranting. The man could talk!
The director had been going at it, non-stop, for the last fifteen minutes, not only complaining about not having snow to shoot the scenes but also scolding Vin for his diva attitude, leaving the shooting without even bothering to tell where he would be. According to Oliver’s translation of Kassovitz’s words, it had been ‘an unacceptable behavior, unbecoming to a professional’.
Vin was almost sure that the French director hadn’t used those exact words, though it wasn’t less true that his knowledge of the language was limited. Vin had opted for further learning and practicing Spanish rather than French. Not that Vin really cared whatever the director had to say, even though he had been stoically enduring Kassovitz’s lecture about the many problems the movie was going through.
Pretending to keep track of the director’s words, Vin continued nodding, dropping the noncommittal ‘hm-mm’ from time to time, but his mind was miles away. Vin was more concerned about talking with his own wife than making happy Kassovitz.
It was clear that what Luna and he had to talk about couldn’t be said by phone and sure as hell using a private chatroom didn’t sound half appealing. They had to talk face to face and sooner rather than later. Not only about Dave, Lorraine and Luna’s crazy plan, but also about Valentino’s documentary.
Blinking, Vin noticed that Kassovitz had gone quiet and that he was staring at him, as though the director was waiting for Vin to say something, anything. Turning his attention to Oliver, Vin obliged; he couldn’t wait to lose sight of this skinny fucker for at least two weeks.
“Err, right…,” Vin cleared his throat, “tell this frog that since there’s no snow and we’re not going to shoot for at least two weeks, that I’m going to use the occasion to take me a few days to relax and stuff,” and with that, Vin got to his feet and exited Kassovitz’s trailer, once more leaving Oliver to deal with the furious director on his own.
As Vin made his way back to his trailer he could hear Kassovitz screaming at the top of his lungs. The guy could throw a tantrum all right!
“That fucker better watch out or he’ll end up having a coronary,” Vin shook his head and pulled out his cell phone. He was about to hit speed dial to call Luna when the cell phone started ringing. The ID caller showed his lawyer’s office number. Vin frowned lightly; it wasn’t every day that Simon Weismann called Vin’s cell phone. “Simon! How you’re doing, man?” he smiled, entering his trailer and closing the door at his back.
“Hi, Vin, I’m doing fine,” Simon’s voice sounded serious and Vin’s frown deepened. “I’m calling you because I have news to share with you.”
“About what?”
“About Luna.”
Vin came to a sudden halt. “Is everything okay with my wife?” his voice sounded anxious and Simon hastened to calm his client down.
“Yes, yes, at least as far as I know, but her lawyer, Thomas, called me today,” Simon paused and Vin heard what sounded like papers being moved around. “Luna’s green card is ready, so I guess you know what that means, right?”
Vin’s heart dropped to his stomach and he swallowed forcefully. Yeah, he knew what that meant. It meant that now, they both should start filling their divorce, since that was what they had agreed to.
“Vin? You still there?” Simon’s concerned voice pulled Vin out of his thoughts.
“Yeah, I’m here,” Vin sounded weak all of sudden, as though all his strength had been drawn off his frame. “Did Thomas say anything about what Luna wanted to do?”
“Not yet, but that doesn’t mean anything. I know for sure that he’ll remind Luna, asking her if she still wants to go ahead with the divorce since that was what you both agreed,” Simon cleared his throat and continued, “Unless you two decided otherwise.”
Under normal circumstances, a divorce proceeding involving a celebrity like Vin almost always got nasty at some point. But since Luna hadn’t signed a prenuptial agreement and, taking into consideration Vin’s behavior in the past, Simon knew that his client wouldn’t fight his wife. Legally, Luna had the right to keep 50% of everything that Vin owned, so this divorce shouldn’t represent much trouble. It could be a mere formality.
“I haven’t talked with Luna in weeks, and last time we did …well, Luna had found about the fucking video and Dave being the brains behind that shit at ‘Privilege’…” Vin pinched the bridge of his nose, “she got mad as hell and we had a huge fight; Luna got so upset she almost suffered a cardiac arrest, we even had to call the paramedics, but after the mess, well, we managed to work things out,” he sighed heavily, “sort of”.
Simon recalled everything Vin had said in a rush. “Wait, wait, wait,” he went on, almost without breathing between sentences. “What’s that about Dave being the brains behind that shit at ‘Privilege’? And why didn’t you tell me before? I told you to tell me if someone tried to blackmail you, Vin. You promised you wouldn’t do anything. You gave me your word!”
“And I’ve done nothing, Simon, and no one blackmailed me, yet anyway!” Vin replied. “It was Luna that found out about that shit, not me. She was the one telling me. I had my suspicions but she confirmed them.”
“And why the hell didn’t you tell me about all that before?” Simon demanded.
“I’m doing it now, am I not?” Vin replied coldly.
“Almost two months later, Vin!” Simon retorted, getting angry in a matter of seconds. “How in the hell am I going to be able to help you if you hide things from me, huh?” Simon raised his voice, “I’m your fucking lawyer!!”
“And Luna’s my fucking wife, Simon!” Vin growled under his breath.
At the other side of the line, Simon rubbed his forehead; he could feel a hell of headache approaching and it was doing it damn fast.
“Okay, let’s calm down,” the lawyer sighed, regaining his composure. Yelling and shouting wouldn’t solve a thing. “What’s going on for real?”
Vin frowned. “What do you mean?”
Simon pinched the bridge of his nose. “You said Luna found out that Dave was involved in the set up at ‘Privilege’, so I want to know what she’s planning to do with that piece of information.”
Vin arched his brows. “Who says she’s planning to do shit?”
Simon snorted. “I do. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, Vin, you should know that.”
Vin huffed but said nothing in return which confirmed Simon’s suspicions.
“I know for a fact that Luna is not a woman to mess with, so tell me what she’s up to so I know what to expect. I don’t like not being able to anticipate events, much less when they might bring unexpected consequences.”
Vin went silent, mostly because he didn’t know for sure what Luna was up to, exactly.
“Vin, tell me what your wife is planning to do,” Simon pressed, getting a bit anxious when Vin still didn’t answer. “I have to know, Vin, otherwise, I won’t be able to stop the shit before it hits the fan.”
Vin heaved a hard sigh. “I don’t know, Simon, she didn’t tell me.”
“You don’t know,” Simon echoed doubtfully.
“Luna just said that she would deal with Dave when the right time came.”
“And what does that shit mean, exactly?” Simon narrowed his eyes.
“How the fuck would I know, eh?” Vin sighed hard. “Knowing Luna it may mean anything.”
“And may I know why you didn’t ask for details?” Simon couldn’t help it but his voice sounded tinted with sarcasm.
Vin snorted. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe because my wife had just found that I had been recorded while having sex with another woman and was a step away from cutting off my balls, shoving them up my ass,” he retorted sarcastically, “or maybe because I was busy counting my blessings because my wife was still breathing after she managed to stop herself from having a cardiac arrest!” he snapped angrily.
Simon’s headache had finally hit him and he screwed his eyes shut, cursing silently. “Listen, we can’t keep talking about this matter on the phone. When are you coming back?”
Vin let out a heavy sigh, his plate was starting to be filled with more things than he felt like dealing with.
“Actually there are some technical problems with the shooting, so I’m going back tonight. I already got everything ready.”
“Good,” Simon leaned backwards on his leather chair. “You coming to LA?”
“Not right away. I need to talk with Luna and I want to go see my parents,” Vin answered, cursing himself silently; he wasn’t sure what would be worse, facing his mom or his wife. “But I’ll attend to Alice’s and Mike’s wedding in LA.”
“Great, you make sure to make time for a meeting with me.” Simon’s tone of voice didn’t leave room for complaints.
“Okay.”
next…
Secrets 79
Chapter 79
‘Babylon AD’ shooting. Czech Republic.
Vin leaned backwards, nodding, as though he was paying attention to Oliver while the PA translated Kassovitz’s endless ranting. The man could talk!
The director had been going at it, non-stop, for the last fifteen minutes, not only complaining about not having snow to shoot the scenes but also scolding Vin for his diva attitude, leaving the shooting without even bothering to tell where he would be. According to Oliver’s translation of Kassovitz’s words, it had been ‘an unacceptable behavior, unbecoming to a professional’.
Vin was almost sure that the French director hadn’t used those exact words, though it wasn’t less true that his knowledge of the language was limited. Vin had opted for further learning and practicing Spanish rather than French. Not that Vin really cared whatever the director had to say, even though he had been stoically enduring Kassovitz’s lecture about the many problems the movie was going through.
Pretending to keep track of the director’s words, Vin continued nodding, dropping the noncommittal ‘hm-mm’ from time to time, but his mind was miles away. Vin was more concerned about talking with his own wife than making happy Kassovitz.
It was clear that what Luna and he had to talk about couldn’t be said by phone and sure as hell using a private chatroom didn’t sound half appealing. They had to talk face to face and sooner rather than later. Not only about Dave, Lorraine and Luna’s crazy plan, but also about Valentino’s documentary.
Blinking, Vin noticed that Kassovitz had gone quiet and that he was staring at him, as though the director was waiting for Vin to say something, anything. Turning his attention to Oliver, Vin obliged; he couldn’t wait to lose sight of this skinny fucker for at least two weeks.
“Err, right…,” Vin cleared his throat, “tell this frog that since there’s no snow and we’re not going to shoot for at least two weeks, that I’m going to use the occasion to take me a few days to relax and stuff,” and with that, Vin got to his feet and exited Kassovitz’s trailer, once more leaving Oliver to deal with the furious director on his own.
As Vin made his way back to his trailer he could hear Kassovitz screaming at the top of his lungs. The guy could throw a tantrum all right!
“That fucker better watch out or he’ll end up having a coronary,” Vin shook his head and pulled out his cell phone. He was about to hit speed dial to call Luna when the cell phone started ringing. The ID caller showed his lawyer’s office number. Vin frowned lightly; it wasn’t every day that Simon Weismann called Vin’s cell phone. “Simon! How you’re doing, man?” he smiled, entering his trailer and closing the door at his back.
“Hi, Vin, I’m doing fine,” Simon’s voice sounded serious and Vin’s frown deepened. “I’m calling you because I have news to share with you.”
“About what?”
“About Luna.”
Vin came to a sudden halt. “Is everything okay with my wife?” his voice sounded anxious and Simon hastened to calm his client down.
“Yes, yes, at least as far as I know, but her lawyer, Thomas, called me today,” Simon paused and Vin heard what sounded like papers being moved around. “Luna’s green card is ready, so I guess you know what that means, right?”
Vin’s heart dropped to his stomach and he swallowed forcefully. Yeah, he knew what that meant. It meant that now, they both should start filling their divorce, since that was what they had agreed to.
“Vin? You still there?” Simon’s concerned voice pulled Vin out of his thoughts.
“Yeah, I’m here,” Vin sounded weak all of sudden, as though all his strength had been drawn off his frame. “Did Thomas say anything about what Luna wanted to do?”
“Not yet, but that doesn’t mean anything. I know for sure that he’ll remind Luna, asking her if she still wants to go ahead with the divorce since that was what you both agreed,” Simon cleared his throat and continued, “Unless you two decided otherwise.”
Under normal circumstances, a divorce proceeding involving a celebrity like Vin almost always got nasty at some point. But since Luna hadn’t signed a prenuptial agreement and, taking into consideration Vin’s behavior in the past, Simon knew that his client wouldn’t fight his wife. Legally, Luna had the right to keep 50% of everything that Vin owned, so this divorce shouldn’t represent much trouble. It could be a mere formality.
“I haven’t talked with Luna in weeks, and last time we did …well, Luna had found about the fucking video and Dave being the brains behind that shit at ‘Privilege’…” Vin pinched the bridge of his nose, “she got mad as hell and we had a huge fight; Luna got so upset she almost suffered a cardiac arrest, we even had to call the paramedics, but after the mess, well, we managed to work things out,” he sighed heavily, “sort of”.
Simon recalled everything Vin had said in a rush. “Wait, wait, wait,” he went on, almost without breathing between sentences. “What’s that about Dave being the brains behind that shit at ‘Privilege’? And why didn’t you tell me before? I told you to tell me if someone tried to blackmail you, Vin. You promised you wouldn’t do anything. You gave me your word!”
“And I’ve done nothing, Simon, and no one blackmailed me, yet anyway!” Vin replied. “It was Luna that found out about that shit, not me. She was the one telling me. I had my suspicions but she confirmed them.”
“And why the hell didn’t you tell me about all that before?” Simon demanded.
“I’m doing it now, am I not?” Vin replied coldly.
“Almost two months later, Vin!” Simon retorted, getting angry in a matter of seconds. “How in the hell am I going to be able to help you if you hide things from me, huh?” Simon raised his voice, “I’m your fucking lawyer!!”
“And Luna’s my fucking wife, Simon!” Vin growled under his breath.
At the other side of the line, Simon rubbed his forehead; he could feel a hell of headache approaching and it was doing it damn fast.
“Okay, let’s calm down,” the lawyer sighed, regaining his composure. Yelling and shouting wouldn’t solve a thing. “What’s going on for real?”
Vin frowned. “What do you mean?”
Simon pinched the bridge of his nose. “You said Luna found out that Dave was involved in the set up at ‘Privilege’, so I want to know what she’s planning to do with that piece of information.”
Vin arched his brows. “Who says she’s planning to do shit?”
Simon snorted. “I do. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, Vin, you should know that.”
Vin huffed but said nothing in return which confirmed Simon’s suspicions.
“I know for a fact that Luna is not a woman to mess with, so tell me what she’s up to so I know what to expect. I don’t like not being able to anticipate events, much less when they might bring unexpected consequences.”
Vin went silent, mostly because he didn’t know for sure what Luna was up to, exactly.
“Vin, tell me what your wife is planning to do,” Simon pressed, getting a bit anxious when Vin still didn’t answer. “I have to know, Vin, otherwise, I won’t be able to stop the shit before it hits the fan.”
Vin heaved a hard sigh. “I don’t know, Simon, she didn’t tell me.”
“You don’t know,” Simon echoed doubtfully.
“Luna just said that she would deal with Dave when the right time came.”
“And what does that shit mean, exactly?” Simon narrowed his eyes.
“How the fuck would I know, eh?” Vin sighed hard. “Knowing Luna it may mean anything.”
“And may I know why you didn’t ask for details?” Simon couldn’t help it but his voice sounded tinted with sarcasm.
Vin snorted. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe because my wife had just found that I had been recorded while having sex with another woman and was a step away from cutting off my balls, shoving them up my ass,” he retorted sarcastically, “or maybe because I was busy counting my blessings because my wife was still breathing after she managed to stop herself from having a cardiac arrest!” he snapped angrily.
Simon’s headache had finally hit him and he screwed his eyes shut, cursing silently. “Listen, we can’t keep talking about this matter on the phone. When are you coming back?”
Vin let out a heavy sigh, his plate was starting to be filled with more things than he felt like dealing with.
“Actually there are some technical problems with the shooting, so I’m going back tonight. I already got everything ready.”
“Good,” Simon leaned backwards on his leather chair. “You coming to LA?”
“Not right away. I need to talk with Luna and I want to go see my parents,” Vin answered, cursing himself silently; he wasn’t sure what would be worse, facing his mom or his wife. “But I’ll attend to Alice’s and Mike’s wedding in LA.”
“Great, you make sure to make time for a meeting with me.” Simon’s tone of voice didn’t leave room for complaints.
“Okay.”
next…