Trouble Dying Down

"Anyone need coffee or donuts?" Charlize Theron asked as she walked into the Stark Studios CEO's office, carrying a large paper bag.

Brian Mills and Mark Casey, who were also in the office, politely stood up.

Mark, no longer a young man, quickly stepped forward and said, "I need it! Yes, of course I need it. I've been feeling drowsy all afternoon, and without some caffeine, I'd fall asleep."

Although he was talking about coffee, Mark Casey took the paper bag and first took out a donut, taking a delicious bite as if he was thoroughly enjoying it.

Brian Mills then greeted her, "Ms. Theron."

"Brian, just call me Charlize." Charlize Theron smiled and served him a cup of coffee, then added, "When will you bring Lena and Jean to the company again? Maybe I can take them to Disneyland together."

Charlize moved closer to Brian and whispered, "I'll tell you, I haven't even been there myself. Don't you think it's a common problem for men like you to be so unromantic?"

Henry, who had just arrived, naturally realized he'd been caught in the crossfire and complained, "Honey, you're more of a workaholic than me. Is it really that I won't take you to the amusement park? Or would you rather go to a few more auditions?"

Brian Mills then chuckled, "Jin is only three years old now. Maybe we should wait until she's a little older. Besides, Henry's in a bit of trouble right now, and it wouldn't be fun if someone showed up at an amusement park and spoiled the mood."

Henry casually put his arm around Charlize's waist, and said, as if unwillingly, "Yeah. Unless you're planning to abandon us and have a girls' day."

Despite saying this, the two still shared a sweet kiss.

This stunned Mark Casey, who was munching on a donut; the chocolate donut suddenly lost its appeal. He muttered, "Maybe I shouldn't have taken it, creating an obstacle between them."

Brian Mills laughed, "If you do that, they'll just throw everything away. Then we won't have anything to eat." As he spoke, he took a donut from the paper bag in Mark's hand and ate it.

Brian and his team took over Henry's security duties, and Charlize Theron was informed of this and the subsequent arrangements.

However, the girl thoughtfully didn't ask about the cause of the matter, only asking what he needed to be careful about and what he needed to cooperate with. This relieved Henry, saving him the trouble of deciding how much to let Charlize Theron know.

And Brian Mills truly lives up to his reputation as someone skilled at requiring protection.

He used two cars to take turns driving Henry to and from work. Normally, one or two people could be on duty with Henry. When they went out, the entire team of four would come together.

As a retired soldier, his unusual demeanor did indeed scare away many contract gunmen from Continental Hotel who were hoping to take advantage of him.

Under these circumstances, those who dared to advance were not spared from the sharp eyes of Brian and his four skilled companions. All the traps and ambushes were foiled one by one.

Moreover, since it concerned his own safety, Henry certainly couldn't stand idly by. After several reminders, Brian took them seriously and even changed the escort plan on the spot, which helped them avoid many crises.

After a few minor skirmishes, things calmed down considerably around Henry. This proved that things were largely as he had predicted, and the Continental Hotel's attitude towards the bounty on his head was perfunctory and lacked any real seriousness.

With a skilled security team by their side, the contract gunmen's desire to collect the bounty decreased significantly. After all, that small amount of money wasn't worth the effort they put into breaking through a security team that was clearly not to be trifled with, and indeed was.

Nevertheless, Brian Mills remained vigilant. He worried that the assassins' relaxed demeanor was a deceptive illusion. Perhaps waiting for them to become complacent was the real opportunity the enemy wanted.

One reason they are so dedicated is because most people live in California, while Brian Mills ' home is in Los Angeles.

Henry's job doesn't require 24-hour close protection, meaning they can go home to rest after work. You see, in the past, when they were on overseas missions, going home was a luxury. Now they can go home every day.

Therefore, both Henry and Charlize Theron met Brian Mills ' wife and daughter, Lena and Jean, and got along very well.

As an observer, Henry noticed that Brian also loved his wife. However, their eventual divorce wasn't due to a lack of love, but rather because their work kept them apart for long periods, which the woman probably couldn't tolerate.

In short, things turned out just as Brian Mills had initially predicted; it was an easy job.

After a long day, Charlize was asked to sit down, and everyone gathered on the sofa in the small meeting area of the office. Henry asked, "I thought you'd be busy for a few more days while you were reshooting the film?"

"Filming is progressing quickly, and there aren't many complicated shots; it just involves giving me a few more lines. It's expected to be released before the Christmas season, and the film company is even more eager than I am to get it out."

The two were referring to the movie "Jingle All the Way," starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, which is scheduled for release on November 22.

Actually, the original filming had already been completed. It started in mid-April this year and lasted for five weeks.

However, because Charlize Theron made headlines at Paris Fashion Week as the Tiger Beauty," the film company, 1492 Pictures, produced by Kree Christopher Columbus, wanted to capitalize on this buzz and hoped to increase Charlize's screen time.

Neither Charlize nor her agent, JJ Harris, could possibly disagree with such a good opportunity. They set aside some less important matters and focused on reshooting the next few days.

There's only a little over a month left until the release date.

For Charlize Theron, who doesn't accept unspoken rules, all she could do was demonstrate a cooperative attitude at work. She didn't want anyone to blame her, a minor supporting actress, for the box office failure.

Henry's troubles seemed to have no effect on her. She continued with her daily routine as usual.

Therefore, it can be seen that Continental Hotel are quite restrained and have not gone to extremes without limits.

Don't say that the task couldn't be completed due to the bounty; that's a slap in the face to the Continental Hotel brokerage platform, a notorious killer.

Offering an unreasonably low bounty and using internal power to coerce someone into killing a man who is clearly not an ordinary person—do they really think assassins are disposable chopsticks, used and then thrown away?

I had previously learned from Charlie Fisher that Mitch Schulhoff, the president of Sony America who had been tricked by Henry Brown, also wanted to offer a reward for Henry Brown's capture. The Continental Hotel had offered a million dollars, which scared off the Old Bai man.

The Arden Family is now offering a bounty of 100,000 taels of silver to kill an invulnerable Mutants! Do they really think the Continental Hotel has no reputation to uphold?

Most of the hitmen who come just for the fun of it, once they fail once, never bother to try again and go back to doing their own thing. Don't think that killing is free; even if a bullet costs a few cents, it still costs money.

So this impromptu little gathering in the office was as relaxed as a class reunion, with everyone chatting and laughing.