In a brightly lit lounge of a private club, Amber Heard sat by a small round table, intently listening to every word Harvey Weinstein said. The heavyweight independent film mogul of Hollywood was clearly running out of patience, pressing her to deliver something that would utterly destroy Matthew Horner—something that could potentially ruin him to the point of no recovery—before the next Oscar nominations were announced.
Harvey glanced at Amber, who wore a sharp white tailored suit that day, complete with an intricately designed brooch pinned to her lapel. She looked both stunning and stylish.
If she weren't so essential to his plan, a critical pawn in his scheme to take down Matthew Horner, Harvey thought, he would've forced himself on her long ago.
His gaze lingered briefly on Amber's face, and he inwardly sighed. Damn that bastard Matthew Horner, he thought. How lucky he is to have her.
"Do you understand what I'm asking?" Harvey asked her directly.
"This… this seems pretty serious," Amber replied hesitantly, her acting skills sharpened by her interactions with Weinstein over time. "If it's discovered that I'm lying…"
Harvey scoffed dismissively. "You have me. There's nothing to be afraid of!"
Amber pressed her lips together tightly, remaining silent.
The contrast between the two men in her life couldn't have been starker. Weinstein barked orders, expecting her to jump at his command without hesitation. Matthew, on the other hand, handled things differently. Fifty Shades of Grey—a global phenomenon with sales in the tens of millions—was hers, locked in with a secret contract. Her paycheck for the first film alone was $3 million, with bonuses for the sequels depending on box office performance.
And what had Weinstein offered her? A bunch of empty promises. Compared to what Matthew had already delivered, Harvey's vague assurances were laughable.
If not for Matthew's influence, Weinstein's promises might have seemed enticing. But Amber knew better. Matthew delivered results, not words.
Plus, she found Matthew's "games" far more enjoyable. The idea of engaging in similar games with Weinstein? Amber shuddered at the thought.
"The risks are too high," Amber said, subtly shifting in her seat so that the brooch on her lapel caught the light more effectively. "This isn't like the things I've done before."
Harvey smirked. "The things you've done before weren't risky?" His voice grew sterner. "Trying to get Matthew Horner to take drugs… If he'd found out the truth back then, do you think he would've let you off the hook? With his resources, he could've easily had you thrown in jail."
Amber's demeanor changed. She looked genuinely rattled. "But… but…"
Harvey folded his arms, his tone growing colder. "What if Matthew Horner loses the ability to come after you? What if we drag him into a scandal so deep it ruins him completely—maybe even lands him in jail?"
Amber fell silent, feigning deep thought.
Harvey softened his tone slightly, dangling a carrot alongside the stick. "I'm developing a film called August: Osage County. There's a role in it that would be perfect for you."
This time, Weinstein wasn't relying on empty promises. He needed Amber to act, so he offered her something tangible. "There's a very significant supporting role. I've already reserved it for you."
Amber almost laughed inwardly. A supporting role? That's your big offer? she thought with disdain. Compared to Matthew's proposition—a lead role in a globally successful trilogy—it was pathetic.
Still, Harvey continued, trying to sweeten the deal. "The film's leads are Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts. You'll get the chance to work alongside the very best actresses in the industry. And if you perform well, I'll submit you for Best Supporting Actress at next year's Oscars."
"Really?" Amber widened her eyes in feigned surprise, mixing in just the right amount of doubt. "Is that true?"
Harvey nodded slowly. "As long as you deliver what I need, we'll sign the contract immediately."
Amber clenched her fists, pretending to wrestle with the decision. After a moment, she relaxed her hands and, with a seemingly reluctant determination, said, "Fine. Remember what you promised. I'll do it."
"Smart choice!" Harvey said, standing up triumphantly.
"When do you need it?" Amber asked, as if she had just resigned herself to a difficult task. "I'll need time."
Harvey thought for a moment. "After the New Year but before the Oscars. I'll be hosting a press conference to announce August: Osage County. Dropping some explosive news then will also help promote the film."
Amber pretended to deliberate for a moment before nodding. "I think I can manage that."
Satisfied, Harvey nodded in approval. He spoke to her in a low voice for a while longer before finally letting her leave.
Watching her walk out the door, Harvey couldn't help but grin. I really am the most patient hunter, he thought. It's taken years of planning to bring down someone as powerful as Matthew Horner, but the payoff will be worth it.
And if he could somehow acquire Matthew's studio in the process…
The profits from The Hunger Games and the Conjuring Universe alone would catapult him into the ranks of Hollywood's top-tier moguls.
Not long after leaving the private club, Amber called Matthew. After hearing her update, Matthew told her to come to Horner Manor the next day. He couldn't meet her immediately, as he was at the Warner Bros. lot with Christopher Nolan, touring the set construction and discussing Interstellar.
Walking through the sprawling set filled with props, Nolan pointed out various features to Matthew. "I've been working with Kip Thorne to understand how black holes bend light and space-time," Nolan said.
He stopped in front of some oddly shaped glass panels. "These will be used to create the multi-dimensional space of the wormhole."
Matthew nodded, listening attentively. While he knew little about astrophysics, he understood that grasping the context was essential for his performance.
He would eventually be acting in these meticulously constructed environments.
Among the directors he had worked with, Christopher Nolan was undoubtedly the most demanding when it came to performances.
"The entire film is grounded in Thorne's theoretical work," Nolan explained. He seemed genuinely impressed by the scientist. "What's remarkable about Thorne is that he doesn't answer his own questions immediately. Instead, he goes back to consult papers, discusses with other scientists, and runs extensive calculations before arriving at a conclusion."
Matthew didn't know much about Kip Thorne, but he nodded along. "Sounds like someone deeply committed to his craft."
For now, humanity remained confined to Earth, with its furthest ventures reaching only as far as the moon. Whether Thorne's theories were right or wrong was impossible to determine. Much of it was speculative, and future discoveries might render today's theories obsolete.
Nolan, aware of Matthew's limitations when it came to scientific knowledge, made an effort to explain the film's scientific concepts in simple terms, often tying them to the props and set designs around them.
The film's story was set in the near future, where overpopulation and environmental degradation had pushed humanity to search for habitable planets beyond Earth. The problem was that even with advanced spacecraft, reaching the nearest stars would take decades.
Back in 1983, Carl Sagan had grappled with a similar problem while writing Contact. It was Thorne who suggested using wormholes as a solution.
Wormholes, theoretical tunnels through higher-dimensional space-time, could theoretically allow for rapid travel across vast distances. Naturally, Nolan incorporated this concept into the script for Interstellar.
"The challenge," Nolan said, "was figuring out how to depict a wormhole on screen."
By the time Matthew left Warner Bros. that evening, he was mentally drained. As his Mercedes drove away from the lot, he glanced up at the night sky through the sunroof and muttered a line from the script.
"We used to look up at the sky and wonder about our place among the stars. Now we just look down and worry about our place in the dirt."
Then, with a melodramatic sigh, he whispered to himself, "Fly, young man! Our journey is to the stars and seas!"
When Matthew returned to Horner Manor, Margot Robbie had dinner ready. Over their meal, he briefly shared some details about the plan involving Amber.
"I get it," Margot said with her characteristic enthusiasm. "I'll support you however I can."
Matthew nodded. With Amber scheduled to meet him the next morning, much would soon become clear. Some things were simply too sensitive to discuss over the phone.
The next morning at 9 a.m. sharp, Amber Heard arrived at Horner Manor.
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