章節 43: Chapter 43: Charity Gala
Charles didn't return immediately after leaving Matra; instead, he traveled to Rome. Charles stayed at a resort hotel near the Vatican City, located to the west of Rome.
Standing by the window, Charles watched the long line of tourists in front of Vatican City, the heart of Catholic faith worldwide.
"Dona, do you know how many Christians there are in the world?" Charles suddenly asked.
Dona Williams, standing nearby, thought for a moment before responding, "Counting all the Protestants, Orthodox, and Catholics, there are at least over 1.5 billion!"
"Yeah, 1.5 to 2 billion people, that's roughly a third of the world's population," Charles remarked, a bit astonished. "I heard you're an atheist?"
Dona Williams nodded. Atheists were still rare, less than 10% of the population in the U.S..
Charles used to be a Catholic, but now, he wasn't the same. Being religious? Only when it was advantageous. Charles was pretending to be a Catholic now.
"I think this is my first time in Europe as an adult. I can't remember if I ever came here as a child. What's next on the agenda?"
"There's a charity gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the crew for Brokeback Mountain is nearly ready to start filming," Dona began but was cut off.
"Let's head back to New York in a couple of days!" Charles interrupted.
The idea of touring Europe had died. It had been two years since Charles had taken a real vacation.
By late April, after returning to New York, the city had recovered quite quickly economically after two years of rebuilding.
In Manhattan, the splendid Carlyle Hotel on the Upper East Side along Fifth Avenue was a favorite place for Charles. The Central Park Suite offered a breathtaking view of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline through its massive floor-to-ceiling windows.
"The Producers Guild? Oh, there are benefits to joining. Carpe Industries will be developing more and bigger projects, negotiating more with the Directors Guild, the Screen Actors Guild, and the Writers Guild!" Evelyn called, informing that Charles had joined the Producers Guild of America.
"Charles, the Producers Guild always has internal strategies for adjusting the economy of production companies. There are over 300 independent production companies within it, many of which need investments," Evelyn said, her tone somewhat dispirited.
"After Carpe Industries invested in The Passion of the Christ, it might be hard to get financial support from the Producers Guild."
"No worries, Wall Street is sure to notice me, and I have ways to raise funds," Charles reassured her while admiring the view of Central Park from his suite.
"Good, attending more business parties and fashion events in New York can help you meet people. It doesn't hurt to know more people," Evelyn suggested.
"Got it!"
The Producers Guild of America, the Directors Guild of America, and the Screen Actors Guild were the three major associations in the American entertainment industry. These associations played a crucial role in ensuring agents couldn't take more than a 10% commission.
At the same time, the Producers Guild acted internally, countering the Directors Guild, the Screen Actors Guild, and the Writers Guild.
The charity gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art was considered the Oscars of the fashion world, started in the seventies and held annually.
It attracted people from politics, business, fashion media, and entertainment from all over the world.
In the evening, Charles Carpe attended with Scarlett Johansson, who was also invited.
This year's theme was "Goddess: The Classical Mode," and all the actresses, female singers, models, and socialites brought their most diverse looks.
From the red carpet entrance to the main hall, it was a masquerade of wild and fancy outfits.
Charles chuckled internally but managed a slight smile. Thankfully, his Gucci suit was elegant and proper; he couldn't handle something too flamboyant.
"Charles, I need to hit the restroom!" Scarlett needed to touch up her makeup.
"Go ahead, I'll be sitting over there waiting!" Charles planned to wait at his table.
Many stars attended that night, including the new Oscar winners Adrian Brody and Nicole Kidman, who came together.
However, Charles did spot British soccer star David Beckham's wife, Victoria. Although a casual fan of soccer and basketball, he mostly watched after 2008 since he was only ten years old in his previous life around this time.
He remembered Beckham was moving to Real Madrid and the infamous flying boot incident. He also recalled that Greece would win the European Championship next year, a dark horse. He also remembered last year's World Cup winner, but he didn't bet on due to low odds.
If he bet a few hundred thousand on Greece winning the European Championship next year, Charles would make a fortune, but he needed to stay low-key. Winning too much might cause betting companies to refuse to pay or fix matches, so he had to remember to bet when the time came.
Just as Charles was thinking about betting next year, a middle-aged man approached him.
"Charles, good evening!"
"Oh, Tom!" It was Tom Ford, the creative director of Gucci and the women's creative director at Saint Laurent.
*****
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