….
"To Jordan and Martha!"
Stephen Hawking Sr. added with a warm smile, raising his glass alongside Gwendolyn.
After the toasts, while the guests were cheering, Regal discreetly slipped an envelope into Martha's purse; a small, modest card containing tickets and fully paid reservations for a four-week trip across Italy, along with a personal note thanking them both
By 10:15 PM, as the music shifted to upbeat dancing and the wedding guests began crowding the small parquet dance floor, Regal, Gwendolyn, Stephen, and Ross quietly prepared to leave to avoid turning the party into an overwhelming media spectacle.
Jordan and Martha walked them out to the quiet front steps of the restaurant; the noise of the reception faded behind them.
"Thank you, kid." Jordan said softly, his voice thick with emotion.
Regal smiled and gave him a small nod, but before he could answer, Stephen Hawking Sr. stepped forward.
"Save the tears for the honeymoon, Jordan." Stephen said warmly, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Tonight was your night, and you made it a memorable one. Take care of Martha, and try to enjoy yourself for once."
Ross Oakley gave a satisfied pat to his stomach. "And don't forget the most important part." he added with a wink. "Keep feeding her good food and keep her laughing. A man who manages both has nothing left to complain about."
Martha laughed softly beside him, and Jordan wiped a rogue tear from the corner of his eye before turning toward Stephen and Ross.
He shook each of their hands firmly, his expression settling into genuine gratitude.
"Seriously, gentlemen. Thank you for coming. It means more than I can say."
"The pleasure was ours." Stephen replied.
Ross gave him a firm handshake. "And the food was excellent. So really, we should be thanking Martha."
Martha smiled. "You're welcome, Sir."
Jordan laughed before finally turning back toward Regal, and for a moment, the two simply looked at each other.
Then Jordan's expression softened. "Come here, hotshot."
Regal stepped closer, and Jordan pulled him into an embrace, patting him twice on the back before letting go.
"I am glad you came." he said quietly. "I really am."
"It's weird hearing you get all honest and sentimental all of a sudden." Regal teased, laughing softly as he placed a hand on his old boss's arm. "Have a great honeymoon, Boss. And try to stay out of trouble."
Jordan snorted. "That's your advice to me?"
"Absolutely."
"Kid, I am married now. Trouble is already part of the package."
Martha gave him an amused look. "You'd better believe it."
Everyone laughed.
Regal gave Jordan one last smile before stepping back toward the car with Gwendolyn, Stephen, and Ross.
"Take care of yourself, Jordan."
"You too, kid."
Jordan watched them descend the steps, his smile lingering until they disappeared into the car.
A few moments later, the car pulled away from the curb.
Inside, Ross settled comfortably into the back seat and leaned his head against the headrest with a contented sigh.
"Well." he said, adjusting his jacket. "If anyone asks tomorrow, we spent the evening at the Governor's Ball discussing the future of American cinema."
Stephen Sr. glanced over at him. "American cinema?"
Ross shrugged. "It sounds respectable."
"And what exactly were we discussing?"
Ross thought for a moment. "Something about... aesthetics."
Stephen let out a quiet laugh. "Fine. I'll support your version of events."
"You're a good man, Stephen."
"I've made questionable decisions before."
Gwendolyn smiled from the middle row, then rested her head against Regal's shoulder and slipped her hand into his.
Regal looked down at their intertwined fingers before turning his attention toward the window.
Los Angeles passed quietly outside, the streets glowing beneath the scattered city lights.
Just the quiet hum of the car, the warmth of Gwendolyn beside him, and the knowledge that he had kept a promise to someone who had once been there for him when he had nothing.
Regal leaned back into his seat, letting out a slow breath, and he felt lighter than he had in months.
….
By [6:00] AM on Monday morning, Hollywood awoke to a collective hangover and a massive media mystery.
The 74th Golden Globe Awards had delivered an undeniable historic sweep for LIE Studios.
Six major trophies in a single evening: Best Animated Feature for [Kung Fu Panda], Best Original Score, Best Supporting Actor for Ross Oakley, Best Screenplay for Regal Seraphsail, Best Director for Lena Crawford, and the ultimate crown, Best Motion Picture (Drama) along with Best Actor for Keanu Reeves for [John Wick].
Every major trade publication had their front pages locked within minutes of the broadcast:
—--------—
[Variety: "A New Era: LIE Studios Decimates the Competition with Six Historic Wins."]
[The Hollywood Reporter: "From Indie Film to High-Art Prestige: How John Wick Conquered the Golden Globes."]
[Deadline: "Lena Crawford Makes History as Harry Potter once again Takes Best Drama."]
[Los Angeles Times: "The Night of the Independent Titan: Regal Seraphsail's Unstoppable Rise."]
—--------—
Yet, beneath all the glowing reviews and award statistics, every morning television program was running the exact same baffling question:
–"Where did Regal Seraphsail go?"–
On Good Morning America, the entertainment host showed the final twenty seconds of the live telecast on repeat. The frame captured the celebration on the Beverly Hilton stage, confetti floating down, and Keanu Reeves laughing with the crew.
Then the camera pushed closer to the podium… and Regal was simply gone.
"He didn't even show up in the backstage press room." the host said, still looking baffled. "And get this, he never made it to the official HFPA winners' lounge either. He skipped all the major studio after-parties too. We've been checking with people who were supposed to know where he was, and apparently even Red Pictures, which is probably the studio closest to him, had no idea he had left."
….
Rumors moved fast across social media:
@HollywoodGossip: Did Regal get sick backstage? Insiders say someone told the crew he had bad seafood. But why would Ross Oakley and Stephen Hawking Sr. leave with him?!
@FilmSnob\_LA: Skipping the Golden Globe after-parties is the ultimate power move. He basically took his trophies and told the Hollywood elite, 'I don't need your networking.'
@MovieLover\_99: He probably kidnapped Dumbledore and Jonathan Kent to force them into a table read for Train To Catch. The guy doesn't sleep.
….
At 8:15 AM, the eighteenth floor of LIE Studios was already a war zone of ringing phones and frantic assistants.
Samantha Cross sat behind her desk, holding her temple with one hand while her ear was glued to the receiver.
"Yes, Mr. Davis, I understand the Hollywood Foreign Press expected Mr. Seraphsail and Mr. Oakley for the official winners' portrait." Samantha said smoothly into the phone, her voice polite but completely firm–
"Both gentlemen were attending to an urgent, prior personal commitment that could not be rescheduled... No, Mr. Oakley is not in the hospital. No, Stephen Hawking Sr. did not have a medical emergency... The official studio statement will go out before noon. Thank you."
She slammed the phone down with an exhausted sigh.
The door to her office swung open, and Darren Hayes walked in, looking remarkably refreshed, carrying a large paper cup of black coffee.
"Sounds like war out there." Darren said with a slight chuckle, taking a seat across from her.
"I have ninety-six unread voicemails from studio heads, talent agents, and HFPA board members." Samantha said, narrowing her eyes at him. "Do you know what Red Studio's texted me at two in the morning? 'Did your boss get abducted by aliens, and did he take Dumbledore with him?'"
Darren grinned, taking a slow sip. "Did you tell her the truth?"
"If I told the President of Red Pictures that the biggest director in the world skipped the most important networking event of the year to attend the wedding of his old boss, she would have a stroke." Samantha replied, though a small, amused smile tugged at the corner of her mouth–
"Where is he right now?"
"Check your phone." Darren replied, nodding toward her screen. "The internet beat us to the press release."
Samantha grabbed her smartphone and unlocked it.
….
A post on Facebook from an account named Anthony\_Ristorante had been shared over forty thousand times in the last three hours, eventually jumping straight onto Twitter and Reddit.
The post featured a short, slightly shaky phone video taken inside a warmly lit Italian restaurant.
In the video, standing near the head table was Regal Seraphsail. He was holding a water glass, raising it in a toast to an older man in a suit and a smiling woman in a modest lace wedding dress.
The audio was clear:
—------—
["Jordan gave me a job when nobody else would. He let me eat day-old hot dogs when my bank account was zero, and he paid my rent out of his own pocket when I was one day away from getting kicked onto the street…
["To Jordan and Martha!"]
—------—
The video then panned across the head table, and that was where the entire internet had collectively lost its mind.
Sitting right next to Martha, happily buttering a thick piece of bread and chatting warmly with the bride, was Ross Oakley, his freshly won Golden Globe trophy casually functioning as a paperweight beside a bowl of parmesan cheese.
And sitting directly opposite him, clinking a glass of house red wine with a man in a denim vest, was Stephen Hawking Sr., laughing.
The camera captured the entire room of neighborhood families, mechanics, and line cooks roaring with laughter as Jordan pointed a triumphant finger at his drinking buddies, shouting over the din.
Underneath the post, the caption read:
—------—
–My uncle's buddy Jordan used to own a corner store and told everyone the director of John Wick was coming to his wedding reception. Everyone laughed in his face because Regal was on live TV winning Best Picture at 8:16 PM. At 8:55 PM.
–However, the man still attended and gave the best wedding toast I've ever heard, AND BROUGHT ROSS OAKLEY AND STEPHEN HAWKING SR. WITH HIM. Albus Dumbledore ate three plates of homemade meatballs, Stephen Hawking. Sr spent his time talking about car engines with my uncle Sal, and Regal hung out until ten o'clock.
-Absolute legends!–
—------—
Samantha stared at the screen for a long moment.
She let out a slow, deep breath, leaned back in her chair, and tossed the phone onto the desk with a helpless shake of her head.
"Unbelievable." she muttered.
"Admit it." Darren laughed softly. "It's the most Regal thing he has ever done."
Across the internet, the reaction was immediate, massive, and overwhelmingly positive.
—------—
[Twitter | Trending Topics]
#JordanAndMartha
#RegalInGlendale
#JohnWickSweep
#LoyaltyOverHollywood
#GarlicBreadOverGala
—------—
Online Reactions:
| @FilmBuff\_Daily: Imagine winning Best Picture and Best Screenplay at 8:20 PM on global television, and by 9:00 PM you are sitting at a checkered diner table in Glendale eating pasta because you promised your former boss you'd be there. AND YOU CONVINCED ROSS OAKLEY AND STEPHEN HAWKING SR. TO DITCH THE GOLDEN GLOBES WITH YOU. This is the most coolest thing I have ever seen in Hollywood
| @IndieFilmmaker\_Dan: A little fame is usually enough for people to forget the ones who helped them along the way. Regal runs a multi-billion-dollar empire, swept the Golden Globes, and still remembers the man who fed him day-old hot dogs when he was broke. Then he brought two veteran legends of cinema with him, just to make sure Jordan's friends understood how much their friendship meant to him. That might be the greatest act of loyalty I've ever seen.
| At this point, Hollywood doesn't deserve him.
….
[MeTuber DJ's Livestream:]
The red notification light on DJ's webcam flashed live to over eighty thousand viewers.
["Okay, chat, SHUT UP AND LISTEN!"] DJ roared, slamming his palms on his desk with an ecstatic grin plastered across his face–
["I had a two-hour breakdown prepared analyzing the lighting rigs in Order of the Phoenix! I threw all of it straight into the garbage can five minutes ago!"]
["And then I wake up, open my feed, and find out Regal Seraphsail pulled the greatest escape act in Hollywood history! He won the biggest award of the night and vanished into the kitchen, ducked into the hotel kitchen, and walked out the door with Albus Dumbledore and Stephen Hawking Sr.!"
["Bro, take a look at this video!!"] DJ pointed frantically at his split screen. ["Can you imagine Ross Oakley and Stephen Hawking Sr. attending your wedding?"]
["Tell me you cannot write a better movie than real life! The man is untouchable!"]
The live chat scrolled so fast it was a blur of laughing emojis, clapping hands, and hearts.
.
….
[To be continued…]
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