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Stark Pictures welcoming a new CEO should, by all rights, have been an unremarkable piece of news—nothing that would cause even a ripple in wider society. And yet, Hollywood itself was far less calm than outsiders might have imagined.
Founded by Howard Stark, Stark Pictures had once been counted among the Big Eight studios during the early Golden Age of Hollywood. In terms of history and pedigree, it easily belonged to the top tier of film companies.
Its film library alone contained classics that had gone down in history—King Kong, Citizen Kane, and others.
Even after World War II, when Stark Pictures drastically scaled back its film production—sometimes not even releasing a single low-budget independent film in an entire year—it still remained Hollywood's most important manufacturer and supplier of equipment.
From cameras and editing machines to projectors, lighting rigs, massive camera cranes—if it had anything to do with making or screening films, Stark Pictures produced it. From a different angle, one could say that Stark Pictures still occupied an indispensable position in Hollywood.
Since its decline, however, the company had lacked a truly qualified leader. Whether it was the elder Stark or the younger Stark listed as CEO in name, their focus had always been elsewhere.
Now, this company was finally about to welcome a new chief executive.
Anyone who had heard the news in advance couldn't help but investigate just who this "Henry Brown" was—what kind of figure could earn Tony Stark's favor.
Indeed, people were simply curious who had been favored. Almost no one stopped to ask whether he was actually qualified.
Because within the industry, there were very few people truly capable of running a film company. Even among top-tier producers, the number was limited, and the movements of those individuals were always closely watched. And "Henry Brown" was clearly not one of them.
When Henry Brown's résumé was dug up, many big shots were left dumbfounded.
A background extra in Hollywood? That was it?
The only thing even remotely presentable was that he had once been the final young assistant to Oscar-winning actress Audrey Hepburn.
When word spread that Tony Stark himself might not even attend the banquet, many influential figures immediately lost interest. The more polite ones sent an assistant or secretary; the less polite ones didn't bother responding at all.
Henry wasn't surprised in the least.
Under Tony's insistence, the primary audience of this inauguration banquet wasn't outsiders—it was the various entrenched factions within Stark Pictures itself.
These people had been acting independently for far too long. With a new boss suddenly parachuted in from above, if he didn't even make a sound on arrival, then forget about managing anyone at all.
Of course, he could have used thunderous measures—fire an executive to make an example. But when comparing severance packages for senior management with the cost of hosting a banquet, the banquet was cheaper. So a banquet it was.
And if everyone behaved themselves but simply refused to cooperate in attitude alone, firing someone without a solid pretext would only create bigger problems.
Since taking over, Tony had deliberately cultivated an image of being good to employees. Even when adjusting positions, he used pay raises as incentives. If that image were smashed casually, all his previous efforts would be wasted.
There was also another major significance to this banquet.
It served as a reminder to certain interested parties: there was now one more fish swimming in Hollywood's pond. If there were any filthy, underhanded dealings going on, they'd better not forget about him.
Even if Henry wanted to keep everything simple, with Tony personally footing the bill and insisting on throwing a banquet, what could a mere employee say? If he refused outright and ended up taking office and resigning on the same day, he'd become the biggest joke in Hollywood.
Yet at the banquet, the most eye-catching figures weren't Henry Brown at all.
They were a pair of actresses—one young, one old—who weren't mother and daughter, yet seemed even closer: Charlize Theron and Katharine Hepburn.
Since 1993, the Queen of Hollywood had lived a reclusive life. Her return to Los Angeles didn't cause much of a stir in itself. But given her stature, the fact that she was willing to attend an event like this made it impossible for people not to read into it.
What was more, Hepburn appeared to be chatting warmly with the new CEO of Stark Pictures, and was equally familiar with his female companion. It was only natural that people began to speculate about their relationship.
After all, Katharine Hepburn had once been regarded as half the mistress of Stark Pictures.
Even though most of the old-timers who had worked with her were either retired or six feet under, new employees still acknowledged that connection.
There was no helping it—when old Stark was still alive, whenever Hepburn came to Los Angeles, no matter what she wanted to do, he would simply instruct Stark Pictures' employees to handle it.
In fact, she didn't even need approval. With nothing more than face recognition, Katharine Hepburn could direct Stark Pictures staff to take care of trivial matters. Of course, serious business still followed proper procedures—but even then, old Stark rarely refused her.
So today's banquet was almost like a home court for Katharine Hepburn herself.
That said, she hadn't come solely to lend Henry her support.
She had arranged to introduce Charlize to a highly capable agent, setting up a meeting between the two.
In order to leave a good impression on an agent she hadn't even met yet, Charlize had specifically sought advice on how one should properly conduct oneself at such a banquet—how to be appropriate, yet still show one's individuality.
Perhaps the aura of the South African diamond and the Queen of Hollywood was simply too compatible. Charlize absorbed Katharine's guidance at lightning speed and put it into practice with remarkable finesse. The only minor flaw was that she still had a bit too much youthful collagen—just a hint of baby fat.
Even though Charlize had never experienced a scene like this before, and was panicking internally, she still managed to present herself with poise—proper and composed, without turning into a girl desperately currying favor at every corner of the banquet.
She wore a blue plaid pencil skirt, paired with a tailored hunting-style jacket—pure Katharine Hepburn flair.
In the eyes of many, it was as if a Golden Age Katharine Hepburn had stepped straight out of a black-and-white film and into the color reality of the present.
As a result, entertainment reporters on site devoted most of their film to the pair of actresses, young and old alike.
Even though most of them didn't recognize the younger woman—only knowing that she was the new CEO's companion—speculation ran wild.
Some even wondered whether she might be a great-niece or grand-niece of Katharine Hepburn, poised to reclaim Hollywood under her grandaunt's patronage.
"Oh my God," exclaimed an older woman with black-rimmed glasses as she approached Charlize. "Is Hollywood's Golden Age about to return?"
Katharine happily embraced her.
"Jane, you made it. I was worried you wouldn't come."
"How could I not?" the woman replied with a smile. "You told me you were introducing an uncut diamond. Even if there were no opportunity, I'd still fight through anything just to take a look. This one—she's not your grand-niece, is she?"
"My siblings' children aren't interested in Hollywood at all," Katharine said. "This is Charlize Theron—a child I think very highly of."
Then she turned and made the other introduction.
"Charlize, this is J.J. Harris—Jane Joseph Harris. A wonderful agent and producer, and of course, an outstanding woman."
Charlize smiled and extended her hand.
"Ms. Harris, it's an honor to meet you."
"Just call me J.J. Harris—or Jane, like Katharine does," the woman replied warmly. "The honor is mine."
"Then please call me Charlize, Jane."
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