The black Mercedes-Benz SUV drove past the Beverly Hills Hotel, turned onto Rodeo Drive, and picked up Helen Herman. Helen Herman got into the back seat, adjusted her position, and said to Matthew in the front, "The comfort of the back seat in this car is really average."
Matthew, sitting in the passenger seat, looked back at her and said, "That's why I always sit in the front passenger seat."
Hardcore SUVs don't focus much on rear seat comfort, and he never sits in the back when he rides in them.
Bella Anderson turned the steering wheel, and the SUV headed onto the road leading to the south slope of Beverly Hills.
Helen Herman then said, "According to the contract, we need to report your relationship to the advertisers. After I informed the advertising director of Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benz had a suggestion."
Just like the contract Matthew signed, it's normal for manufacturers to have some reasonable restrictions on the private lives of their spokespeople, but they generally don't interfere arbitrarily.
Matthew asked curiously, "What suggestion? They don't think my relationship with Charlize will damage their brand image, do they?"
"Of course not," Helen Herman explained. "Mercedes-Benz is very much looking forward to you and Charlize Theron taking the next step. They believe that if you two get engaged or married, it would be even more beneficial for their brand promotion."
Matthew shrugged, "Isn't our original plan to get engaged?"
Helen Herman continued, "I met Charlize Theron's agent a few days ago, and she said that Dior also had some thoughts about your relationship with Charlize. I acted as a liaison between them, and we just had a meeting with Dior's planning director and Mercedes-Benz's advertising director."
She looked at Matthew. "I informed Bella about all of this a few days ago."
Matthew turned his head and said, "Bella told me everything. How did your discussion go?"
"We reached some constructive opinions, and Dior and Mercedes-Benz don't have an 'it must be executed' attitude," Helen Herman wouldn't let Mercedes-Benz manipulate her top client either. "You can listen first."
Matthew was a bit curious, "Why are Dior and Mercedes-Benz suddenly getting involved?"
Helen Herman didn't even think about it and immediately said, "It's simple, it's related to the characteristics of you two spokespeople and the consumer groups of the products you endorse."
She briefly explained, "Charlize Theron's endorsement of Dior J'adore targets mature women aged twenty-eight and above. Women in this age group often desire stable relationships. The primary consumer group for the Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV is also mature men, and most of these men hope to have a stable family behind them."
"So…" Charlize Theron then said, "getting engaged can temporarily increase your recognition among the primary consumer group of the products."
Matthew suddenly had a bad feeling. "Dior and Mercedes-Benz don't want me and Charlize to get married, do they?"
He did have a good impression of Charlize Theron, but something as terrifying as marriage… he'd rather not.
Hollywood celebrity marriages are essentially mutual harm. Rather than both getting hurt in the future, it's better to stay away from marriage early on.
"No, Charlize Theron's agent and I have communicated with Dior and Mercedes-Benz," Helen Herman knew Matthew understood the meaning of this 'communication'. "Dior and Mercedes-Benz have no intention of directly interfering and making you two get married."
She organized her words and then said, "Starting in May, Mercedes-Benz will launch the advertisements you made for the Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV into the global market."
Matthew was aware of these promotional plans. Mercedes-Benz had already reached an understanding with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and choosing to release the advertisements in May was also to coincide with "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" to increase the reach and influence of the ads.
Helen Herman continued, "Originally, Dior wanted to release two new J'adore perfumes at the end of June or early July.
Now it's possible to move it up to June, and Charlize Theron's new advertisement might also be launched in May."
"They all want to tie in with the movie," Matthew could figure that out.
"Dior and Mercedes-Benz's intention," Helen Herman glanced behind the car, vaguely seeing paparazzi on motorcycles following them. "During the intensive advertising period in May and June, you and Charlize Theron should ideally be a loving couple. If you can get married after getting engaged, that's best. If not, you should also choose an amicable way to break up."
Matthew nodded, "Getting engaged was something we discussed before. Marriage is impossible."
Helen Herman also knew this and said, "What do you think?"
"As long as it's not marriage, everything else is negotiable," Matthew's attitude was very firm. "It's not bad for us, is it?"
He then asked, "All of this should be beyond the scope of a normal endorsement contract, right? Don't Dior and Mercedes-Benz have an explanation?"
"Of course they do," Helen Herman then said, "Dior and Mercedes-Benz can sponsor most of the costs for your engagement ceremony."
Matthew nodded. "That's more like it." He then asked, "What about Charlize?"
Helen Herman shifted again. "Before you arrived, her agent had already called to inform her, and Charlize Theron didn't object."
Matthew wasn't surprised by this. Ever since the Oscar campaign, he knew Charlize Theron also wanted to become a superstar.
There's more than one path to becoming a superstar, but they all share one commonality: having enough fame.
The Mercedes-Benz SUV arrived in the southern hillside area of Beverly Hills. Bella Anderson reminded, "A lot of paparazzi followed us."
Matthew turned to look in the rearview mirror and said, "Don't worry about them."
What they were doing today was meant to be high-profile. Without paparazzi and entertainment reporters following them, it would be meaningless.
Two minutes later, the Mercedes-Benz SUV stopped near the wrought-iron gate of a luxurious mansion. Helen Herman said to the passenger seat, "You go ahead, I'll wait in the car."
Matthew didn't say much, pushed open the car door, and got out. Immediately, a middle-aged man in a suit came over from the wrought-iron gate, smiling brightly from a distance. "Hello, Mr. Horner."
"Hello," Matthew nodded to the real estate agent and said, "Sorry to keep you waiting."
Flashbulbs lit up behind him and across the street. Matthew knew, without looking, that paparazzi and reporters were taking pictures of him.
A black sedan also turned onto the road at this moment, stopping on the other side of the gate, and then Charlize Theron got out and walked over.
When she met up with Matthew, the frequency of the flashbulbs increased even more.
"They're looking at houses again!" the whispers of entertainment reporters could be heard. "They're not really going to get married, are they?"
Someone responded, "It's not impossible. This house is for sale, and the asking price seems to be over ten million dollars."
This wasn't the first time Matthew and Charlize Theron had looked at houses together, and related news was circulating in the media.
Following the real estate agent through the wrought-iron gate, Charlize Theron whispered, "Did you know?"
Matthew nodded while looking at the layout inside the gate, saying, "I know, I have no objections."
Charlize Theron then said, "I have no objections either."
"This mansion was built eleven years ago," the real estate agent introduced at the opportune moment. "It was redecorated last year by Bruce Development and Design Company. The building area is…"
Matthew then interrupted, "Ms. Theron is not familiar with the imperial system."
The real estate agent quickly swallowed his previous words and rephrased, "The building area is 1120 square meters, and the land area is 7250 square meters."
This property was indeed very large, and it had a long, narrow shape, longer from north to south and relatively shorter from east to west. Matthew stood near the gate, feeling as if he couldn't see the end of it.
More accurately, it would be more appropriate to describe it as an estate.
The entrance to the estate was a double-leaf wrought-iron gate. The iron gate adopted a fully enclosed design, which could block prying eyes from outside once closed. On both sides of the gate were tall white stone walls. The front garden was close to the walls, planted with tall evergreen trees. The green vegetation not only adorned the scenery but also served to protect the privacy of the estate's interior.
In the center of the front garden, directly facing the iron gate, which was the path they had walked in on, was a flagstone path paved with granite. It was wide enough for two cars to drive side by side. The flagstone path extended for dozens of meters, at the end of which sat a cream-colored two-story European-style building. In front of it was a row of unusually tall palm trees, and in the very center of the palm trees, a uniquely shaped fountain was built. Perhaps because they were visiting the house today, the fountain was still gurgling with water.
"Let's go take a look at the house," the real estate agent led the way. After Matthew and Charlize Theron followed, he pointed to the cream-colored building and introduced, "This is the main building. It includes eight bedrooms, three walk-in closets, ten bathrooms, and is equipped with both indoor and outdoor swimming pools. There's also a wine cellar underground that can store hundreds of bottles of wine. On the first floor, there's an eight-seat private cinema with a ninety-inch high-definition screen, which can meet daily viewing needs."
"Sounds pretty good," Matthew asked Charlize Theron next to him, feigning seriousness, "What do you think?"
Charlize Theron cooperatively said, "We always have to see the real thing first."
The real estate agent immediately chimed in, "Mr. Horner, Ms. Theron, let's go inside and take a look now."
Matthew waved his hand, "You lead the way."
The three quickly walked past the fountain. He took another glance; the fountain had a unique design and looked like it was made of white marble.
Such a house came with a hefty price tag, listed at a staggering 28 million dollars.
Matthew certainly didn't have the money to buy such an expensive property. His main purpose in coming here this time was to use this highly priced property to continue creating topics for speculation.
Of course, if the house was good, he would also consider buying it.