"What?" Helen’s voice was sharp, her mind imdiately leaping to the worst-case scenario. "Matthew, are you telling
that a video you made with Britney is missing?"
"Yes." Matthew nodded. "But don't get the wrong idea—it's not a sex tape. I rember going down to the kitchen to cook for her once, and she just fild it."
At that mont, Amanda chid in, "You can cook?"
Helen visibly relaxed. "Okay, that's good."
After a mont's thought, Matthew said, "I'll talk to Britney."
"Yes," Helen agreed. "You should let her know."
In this day and age, a video like that would be all over the internet the second it leaked.
Still, Matthew was more concerned about the thief than the video. "Stay on top of the police," he told Helen. "Pressure them to catch this guy as soon as possible."
How dare he rob his house and steal his underwear? Let the bastard spend a few years in prison dropping the soap!
Helen said, "I think the first thing we need to do is figure out the thief's motive."
Amanda asked, "Helen, are you suggesting this is more than just a burglary?"
"What kind of common burglar steals underwear?" Helen retorted, spreading her hands. "Soone who steals lingerie is definitely not after money."
After a pause, she continued, "He deliberately chose tonight, obviously knowing you owned the house. And when he got into the bedroom, he didn't take the most valuable items. He focused on your underwear."
She rested her chin in her hand. "I suspect the burglar is most likely a fan."
Matthew felt a cold sweat prickle his forehead. "I hope not. I can't stand those kinds of fans."
The thought of so fetishist—and quite possibly a man—stealing his underwear sent a shiver down his spine.
Helen wasn't joking. She told him seriously, "These kinds of fans are a nightmare for any celebrity. You need to increase security to make sure this doesn't happen again, and you have to be more vigilant about your safety during your daily travels."
Matthew knew this wasn't sothing to put off. "I'll get on it tomorrow."
In truth, he doubted the police would catch the guy anyti soon. They had too few leads.
After that, Matthew called Bella. She had moved to the edge of Beverly Hills to be closer to work and arrived shortly after his call. She went upstairs to take so photos, then posted them on Matthew's blog, breaking the news about the burglary at the estate that night.
Setting the break-in aside for the mont, Helen and Amanda stayed to continue discussing business with Matthew. Specifically, the charity auction from earlier that day, which was the original reason for their visit to Horner Manor.
Amanda pulled a docunt from her briefcase and read from it as she spoke to Matthew. "Today's collection plus the charity auction raised a total of $22.56 million. Of course, that's just the number on paper. The pledged money hasn't been collected yet, and so of it might not co through."
Matthew was a little curious and asked, "People actually pledge money and then back out?"
"Yes," Helen answered. "It happens a lot in Hollywood. So of the biggest stars, like Julia Roberts and Oprah Winfrey, do it all the ti."
Amanda glanced down at her papers, doing a quick ntal calculation. "I think we'll clear at least $20 million."
Matthew nodded. "That's a lot."
Amanda smiled. "We're going to publicly launch the two charitable foundations starting tomorrow and begin fundraising worldwide."
"Don't forget to spend the money," Matthew reminded her. "We need to show so real action."
"You can count on it." Amanda clearly had a plan. "By the beginning of next month, at the latest, I'll organize a major donation drive for the foundation and spend forty percent of the initial funds we raise. We want to build up your reputation, expand your popularity, and let the world see your kindness."
Matthew stared at Amanda. "Why does the way you put that feel wrong?"
Amanda laughed playfully, narrowing her eyes at him. "Hey, as long as I manage these charitable foundations properly, I can ensure a very comfortable life for myself down the road."
After her joke, she got back on topic. "Matthew, if ti permits, it would be a good idea for you to go to Africa again with the UNHCR. It would also boost the public's confidence in the charity work."
Matthew turned to Helen. "Can you coordinate with Amanda on my schedule?"
For celebrities, charity was a performance. And if it was a performance, of course, the star had to be there in person.
Bella finished up with the blog and left with Helen and Amanda. Matthew couldn't return to the master bedroom just yet, but his villa was large enough that there were plenty of other places to sleep.
****
The next morning, Brown arrived at the estate. After discussing the matter with Matthew, he contacted the security company where he used to work and arranged for a targeted security upgrade for the property.
Matthew took this very seriously and allocated a considerable budget for the upgrades.
In addition, Brown tightened security for Matthew's daily outings in case he ran into the obsessive fan.
The internet and traditional dia were already buzzing with news of the break-in at Horner Manor, but the speculation didn't get too out of hand since Matthew had taken the initiative to break the story on his own blog.
At noon, Helen and the Beverly Hills Police Departnt held a joint press conference, briefly outlining so of the facts of the case.
The case, however, remained largely unsolved, and the police currently had no significant leads.
After the press conference, Matthew made a point of calling Britney to tell her about the video. She didn't seem overly concerned, as there was no scandalous content in the clip.
But less than two hours after their conversation, Britney called back, wanting to speak with both Matthew and Helen.
Though he didn't know what she had in mind, Matthew agreed. He imdiately inford Helen and invited Britney over to Horner Manor.
Britney had now settled in Beverly Hills, and her mansion was not far from Horner Manor, only about a ten-minute drive away.
That evening, the two sides talked for more than two hours and ca to a series of agreents.
Matthew and Britney were no longer a couple, but they were happy to collaborate on sothing mutually beneficial.
Helen then contacted Disney Pictures and the "Pirates of the Caribbean" team. With "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" set to be released in just ten days, Disney was more than happy to lend its support.
The stolen video seed to have vanished without a trace, and the thief apparently had no intention of making it public.
Even so, they needed to get ahead of the story.
Matthew didn't think much of the video and quickly forgot about it, but Britney had a copy. She found it and, through Matthew, contacted Ilana at TMZ.
With Britney's new album on the horizon and Matthew's film about to be released, the two had a mutual understanding that they could leverage the publicity.
Ilana posted the heartwarming video on TMZ, and it was subsequently republished by countless websites and television channels. The clip sparked a near-frenzied reaction from both movie and pop music fans, creating a unique kind of buzz.
The buzz for Matthew's new film and Britney's album was even better than expected, as the attention on both of them skyrocketed overnight.
So dia outlets and fans even expressed regret that such a beautiful couple had broken up.
Neither Matthew nor Britney responded to this, as they both had more important work to focus on.
The Fourth of July holiday had just passed. Before the next weekend arrived, the eyes of movie lovers around the world would turn to California Disneyland in Los Angeles, where a pirate extravaganza was about to begin.
Disney Pictures had invested a reported $5 million to create a spectacular premiere for "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest."
Reviews
All reviews (0)