Stars are Born in Spring

Gordon Chiles 50th birthday was fast approaching. He always set goals for himself every year, but this time, he wanted a more difficult challenge. Being a jet-setting billionaire wasn't always as exciting as people might think. Have with beautiful women, do some coke, buy a politician or two, then what? He'd been looking for something to get into in Hollywood, but it was all just the same old crap. Kim Kardashian is old news. Paris Hilton is even older. Chiles wanted to do something nobody had ever done before. Something that would last forever. But it also had to make him A LOT of money. This couldn't just be any attention grabbing stunt. "I'm not Ashton Kutcher," Chiles thought, "I'm Gordon Chiles!"

"I really need you to look at this, Gordon. Gordon... Gordon... Gordon!" Gordon's accountant, Drew Wilkerson, had been trying very hard to keep his attention all morning, to no avail. "Look, Gordon, you stand to lose 10 million dollars for NO REASON if you don't sign off on this," Drew pleaded with his client.

"Drew," Gordon spat, "I wipe my ass with 10 million dollars."

"Well," Drew began, "let me have it instead of throwing it away."

"Look, you're right, I'll..." Gordon saw something on his one of his plasma screens that stopped him mid-sentence. "Drew, do you see that? That's exactly what I've been looking for."

"Oh yeah, I told you about that," Drew replied. "Gold's down. Do you pay attention to anything I put in front of you?"

Gordon corrected him, "Not that, look at ESPN."

On the screen was a shot at some red carpet event. It appeared to be some sort of promotional event for the ESPY awards. Being interviewed was 19 year-old Korean-American tennis phenom, May Shon. Drew wasn't sure why he should care about any of this. "Yeah, it's that tennis player with some kid. I heard she has a 140 mph serve or something like that."

"It's 136 mph. They're saying that's a record," said Gordon.

"Yeah, well, anyway..." Drew said, desperately trying to get Gordon focused. Gordon, however, was fixated on May Shon. She had a radiant personality. She was witty and charming, yet unassuming and sweet. She was beautiful, but not intimidating. Most importantly, she was the #1 tennis player in the world. May Shon was just what Gordon Chiles was looking for.

Drew was starting to get fed up with Gordon's flakiness. "Look man, we can take care of this tomorrow. I'll see you later." Drew then began packing his briefcase.

Gordon stopped him, "Wait, we have work to do."

Drew, normally a patient man, was at the end of his rope. "What are you babbling about now, Chiles?

With a smile that stretched from ear to ear, Gordon replied, "We're going to make May Shon into the biggest movie star in the WORLD."

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After about 10 minutes, Gordon Chiles knew everything he needed to know about tennis star May Shon. Her parents immigrated to the U.S. from South Korea 3 years before she was born. Her father owns and operates an auto repair shop. Her mother is a high-school biology teacher. May and her sister April were named for the respective months they were born in. This fact is cute, but irrelevant to Gordon. What is relevant to him, is that May is beautiful, talented, and has a squeaky-clean image. Details of her personal relationships are unclear, since May is such a private person. May is a celebrity, but for the right reasons. She's not some attention grabbing skank. Whenever she was pressed about her interests outside of tennis, she always talked about how much she likes to read and boring things like that. May is a wonderful athlete that is often held up as an example to young athletes. People are dying to find out more about the woman behind the racket. Unfortunately for Gordon and his plans, she had not shown any interest in acting.

Walking up to May Shon with some bullshit modeling contract seemed like a ridiculously bad idea. However, there might be a way in through her little sister, April. In a recent interview, April claimed to "love acting." Her parents were dead set on her going to college, so they wouldn't allow her to begin a career. "I have some calls to make," Gordon thought with a wide grin on his face.

With his connections, getting a hold of a 14 year-old girl's cell phone number was easy. Setting up an audition with a major motion-picture studio was even easier. Gordon was sure his plan would work, but the timing was critical. He had to be sure everything was in place. Gordon had charged his accountant, Drew Wilkerson, with setting up a bank account in May Shon's name. A simple task for a man of Drew's talent and resources. Gordon called Drew on his cell. As soon as the call connected, Drew said "I'll call you back from my office" and disconnected. Now, Drew never calls him back from his office. That's just a signal he uses when he's feeling paranoid. It just means that he's taken care of whatever semi-illegal thing they're doing.

At 4:17p.m., April's audition ended. At 4:23, the casting director called Gordon. "Hey, Jeff," Gordon answered.

"Yeah, Mr. Chiles, it's a shame. The young lady is terrific. But this is like, a slasher flick. She's 14! She's crazy young. She can't get tied up and murdered by a serial killer!" Jeff was legitimately disappointed that they didn't have a roll for her.

"Oh, well, what can you do? You did the best you could," Gordon replied.

"I'll definitely keep April in mind for anything we can get her in in the future. Seriously, Mr. Chiles. If we could cast her, she's be the best actor in this film," Jeff asserted. "I'll send you a copy of the audition like you asked."

"Thanks, Jeff," Gordon said as a video message popped up on his phone.

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Like many great athletes. May Shon was a creature of habit. She finished her 2nd workout of the day at 3:30p.m., every single day. After her shower, May saw that she had a voice mail from her sister, "May, you won't believe it! Warner Bros. called me about an audition! I don't know why they called me but they called! Call me as soon as you get this!"

"Mom is not going to like that at all," May thought as she slipped her dress over her head. She ran out of the facility and hopped into her car. She went to Jamba Juice every day for a Strawberry Whirl after her workout. This had been part of her routine for almost 2 years, so her drink was ready for her when she walked in. She took a sip, paid the clerk, and began to rush out.

Gordon was waiting for May at the table closest to the door. "Miss Shon, excuse me, Miss Shon," Gordon quietly called.

May was a little irritated for she was not really in the mood to talk to a stranger. She had too much on her mind. May, however, was always polite to fans and would often offer an autograph and a short conversation. As she looked up, she saw Gordon sliding a napkin across the table in her direction. May quickly pulled a pen from her purse and asked, "Who should I make this out too?" Just as she finished her question, Gordon slid his iPhone in front of her with a video of her sister already playing.

May watched in horror as her sister, bound to a chair, begged and pleaded for her life. Then, she thought it may be some kind of demented practical joke. May stared at Gordon, enraged, "This isn't funny."

Gordon leaned toward her and replied in a very low tone, "No it isn't. If you want young April to be released unharmed, you'll come with me. If I leave without you, however,you won't see her alive again. Time is of the essence." With that said, Gordon rose from his chair casually and walked toward the car he had waiting outside.

May followed Gordon to the car. She was upset, but very calm, "wait, I'll get you money. Just let April go."

Gordon laughed, "you've vastly misjudged this situation. I don't want your money, just get in the car." Gordon then took May's purse and handed it to his driver. As they pulled away from the juice bar, May could hear her phone vibrating from the front seat.


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