Chapter 87: Arch Enemies

"Ian, fill up the glasses!"

Michael Cullitz's boisterous voice filled the bar, "Everyone's glass to the brim!"

Ian Bailey, bottle in hand, poured half a glass of whiskey for Matthew, Michael Cullitz, James McAvoy, and Michael Fassbender.

"Ready!" James McAvoy shouted after placing a spoon on the table and spinning it. The spoon whirled around, eventually pointing towards Matthew.

"I guess..."

With no choice, Matthew picked up a card in front of him, applied double-sided tape handed to him by Michael Fassbender, and stuck the card on his forehead facing outward.

Clearly, it was a game.

The crew was on a two-day break and Matthew had nowhere else to go, so he spent the days exploring London with his friends and the nights playing games and drinking.

The game involved guessing movie protagonists written on cards. After shuffling and distributing the cards, the selected player stuck the card on their forehead for others to see. The guesser could ask each of the four others a question, to which they could only answer yes or no. If the guesser couldn't identify the character after the questions, they'd drink their whiskey. If they guessed right, the others would drink depending on the number of questions asked—less questions meant more drinks for the others.

"Come on, Matthew!" Michael Fassbender urged, "Start!"

"Alright!"

Although the cards only had movie protagonists, the range was still very wide. Matthew didn't expect to guess right with his first question, so he started with Michael Fassbender, "Is it an American?"

"Yes!" Michael Fassbender nodded.

Matthew thought for a moment, then asked James McAvoy, "Is it a male?"

James McAvoy immediately answered, "Yes!"

"That's convenient." Remembering his own card, Matthew asked Michael Cullitz, "Does he like to save the world?"

Michael Cullitz hesitated but admitted, "Yes."

Matthew stopped asking, laughed, and reached for the card on his forehead, confidently declaring, "Superman!"

After removing the card, he paused, stunned—the card actually read Batman!

"Who wrote this?" Matthew demanded, "Who? I wrote Superman, you wrote Batman, and I thought…"

Michael Fassbender cut him off, "Matthew! Quit the chatter, you lose, you drink!"

Matthew lifted his glass and downed the whiskey in one go, unflinchingly saying, "Next round!"

"Hold on." James McAvoy looked towards the bar entrance, informing Michael Fassbender, "Your arch-enemy from the Central School of Speech and Drama just walked in."

Michael Fassbender also looked in that direction, "Why is he here with this crew?"

Matthew turned to look at the bar entrance and saw a young man walking in. The man wasn't particularly tall but was very sturdy.

"Who's that?" he asked.

"Tom Hardy." Michael Fassbender bluntly said, "A real scoundrel."

Tom Hardy noticed Michael Fassbender and walked over, nodding at him, "What a coincidence, Mike."

Standing nearest to the bar entrance, Tom Hardy was the first to reach behind Matthew, "I thought someone looked familiar the other day during filming, turns out it was you."

"Indeed, a coincidence." Michael Fassbender showed a shark-like grin, "Sit down, have a drink with us."

Tom Hardy scoffed and stepped forward, leaning on Matthew's chair back, "With you guys?" He shook his head, "I'm meeting friends."

It was clear to Matthew that there was bad blood between Tom Hardy and Michael Fassbender, though both were restrained, sticking to verbal jabs and sarcasm without escalating further.

Not knowing the details of their feud, Matthew kept quiet. When Tom Hardy reached to lean on his chair again, Matthew suddenly moved his chair forward, causing Tom to grab at air.

Tom Hardy looked down at Matthew, seeing an unfamiliar face, and snorted arrogantly. After a few more exchanges with Michael Fassbender, he found an empty table. The person he was meeting turned out to be the lead actor Damian Lewis, to everyone's surprise.

"Hi, Damian." Matthew had recently worked with him and knew him, "Join us for a drink?"

Damian Lewis, ever sociable, greeted everyone and said, "Some other time, I'll treat you."

Matthew didn't press further and let him join Tom Hardy at the other table.

"Do you have a problem with him?" Michael Cullitz curiously watched Tom Hardy.

Michael Fassbender was candid, "James exaggerated calling him my arch-enemy. We just competed for a few roles at drama school, sometimes I won, sometimes he did."

Michael Cullitz lost interest, "Is that all?"

"It's oversimplified," James McAvoy

 interjected, taking a sip of his drink, "The guy's famously petty, leveraging his father's status as a well-known London playwright to pull strings behind the scenes. Michael has been burned a few times."

Michael Fassbender appeared unconcerned, "It's all trivial."

Though he played it down, Matthew could tell that Michael Fassbender was not entirely at ease, and from the Tom Wester incident, it was clear he wasn't one to just let things slide.

"Does he know Damian?" Matthew changed the subject.

"There's nothing strange about that," James McAvoy replied, "His parents are well-known in the British arts scene."

With the mood somewhat dampened by Tom Hardy's appearance, they drank another round and, at Matthew's suggestion, left the bar.

Walking through the chilly streets, Michael Cullitz asked, "What next? Find somewhere to party?"

"Let's not." James McAvoy felt the alcohol hit him harder with the wind, "I'm dizzy, want to go back to sleep."

"I'm heading back too," Michael Fassbender agreed.

Matthew checked the time, "Then back to the hotel. Tomorrow, we sleep in!"

Their filming schedule was demanding, requiring early mornings and extensive prep time, and the crew wouldn't wait for actors like them.

Back at the hotel, after a quick shower, Matthew crashed into bed, sleeping soundly until his phone's ringtone woke him the next morning.

He grabbed the phone from under his pillow, pressed answer without checking the number, and grumbled, "Who is it? This early..."

"It's me, Helen." Helen Herman's voice came through, "I'm in London, on my way to Hatfield Aerodrome, about fifteen minutes from your hotel."

Matthew sat up straight, "Helen, what are you doing here?"

"I have some business to handle," Helen's voice was even, "Just checking in to see if you've gotten into any trouble."

"Alright, I'm getting up. I'll meet you at the hotel's ground floor restaurant."

After hanging up and quickly getting ready in more formal attire, Matthew rushed downstairs. Despite the early hour, the breakfast buffet was still available.

Choosing a few items, he took his tray to a table near the restaurant entrance. He hadn't finished his bacon when Helen Herman appeared at the door.

She spotted Matthew and walked straight over.

"Have you had breakfast?" Matthew pointed to the buffet, "If not, help yourself, it's on my tab."

The crew had provided dining cards for use at the hotel and on set, ensuring the actors were well-fed, much like during the "Gladiator" shoot.

Dressed in a professional suit, Helen adjusted her glasses and sat down, declining, "I ate at the airport."

Matthew, unbothered, took a big bite of his bacon sandwich. Helen glanced at her watch, starting to say, "I have a meeting at ten, so I'm a bit pressed for..."

Before she could finish, someone approached, calling out, "Hey, Matthew, up early."

Helen looked up as the newcomer also turned to her.

It was Michael Cullitz. Seeing Helen, he asked, "Matthew, is this your girlfriend?"

Before they could respond, he hurriedly extended his hand, "Hello, I'm Michael Cullitz..."

Helen didn't shake his hand, stating plainly, "I'm Matthew Horner's agent."

"Uh..." Michael Cullitz paused, then embarrassedly added, "Sorry, sorry."

Helen nodded, clearly uninterested, while Matthew signaled to Michael.

Familiar with Matthew, Michael quickly walked away, muttering, "Such a beauty wasted on being an agent..."

"She's an actor from the crew," Matthew explained briefly, "Very straightforward guy."

"Hmm," Helen lowered her voice slightly, "I'm short on time; I'll be leaving soon."

Matthew feigned disappointment, "Really? You just stopped by to see me?"

Helen ignored his comment, getting straight to the point, "I've managed to secure you a spot to walk the red carpet for your film..."

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