Chapter 550: A Quiet Christmas

In 2009, Charles purposely went to London for Christmas. With the Premier League season halfway through, Arsenal was only one point behind Chelsea, sitting in second place in the standings.

The UEFA Champions League group stage was over, and Arsenal's opponent in the Round of 16 was Porto from the Portuguese league. Despite Arsenal suffering from a wave of injuries, they certainly had the depth to handle Porto.

"Eden Hazard from Lille, last season's Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year, 19 years old. His contract with Lille is about to expire, isn't it? They should be negotiating a renewal," Charles was talking to Arsenal chairman David Dein over the phone from his manor on Bishop's Avenue in Hampstead, North London.

"That's right, they should almost be done. If we want to buy him in the winter, Lille has set the price at 10 million pounds," David Dein reminded him over the phone.

"Fine, he's young and easy to develop. 10 million pounds is reasonable," Charles agreed, knowing Eden Hazard's talent was undeniable, even if some Belgian players had questionable character; their ability was without a doubt.

"Once he proves himself, we can sell him off and let another team take over."

"By the way, the work on forming Miami FC needs to speed up. They must be ready to join the MLS in 2011," Charles mentioned. After all, he had spent 25 million dollars just to secure a spot the previous year, and now even the stadium issue was resolved!

"Don't worry, we're looking into signing a high-profile player from Europe."

Miami FC was officially established earlier this year, but hadn't fully prepared yet. They definitely wouldn't be ready for next year's league.

"Wait, you're talking about Henry, right?" Charles got excited.

"Yes, the Arsenal legend. Looks like you're keeping up, Charles," David Dein chuckled over the phone. "You know, Barcelona achieved an unprecedented sextuple this year. Henry is getting older, and his playing time at Barca is decreasing."

"Next summer, Henry's contract with Barcelona will expire. Given the situation, Barca probably won't renew it. He's not part of their future plans, so we're planning to persuade Henry to join Miami!"

"Great, Henry is an Arsenal legend, and Miami FC is like a branch of Arsenal," Charles felt very pleased. Although Henry joining MLS wouldn't be as big as Beckham, he was still a star player.

...

In the afternoon, Keira Knightley came over to Charles's manor and noticed how quiet his Christmas was.

"Charles, is this how you're planning to spend Christmas?" Keira Knightley asked as soon as she stepped in, noticing the lack of holiday atmosphere. "You've been here for three days and haven't prepared anything?"

"Come on, Christmas happens every year. There are celebrations everywhere. I came to the suburbs to have some peace. Otherwise, I'd have stayed at Knightsbridge," Charles replied as he helped Keira Knightley take off her coat and hung it up.

He led her to the sofa, "Would you like something to drink?"

Keira Knightley shook her head, pulling Charles to sit beside her and said with a smile, "I've spent most of these years in England. I can't believe you've done so much in America. It's impressive!"

With that, Keira Knightley gave Charles a peck on the cheek.

Charles smiled and said, "I've always been impressive, but you've done well yourself. Your performances in art films have become more refined. And I heard you have three films coming out next year!"

Keira Knightley nodded, "All art films: Last Night, London Boulevard, and Never Let Me Go!"

Charles held her hand, "You've been winning awards left and right. You should pick more commercial films. Commercial films have bigger influence; art films should complement them."

To Charles, Keira Knightley was incredibly talented and fortunate; she rose through the ranks from being a child star. At 17, she starred in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, which was a global blockbuster, and then solidified her status with critically and commercially successful films like Pride & Prejudice and Atonement!

Now focusing purely on art films seemed unwise to Charles, so he gently stroked Keira Knightley's cheek, "Keira, people say you're the epitome of British classic beauty!"

Keira Knightley licked her lips and whispered in Charles's ear, "Should I try to be like Scarlett Johansson and do more commercial films?"

Charles smiled, his hand moving to her chest, "And learn from her in other ways too!"

Then, Charles kissed her, noting with surprise how small and bony her chest felt. Keira Knightley, aware of what Charles meant, responded passionately, despite her own slender frame and A-cup chest.

Soon, Charles was carrying Keira Knightley into the bedroom...

Before long, the icy rain in London hit the ground with the cold wind, and the raindrops pattered against the window.

In the bedroom, Charles lay on top of Keira Knightley, their fingers intertwined. Hearing the rain, Charles glanced at the misty window, "No wonder the rich always go to the Mediterranean during winter. This weather is really unpleasant!"

Keira Knightley turned her head with a nonchalant attitude, pulling Charles closer, "You come to London often, you should be used to it. Tonight, I'll take you to a great restaurant. It's a small place, but the food is fantastic. Interested?"

Charles nodded, "Of course, Christmas needs to be celebrated somehow," and then kissed her on the chest.

"Keira, what do you want for a Christmas present?"

"A present?" Keira Knightley whispered seductively in his ear, "I want to see Scarlett Johansson begging in bed. Can you make it happen? She always teased me about my figure before!"

"Wow, that's intense!" Charles was momentarily stunned. Women sure held grudges.

"Ok, I'll call her and ask her to fly over tonight," Charles thought about it, "Or better yet, let's invite her to join us for a Mediterranean vacation. Sun, sand, blue sky, white clouds, much better than London!"

Keira Knightley rolled her eyes at Charles, "Aren't you missing bikini girls too?"

*****

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