Bang—Bang—Bang—
Standing at the shooting range, Matthew held an AR-15 rifle, aiming at a target thirty meters away. With each pull of the trigger, the semi-automatic rifle fired bullet after bullet, hitting the target accurately.
After pulling the trigger ten times, Matthew set down the semi-automatic rifle and took off his headphones.
"Eighty-nine rings!"
The voice of the electronic target operator rang out.
Dressed in sportswear, Charlize Theron approached Matthew and commented, "Nice shooting."
Matthew ejected the magazine from the rifle and said, "I practice often."
He picked up a new magazine, loaded it, and asked Charlize Theron, "Want to give it a try?"
Charlize Theron shook her head, "No thanks, I just shot with a pistol, and my wrist is still sore." She crossed her arms, "I knew I shouldn't have come here with you. I would have been better off staying in my room reading a book."
Matthew pulled back the bolt of the rifle, making a clattering sound, and said, "Staying in your room too long can get moldy."
After that, he didn't bother with the headphones and lifted the rifle to aim at the target again, the gunshots continued without interruption.
Charlize Theron saw Matthew's enthusiasm and instinctively stepped back a few paces, as if men always have an unusual obsession with guns.
This was the VIP shooting range at the gun club, and besides her and Matthew, there were no others there today. Seeing Matthew finish another magazine, Charlize Theron simply retreated to the rest area and sat down.
She watched Matthew, who seemed to always have boundless energy. After attending a Mercedes-Benz event until nearly midnight the previous day, he still got up on time for a morning run and then came here to shoot. He showed no signs of fatigue.
Thinking of this, Charlize Theron stretched and yawned again. The night had been too long, and she hadn't slept well.
"Ninety-one rings!"
After another ten shots, the voice of the electronic target operator rang out again.
Charlize Theron noticed that Matthew's shooting level at thirty meters was averaging around nine rings, which could be considered high among amateurs.
At that moment, the door to the VIP room was pushed open from outside, and a muscular man in his forties entered. Charlize Theron turned to look; she remembered him from the engagement party last week.
The man approached and greeted her familiarly, "Hi, Charlize."
Charlize Theron remembered who he was and stood up smiling in response, "Hello, Nebula."
Matthew also heard Nebula's voice, set down the semi-automatic rifle, and joined them, asking, "How do you have time to come here?"
Nebula laughed, "I'm now one of the owners of the gun club."
"Oh?" Matthew asked curiously, "You've expanded your business?"
"Far from it," Nebula casually explained, "One of the club's major shareholders had some issues with his other businesses and needed cash flow, so I bought his shares."
He glanced at Charlize Theron and added, "Matthew, I even thought about pulling you in, but you've been too busy lately, so I didn't bother you."
Matthew laughed, "Good thing you didn't. I've been out of money lately, all spent on buying a house."
Besides the down payment for Horner Manor, the other payments were mortgaged. This also had its advantages, as many of the home buying expenses could be used for tax deductions.
Of course, owning property in this land also meant paying property taxes annually, with rates varying between one to three-point-three percent across different counties and states, based on the current market value of the house rather than the purchase price.
Cities like Los Angeles, Houston, and New York generally have higher property taxes. Los Angeles is slightly better, with an average tax rate of less than one percent in most counties and cities, although luxury houses like those in Beverly Hills are relatively higher, such as Matthew's mansion, which has an annual rate of one-point-two percent.
This means that based on the $25 million purchase price, Horner Manor's annual property tax is $300,000.
That's not even considered high compared to the three percent in Manhattan, New York.
Living in this country, the cost of housing is considerably high.
The only consolation is that as long as one can afford the property taxes, the property remains a personal asset.
The law stipulates so, and it's said that the United States also has its form of forceful evictions, but Matthew doesn't have to worry about that reaching the super-rich areas like the southern slopes of Beverly Hills.
As for the taxation in this 'land of taxes,' Matthew only has a superficial understanding as his taxes are handled by lawyers and accountants from PricewaterhouseCoopers.
And as his income has increased, Helen Herman has been devising new legal tax avoidance strategies.
Charlize Theron yawned again, and seeing her try to stay awake, Matthew told Nebula, "We'll talk more at the fitness club tomorrow, I've got to go."
Nebula didn't insist, saying, "See you tomorrow afternoon."
Matthew and Charlize Theron quickly left the gun club and got into the car in the parking lot. Matthew started the Mercedes G-Class and headed back to Beverly Hills.
"I'm going to sleep for a while," Charlize Theron pulled the hood of her sports jacket over her head.
As Matthew sped up the car, he asked, "That tired?"
Charlize Theron rolled her eyes at him, "It's your fault."
Matthew shrugged, unapologetic, "Last night, you were the one holding me and wouldn't let me stop."
"I was feeling it then," Charlize Theron candidly said, "You know I'm usually slow to get interested, if it weren't for you, I'd hardly be bothered."
She didn't finish her sentence, implying that Matthew was a bit too vigorous for her.
"By the way," Charlize Theron suddenly changed the subject, "Did you discuss with Helen Herman the reason I mentioned the other day?"
Matthew smacked his forehead with one hand while holding the steering wheel with the other, "I forgot about that."
Charlize Theron frowned, "You better discuss it with Helen Herman soon."
Having found a suitable reason, it was best to find an appropriate moment to break up soon; delaying could lead to unexpected complications.
Matthew understood the implied meaning behind her words. Using an expression from the other side of the Pacific where he once lived, forced relationships are never sweet.
"Let's do this, you go back and rest," Charlize Theron urged again, and Matthew no longer hesitated, "I'll go to Angel Agency and talk to Helen in person."
After dropping off Charlize Theron at Horner Manor, Matthew called Helen Herman to make sure she was at the agency, then drove straight to Burbank to meet her at Angel Agency. He relayed Charlize Theron's words from that day.
Helen Herman was not the least embarrassed, crossed her hands under her chin, and thought it over.
Matthew waited patiently, sitting across from her at the desk. Helen Herman's judgment in this matter was far more reliable than his.
After two or three minutes, Helen Herman spoke, "This is indeed a good idea, better than the one I originally found for you. It minimizes negative effects, and nobody can really say anything about it."
"The other day Sally told me," Matthew added, "I thought it made some sense too."
Helen Herman raised a finger and shook it, saying, "Not just some sense, it makes a lot of sense. We can imagine, there were already similar rumors about Charlize Theron; at most, it would just make those rumors more widespread, but for a female star of her caliber, that's not necessarily a bad thing."
Matthew thought for a moment and nodded. Having had many deep conversations with Charlize Theron, he knew the rumors were not unfounded; she really was slow to feel.
"Then there's you," Helen Herman held back a smile, maintaining a calm demeanor, "You're a man, and not just any man but one of Hollywood and America's well-known tough and vigorous men; this sort of thing is not bad for you at all."
She added, "To be precise, even if widely discussed, this kind of thing isn't bad for any man."
Matthew asked directly, "Shall we go with it?"
"Hmm..." Helen Herman considered again and said, "Let's do this, I'll first talk to Charlize Theron's agent and the production team, and we should also give a heads-up to Mercedes-Benz."
"Alright." Matthew knew this matter involved various parties and couldn't be rushed.
Helen Herman instructed, "Don't do anything on your own until I have everything settled."
Matthew nodded, "I understand."
This show wasn't just about him and Charlize Theron; it involved a movie production team and two major brands, and acting rashly would only mess things up.
Helen Herman changed the subject, "I talked with Aziva Gossman yesterday; he estimates that in three to four months, he can have a script ready. From what he's told me, he's very keen on you taking the lead role."
Matthew replied, "Then we'll wait for him to have the script ready."
"That's what I thought too," Helen Herman said. "For the 'Spartans 300' project, I've already recommended Jack to Zack Snyder and David Ellison as the executive producer, to negotiate with Walt Disney's subsidiary, Bowei Pictures."
After Matthew and Robert Egger discussed it the other night, the two sides had officially made contact.
"
Jack?" Matthew felt the name sounded familiar.
Helen Herman reminded him, "The big-bearded assistant who used to work with Ridley Scott."
Matthew immediately remembered, "Oh, him."
"Alright, one last thing," Helen Herman brought up another topic, "I've secured a watch endorsement for you."
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