[Chapter 111: Madonna, Fourth Level of Radiant Core]
That evening, Linton came out of the swimming pool and was about to start his practice when he received a call from Madonna, inviting him to spend the night at the Ritz-Carlton hotel.
Counting the time, the last time he met Madonna was at the Grammy night, which was already six months ago. Madonna's popularity should have fully recovered by now, but it seemed he wasted three months, which was not a good habit.
Without hesitation, he hung up and told his assistant to stop work for three days. If there was an emergency, she can contact Danny. He then asked Danny to avoid the paparazzi and take him straight to the Ritz-Carlton.
...
When Linton arrived at the room Madonna had prepared, as soon as he opened the door, a passionate figure pounced on him. After a fervent embrace and kiss, Linton had time to take a good look at this beautiful woman.
Madonna wore a very seductive black nightgown, made of two layers of what looked like silk fabric. Inside was a black slip, closely fitted, hugging her waist and hips down to her upper thighs, exposing two full, fair long legs.
She wore two pairs of crystal-colored high-heeled sandals, with her delicate, white feet peeking out. The outer layer was like a thin veil draping over her body, covering her exposed upper body but adding an extra allure with its semi-transparency.
Her golden wavy hair fell over her shoulders, her ruby lips were stunning, and her porcelain skin was as white as snow. Her big watery eyes blinked as she looked at Linton.
Full of mature charm, her allure was at maximum.
However, what puzzled Linton was that Madonna's popularity seemed to have slightly dropped since the first time. That didn't make sense. Earlier this year, she starred in A League of Their Own, which grossed over $100 million in North America; her popularity should be even higher. What was going on? Could she not have fully recovered after half a year?
...
It wasn't until the next morning, after breakfast was delivered from the hotel, that they had time to talk about work and life.
"Darling, you must have missed me so much! You haven't come to see me for so long and wouldn't even let me come to you. You're such a bad boy."
"I have no choice. You know my situation. Before June, all my energy was focused on filming my first movie. I couldn't afford to be distracted. After filming, for the sake of the box office, Universal made me and Naomi stir rumors.
At that time, how could I dare meet you? If paparazzi caught us, it'd become a scandal and hurt the film too. Now the movie's nearly finished its run, that's why I answered your call and came over."
"You're just saying nice things. I heard you took a week's vacation after filming in June. Why didn't you invite me?"
"That was just after the Los Angeles riots. I was worried you'd want to stay with family."
"Then last week, I heard you went on a week's trip with two beautiful women. Why didn't you invite me again?"
"Are you jealous?"
"A little. Mainly because we haven't been together for so long."
To Linton's surprise, Madonna directly admitted to being jealous.
"No way, you, jealous of others? You're the Queen of Gossip in America, and the talk about your love life is something I've heard since childhood."
"That was before I met you. This year, my gossip news has basically disappeared," Madonna said softly.
That explained it. Without gossip, public discussion naturally declined. No wonder her popularity was slightly lower than when they first met, even with the hit movie boost.
"Really?"
"Maybe you're just too amazing, raising my threshold. Or maybe I caught your spell. Anyway, when I'm with other men... It's all your fault, you big bad guy. Look how my skin's gotten worse."
"That's even better. From now on, you belong only to me. It saves me the discomfort of knowing you're with other men." Linton said shamelessly, feeling happy inside.
"But that's so unfair! So many women surround you, and you're so busy. When I want to see you, you have no time? Calculate it -- it's been six months since we last met! I don't know how I've endured. I won't stand for this much longer."
"Alright, from now on we'll find time to meet once a month. I'll take a day off to be with you, and at least three days every three months. How's that?"
"Can you spend one night with me every two weeks? If you don't have time during the day, that's fine." Madonna was actually quite pleased but wanted to ask for more.
"Okay, I'll try. If you don't mind the gossip, you could come to my estate."
After thinking it over, despite Madonna's not-so-good reputation and her older age, as his strongest cultivation partner, he decided to tolerate her like the others. After all, he couldn't easily give up on her and would treat her the same as other women.
"Really? I don't mind. I've always been the Queen of Gossip with a so-so reputation. But aren't you afraid? Gossip about me could be bad for you."
"No worries. We'll be careful. When you come, I'll have my bodyguards pick you up and avoid the paparazzi. If they catch us, so what? We'll just say we're good friends. Visiting a friend's house isn't unusual."
"That's what you say, but the paparazzi won't write that; the public won't believe it."
"Doesn't matter. If worse comes to worst, let them gossip. I'm no longer a rookie. A little scandal won't hurt me."
Linton wasn't really afraid of scandals. Now that he was a superstar singer, an A-list Hollywood actor, a top commercial director, and film company owner, a bit of gossip wouldn't be a big deal. He had enough confidence.
"You're so good," Madonna said excitedly, throwing herself into Linton's arms to plant a passionate kiss.
...
At Madonna's strong insistence, Linton stayed at the hotel for three days without handling any work. Madonna said being with him made her feel young again; her skin improved a lot -- he was her best beauty treasure.
She happily told Linton that she felt younger, and her commercial value increased. Brands for clothing, cosmetics, and handbags raised her endorsement fees.
However, she also clearly felt her physical condition declining lately, and her skin was getting worse...
Now, her skin was becoming more hydrated, which made her feel intoxicated.
Linton benefited greatly too. As the movie gained global success, his popularity soared and his ability advanced. Later, he also got help from Winona, Shania, and Sharon Stone.
Now with Madonna, he progressed smoothly to the fourth level of Radiant Core. She truly was his excellent partner.
...
Madonna also talked about her work. She had founded her own entertainment company in the first half of the year, which included divisions for records, film production, and book publishing.
She planned to release a photo album titled Sex by the end of the year. Besides herself, she wanted to invite some celebrities to shoot bold photos. She asked Linton what he thought about this business plan.
Linton recalled that in a previous life, the release of Sex caused Madonna's popularity and commercial value to drop sharply. It wasn't until 1995 that she gradually recovered.
For the sake of his ability, he immediately spoke up:
"Don't publish that kind of album. You're already the hottest star in America, with unmatched popularity and commercial value. You're a role model for countless young girls.
With the current social climate supporting equality, it's okay to occasionally do something daring. It's even fine to pose for Playboy covers. But you should avoid personally organizing such bold commercial projects.
Mainstream America is still conservative. Doing this could seriously hurt your image among the mainstream audience. They might worry their kids would be influenced badly and even discourage them from being your fans. It would be self-destructive."
"Is that so? My company's marketing team said something completely different."
"I'm serious. There's no need to hide this from you. You can consult professional PR firms to see if I'm right."
"Okay, I'll listen to you. This photo album is off."
For Linton, who gave her so many wonderful feelings, she could listen to him. "But if I obey you so much, you owe me a reward."
"Alright, what do you want?"
"I want to go on vacation with you. Next time you go, invite me, okay? I don't mind going with others."
"No problem. But the next vacation will probably be after April next year. I'll definitely invite you then."
Linton felt happy seeing Madonna overcome her popularity crisis. "Rested enough? Let's make the most of our time."
*****
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