Chapter 98: High-Stakes Poker Games

Charles arrived by the pool at the Marmont Castle Hotel, surrounded by beautifully dressed women who created a unique scenery around the pool.

"Charles," called out newly crowned Oscar winner Charlize Theron as she approached him from behind.

"Oh, it's you, Charlize!" Charles turned around and hugged her. "You look absolutely stunning!"

Charlize Theron wore a black backless dress that showcased her great figure, which had returned to normal. Her exquisite face reminded everyone why she was called the South African beauty diamond.

"Thank you, I've been spending the past few months training and getting in shape. AEon Flux starts shooting in August. I need to be in perfect shape for the role!" explained Charlize Theron.

Charles nodded and sat down with Charlize on a nearby beach chair, ordering two drinks.

"It seems you've been working hard. Altering your body for a movie is admirable," Charles said with a smile.

Halle Berry's Catwoman opened in more than 3100 theaters in North America last weekend but only earned $16 million, receiving terrible reviews. Warner Bros. must have regretted that the $100 million DC superhero production turned out like that.

"Charles, you know I'm different. If I don't work extra hard, I wouldn't even get a chance to enter the acting industry!" Charlize Theron reflected on her past. When she was a teenager, her mother shot her abusive, alcoholic father in self-defense, leading them to move to the United States from South Africa.

She studied ballet as a child but had to give it up due to a knee injury. Later, she signed with a modeling agency due to her good looks and tall stature, which led to opportunities in the film industry.

"But now, isn't everything great? You're the Best Actress Oscar winner, the highest honor for an actor, isn't it?" Charles reminded her, noting that the more beautiful the star, the more they needed to take on unbecoming roles to prove themselves.

Charlize nodded and seemed to get lost in thought. "After entering the industry, I mostly got roles that sold sex appeal. Directors didn't need me to show anything else. My opportunities were also the ones other actresses didn't want. No one wanted to star in Monster. And Head in the Clouds was only offered to me because Natalie Portman turned it down. In Hollywood, opportunities are everything."

Charles agreed with Charlize's point. However, for many people, opportunities were always elusive.

Suddenly, Charles heard laughter from the pool area. He looked over to see Leonardo DiCaprio and his good friend "Spider-Man" Tobey Maguire playing poker with some attractive women.

"Do all Hollywood stars like to play like that?" Charles softly asked with a faint smile.

Charlize explained in a matter-of-fact tone, "Charles, don't you often attend Hollywood parties and gatherings? You should be used to this by now, right?"

Charles smiled and continued to watch Tobey Maguire throw some bills at a sexy woman's feet, saying something to her. The woman hesitated but eventually picked up the money; she looked like a server.

After chatting with Charlize Theron for a while longer, Charles prepared to head home.

At the parking lot, Charles asked, "Do you need a ride? I didn't see your assistant or driver."

Charlize laughed, "I gave them some days off. My mom is visiting from New York and staying with me for a few days. She's coming to pick me up; she's out shopping nearby."

Charles nodded. Isn't this the moment when I should offer to take her home, have her invite me in for coffee, and then we end the night on a high note?

Charlize hugged Charles and gave him a kiss. "It was nice chatting with you!"

Charles wrapped his arms around Charlize and kissed her on the lips. For a moment, she was surprised, but she responded passionately.

After they parted, Charles touched his lips with a lingering sense of pleasure. "That felt nice. I'm heading out."

Charlize laughed and nodded again, watching as Charles got into a Cayenne and drove off. Her mother arrived shortly after.

Charlize settled into the passenger seat, and her mother, smiling, asked, "Who was that young man you were kissing so passionately? I didn't want to interrupt you two."

"A talented young man, the owner of a new type of movie company in Hollywood!" Charlize replied.

Her mother nodded, not asking further, and started the car. Charles drove south from the Marmont Hotel along Sunset Boulevard, while Charlize and her mother took Hollywood Boulevard to head home.

As Charles was driving west on Sunset Boulevard, he noticed a man and a woman arguing in the distance at an intersection.

"Molly, what do you think you're doing? Get back to the bar right now to set up for tonight's poker game. Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio could tip you over $1000!" a bearded man ordered a voluptuous woman.

"Boss, they're so disrespectful! Making people bark like dogs? Throwing money in faces, that's bad enough. Tobey Maguire acts like a pervert!" the attractive woman, a bar server, complained with a pained expression.

"But he knows a lot of people and can bring in many Hollywood stars for our poker games. You have to endure it, or you'll be out!" The bearded man sternly said. High-stakes poker games charged hefty entry fees, which were his main income. The more players, the more fees.

Reluctantly, the woman, whose name was Molly Bloom, accepted her fate for the night. A former skier who retired due to injury, she served in the bar while studying at Harvard.

However, once she got involved in organizing high-stakes poker for the elite, she dropped out of school to take on the job full-time.

Indeed, she earned a lot; a night's work could net her $1000 in tips, but she had to endure many strange behaviors from guests.

Molly Bloom climbed into her Toyota, ready to merge onto Sunset Boulevard as a Cayenne drove past.

Charles had only had two or three glasses of champagne that night, so he was fine to drive. Since he had once got into a fatal accident while driving drunk, he was now extra cautious and avoided drinking when driving, no matter what.

Glancing briefly at the white Toyota merging into traffic, Charles sped past it. 

Little did Charles know, the woman in the Toyota, Molly Bloom, was the same server he had spotted by the poolside with Tobey Maguire earlier.

*****

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