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The information from J.J. Harris was extremely valuable.
At the very least, it gave Henry a clearer picture of how powerful vampires were in the United States—especially in Hollywood.
Within the circles of old white elites and old-money families, vampires had not achieved complete control.
That was good news.
If even those circles had fallen, Henry would have to start wondering whether the people living in the White House were still human.
If the world had really reached the stage where all the shadowy rulers were vampires, Henry would probably just find a quiet place to hide and stop getting involved in anything.
Fortunately, things hadn't gone that far.
Compared to the open and widespread presence of mutants, vampires were incredibly low-key—so much so that people barely noticed they existed.
Mutants might still attract attention, but they were no longer shocking.
Mention vampires, however, and most people would still react with disbelief.
With this new understanding, Henry said to J.J.:
"Since that group can't completely control Hollywood resources, we should focus on the areas they can't influence."
"I'll help however I can."
"The choices might be fewer, but it's still better than being completely controlled."
"Our current strategy is simple."
"If we can avoid something, we avoid it."
"If we can't avoid it, we give it up."
"And if there's something we absolutely cannot give up—then we'll find a solution together."
Charlize and J.J. exchanged a glance.
They felt helpless, but they had to admit his reasoning made sense.
Compared to being dragged into a conflict between vampires and Tony Stark, their current problems didn't seem so terrible.
J.J. then said:
"There actually is something we can't ignore right now."
"And we're almost out of time."
Henry asked,
"What is it?"
J.J. opened her schedule notebook.
"Charlize appears in The Rock."
"The premiere is scheduled for June 7th."
"I had already arranged a gown rental company."
"But they've refused to work with me now."
"And every other rental company I contacted gave me the same response."
She looked at Charlize.
"You can't seriously have her attend the premiere wearing that, can you?"
Charlize glanced at herself.
She was currently wearing:
A T-shirt
Jeans
A short denim jacket
Perfectly normal casual wear.
Even stylish for everyday life.
But on a red carpet?
She would get absolutely destroyed by the press.
J.J. continued:
"Sean Connery helped Charlize quite a bit during filming."
"But I can't keep asking a legendary actor like him to speak for her all the time."
"So events like the premiere, where they appear together, are extremely important."
"We need to show Mr. Connery proper respect."
"At the very least, Charlize must have an appropriate outfit."
Henry rubbed his chin.
"A gown, huh…"
"What if we buy one?"
J.J. shook her head.
"Sometimes if a star hasn't reached a certain level of commercial value, some brands don't want that person wearing their dresses publicly."
"The dresses you can buy are usually not from the current season."
"And you'd spend a lot of money on something you can only wear once."
"Maybe twice if you alter it and wait long enough."
"If we do that repeatedly in the future, the cost becomes enormous."
She looked at him.
"Are you sure you can afford that?"
She didn't even bother asking Charlize.
As her agent, she knew exactly how much Charlize was earning.
Her current salary only allowed her to escape the working-class grind.
A wardrobe budget like that was impossible.
Charlize shook her head quickly.
"Let's not buy one."
"That's too wasteful."
"Is there another option?"
"Another option…" Henry leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head, thinking.
J.J. added:
"Some small designers I know have also received pressure from that side."
"They don't dare work with me anymore."
"Especially when it comes to Charlize Theron's gowns—that topic is completely untouchable."
Neither woman really knew what kind of solution Henry could provide.
They had managed to hold out for an entire month before coming to him.
At this point they were basically out of options.
Suddenly Henry stopped spinning his chair.
He turned to face the desk again.
"I'll try making a call."
"But honestly, I don't know if it'll work."
Both women immediately wondered:
Can he really fix this?
Henry had already picked up the phone and started dialing a long-distance number.
"Bonjour!"
Then he launched into rapid-fire French.
The two women could only recognize the language.
They understood none of the content.
The conversation sounded cheerful, full of laughter.
That alone made them feel a bit hopeful.
After hanging up, Henry immediately dialed another number.
More French.
This conversation lasted even longer.
The two women waited anxiously.
Finally Henry put the phone down.
Before they could ask anything, he spoke first.
"Jen, does Charlize have any scheduled work after this?"
"And do you have anything urgent?"
J.J. shook her head.
"No."
"Everything on our schedule has already received clear rejections."
"We can't even try negotiating anymore."
Henry nodded.
"Good."
"Then it's not a problem."
"We're flying to Paris."
"We're going to visit a friend of mine."
He stood up and picked up his suit jacket.
Then he chuckled.
"Although I'm not even sure he'll admit I'm his friend."
"I didn't realize my reputation was that big."
J.J. asked cautiously,
"Who are we going to see?"
Henry answered:
"Hubert de Givenchy."
"He stepped down as creative director of LVMH last year and retired."
"But he still has plenty of connections."
"We'll ask him if there's any way to solve Charlize's problem."
J.J. stared at him.
"You… know Givenchy?"
Henry shrugged.
"I met him when I worked as Audrey Hepburn's assistant."
"I wasn't even sure I could reach him, so I didn't mention it before."
"But it seems things worked out."
He sounded slightly uncertain.
Perhaps it was because, during Hepburn's final days, Henry had helped Givenchy arrange everything when they brought her back to Switzerland.
That shared experience had left a bond.
Just moments ago, the two women had been in a situation where no one in Hollywood would even work with them.
Now suddenly they were about to visit a legendary fashion designer in Paris.
It felt surreal.
Henry, however, didn't dwell on the emotion.
He opened the office door and said:
"Miss Williams."
"Please book flights to Paris for me, Charlize, and Ms. Harris."
"Yes, boss."
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