A week later, Lucas found himself in the bustling backstage area of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." The energy was palpable as crew mbers rushed about, making last-minute preparations.
Lucas sat in his dressing room, going over so talking points with his publicist. He could hear the muffled sounds of the audience filling the studio, their excited chatter adding to his nervous anticipation.
A production assistant knocked on the door. "Mr. Knight? You're on in ten minutes."
Lucas nodded, taking a deep breath. He stood up, straightening his jacket and checking his reflection one last ti. As he made his way to the wings of the stage, he could hear Stephen's opening monologue, the audience's laughter punctuating each joke.
The floor manager approached, attaching a small microphone to Lucas's lapel.
Lucas offered a grateful smile. He bounced lightly on his toes, shaking out his arms to release so tension.
"And now," he heard Stephen's voice announce, "please welco our guest, the talented actor who recently took on Hollywood's biggest bully and won, star of the upcoming film 'Gravity' - Lucas Knight!"
Taking one final deep breath, Lucas stepped out onto the stage, the bright lights and cheering audience greeting him.
He walked towards Stephen, waving at the crowd.
As Lucas walked towards Stephen, waving at the crowd, a young woman's shrill voice cut through the applause: "Lucas, have my babies!"
The unexpected outburst caused Stephen to pause, his eyebrows shooting up in amusent. "Well, that's one way to introduce yourself," he quipped. "Ma'am, I'm afraid we don't offer that particular service here at the Late Show."
The audience laughed and Lucas couldn't help but chuckle, shaking his head good-naturedly.
Stephen turned to the cara with a mischievous grin. "Folks at ho, let's just pretend that was a very enthusiastic 'Welco to the show, Lucas!'"
As Lucas reached him, Stephen extended his hand for a warm handshake. "Lucas, I gotta say, you look even more handso in person. It's honestly a little annoying."
Lucas grinned, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Thanks, Stephen. I guess that's one way of saying the cara doesn't do justice. It's a curse, really."
The audience erupted in laughter, clearly chard by Lucas's self-deprecating humor.
Stephen leaned back, feigning exasperation. "Oh, a curse, he says. You hear that, folks? Being devastatingly handso is a curse. I wouldn't know anything about that, of course." He turned to the cara with a comically serious expression. "And neither would any of you at ho, I'm sure."
The audience erupted in laughter, and even Lucas couldn't help but chuckle at Stephen's self-deprecating humor.
Before Stephen gestured for Lucas to take a seat on the plush guest chair.
Lucas settled into his seat as Stephen leaned forward, a glint in his eye.
"So, Lucas," Stephen began, his tone light, "I hear you've been busy lately. Taking down Hollywood bigwigs, eting the in-laws... just another day in the life of Lucas Knight, huh?"
Lucas chuckled, matching Stephen's casual tone. "Oh, you know, just trying to keep things interesting. Can't let life get too boring, right?"
"Boring? You?" Stephen raised an eyebrow dramatically. "The man who put Harvey Weinstein behind bars and then casually went to et his girlfriend's family? I think 'boring' left your vocabulary a long ti ago."
The audience laughed, and Lucas grinned. "Well, when you put it that way, it does sound a bit more exciting than it felt at the ti."
The interview progressed smoothly, touching on various aspects of Lucas's career. When they got to the topic of his music, Stephen smoothly transitioned to Lucas's upcoming film, "Gravity."
"So, Lucas," Stephen leaned in, his eyes gleaming with excitent, "tell us about 'Gravity'. I hear it's going to be out of this world." He winked at the audience, who groaned good-naturedly at the pun.
Lucas chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, Stephen, I don't want to oversell it, but let's just say it might make you believe a man can float."
Stephen's eyes widened comically. "As a certified space nerd, I have to warn you - my expectations are higher than the International Space Station right now." He fixed Lucas with a mock-serious stare. "This film better not disappoint, Knight. If it does, I'll have no choice but to launch you into actual space myself."
The audience burst into laughter, and Lucas grinned, playing along. "Is that a promise, Stephen? Because I've got to say, after all that zero-gravity training, actual space sounds pretty tempting."
"Oh ho!" Stephen exclaid. "Look at Mr. Astronaut over here. Just don't forget, in space, no one can hear you scream... or deliver your lines."
Lucas and the audience laughed at the playful exchange, the interview maintaining its light-hearted tone while still generating excitent for the upcoming film.
As the conversation about "Gravity" wound down, Stephen smoothly shifted gears. "Now, Lucas, I've got to ask about sothing that's been puzzling . According to Forbes, you've got a net worth of about 81 million dollars."
The audience murmured in surprise.
Stephen leaned in, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Is that true? Because I've done so math, and your acting and music careers combined don't quite add up to that. And from what I hear, you're not exactly splurging on mansions or racing cars. So, what's the deal? Are you secretly printing money in your basent?"
The audience laughed, clearly enjoying Stephen's playful interrogation.
Lucas smiled, feigning confusion. "You know, Stephen, I'm not sure how Forbes gets their information. But I have to say, they might have slightly miscalculated."
Stephen's eyebrows shot up. "'Slightly' miscalculated? So you're saying it's not far off?"
Lucas nodded, still smiling.
Stephen gasped dramatically, clutching his chest. "Ladies and gentlen, we have a secret millionaire in our midst!"
The audience laughed, but there was an undercurrent of genuine surprise. Many leaned forward in their seats, eager to hear more about this unexpected revelation about the young actor.
Stephen turned to Lucas again, his expression suddenly more serious. "Seriously?"
Lucas nodded, maintaining his composure.
Stephen leaned in conspiratorially, pretending to whisper but still clearly audible to the audience. "Lucas, if you're serious and really that rich, what's your secret? Don't worry, I'm whispering so they can't hear us. If you're involved in so elaborate Ponzi sche, I want in. I can keep a secret... mostly."
Lucas chuckled at Stephen's joke before responding earnestly, "My secret isn't really a secret, Stephen. I've invested in so businesses that have been incredibly profitable lately - Uber, Vine, and a newer one called Airbnb that's gaining traction. The seed money ca from my earnings as an actor and musician."
Stephen's jaw dropped in an exaggerated expression of shock. "Oh my... What is this? An actor who doesn't blow his money on sports cars, mansions, and private jets, but instead invests in businesses that make even more money? Are you sure you're in the right industry, Lucas?"
The audience laughed, clearly impressed by Lucas's business acun.
Stephen continued, his tone playfully suspicious, "If I hadn't seen your movies and witnessed your acting firsthand, I'd think you were a secret Wall Street tycoon masquerading as an actor."
This elicited more laughter from the audience, with Lucas joining in, appreciating Stephen's ability to keep the conversation light while still delving into substantial topics.
Stephen leaned forward, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Now that we know you're swimming in cash, Lucas, I have to ask - did Forbes slightly underestimate or overestimate your wealth?"
The audience chuckled, intrigued by this line of questioning.
Lucas smiled enigmatically. "Well, I'd say they slightly underestimated."
Stephen's eyebrows shot up. "Oho! The plot thickens. Just how much richer are we talking here?"
Lucas paused thoughtfully. "Well, it's hard to calculate net worth precisely, but according to my financial advisor, if we factor in my cryptocurrency investnts and the accurate earnings from my businesses, I'm about 7 million richer than Forbes estimated."
A collective gasp rippled through the audience.
Stephen's jaw dropped comically. "So you're telling your actual net worth is around 88 million dollars?"
Lucas just smiled in response.
Stephen shook his head in disbelief. "Well, folks, it looks like our guest is on track to join the hundred-million club. And that's without even factoring in his rising acting career or that juicy 'Hunger Gas' paycheck. Lucas, I've got to ask - what's your plan for all this money? Are you going to buy a small country? Perhaps fund a mission to Mars?"
The audience laughed, eagerly awaiting Lucas's response to this playful interrogation about his wealth and future plans.
Lucas adopted a thoughtful expression, then said with a hint of playfulness, "Well, Stephen, I don't want to sound like I'm bragging or trying to be a saint, but I'm putting so of my money into charities. You know, giving back to the community... and maybe buying a small moon as a weekend getaway."
Stephen nodded appreciatively, "Wow, what a stand-up guy. Let's give him a round of applause, everybody!" The audience clapped enthusiastically.
Then Stephen turned back to Lucas, a mischievous glint in his eye. "But let's be real here, Lucas. Are you sure you're not just doing the whole charity thing to dodge taxes like all those other millionaires and billionaires? I an, it's okay, you can tell us. We're all friends here."
The crowd erupted in laughter, and Lucas chuckled, shaking his head. "Nope, I can assure you I'm just an ordinary, law-abiding citizen... who happens to have a really good accountant."
Stephen leaned in conspiratorially, "A good accountant, you say? Care to share their number? Asking for a friend, of course."
This elicited more laughter from the audience, appreciating the playful banter between the host and his guest.
Stephen suddenly snapped his fingers, as if rembering sothing. "Oh! I almost forgot to ask because I was too busy picking my jaw up off the floor. What's this Cry-o-therapy thing you ntioned?" He exaggeratedly mispronounced the word, looking at Lucas with mock confusion. "Cry... what is it? So sort of rich people therapy where you cry into hundred dollar bills?"
Lucas chuckled, "It's cryptocurrency, Stephen."
"Ah, yes!" Stephen nodded vigorously. "Cryptocurrency. You said if we factor that in, you're even richer. What exactly is it?"
The audience laughed, many of them looking just as curious about the answer.
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Advance Chapters on /NewCor714
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