Tobias O'Brien was not sure what he was thinking when he sent that email to Troy Armitage. A boy, who may only be fourteen years old at the moment, but everyone knew him. And why wouldn't they? Troy was one of the highest-paid actors in the world with the sed Harry Potter film and food reasons. He had done only five movies in his life, and all of them were massive successes, raking in a total of 3.64 billion, which gives an average movie colle of 728 million. This is the highest of any actor in the world. More than Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, or Tom Hanks.

  Why would such a big star hire a nobody like Tobias based on a casual promise he'd made more than two years ago? He must have a big team of managers and agents running all around him, managing all his affairs and future projects for him. Even if by some miracle, Troy were to hire Tobias, there hardly would be any good work for him there. But still, he wao get away from New York at all costs, and London seemed like a good enough pce to start over. Troy wasn't the only big star he had written to. Because of his st two years with David Letterman, he had e to know a lot of celebs, so he had written quite a few, but all of the other celebs' representatives had made a fake promise that they'd see. Tobias knew nothing would e out of it.

  So it came as a big surprise when a week ter, he got a call from an unknown number.

  "Hello?" He asked into the receiver.

  "Hi, is this Tobias?" A woman asked oher end of the phone.

  "It is."

  "This is Kathy Kloves, Troy's mother. You wrote to him a week ago for a jht?"

  And just like that, Tobias' situation ged ht. Kathy Kloves grilled him relentlessly for a full hour, asking him everything from his family background to his education to his work experie the end of the call, Kathy had said just ohing of note.

  "Alright Tobias, things look good for now. So here's what we'll do—I'll send over a ticket to London for you, and we'll hire you provisionally for a month. If we like your work, you tinue doing so. Otherwise, I'll book you a ticket back to New York. For the first month, your pay will be five thousand pounds. We'll discuss your fixed pay and other bes afterward. How does that sound?"

  "Perfect," Tobias agreed immediately. More like he didn't have a better job offer. He would have preferred w in the US if possible but sometimes you just don't have the luck to do as you want. It helped that the pay was not bad.

  Awo weeks, and he was in London. The first thing that happened was the usual stuff like signing an NDA and al formalities before he was told to go directly to the set of [Harry Potter].

  "You'll have to match your schedule with Troy's," Kathy said passionately before sending him off. "He reaches the set at five every m, so that's the test you shall reach there as well. For now, you are essentially his go-to person for anything he needs. Then you have to maintain his schedule, which is the most important job at the moment. Most importantly, you o make sure he doesn't do anything stupid which creates ive rumors for him."

  Tobias was a little surprised by that request but he o know more so he asked, "What do you mealy? Is there something I should know?"

  "Troy is... very smart," Kathy begaantly. "The problem is that he knows it and thes overfident and a little cocky. As long as someone is there tn him in and tell him where he was wrong, everything will be fiill now only I have managed him. We didn't hire anyone else beside his security guy, not even a."

  "Gotcha," Tobias nodded fidently, although he was massively surprised that Troy didn't have any agent. This doesn't seem that difficult of a job for the level of pay. Let's just hope Troy isn't as much of a brat as most teen celebs are.

  Si was mid-m when he joiobias drove directly to Leavesden Studios where the shoot of [The Goblet of Fire] was taking pce. Tobias had watched the first Harry Potter film and he didn't like it that much because it was a little juvenile for his tastes. So he didn't bother watg the sed one. Unfortunately, now he'd have to ge that because it is likely that Troy would not like it that his own assistant has not watched his film.

  Navigating around Leavesden was a chore in itself, like any big studio. He parked his car in the parking lot before he had to take a golf cart that drove him all the way over to the area where the shooting took pce.

  The eup was quite different from the TV setup Tobias was used to in New York. Eborate fantastical sets were created out of nothing to film a few ses. From an outsider's perspective, it may seem extravagant, but given hoeople received their livelihoods from these eborate sets, and how much mohese films earned back from the audiences, it was justified.

  When Tobias walked in o proper, the shooting was going on, so he kept quiet and decided to approach Troy only when the se was do was a set of a bridge, or at least a portion of the bridge where the main cast was standing, while they had put eborate green ss in the background, which they would probably fill out with CGI in post-produ.

  "Harry, you told me you'd figured out the egg weeks ago. The task is two days from now," the girl who pyed Hermione said. Tobias fot her name, but he was sure he'd get to know ter from Troy.

  "Really?" Troy said with heavy sarcasm in his voice. "I had no idea." He looked away in the distance, his eyes showing a turmoil within them. A restlessness for not being able to get whatever Hermione was hinting at. Then he softened his voice as he said, "I suppose Viktor's already figured it out."

  "Wouldn't know, we don't talk about the tour. Actually, we don't really talk at all. Viktor's more of a physical being."

  What the fuck did she just say? Tobias barely suppressed his ughter, but Troy didn't.

  Realizing her blunder, Hermione closed her eyes in mortification before eborating with a grin, "I mean, he's not particurly loquacious. Mostly he watches me study. It's a bit annoying actually." Within moments her face went from smiling to worried. "You are trying to figure this egg out, aren't you?"

  Troy turned equally serious as he asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

  "It means these tests are desigo test you in the most brutal way. They are almost cruel. And I'm scared for you."

  As Hermione tinued speaking her liroy didn't speak a single word for a few seds, but his face went through so many expressions that the viewer could easily dis what he was feeling. A sense of hopelessness permeated the set, all because of Troy's first-css ag.

  "Oi! Potter!" A tall young man called out from behind the two youngsters.

  "I'll see you ter," Troy said to the girl before walking in the opposite dire to where the taller boy was ing from.

  "Potter," he called again while jogging up to him, and this time Troy stopped and turned around. "How are you?"

  "As good as I be," Troy said with a fused expression, silently asking why the older boy was there to begin with.

  "Look, I realize I never really thanked you properly for tipping me off about those dragons."

  "Fet about it. I know you would have dohe same." Troy almost turned around in a hurry, but the older boy spoke up.

  "Exactly! Do you know the prefect's bathroom on the fifth floor? Take yolden egg with you there and... mull things over i water." He started stepping a few steps away, then remembering something, he stopped and said, "The password's 'pine fresh'." Theurned around and walked the way he had e.

  Troy looked around fused as Hermione had also left the pce, leaving him aloo think about the problem.

  "Cut!" A male voice with a Mexi at rang out o. "Perfect shot, people. We did it!"

  Only then did it occur to Tobias that the entire se was a two-minute long single shot, with a single camera panning around, rec everything. It felt amazing to know that everything was timed so perfectly and that Troy and the other two actors, or the extras in the background didn't break character for even a moment. Not only that, they acted perfectly. Especially Troy. No wonder he won so many awards over the years.

  At that moment, a switch had been flipped as Troy rexed a his character of Harry Potter behind.

  "Thank God!" He said before turning to the Mexi man, who must be the director. "Are we done here, Alfonso?"

  "Yes," came the reply. "The se will be in an hour at least."

  Tobias started walking over to Troy but before he could reach him, the girl who pyed Hermione did.

  "How did I do?" she asked.

  "You should ask Alfonso," Troy replied. "I was busy with my ag. Your face might be pretty, but if I kept looking at it, I would hardly be able to act."

  The girl blushed. From what Tobias could sehe two were barely keeping their hands off of each other, so he decided to interrupt the moment by clearing his throat loudly. Immediately, the two separated in unison and jumped apart as if a jolt of electricity had passed through them. Cute. But dangerous all the same for Tobias' work.

  "Troy," Tobias called out. "I'm Tobias. Your new assistant. You remember me?"

  Troy's face lit up in reition. "Of course. Didn't you go by Toby?"

  "Not anymore, just call me Tobias," he said. "I've been told it sounds more professional like this."

  "Okay," Troy agreed before motioning toward the girl. "This is my good friend Emma."

  After exging polite greetings with the girl, Tobias asked Troy, "I wao discuss my duties with you. When would you like to do it?"

  Troy looked at Emma, whed before making a shooing motion. Troy grinned and said, "Now is fiheuro an AD o. "Hey! Doris! I'm going over to my trailer for a bit. Give me a call if the se begins, yeah?"

  "Sure," the woman replied.

  "e on," Troy said to him, and together they walked over to the golf cart which took them to Troy's trailer.

  "You liking London so far?" Troy asked versationally.

  "As much as I in one day," Tobias joked. "It looks better than New York from what I see."

  "Fair," Troy ined his head. "I wish I could offer you a tour, but I'm pretty sure it would cause a otion."

  "That's putting it mildly." Tobias chuckled at that thought. "You don't have to, though. It's my job to make your life easier. Not the other way around."

  Troy didn't speak for the few moments, deep in thought, as they reached the trailer in silence. As soon as they did, Troy unlocked the door with a key a it open to let Tobias enter first. The insides were as grand as you'd expect from a superstar like Troy. Most trailers are shared by two or three people while filming, but Troy had one all to himself. It had a very fy-looking couch, a dressing area, an en-suite, and even a bed. There was also a big TV with a game sole attached to it.

  "Make yourself fortable," Troy motioowards the couch while sitting in his dressing chair.

  As Tobias sat down, it was firmed to him that the couch was very fortable. In fact, this was the most fortable couch he had ever sat on.

  "First things first," Troy began. "I want to know why you left Letterman."

  "I already told your mom," Tobias said hesitantly.

  "No, you said that you didn't like the work culture there. I need some details so that iently I don't repeat those things here as well," Troy said.

  Tobias chuckled bitterly, "That ever be a problem here."

  "Never say never," Troy said.

  "Unless you turn out to be a blonde bombshell i, I'm pretty sure it won't be a problem," Tobias said. Seeing the fused look on Troy's face, he expined further, "At Letterman's, my immediate boss was Samantha." He paused, remembering that Troy was still a kid, and sored his story a little. "We had an affair of sorts whided in a terrible breakup. Then, she started behaviically and made my work life hell. She is a producer on the show and everyone iertai circles in New York knows her. Even if I were to apply for another job in NYe ive reendation from her and my career would be killed. That's why I looked for a ce elsewhere."

  Tobias wasn't sure why he told that story to Troy. He khat in most cases people wouldn't believe him, but he didn't want to get a job based on a lie.

  "I'm sorry to hear that," Troy said in an apologetie before perking up. "Anyway, now that you're here, you have to take care of me whenever I'm w."

  "Don't worry about that, I will," Tobias assured him. Then he hesitated before saying the part. "Actually, I didn't have to ask you particurly about the job description, your mother already gave it to me. There was one particur task she made me swear I'll do, which was making sure that there were no rumors about you. So I called you aside to make sure there weren't."

  Troy was in shock for a few moments before standing up from his chair and pag around.

  "She didn't have to tell you!" he muttered frustratedly. "I haven't even told Jamie, and she told you that I'm dating Emma?"

  Tobias was mightily surprised by that news. He had heard his fair share of celebrity gossip w with Letterman, but this was the first time he was seeing it in person. This information alone could easily be sold to a gossip n for more than what Tobias would earn in a year. As, his NDA prevented him from doing that.

  "She didn't tell me," Tobias interrupted Troy. "You were being very obvious. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who picked it up. So I stopped it before the rumors started spreading."

  Troy didn't look happy with that as he said, "Don't tell me yonna be my babysitter now?"

  "Of course not," Tobias said immediately. "As long as you're in private, you do whatever you want. But when you're out in public, I'll make sure you remember your surroundings."

  Troy closed his eyes i as he retook the chair and said, "Fine."

  "Gd we are on the same page," Tobias smiled. "Anything beyond your schedule and basieeds that you may require from me at the moment?"

  Troy made a thinking face while rubbing his metaphorical beard before brightening up. "Oh yes. I'm produg a film called [The Perks of Being a Wallflower]. Here's your first task, read the book and then make a list of all possible locations we would need for it. Also, if you don't know it yet, ask around some AD o, and create a checklist of sorts for pre-produ steps. And when you're doh it—"

  "Woah," Tobias cut him off. "You old me that I'll have to be an assistant to a producer."

  Troy smirked, "Now I am. Let's see how well you adapt. If you swim, I'll promote you. If you sink, oh well." He shrugged carelessly before tinuing, "As I was saying…"

  Tobias had a feeling that he was not w for a child at all, but a ruthless manager. Or maybe Troy was just taking revenge for interrupting his talk with his girlfriend? He'd never know. With a resigned sigh, Tobias took out a notepad and pen from his pocket and said, " you repeat what all you'll need so I ote it down?"

  "Certainly."

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