~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For 20 advanced chapters, visit my Patreon:
Patreon - Twilight_scribe1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Truth be told, by the latter half of the conversation, Charlize Theron was completely dazed. She followed Henry into the guest room like a puppet, their luggage brought in from the car as well.
She couldn't even remember how she'd washed up. After changing into her pajamas, she sat blankly on the bed, eyes unfocused.
When Henry came into the guest room after showering, towel in hand as he dried his hair, Charlize gradually came back to herself. Her expression was complicated, her gaze drifting uneasily.
She opened her mouth several times as if to speak, only to close it again.
Noticing her hesitation, Henry spoke plainly.
"Go on. If you've got something to say, don't keep it bottled up."
"Mm… I wanted to tell you that you don't have to force yourself to do things you don't want to do just because of me. But I was also afraid you'd think I was saying the opposite—that I wanted you to go and do those things. Really, I didn't mean that."
After these days of nonstop auditions in Hollywood and contact with so many film crews, Charlize Theron—though not yet worldly-wise—had definitely had her eyes opened.
People with even the tiniest bit of power already dared to act recklessly. Charlize couldn't even imagine what Tony Stark would be like, or how much pressure Henry might be facing.
Seeing her anxious, fearful expression, it was hard to connect her with the dazzling South African diamond she would one day become. Henry comforted her gently.
"I know what you mean. Don't worry.
"But let me be honest with you too. The reason I didn't consider that option at first was because me becoming CEO of Stark Pictures wouldn't help you as much as you might think.
"If all you wanted was screen time—to be a leading actress and build some fame—then sure, it wouldn't be hard for me to push a few projects to promote you.
"But what you want is to truly achieve something in acting. What you really lack are good projects, not opportunities handed to you by someone backing you. Do you understand the difference?
"And once I become CEO of Stark Pictures, I wouldn't be able to continue as your agent. That would be a conflict of interest. By law, an agent has to stand on the actor's side and fight for what they deserve. That wouldn't be allowed.
"Of course, there are benefits. At the very least, you'd have a very solid backer, and there would probably be fewer people daring to make unreasonable demands.
"But don't think they'd disappear entirely. There are always people bold beyond reason—either those with status even higher than a studio CEO, or those who control truly core resources."
"Is that so…" Charlize said dejectedly, her thoughts in a mess.
Henry rested a hand on her head.
"Success is never easy. And movies aren't something done within a small circle for self-amusement—they face the public.
"Either you have awards and reputation, or you have box office results. If you have neither, theater owners aren't idiots. They'd rather leave their cinemas empty than show some incomprehensible film.
"Don't be blinded by the dazzling halo around movie stars. Look at Cleopatra—that failure made Elizabeth Taylor the biggest target. But how could all the mistakes of that film possibly have been caused by a single actress?
"To reach the top, you absolutely need outside help. But don't think that having those helpers means you can just sit back and enjoy success. Those very helpers can turn into demons that drag you into the abyss."
Charlize suddenly asked,
"And you? Would you turn into a demon too?"
"I would never do anything that hurts you. You can trust me."
Henry spoke firmly, then smiled bitterly.
"But I have my own troubles as well."
It felt like she was seeing the man she'd first met all over again. Charlize looked at him quietly.
The oddities in his life—pretending they didn't exist would be self-deception. But when she'd been at her weakest, he'd reached out to help her again and again, like a beam of light in the abyss. That was why she hadn't wanted to think too deeply about those things.
Now that they were mentioned, how could she not be curious?
Faced with that gaze, Henry was overwhelmed with thoughts, not knowing where to begin. In the end, he could only say,
"I'll do my best to make sure those troubles don't involve you.
"But there are many things in this world that don't change just because I want them to. If one day you feel—"
He didn't get to finish.
His lips were suddenly sealed by a kiss.
A deep, heartfelt kiss might seem like it could solve many things—but in truth, it solved nothing.
Yet in that moment, no more words were needed between them. Their hearts were aligned, and that seemed enough.
Just as things were about to go further, Charlize suddenly sneezed, spraying saliva all over Henry's face.
Instead of anger or embarrassment, the two looked at each other—and burst out laughing.
"Looks like I should turn the heat up a bit," Henry said, wiping his face with the towel he'd been using on his hair as he looked around for the thermostat.
Only then did Charlize notice that her pajamas were far too thin for a Connecticut winter. The skin beneath was covered in goosebumps from the cold.
Henry tucked her into bed and carefully pulled the covers up around her.
"Go to sleep early. It's great that you get along with Katharine—talk to her more tomorrow.
"Compared to finding you a good agent, her experience as an actress includes many things I simply can't teach you. Those things are just as important as an excellent agent.
"And she can't write them down in a textbook for you, word by word. You have to ask her yourself. So get some rest. Leave the rest to me.
"For now, I need to go wash my face. Good night."
"Alright. Good night."
Leaving a small night lamp on, Henry switched off the bedroom light and stepped out of the guest room.
After splashing his face a few times in the bathroom, Henry went back to the living room fireplace. Katharine was still awake, sitting there with a glass of the Napoleon Coronation wine, sipping as she waited.
Beside her, an empty wineglass sat ready. Henry knew she was waiting for him.
"Katharine, why are you still up?" Henry asked casually as he picked up the decanter and poured the last bit of wine into the empty glass.
It was remarkable—since dinner, this wine had revealed yet another different character. Each stage of drinking it had its own unique flavor.
"This kind of wine shouldn't be taken out so casually."
"That's none of your business. It's Howard's and my treasure—I don't want it turning into part of my estate," Katharine retorted.
"And as you saw, the label is already unreadable.
"Other than Howard's word, I have no way to prove its origin. And Howard back then was rather foolish. Can you believe he was once wanted by the U.S. government as a suspected spy?
"And yet he took a bottle like this to propose to a girl who had already fallen for another man—and then never took it back. Luckily, it tastes quite good. That at least proves he wasn't mocking me.
"I always wanted to return it to him. Later, I thought of drinking it together with him and his wife—but there was never another chance.
"I was afraid that if I waited any longer, I'd never know what this wine tasted like."
She finished the last sip in her glass, looking refreshed—as if she had finally said farewell to the past. Then she turned and asked,
"Did that girl say anything to you?"
That simple question made Henry instantly realize something. He gave a helpless, wry smile.
"So… what you said earlier was a test for Charlize?"
"Mmm-hmm. That's why I wanted to know how the girl would react."
"Katharine, that's not good. People's hearts can't withstand tests. Whether the result disappoints or not, testing someone means there was no basic trust to begin with. And if the result is unsatisfactory, wouldn't there be no room left to fix things? I don't like that."
"Little Henry, you're right—but she's your girl, and I'd only just met her. You don't think all old women are like gypsy crones who can read past lives at a glance, do you? I needed to know whether she was worth helping."
Left with no choice, Henry summarized what had just happened, adding at the end,
"I didn't help Charlize lie or twist the truth. Those words were genuinely hers."
"Then it seems she's a good child as well."
"Yes," Henry said softly. "That's why I fell for her."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
🎉 Power Stone Goal Announcement! 🎉
I'll release one bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones we hit!"
Let me know what should I do
Your support means everything—let's crush these goals together! Keep voting, and let the stones pile up! 🚀
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~