Chapter 112
Ben Affleck, who had been knocked down by Martin for the third time, slowly stood up again and glared fiercely at Martin.
But in truth, his heart had already crumbled.
"What the hell is my mother doing messing with this fake? Stop it, you idiot!"
Behind Martin, Charlize Theron was watching him with admiring eyes.
There were many others in the crowd looking at him the same way, such as Nicole Kidman, though her reaction was more subtle.
Matt Damon, seeing his friend still trying to attack Martin, was horrified. He couldn't stand by any longer. He rushed forward, grabbed Ben Affleck's arm, and pulled him away from Martin.
"Stop it, Ben, you've had too much to drink today!" Matt Damon said sternly.
Clearly, Matt was offering an explanation for his friend's behavior. Whether anyone believed it or not, who knew?
Ben Affleck struggled violently, but inside his heart, he was desperately screaming: "Matt, good brother, you have to hold me back!"
Matt Damon, unaware of his best friend's inner turmoil, thought that Ben was still not convinced and wanted to continue the fight with Martin.
He whispered urgently in Ben's ear, "Man, are you crazy? Your mother's provoking this fake! Please, calm down!"
Ben Affleck yelled in his mind: "My mind is perfectly calm… my body is out of control!"
He screamed inwardly: "Let me go, let me go, damn it Matt! Let me at that kid!" He continued to shout mentally: "And my damn mouth—shut up, shut up, you fool!"
If he could, he would have had Matt shut up entirely.
Matt was getting annoyed. Though Ben had always been hot-headed, he had never been this out of control before.
Martin watched Matt Damon struggle to keep Ben Affleck in check. A small, satisfied smile tugged at his lips. He decided it was time to withdraw his influence from Ben. It had taken a lot of energy, but—he glanced at Charlize Theron admiring him from the corner of his eye—it was worth it.
Martin foresaw that this incident would significantly boost his reputation and improve his standing with feminist organizations, who were gaining political influence. Although their future extremes hadn't yet fully developed, they already wielded considerable power. If he played his cards right, this could be advantageous.
On the other side, Ben Affleck suddenly realized that his body no longer felt driven by rage, but by reason.
Well, it also controlled his mouth now.
"It wasn't me!" He let out a wail, his voice sounding like a wolf howling in the night. "That wasn't me! I was possessed! Please, believe me! An evil force took over my body!"
A wave of suppressed laughter rippled through the crowd, but one person laughed especially loud—Tom Cruise. With his status and emotional intelligence, he didn't care about Ben's dignity.
Although he hoped Martin would be beaten, Ben was so ridiculous that it made him laugh out loud. "Possessed by a ghost?" he mocked internally. "This idiot really is an idiot!"
Matt Damon's furrowed brow slowly relaxed. It seemed like the smart Ben Affleck was back!
"Wait, pretending to be an idiot? Actually, that's not a bad idea. People won't be too hard on an idiot, right?"
"Martin can't retaliate too harshly against an idiot. It would damage his own reputation."
"Maybe some film companies will want to capitalize on this incident and give Ben some mentally challenged roles..."
The more Matt Damon thought about it, the more he realized that Ben's strategy might be the best one. It was certainly better than his own plan of "bowing his head and admitting mistakes." No… had Ben always been this smart?
Ben Affleck, who was now seen as unusually clever by his good friend, was on the verge of tears. He looked around at the eyes of others, who were undoubtedly seeing him as a fool, and desperately wanted to scream: "Everything I said was true! I was really possessed! I couldn't control myself! That wasn't me!"
He wanted to shout to clear his name, but his mind told him: "Shut up, shut up. If you actually say something, they'll think you're insane."
So, in his frustration and humiliation, he fell silent. His clothes were stained with salad dressing, lobster meat clung to his neck, and crumbs were in his hair. The image he presented was undeniably absurd.
Eventually, the frustrated and humiliated Ben Affleck was pulled out of the banquet hall by Matt Damon, disappearing from everyone's sight.
The banquet, however, grew even livelier due to the farce. People now had something more interesting to talk about and didn't have to stick to the boring pleasantries.
Most of the reporters had left, heading back to work on their stories and earn their bonuses.
Charlize Theron's gaze toward Martin had completely changed. Previously, she had looked at him with envy and reverence for his wealth, but now, her admiration was clear—she was in awe of him.
Martin believed that, with just a simple gesture, this woman would willingly climb into his bed without hesitation. But he wasn't in a hurry. Instead, he walked calmly toward Harvey.
Harvey watched Martin with a complex expression. The potential gold mine before him seemed to be slipping out of his grasp, yet he was powerless to do anything. He shook his head slightly and dismissed the thought. With a forced smile, Harvey went to greet him.
"Haha, Martin, I owe you an apology. I didn't expect Ben to be such a troublemaker. Don't worry, I'll teach him a lesson."
Then he winked at Martin and added, "By the way, Martin, would you like me to introduce you to some beautiful women?"
"Come on, Harvey," Martin replied with a hearty laugh, acting as if he didn't know that Ben Affleck was Harvey's younger brother. He didn't bring it up, instead, he discussed something else.
"Harvey, I heard you're interested in buying the film and TV rights to The Man from Another Dimension. Why don't you come to me directly?"
Harvey Weinstein gave an awkward smile.
He was indeed interested in the rights to this science fiction novel, but after some research, he discovered that the adaptation rights had already been bought by Martin's father, Grant, two years ago. Now, they belonged to Meyers Films.
Harvey had considered approaching Martin to buy the rights or even propose a co-production, but back then, he was at the height of his career and didn't want to lower himself by directly asking Martin.
Instead, he'd asked his friend Jon Gordon to negotiate with Martin, concealing the fact that Miramax was behind the deal. In simpler terms, Jon Gordon was negotiating in the name of a small company that Miramax owned. Harvey had also arranged for Jon to sign a private copyright transfer agreement, ensuring that if the deal went through, Miramax would gain the rights.
What Harvey hadn't expected was that Martin already knew about Jon Gordon's involvement and openly pointed it out in front of him.
Fortunately, Harvey's thick skin allowed him to recover quickly. With a slight embarrassment, he returned to his usual composure and said, "I've been busy, so I had Jon Gordon handle the negotiations. Hope that's alright with you, Martin!"
It was clear from these words that Harvey's arrogance, which had begun to surface after his Oscar win, would continue to grow—until it ultimately led to his downfall.
Martin nodded. "Of course, I don't mind. But as for the script, I've decided to work with Warner Bros., sorry."
Harvey's face darkened.
[•———•——•———•]
𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧