"Have you heard? Mel Gibson has been released from prison."
"Mel Gibson's out? My God, it's been over ten years, hasn't it?"
"Of course. I wonder if he'll try to return to Hollywood this time?"
"How could he? Don't forget, someone's still keeping an eye on him."
"Shh, don't talk about it. Watch your mouth or you'll get yourself in trouble."
As 2006 began, the biggest news in Hollywood was that Mel Gibson, who had once run his mouth and done disgraceful things before being ruined by Gilbert, was finally out of prison.
When he was sent in, Gilbert was just a young director rising to fame. By the time he came out, Gilbert had climbed to the top of Hollywood, becoming one of the most powerful figures in the industry.
Many people waited to see how Gilbert would react, curious what he would do now that Mel Gibson was free.
But to everyone's surprise, the famously vindictive Gilbert made no move at all. Mel Gibson didn't encounter any deliberate obstacles.
After his release, Gibson found himself utterly alone. His former friends and colleagues had all abandoned him. His Los Angeles mansion had long been seized, and penniless, he could only stay in a roadside motel.
His miserable situation drew sighs across Hollywood, but not sympathy. In Hollywood, people could possess many admirable traits — except excessive compassion. Compassion was dangerous here; too much of it had already led to bloodshed more than once.
The only reason anyone would ever help a fallen man was if he still had value.
And coincidentally, Mel Gibson still had value.
Years in prison hadn't dulled his sharpness — they'd only made him angrier, his temper even more explosive than before.
Watching ABC News on the motel's flickering TV, he saw Gilbert and Tom Cruise visiting a Los Angeles orphanage together. Rage filled him so completely that he nearly smashed the television.
But then he remembered he couldn't afford to pay for the damages, so he restrained himself and instead vented his fury uselessly around the room.
"Enough, Mel. If you want revenge, you'll need to calm down first…"
Mel Gibson's bloodshot eyes turned toward the voice, and standing in the doorway was Michael Ovitz, with a young man beside him.
"Michael, what are you doing here?" Gibson asked harshly.
Michael Ovitz stepped into the room, looked around, and shook his head. "What happened back then was beyond anyone's control, Mel. But I'm glad to see you've still got your fighting spirit."
"Because with that spirit," he continued, "you still have a chance to take revenge on him yourself."
"Revenge? How?" Mel Gibson said bitterly. "I'm just a washed-up drunk living in a motel, burning with rage and nothing else."
"Yes, revenge is a difficult question," Ovitz replied, then gestured to the young man beside him. "Let me introduce you. This is David Ellison, CEO of Sky Dance Studio. We're here to invite you to join us."
"David Ellison?" Gibson shook hands with him. "Larry Ellison's son?"
"You know my father?" David asked.
"The madman of Silicon Valley? Of course I know him." Gibson looked puzzled. "Why aren't you at Oracle with your father? What are you doing in Hollywood?"
"Actually, I'm here to change Hollywood itself," David Ellison said confidently. "And I'm certain you're exactly the man I need. So, what do you say? Interested in joining Sky Dance Studio?"
"You?" Gibson looked skeptical. "And what have you accomplished so far?"
Michael Ovitz quickly stepped in, recounting all of David Ellison's achievements since entering Hollywood — heavily embellished, of course.
Gibson smacked his lips. "Still far behind him. By your age, he was already a guest of honor at every major Hollywood studio."
"That's exactly why we need you," Ovitz said. "With your joining, Sky Dance Studio will be unstoppable."
Mel Gibson went silent for a moment, then finally said, "I need a shower."
David Ellison's face lit up. "Of course, of course. Michael's already arranged a place for you to stay. You'll like it."
The two of them escorted Mel Gibson out of the filthy, rundown motel.
News that David Ellison and Michael Ovitz had personally invited Mel Gibson to join Sky Dance Studio spread quickly through Hollywood.
And now things had become complicated. Back then, it wasn't just Gilbert who had helped send Mel Gibson away — plenty of others in Hollywood had taken part, one way or another.
But this time, Gibson's return had gone surprisingly smoothly. Without much trouble, he was found by David Ellison and invited straight into Sky Dance Studio.
Everyone who had worked with Mel Gibson, everyone who knew him, understood one thing — he would definitely seek revenge.
And everyone knew exactly who his target would be: Gilbert.
However, if Mel Gibson couldn't beat Gilbert back then, what chance did he have now, more than a decade later, when Gilbert had already grown into a towering figure in Hollywood?
Everyone was curious about how Gilbert would react.
But surprisingly, Gilbert had no visible reaction at all. He didn't even show up publicly, remaining fully focused on post-production work.
Instead, his assistant Ivanka made a brief official response—something so formal that it meant absolutely nothing.
Donald, however, couldn't keep his mouth shut. On his show, he mocked Mel Gibson, calling him a brainless drunk, a barking little poodle with no real bite.
Donald had a habit of giving people nicknames, and "poodle" instantly enraged Mel Gibson. Living in his new villa, he smashed his television in fury.
After that, he forced himself to calm down and began to think about his future path.
Since his release, he had gradually started to understand how Hollywood had changed over the past decade, especially Gilbert's rise to the top.
When he learned of Gilbert's series of accomplishments, Mel Gibson didn't feel anger for once. Instead, he thought it was only natural.
For someone with that kind of talent, it would have been strange if he hadn't succeeded.
But that realization led to a problem—on his own, he had no chance of defeating Gilbert, of dragging him down into ruin.
That was precisely why Mel Gibson agreed to join Skydance Studios. He could tell that Skydance wasn't exactly welcomed by Hollywood's elite, but he joined anyway.
If he wanted to beat Gilbert, he needed allies.
It was like playing an online game—Gilbert was the boss of the dungeon. Soloing him was impossible; only a full team battle could win.
"Mel Gibson has made a comeback. What do you think about that, Gilbert?"
Tom Cruise, who had once joined forces with Gilbert to bring down Mel Gibson, was naturally one of the targets of Gibson's revenge as well.
Gilbert wasn't the least bit nervous. Taking a sip of tea, he said calmly, "Tom, don't worry. He's just an outdated old man. What could he possibly stir up now?"
"But he's joined Skydance Studios, and Skydance is quite powerful these days," Tom Cruise said, still a little uneasy.
Gilbert looked even more relaxed. "David Ellison has some ability, sure but that's all. There's nothing to worry about."
Seeing that Tom Cruise was still uneasy, Gilbert smiled and added, "Go home and tell Mary not to worry either. Since I was able to bring Mel Gibson down once, I can make him fall a second time.
Hollywood belongs to us. What does he have that can compete with me?"
Tom Cruise thought about it and realized Gilbert was right. Both of them were no longer who they once were. If Mel Gibson couldn't handle them ten years ago, how could he possibly do it now?
"Besides," Gilbert added with a mysterious smile, "bringing a little drama to this boring Hollywood might make things more interesting."
Humming a tune, Gilbert went back to his post-production work.
Tom Cruise listened carefully—the lyrics Gilbert was humming went something like this:
"Invincible… is so very, very lonely."
..
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