Having nothing to lose but his money;
Eli closing his accounts in St. Petersburg,
took up house in Montenegro, where
he was soon joined by Natalia as a blonde
under another name; Exonerated of the
girl's suicide his reputation in Russia once
again soared; but he was still wanted for
questioning in LA; Ivan parlaying his
broken English into a literary career, his
closeness to Eli & Igor enhancing his
own notoriety, his every word taboo;
the unnamed actress his on-news cycle,
off-again close companion; her father
killed by a hit-and-run driver, the car's
backfire confusing everyone; the noise,
described as a gunshot convincing the
petty gossip mongers that the Oscar
nominated actor & acclaimed painter
had gunned down the unnamed actress'
drunken grifter of a step-father in a fit
of rage; the story a complete fabrication,
she now made a spectacle of being the poet
& film maker's willing puppet; Ivan was
using her for drugs & Igor cast her in his
films; her star power verified & certified,
unlike some of her Hollywood peers