hollywood billionaire

Chapter 434 The whole meaning of our lives (Part )
It’s such a wonderful world.

A world that Sophie and Louis have never entered.

The Finlays were ordinary people, a fact they never hesitated to admit.

Louis was born in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, a small town of 50,000 people that has traditionally been home to working-class families. Most people seek employment in local factories or commute to Glasgow, 19 kilometers away.

His father, a skilled worker in Tata Steel's Scottish factory, had worked all his life, from the nationalized factory to the British-Dutch joint venture steel group, and finally the Indian acquisition. He never lost his job, but he also never got promoted. His mother, a generalist teacher at St. Andrew's Primary School in Airdrie - generalists are very common in small towns in the UK. Due to the shortage of teaching staff, many teachers are responsible for multiple subjects. She was not liked by students, but of course not hated by students. She was just a background board for the childhood life of a generation of young people in Airdrie.

Louise's parents were well aware of their mediocrity and embraced it, enjoying their daily meals of "Stovies" and treating themselves to a Sunday roast at the weekend, or driving into the city to The Buttery in Glasgow when the mood struck.

This is the Highland life they are used to, and they won’t live it any other way.

Louis was diligent and modest, never looking up at the sky, only caring about the dirt on his feet. His parents' personalities had a profound impact on him. He was not very interested in studying since he was a child, because he knew that in this small Scottish town, which was coated with a gray filter by the exhaust gas from the steel mill, there were very few fairy tales, let alone him.

After graduating from high school, Louis entered Glasgow Caledonian University to study business and marketing. Caledonian has a good reputation in Scotland, but it obviously couldn't help his career much. After leaving school, he found an internship opportunity at an advertising company in Glasgow and worked diligently for five years. From intern to junior account manager, and then to senior account manager, he finally got enough qualifications and got an offer from VCCP, a well-known marketing agency in London. At the age of 30, he came to Shoreditch, London, as a member of the Coca-Cola project team, to advise clients on marketing activities.

His job is stable, but not glamorous. He is responsible for managing Coca-Cola's digital advertising accounts in England and similar accounts of several other small businesses. His daily work is monotonous, and VCCP is not a large multinational agency like Ogilvy or Saatchi & Saatchi. But Louis is very satisfied with this career. As long as he can take root in London and support his family with Sophie with an annual salary of 26000 pounds as a "junior project manager", it is a big step forward compared to his parents.

Sophie's situation was similar, or better than Louise's. Her parents ran a community-level grocery store in Pollock Shields, south of the Clyde River in Glasgow. They didn't make much money, but they could maintain a stable income with the help of their neighbors. Compared with Louise, Sophie's mind was obviously much more active, or in other words, few girls would be content with being ordinary. When she was a child, she wanted to be a pop singer, and when she grew up, she wanted to be a painter. Before and after graduating from high school, she was considering whether to become a professional novelist, but Sophie's talents in all aspects made it difficult for her to keep her dreams going. Even entering a serious university was difficult for her.

So, after obtaining the Scottish Highers certificate, which is the same level as A-Level in England, Sophie entered the workplace... I call it the workplace, but in fact she just helped out in her parents' grocery store. She also used her spare time to work as a freelance writer online, writing some entertainment news for content platforms and earning a meager fee from clicks.

Until she met Louis, Sophie had been living a routine life with great dreams in her heart. Of course, for two ordinary people, even their meeting was uneventful, without any romance worth writing about - Louis's friend knew Sophie, they chatted at a party, exchanged phone numbers, and after a while Louis asked Sophie out for dinner, to watch a movie, and kissed on a small bridge over the Clyde River, and they established a relationship in a plain way.

Separately, Louis and Sophie have many identities, and together, the couple can find many interesting common points, but this is just the most special thing in their eyes. In the eyes of bystanders, there is only one word that can be used to describe them.

ORDINARY.

Sophie didn't like the word.

Sophie wanted to get rid of the word.

So she pushed Louis to apply for a job in London, so she packed her bags and said goodbye to Glasgow, where she had lived all her life, and so when she arrived in London, instead of looking for another grocery store job, she asked friends for help, stumbled into building a website and a YouTube account, and became a "search engine optimization expert."

In European and American societies, many young people who don’t know what they should do or what they can do, but feel that they can definitely achieve something, will choose to become a so-called “professional promoter” who works in SEO and helps companies and individuals get higher rankings on Google.

You see, even Sophie's heresy seems so ordinary.

After spending their entire lives busy, Sophie Finlay, 28, and Louis Finlay, 30, have never experienced any of the following three feelings:
The feeling of being important.

The feeling of being relevant.

The feeling of being visible.

Until today.

With Madison Beal, they got a small spoonful of the sweet cake of life.

"Don Julio 1942 straight tequila with lemon and icing sugar for the gentleman... and Dom Perignon rosé champagne for the lady."

The young waitress in a black vest bent her knees and placed the wine glasses in front of the two men.

"Thank you."

"Thank you so much."

"You're welcome."

Before I could even hold up the wine glass, the next middle-aged male waiter with a slicked-back hair came over with a tray in his hand, looking very happy.

"Good afternoon, lovely couple."

"Ah." Even though the other person had come closer to her, Sophie still couldn't believe he was talking to her. "Are you talking about us?"

"Of course, I don't think I've seen any other cuter couples here than you two."

The waiter with a strong Italian accent fits the stereotype of Italian Americans very well: cheerful and talkative, with exaggerated movements and rich expressions. He leaned over and showed Sophie and Louis the food on the tray, which looked no different from the cartoon characters in animations.

"Can I offer you some fine food that will enhance the flavor of your drink? For Madam, while we don't have the freshest oysters to pair with your champagne, we do have world-class caviar sushi from Nobu restaurant. Caviar, with its salty, sea-bream flavor, will perfectly bring out the bright, refreshing acidity of champagne... and for you Sir, I see you chose tequila to indulge yourself."

"I like to drink something a little stronger." Louis put his hands on his knees and smiled in response.

"Excellente. Well, as you know, tequila comes in different ages. We have unaged tequila blanco, reposado tequila that's aged between two and twelve months, Aejo Tequila—pardon my spanish—that's aged between one and three years, and so on. The Don Julio 1942 you're drinking right now is an Aejo that's aged two and a half years. This type of tequila has a deep, rich taste, with flavors like dark chocolate, oak, and dried fruits. It pairs well with foods that have similarly rich or intense flavors. So..."

At this point, the waiter lowered the plate a little lower.

“This mini charcuterie platter from Bardot at the Aria Hotel fits the bill perfectly, with prosciutto, pate and salami that complement the smoky, rich flavors of Don Julio… Trust me, when I say a salami is good, it’s a masterpiece.”

"It sounds wonderful." Louis opened his mouth, "Then please give me one, thank you."

"Of course, sir." The waiter placed the charcuterie platter on the table at the booth and smiled more enthusiastically. "Before I leave and let you two enjoy the music alone, is there anything else you need?"

"No more... Oh, this." Louis seemed to remember something and took out a five-dollar bill from his pocket, "Thank you very much for your careful care."

"You should be thanking me, sir." Without even glancing at the banknote, the waiter politely took the brand new Lincoln and put it in the inner pocket of his white suit. "You've made me a little richer and a lot happier... I won't bother you any more, but if I see an empty plate, I'll bring back more food, okay? Have a great day in Mad City."

"The same to you……"

"Tony."

"Tony, have a nice day."

"What a lovely guy." Louis whispered to Sophie as he watched Tony walk towards another group of guests.

"Yes, the service here is very considerate... Everyone is very friendly, including Madison's security director." Sophie took a sip of champagne. "I have never met anyone who took such good care of me, haha, not to mention giving me suggestions on wine pairings."

“We’ve had those wine pairing dinners before.” “Yeah, but I mean, those restaurants just give you a menu and let you choose something at random. Whatever you choose, they say ‘excellent choice’ and that’s it… but look here, look how they make sure everyone feels comfortable and at ease.”

"That's true."

"Dear, do you think they are so considerate to everyone, or..."

"Or is it because we came here with Madison Beal?" Louis completed Sophie's sentence.

"Correct."

"I think... they should be very friendly to everyone in the booth. Just look at who's sitting here and you'll know." Louis raised his hand slightly. "Over there are Karlie Kloss and Barbara Paven, who you're very familiar with, Hannah Montana and the Duchess, who we're all familiar with, and... do you know who that drunk-looking guy is?"

"Who?"

“Brian Chesky, founder of Airbnb.”

"Oh my God."

"Yeah, everyone here looks very important, and I believe those chiefs in robes on the other side are even more important, running a country or doing other big things... So, they have to be careful with those who have this bracelet and can enter the platform freely." Louis raised his wrist and shook the purple wristband, "So I think both of your guesses are right. They are indeed very nice to everyone, but thanks to Madison, we can be 'everyone'."

"How do you feel about that?"

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"What are you saying?"

“It became this ‘everyone’ thing.”

"I don't know, it's hard to say... It's a feeling that can't be described in words." Louis tilted his head, trying to find an appropriate description, "It's like a party you weren't invited to. You feel that it doesn't matter whether you go or not, and you don't know if you will be accepted, so you arrive late. But when you arrive at the scene, you find out that this is your surprise birthday party... Do you understand what I mean, baby?"

"I understand. People like us never have surprise birthday parties." Sophie shrugged and smiled at her husband, "So it's nice to experience the other half of our lives."

"The other half?" Louis laughed dumbly, "It should be the other 0.0001%."

"Yes, the other 0.0001%." Sophie breathed a sigh of relief, "And that's Madison... I don't know why she is so nice to us."

“Because I’m not 0.0001%.”

Sophie was startled when a little head suddenly popped out from her shoulder. The little head blinked and smiled sweetly.

"And I'm so nice to you because I think you two are really a perfect match for each other. I envy your relationship and want to have a relationship like yours. So, I will try my best to make sure that this story of my sudden appearance on your honeymoon is as fulfilling and memorable as possible."

Madison smiled and put his arms around Sophie's neck. Even though it was only their second meeting, they seemed very intimate.

"I'm sorry I was absent for a while. I took care of some business and said hello to a few friends. Now, they are looking forward to meeting you because I told them all about you... Come with me, I want to introduce my new friends to everyone."

After that, Madison took Sophie's hand and pulled her up from the sofa, then signaled Louis to follow with her eyes.

"Let's go backstage first and come back to meet the others later, but I'll introduce them to you briefly... That's Diplo, the nominal founder of this music festival. That's Dr. Dre. You should be able to recognize him. He will soon become the CEO of our music group. That's Yi-Han, my...boss."

"Your boss?" Sophie raised her voice in surprise. "So young?"

"Yeah, just in my early twenties."

"Oh, wow."

"Yes, he is indeed very talented and smart, and..." Madison paused for a moment, squeezed Sophie's palm, and then continued, "I think he likes me."

"he……"

Sophie didn't know what to say.

The fact that the boss likes an artist is a sensitive topic wherever you go.

What's more, Madison is still a minor.

"Don't worry, he hasn't taken any action yet. I just mean that I can really feel that he is fascinated by me." Madison whispered in Sophie's ear, "It doesn't matter, because I think... I like him too. After I turn 18, I will continue to talk to him about this topic. You know, whether to accept his pursuit or not."

"That's great..." Sophie thought for a long time, unable to find the right words. "Great. He seems to be in great shape, too. If you like each other, I think you will make a good couple."

"Really?" Madison's eyes lit up, "You think we're a good match?"

"I think... judging from his appearance alone, he would be happy to have a girlfriend like you. But considering that he has achieved so much success at such a young age, his inner charm should be very strong and can make up for a lot of things."

"Yes, I mean he... He is so extraordinary sometimes, it seems like he is not from this world at all."

"I can see it." Sophie pointed at Madison, "I can see it in your eyes... I think you like him a little more."

"No, no, no, I assure you, he is almost fascinated by me." Madison grabbed Sophie's arm, "Don't tell anyone, this is a secret."

"I won't tell anyone." Hearing this, Sophie's expression became extremely serious. "I have no one to tell, and even if I did, who would believe me? Where would I get the evidence? Should I tell the tabloids that Madison told me this in person?"

"Don't take it seriously, I'm just kidding you." Madison's eyes curved into crescent shapes, "You and your husband's hearts are pure, that's why I trust you so much. That's why I'm not afraid to share things with you, because I know you're a very good secret keeper. Besides, I don't want to hide this. Next April, you'll probably see him and me together often in the media... after my next birthday. Hey, maybe next time we go to London, I can spend a couple's night with you."

"Oh, we know some of the best restaurants in London. You'll love them," Louis interjected.

"That's a deal then." Madison nodded enthusiastically. "Okay, that's enough about him. Let me move on to introduce... this cute little doll you see on the stage now. She is my best friend, Billie Eilish."

"That's what I was going to say...her voice sounds incredible and her overall musical style is very...unique."

"Yes, she's the best."

"The guy standing next to her on the keyboard is her brother, her real brother, Phineas. Together, they are the most powerful music-making duo I have ever seen."

“Maybe you haven’t heard much about them yet, but I promise you… one day, they will be much more famous than I am.”

(End of this chapter)