The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 445

"Our next lot is presented by Mr. Matthew Horner!"

The charity dinner had reached its final auction. The middle-aged auctioneer waited for the staff to bring forward the display, then gestured toward the European-style saber resting on it. "This is the saber Mr. Horner used during the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, the very blade Will Turner wielded in his duel against Captain Jack Sparrow."

As he spoke, several camera operators crowded around the auction table, their lenses fixed on the saber. Shutters clicked incessantly, as if the prop sword were a priceless artistic treasure.

"Isn't that just a prop sword?"

At a table near the auction block, Megan glanced at the ornate sword and muttered, "How dare they auction something like this? Matthew is so cheap."

David shot her a look. "Megan, believe it or not, that sword would be worth at least a hundred thousand dollars if it were put up for public auction."

"What?" Megan scoffed. "Based on what?"

"Based on the fact that Matthew used it to film Pirates of the Caribbean." Though a relative newcomer to Hollywood himself, David had been in the business for two years and had a much clearer perspective than Megan, who was brand new to the scene. "This sword would be worth five hundred dollars at most in a prop shop, but Matthew's touch has given it immense added value."

Just then, the auctioneer's voice rang out, "The auction for Will Turner's sword begins now, with no reserve price and a minimum bid of one hundred dollars."

Without a second thought, Megan was the first to raise her paddle. "One hundred dollars!"Hearing the bid, Keira Knightley turned her head toward the voice and thought to herself, "What is this girl thinking? A hundred dollars for a sword Matthew used?"

She grabbed her paddle, ready to raise it. After the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy was complete, the sword could easily go for $100,000.

But before Knightley could lift her paddle, Depp, sitting beside her, called out, "Ten thousand dollars!"

Megan, two tables away, glanced at Johnny Depp and had no intention of bidding again; she wasn't crazy enough to pay $10,000 for such a fake sword.

"Fifty thousand dollars!"

A clear, pleasant female voice rang out from the table next to Megan's.

Megan turned her head and saw that the person calling out the bid was supermodel Cindy Crawford, whose daughter, Kaia Gerber, was smiling brightly and holding up the bidding paddle.

"One hundred thousand dollars!"

Knightley hastily raised her bid, as if afraid someone else would snatch it away.

Megan just shook her head. These celebrities were completely insane...

"One million dollars!"

The thought had barely crossed her mind when her brother, David Ellison, shouted the price from right beside her. Megan covered her face in exasperation, bitterly regretting that she was sitting with David.

This was just... too humiliating.

The hall fell silent instantly. No new bids came in, and David easily won Will Turner's sword.

"Are you out of your mind?" Megan couldn't help but protest. "A million dollars for an ordinary prop sword? Seriously?"

David looked composed. "You think Horner isn't worth a million dollars?" he countered.

Megan froze, remembering that Matthew Horner had been paid twenty million dollars for his last film.

"This is a million dollars that will further solidify my relationship with Matthew." David might have looked like he was just throwing money around, but he had his own agenda for the lavish spending. "If a similar investment or opportunity comes up, Matthew will probably give me first consideration."

Megan, a true child of the wealthy elite, let a note of contempt creep into her tone. "Matthew Horner is just a Hollywood star."

David reminded her solemnly, "But he's a Hollywood star who can easily generate hundreds of millions, or even billions, of dollars!"

He gestured toward the prop sword that was being carried away. "This sword, which Matthew used from start to finish during filming, could be worth no less than a million dollars if Matthew becomes a superstar in the future and the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise continues to be a hit."

Megan said nothing more. She had a feeling David was right; Matthew Horner's value was something even she couldn't deny.

Next, a Tiffany's emerald necklace appeared on the auction block. Megan, who knew more about jewelry than about dirty movie props or a signed Britney Spears debut album, gazed at it for a moment and estimated that the necklace from Matthew would be worth at least two million dollars.

"That necklace must be worth a fortune, mustn't it?"

Alexandra Daddario, sitting next to Matthew, asked in a whisper, "Emeralds of such purity are rare."

Matthew nodded. "Amanda paid two and a half million dollars for it."

Since it was a charity auction, there was no reserve price, so Matthew wasn't worried about the bidding being too low. After all, he could always buy it himself, and the money would end up in his charity fund regardless.

According to his discussions with Amanda, at least fifty percent of the money raised by the two foundations would be used to cover their operating and personnel expenses.

As the founder, he naturally held a position of power within the charities, which would also make it easier for him to run expenses through their books in the future.

****

As the auction continued, Harvey Weinstein watched Britney Spears walk away with the emerald necklace for a staggering five million dollars, and his head spun as he calculated that Matthew Horner's two charitable foundations had raised over twenty million dollars that night.

Twenty million dollars wasn't a huge amount—not even close to the profits from any of Matthew Horner's films.

The Weinstein Company worked its tail off every year scheming for an Oscar, and even in their best years, when they won Best Picture, he and Bob Weinstein didn't clear twenty million dollars a year in net profit.

Even Harvey couldn't help but envy the studios that relied on Matthew Horner to make big money.

But Horner had rejected his extended hand of friendship several times in a row!

***

At the same time this charity dinner was taking place, a large number of Hollywood industry insiders were gathered at a club in North Hollywood.

Unlike at Matthew's charity dinner, most of the people at this party were Black, with some white attendees as well.

Among them were several big names with huge reputations.

For example, Will Smith, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry—the first Black woman to win a Best Actress Oscar—and Meryl Streep, a famously left-leaning actress.

These big names formed their own circle, one that was difficult for people of significantly lower fame and status to enter.

Francis Lawrence and Paula Patton were sitting at a table, chatting with a couple of actors who had just come over to say hello, gazing enviously at that inner circle but knowing they couldn't do much more than exchange pleasantries with the people in it.

After voluntarily stepping down from I Am Legend, Lawrence's career seemed to have hit a dead end. The great opportunity he thought he'd get from Will Smith signing on—after Lawrence championed him for the lead role—never materialized. Smith mostly ignored him, and while his agency was number one in the entertainment industry, it had too many clients to invest significant resources in a director who wasn't a household name.

A short time had passed, and Francis was already beginning to regret his choice.

"Hello, Francis."

A voice greeted him. Francis looked up to see a middle-aged man approach his table, sit down opposite him, and ask, "What's wrong? You look like you're in a bad mood."

Francis recognized him; it was Spike Lee, one of the leading Black directors.

"Hey, Spike." Lawrence shrugged and answered casually, "Nothing much. Work just hasn't been going well lately."

Spike gestured toward Paula Patton. "I heard from Paula that you suffered an injustice, that you were bullied by Matthew Horner and left the film."

"It's no secret," Francis nodded. "Horner tried so hard to exclude Black actors that I had to show my disapproval and anger by stepping down as director."

"Really?" Spike frowned. "There are still people who openly discriminate against Black people? Tell me the details. We can't just sit back and watch this happen."

And outside, the dark night sky enveloped all of Los Angeles...

****

The charity dinner concluded successfully. The Mercedes SUV carrying Matthew drove through the darkness and into Beverly Hills, soon pulling up before the Horner Estate.

The charity dinner had required a large number of staff, especially for security. Aside from two guards and a maid left on duty at the gate, everyone else had been mobilized to help at the event. Matthew didn't ask them to return immediately, telling them just to come to work on time tomorrow.

The estate's iron gates opened slowly, and the Mercedes-Benz SUV drove up the straight path, soon stopping in front of the villa.

Matthew entered the villa and handed his coat to the maid who had stayed behind. He went up to the second floor, pushed open his bedroom door, and was about to take a shower when he discovered that his bedroom was in disarray, with clear signs of having been ransacked. The window on the side facing the mountain cliff was open.

A burglar? That was his first reaction.