Before Wednesday's sun had even crested the horizon, hundreds of reporters and paparazzi had already gathered at the newly decorated entrance of the Horner Estate. Five television broadcast vans arrived, nearly blocking the road. With the coordination of Helen Herman, the Beverly City Police Department dispatched dozens of officers to the scene to maintain order.
To ensure the smooth execution of the engagement show, Matthew also contacted a large, reputable security company in the industry. Hundreds of professional security personnel were deployed both inside and outside the estate to prevent reporters from infiltrating the grounds.
Since all expenses would be covered by the Crew, Dior, and Mercedes-Benz, Matthew naturally set the standards to the highest level.
Starting Monday, a specialized team from the Red Penguin Service Company, where Lister works, entered the estate to set up the ballroom for the engagement ceremony.
Personnel from the Dior Los Angeles Branch also delivered exquisite gifts to the estate's warehouse, intended as return gifts from Matthew and Charlize Theron.
Although there is no custom here of giving cash gifts, guests attending the engagement ceremony generally bring presents.
Immediately after lunch, the Mercedes-Benz motorcade departed from the estate, heading to various locations across Los Angeles to pick up the attending guests.
After noon, the number of media reporters at the entrance of the Horner Estate grew steadily. It seemed that every newspaper, magazine, radio station, and television station of repute across North America had sent representatives.
In addition to the media reporters, some fans of Matthew and Charlize Theron also came near the Horner Estate, hoping to witness their idol's engagement ceremony firsthand.
The Beverly City Police Department had to dedicate most of its police force here, temporarily implementing traffic control on the roads near the Horner Estate, specifically restricting the vehicles belonging to fans and reporters.
"Did you hear?"
Underneath the high wall of the Horner Estate, a black paparazzi said to his companion, "Some newspapers and websites are offering seven figures for live photos and video of Matthew Horner and Charlize Theron's engagement."
His companion, a white man, nodded, "I know, the problem is we can't get in."
The black man looked up at the wall and said, "Max, we have a rope in the car. I'll hold you up from below..."
"No, absolutely not!" The white man seemed particularly cautious. "Seven figures is incredible, but you have to be alive to enjoy it. Don't you know which security company Matthew Horner hired? They are legally armed. If we trespass on private property, and they shoot..."
Hearing this, the black man immediately shut up.
The white man named Max added, "The lowest point of this wall is five meters high, and there's nowhere on the wall to get leverage. Are you sure we can climb it? Even if we could get up, who knows what the situation is like inside."
He pointed to the men in black suits patrolling back and forth nearby. "You must have left your brain at home today. There's security patrolling every fifty meters along the wall. You think you can evade their eyes? This isn't a movie."
The black man rubbed his shiny scalp. "I just think it's a huge pity to let seven figures slip away right in front of us." He coughed and added, "Remember those vacation photos we took of Matthew Horner and Keira Knightley falling in love on the beach? They only sold for $2,000 back then. Now his engagement video has jumped up to seven figures!"
The white man, Max, also sighed with emotion. "Matthew Horner has been incredible these past few years. Every film he stars in is a massive hit. He's about to become a major A-list star, and he managed to win over Charlize Theron, the oscar best actress winner—he's absolutely a winner in life!"
"Have you read the reports about Matthew Horner?" the black man asked, then continued, "This guy has incredible luck. How many years did it take him to go from a poor kid to where he is now?"
Max was quite rational. "You can't envy this kind of thing."
The black man suddenly pointed to the intersection leading up to the Horner Estate,
"Looks like a guest has arrived."
"Hurry and grab a spot by the entrance!"
It was just past noon, and guests were already arriving, which most reporters hadn't anticipated. Max rushed toward the entrance of the Horner Estate with his camera, but was stopped by the police on the sidewalk. He quickly turned on his lens, ready to shoot.
Within the brief ten seconds it took him to turn on his camera, hundreds of scattered reporters and paparazzi swarmed like sharks smelling blood, filling every empty space behind the barrier near the entrance. Lenses focused on the approaching black Mercedes, and the flashes merged into a continuous sheet of light.
James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender sat in the back seat of the car, both looking toward the estate entrance.
"This is insane!" James McAvoy said, shaking his head. "That's so many reporters—at least two or three hundred, right?"
Michael Fassbender replied, "Probably more."
"This is the kind of treatment only a superstar gets!"
As the car drove past the countless reporters, James McAvoy looked through the specialized glass at the journalists who were right next to them, each one more excited than if they had seen the Queen of England. "Matthew, this guy is truly extraordinary!"
Michael Fassbender asked curiously, "What do you mean by that?"
James McAvoy withdrew his gaze. "Matthew and Charlize Theron's union must be more than just love." They were comrades who had come out of the trenches together and understood each other well. "Others might not know Matthew, but you and I do, right? Aside from that girlfriend years ago who never showed her face, which other woman has he truly fallen for since?"
"Now that you mention it, I remember too." Michael Fassbender recalled briefly and said, "Matthew once told us that getting married was a terrifying thing."
James McAvoy concluded, "So, based on what I know, Matthew might genuinely be interested in Charlize Theron, but for him to agree to an engagement, there must be other factors involved."
The Mercedes-Benz car entered the estate gate just then. He pointed to the reporters behind them. "See? Matthew and Charlize Theron getting together has caused an absolutely massive sensation."
Michael Fassbender nodded seriously and said, "Given how despicable Matthew is, he's definitely capable of pulling something like this off!"
The incident that occurred when they were filming band of brothers—while it didn't seem like much at the time, thinking about it carefully afterwards, that wretched couple's misery couldn't have happened spontaneously; someone must have manipulated things.
Although he and James McAvoy had never asked, they understood in their hearts that the person who pulled the strings was likely that scoundrel Matthew.
The Mercedes-Benz drove around the fountain and stopped in front of the cream-colored mansion. As soon as James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender got out of the car, they saw Matthew, dressed in formal wear, approaching them.
"James, Michael..." Matthew went over and hugged them both. "I'm counting on you two to be the groom's representatives today."
James McAvoy said smugly, "I suppose I'll reluctantly accept."
Michael Fassbender looked around and asked, "Where is Charlize?"
Matthew pointed upstairs. "She's doing her makeup up there. It won't be ready for a few hours."
While some people are naturally beautiful, to truly look radiant requires careful makeup application.
"Please come inside." Matthew led James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender into the mansion, saying as they walked, "You two are the earliest arrivals."
"This is your engagement ceremony." Michael Fassbender said seriously. "As the groom's representatives, of course we have to arrive early."
He suddenly remembered something. "You didn't even have a bachelor party."
"This is an engagement," Matthew said casually. "Marriage isn't even on the horizon yet."
James McAvoy sensed something, but didn't ask, following Matthew into a huge ballroom.
Outside the Horner Estate, reporters crowded both sides of the gate. Some television camera operators even climbed onto the broadcast vans to film from above. The faint roar of an engine sounded in the air as a helicopter bearing the ABC Television logo rapidly flew toward the Horner Estate... As the time approached 3 PM, one mercedes-benz sedan after another that had left earlier returned to the estate, entering the gate in succession.
Max had chosen an exceptionally good shooting angle, allowing him to film the people inside the cars through the windows. Between 3 PM and 4 PM, he photographed numerous Hollywood celebrities.
He photographed Johnny Depp and his wife, Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Stephen Sommers, Ridley Scott, Orlando Bloom, Doug Liman, and Akiva Goldsman, among others. He even managed to photograph Matthew Horner's ex-girlfriend, Keira Knightley, in one of the cars.
This clearly showed that Matthew Horner and Keira Knightley had indeed parted ways amicably back then.
Then there were many people whose names he didn't know, such as various Agents, the director who helmed dawn of the dead, and the son of Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, as mentioned by his companion... Max considered himself a veteran paparazzi, and based on the guests, he could tell that although Matthew Horner hadn't been in Hollywood long, he had already established a powerful network.
Later, he discovered that even Robert Iger, the new CEO of Walt Disney, had personally come to the Horner Estate.
Inside the estate, Matthew stood in front of the mansion, welcoming guest after guest. Although it was a show, he still had to maintain the most sincere attitude.
Just after having someone escort Robert Iger into the mansion, another Mercedes drove up. The people who got out were Helen Herman and Elena Boyar.
Matthew didn't stand on ceremony with the two of them, telling Helen Herman directly, "Go into the ballroom and help me greet the guests."
Helen Herman didn't say anything and walked toward the main entrance of the house.
"How are the preparations on your side coming along?" Matthew asked Elena Boyar in a low voice. "is it all set up?"
"Don't worry!" Elena Boyar said. "The cameraman came early to set up. For the video recording, TMZ will pay you $1.5 million."