Hollywood Road

Manually locking the car doors, Murphy exited the parking lot and looked around. Unlike the low-rise buildings in downtown Los Angeles, Century City was full of skyscrapers and luxurious business centers. As the most important commercial and residential district in west Los Angeles, it covered nearly 200 acres. Many film, television, and music companies had offices here.

For instance, the renowned 20th Century Fox was located at Fox Plaza. Not far away was the towering building housing CAA (Creative Artists Agency), the dominating Hollywood agency.

Anyone with even a cursory knowledge of Hollywood knew about CAA's power. Despite the turmoil following Michael Ovitz's departure, CAA quickly regained its footing and had been growing rapidly in recent years, occupying over half of Hollywood's market share and extending its reach into the sports world.

Thinking about the CAA agent who had called him, Murphy felt a headache coming on.

He never expected that Kobe Bryant's agency wasn't a specialized sports agency but the Hollywood giant CAA!

Murphy's goal was Hollywood. Tangling with such a behemoth didn't seem like a good idea.

However, he didn't plan to back down. He had already taken action, and CAA would certainly be furious. There was no point in worrying about it now. The most practical approach was to gain as much benefit for himself as possible within reasonable bounds.

Before coming here, Murphy had done some research on CAA online. Just like professional sports in North America, football and the NFL were the most important departments in CAA's sports division, while basketball and the NBA were less significant.

This was the only thing that offered Murphy some psychological comfort.

In reality, he knew that anyone representing Kobe Bryant wouldn't be a fool.

"I've already done it."

Standing in front of the InterContinental Los Angeles hotel, Murphy shrugged self-deprecatingly. "I'm just a small-time nobody. What do I have to fear?"

The worst outcome would be burning bridges. As a small fry, he had nothing to lose.

Entering the hotel lobby, Murphy asked a bellhop and then took the escalator to the second floor. Finding the agreed-upon café, he walked in confidently.

"Is Mr. Leon Rose here?" Murphy asked the waiter at the entrance.

"And you are?" The waiter looked at him. Murphy quickly replied, "Murphy Stanton, I have an appointment with Mr. Leon Rose."

The waiter gestured politely, "This way, please."

Following the waiter, Murphy approached the café's sunlit corner, which was sectioned off by greenery. From a distance, he saw a middle-aged man and a young woman sitting in the partition, speaking softly.

The man wore a well-fitted suit with a meticulously tied tie, and a pair of sunglasses rested on the left side of the coffee table. In Los Angeles, especially Beverly Hills, seeing someone dressed like this, there was a 90% chance he was an agent.

The woman, probably his assistant, looked to be around twenty-five.

Not seeing the basketball star, Murphy wasn't surprised. An agent was enough for this situation.

Approaching the table, the man didn't stand up but merely looked Murphy over. Murphy unceremoniously sat down across from him and told the waiter, "A latte, please."

The agent continued to scrutinize him. After the waiter left, he began, "Murphy Stanton, a Los Angeles native, freelance journalist, recently imprisoned for a year, now back at work and collaborating with Fox LA's Channel 6."

Since he was already here, Murphy had no more qualms. "You've done your homework."

Leon Rose calmly replied, "Because we are CAA."

The confidence in his voice made it seem as if CAA was an unshakable mountain.

For Murphy, a small fry, CAA was more than a mountain. But being a small fry had its advantages.

From the moment he walked in, Leon Rose had maintained a dominating presence, both in demeanor and words, but Murphy didn't take the bait.

Murphy opened his briefcase and pulled out a storage disk, sliding it across to Leon Rose.

No amount of talk could match the power of actual evidence. Murphy didn't need to say much; holding the photos gave him enough leverage.

The assistant took out a laptop, connected the storage disk, and Leon Rose's face remained unchanged as he viewed the images on the screen, as if they were just mundane pictures.

Murphy sat quietly with his arms folded, his expression equally calm.

"Is this all?"

After seemingly reviewing all the photos, Leon Rose showed a disdainful smile. "These don't prove anything. Kobe is a superstar. It's normal for female fans to like him."

The waiter brought Murphy's coffee. After he left, Leon Rose took a sip of his own coffee. "Young man, be cautious in your actions. Don't be too greedy. Kobe is this city's hero. No matter what happens, most people will side with him."

Murphy subconsciously touched his face. Leon Rose clearly didn't take him seriously, probably thinking he was just a lucky kid who stumbled upon something.

After all, Murphy looked only about twenty. People his age were typically inexperienced in the complex world, easily manipulated by cunning individuals.

"Mr. Rose, I'm actually a fan of Kobe, a very dedicated one."

Spinning tales was an essential skill in such negotiations, and Murphy found it effortless. "I was shocked when I took these photos. That's why my first choice was to find Mr. Bryant instead of selling the photos to the media. I admire Kobe on the court and appreciate his contributions to Los Angeles. A superstar like Kobe should maintain a good public image."

Leon Rose nodded slightly. The young man seemed to understand, making the problem easier to solve. But why did he feel something was off with this guy's supposed admiration for Kobe?

"Do you have backups? Hand everything over to me." Leon Rose's tone turned persuasive. "Kobe will be grateful. What do you want? An autographed basketball or jersey?"

Murphy remained silent, just looking at him.

Leon Rose tapped his forehead lightly. "How about this? I can offer you Lakers season tickets for next year, and you'll get a photo op with Kobe at the first home game."

For a basketball or Lakers fan, such an offer would be highly tempting. But for a basketball novice like Murphy, it was meaningless.

Even if Murphy were a Lakers fan, he wouldn't be swayed. He wanted more.

Initial capital accumulation was always tough, often dripping with others' blood. To earn enough startup funds, he couldn't pass up any opportunity.

"What you offer sounds great," Murphy said, stirring his coffee slowly. "I do want to hand over the photos."

He stirred the coffee even slower. "But I keep thinking, if the photos get out, Kobe's wholesome public image will be damaged. It could cause family strife, break his engagement, affect his performance on the court, disrupt his rising career, and jeopardize his next big contract with the Lakers..."

As Murphy spoke, Leon Rose's expression hardened, losing its earlier amicability.

Murphy continued, "I really don't want to see Kobe's public image suffer because of my photos. I'm also worried that if the photos somehow leak, Nike or Adidas, or other major sponsors might see them. They value Kobe's wholesome and responsible image."

Taking a sip of coffee, Murphy savored it before speaking again. "As a fan and admirer of Kobe, I don't want any of this to happen."

Leon Rose's face had become tight.

If he hadn't realized by now that he'd underestimated the young man, he would indeed be a fool.

Murphy didn't stop. "Like all fans, I see Kobe as a serious and responsible person. I want to see him play undistracted, win championships, and have a happy family."

Leon Rose glared at Murphy. If looks could kill, Murphy would be riddled with bullets.

"For my idol's sake, for Kobe's future," Murphy said earnestly, "I can't let these photos get out."

Though Murphy sounded like a superfan, Leon Rose understood these were all veiled threats. He had clearly underestimated this young man. Murphy was spelling out the severe consequences if the photos got out.

If Kobe Bryant were like Dennis Rodman, Leon Rose wouldn't be worried. But Kobe's image was too clean to withstand such a scandal, especially with sponsors. Any issue with sponsors would result in losses amounting to millions of dollars.

Yet, Leon Rose wouldn't give in easily. He needed to weaken Murphy's position.

"Don't forget, you're facing CAA!" Leon Rose asserted. "Mainstream media are CAA's partners!"