The richest actor in Hollywood.

"The next auction item is provided by Mr. Matthew Horner!"

The charity gala had reached its final auction stage. A middle-aged auctioneer stood on the stage, waiting for the staff to set up a display stand. Looking at the European-style sword on the stand, he said, "This is the sword Mr. Matthew Horner used while filming 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.' Will Turner used this sword to duel Captain Jack Sparrow and battle the pirates of the Black Pearl. It holds significant commemorative value."

As he spoke, photographers from various media outlets gathered in front of the stage, focusing their lenses on the sword and continuously pressing their camera shutters, as if this prop sword were a priceless work of art.

"It's just a prop sword."

At a table near the auction stage, Megan Ellison looked at the uniquely shaped sword and muttered, "Isn't it petty of Matthew Horner to auction this off?"

David Ellison glanced at her and said, "Megan, do you believe that if this sword is auctioned publicly, it will sell for at least a hundred thousand dollars?"

"I don't believe it!" Megan Ellison snorted, "Why?"

"Just because Matthew used it to film 'Pirates of the Caribbean.'" David Ellison, though also new to Hollywood, had been in the circle for two years and saw things much clearer than Megan, who had just entered Hollywood. "This sword might be worth five hundred dollars in the props market, but after being touched by Matthew, it has gained enormous added value!"

The auctioneer's voice came over, "Now we begin the auction for Will Turner's sword, starting with no reserve. Each bid increment must be at least one hundred dollars."

Without thinking, Megan Ellison raised her paddle first, "One hundred dollars!"

Hearing the bid, Keira Knightley turned her head to look at the bidder, wondering what the girl was thinking. A hundred dollars for a sword used by Matthew?

She grabbed her paddle, ready to bid. After the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' trilogy, this sword could easily sell for a hundred thousand dollars.

But before Keira Knightley could raise her paddle, Johnny Depp shouted, "Ten thousand dollars!"

Megan Ellison glanced at Johnny Depp across two tables and had no intention of raising her bid. She wasn't crazy enough to spend ten thousand dollars on a broken sword.

"Fifty thousand dollars!"

A sweet woman's voice rang out from the table next to Megan Ellison.

Megan turned her head to see that the bidder was supermodel Cindy Crawford, whose daughter, Kaia Gerber, was cheerfully holding up the paddle.

"One hundred thousand dollars!"

Keira Knightley quickly raised her paddle, fearing someone else might snatch it away.

Megan Ellison shook her head, thinking these stars were out of their minds...

"One million dollars!"

Just as this thought crossed her mind, her brother David Ellison's bid echoed beside her. Megan Ellison wanted to cover her face, deeply regretting sitting next to David. It was so embarrassing...

The banquet hall fell silent, and no further bids were made. David Ellison easily secured Will Turner's sword.

"Are you crazy?" Megan couldn't help but whisper, "One million dollars for a broken prop sword? Are you out of your mind, David?"

David Ellison remained calm and reminded her, "Do you think Matthew Horner is worth a million dollars?"

Megan Ellison was momentarily stunned, remembering that Matthew Horner's latest film had earned him a salary of twenty million dollars!

"This million dollars will further strengthen my relationship with Matthew." David Ellison seemed extravagant, but he spent money with a purpose. "If a similar investment or invitation opportunity arises, Matthew might prioritize me."

Megan, truly a privileged daughter, spoke with a hint of disdain, "Matthew Horner is just a Hollywood star."

David Ellison solemnly reminded her, "But he is a Hollywood star who can easily generate hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars in revenue!"

He pointed at the prop sword being pushed away, "This sword was used by Matthew from start to finish during filming. If he becomes a super superstar and 'Pirates of the Caribbean' continues to be a hit, its value might very well reach a million dollars."

Megan Ellison didn't say anything further because she found David's reasoning quite compelling. Even she couldn't deny Matthew Horner's value.

Next, a Tiffany emerald necklace appeared on the auction stage. Compared to those random movie props or Britney Spears' first signed album, Megan Ellison had a better understanding of jewelry. Just a quick glance, and she estimated that the necklace from Matthew Horner was worth at least two million dollars.

Similarly, this was a no-reserve auction.

"That necklace is quite valuable, right?" Alexandra Daddario, sitting next to Matthew, asked softly, "Such a pure emerald is hard to come by."

Matthew nodded slightly, "Amanda bought it for two and a half million dollars."

Since it was a charity auction with no reserve prices, Matthew wasn't worried about it being sold too cheaply. If necessary, he would buy it himself, as the money would still flow into his charity foundation.

According to his and Amanda's plan, at least fifty percent of the funds raised by the two charitable foundations would be used to cover operational and personnel expenses.

As the founder, he naturally held a clear position within the charity foundation, which would also facilitate future expenses coming from the foundation's accounts.

After the auction began, Harvey Weinstein watched as Britney Spears won the emerald necklace for five million dollars. He calculated that tonight, Matthew Horner's two charitable foundations had raised over twenty million dollars!

Twenty million dollars wasn't much and couldn't even match the profit from any film starring Matthew Horner.

Weinstein Company worked hard every year to plan their Oscar campaigns. Even in their best years, when they won Best Picture, Harvey and Bob Weinstein's annual net earnings didn't reach twenty million dollars.

Thinking about those film companies that made huge profits from Matthew Horner, even Harvey Weinstein couldn't help but feel envious.

Yet, Matthew Horner had repeatedly refused his extended hand of friendship!

While the charity gala was underway, a large number of Hollywood insiders were also gathering at a club in North Hollywood.

Unlike Matthew's charity gala, most of the people attending this gathering had dark skin, and those with white skin were all recognized within Hollywood and strong supporters of black political correctness.

Among them were some highly prestigious figures.

For instance, Will Smith and his wife, Denzel Washington and his wife, the first black Best Actress Oscar winner Halle Berry, and the famous left-wing actress Meryl Streep.

These big names formed their own circle, making it difficult for those with significantly different statuses to join.

Francis Lawrence and Paula Patton sat at a table, dealing with two black actors who had just greeted them. They looked enviously at that circle, knowing they could only exchange greetings with them and couldn't really converse much more.

Since voluntarily leaving the "I Am Legend" crew, Francis Lawrence's career seemed to have hit a bottleneck. Despite Will Smith signing with CAA, the opportunities weren't as good as expected. After failing to secure the lead role in "I Am Legend," Will Smith mostly ignored him. Although CAA was the top entertainment agency, it had many clients and couldn't dedicate too many resources to an unknown director like him.

Recently, Francis Lawrence had begun to regret joining CAA.

"Hi, Francis."

Hearing the greeting, Francis Lawrence looked up to see a middle-aged black man with glasses approaching and sitting across from him. "What's wrong? You look down."

Francis Lawrence recognized him. Spike Lee was one of the most prominent black directors.

"Hello, Spike," Francis shrugged and casually said, "Nothing much, just having a rough time at work."

Spike Lee pointed at Paula Patton and said, "I heard from Paula that you were treated unfairly, bullied by Matthew Horner, and left the crew."

This wasn't a secret. Francis nodded, "Matthew Horner strongly opposed black actors. To fight for our rights, I had to resign as director to express my dissatisfaction and anger."

"Is that so?" Spike Lee pushed his glasses up his nose with one finger and said, "There are still crews openly discriminating against black actors? Tell me the details. We can't let this happen."

The pitch-black night sky enveloped the Los Angeles area, as if black were the city's primary color.

The charity gala concluded successfully. Matthew's Mercedes SUV drove through the heavy darkness and entered Beverly Hills, soon arriving at the gates of Horner Manor.

Due to the large number of staff needed for tonight's charity gala, especially security personnel, only two guards and a maid were left on duty at the manor's gate. The rest were sent to assist at the gala, and Matthew didn't have them return immediately. He instructed them to come to work on time the next day.

The iron gates of Horner Manor slowly opened, and the Mercedes SUV drove down the straight road, soon stopping in front of the villa.

Matthew entered the villa, handed his suit jacket to the maid on duty, and went straight to the second floor. As he opened the master bedroom door, intending to take a shower, he found his bedroom in complete disarray, clearly showing signs of having been searched. The window facing the cliff was also open.

Robbed? That was his first thought.

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