My Hollywood System

Chapter 181:

Will and Benjamin walked to the party with smiles. Will’s smile concealed his worries, and Benjamin was happy to be here. They went in, and then the paparazzi caught them with questions and photographs.

Standing beside Benjamin, Will’s eyes almost went blank with the flashlights going off. But, with a lot in mind and in front of his eyes, he could do nothing but smile them off.

“What do you think about Will?” The question was focused on Benjamin.

The voice which succeeded in shouting on top of all the noise and voices grabbed the attention of Will and Benjamin. They were standing in different poses for quite a few seconds before the reporters started to fire up with the questions.

Just like Will and Benjamin, every other famous person who had to use the main entrance had to face the torture the paparazzi threw at them. Some actors and actresses simply smile at the camera, avoiding the questions and walking inside.

“We came a long way from where we were. I’m sure that his father would be so proud, even more, proud than I’m right now, I mean… Look at Will, how much he achieved in such a short time in the industry.” Benjamin said with a proud smile lingering on his lips. His eyes showed a lot more than his words did. Will was able to feel it.

“I don’t think it would be possible if my uncle wasn’t here. He was the one who bought my script when I had just dropped out of college.”

Will said, and the reporters in front of him easily made headlines in their minds. Everything about Will Evans was received greatly, especially because he rarely gave any interviews.

Benjamin shook his head, unable to agree with Will, before answering. His every word portrayed the truth and the view of Will.

“The success you achieved was destined, Will. If it was not me, it would have been someone else, and you would be in the same spot you are right now,”

Thinking about the words Benjamin said, Will smiled. On the inside, the words made the terrifying feeling even worse. Smiling at the photographs and the flashlights that just keep going off and on, Will thought that no matter what risk he would take tonight, he would save Benjamin’s life.

Will and Benjamin excused themselves from the cameras and walked inside the main hall where the party was held. After the security let them in, they entered a grande party which looked as if the entire Hollywood was there to celebrate some huge event; yet in fact, it was just an annual party.

The hall was decorated in gold, which made it appear luxurious as ever. Everyone, including Will and Benjamin, were dressed in expensive-looking suits and dresses. Many actresses looked as if they were competing for the best look of the night.

The men were occupied with different kinds of talks, including businesses, past success or simply about the current affairs of Hollywood.

Nevertheless, everyone was taken and busy with one thing or another. The light music that came through the DJ made things a bit more creative. With drinks in their hands, they kept talking over the music and enjoying the party to the core, although it had just begun.

The eyes of people who caught the image of Will Evans walking through the main entrance with two-three bodyguards around him were surprised. They were surprised for a simple reason, which was how they had never seen Will with bodyguards.

It was evident to them that the bodyguards were newly hired because it was a well-known fact that Will didn’t have bodyguards.

As soon as Will entered, the CEO of Allen Pictures, Ashton Banasiewicz, who hosted the night, came walking toward Will.

“Such a pleasure to see you, Mr Evans,” Ashton said with a sly smirk and shook his hand.

“You too, Mr Banasiewicz. You could call me Will. I like being casual, and congratulations on another good year in the industry. Allen pictures are still the top studio everyone looks forward to doing business with.” Will said, returning the smile.

“Call me Ashton. My friends call me that. And I’m pretty sure that Dream Vision is going to give a great competition to us.”

The words made Will raise his eyebrow in uneasiness. He had his guard up from the time he saw Ashton. The old CEO didn’t give him good vibes no matter how he looked at it.

“We are still a pretty new studio. I don’t think we are good enough to give a competition to Allen yet.” Will questioned.

“I just have a feeling. Hollywood has had the same oldies doing their own things for a long time. So it’s good to see a young guy like you coming in and doing so well with your innovative projects. In the next decade, Allen and Dream Vision might clash a lot.”

Ashton said with no emotions showing on his face.

“I’m just trying. Allen Pictures are ahead anyway, so don’t consider me going against you. If anything, we are just focused on doing the utmost we could.” Will said with a meaningful smile.

Hearing his words, Ashton cleared his throat and got closer to Will. “Trying is all we could do as you don’t know what happens in this industry.” He whispered, making Will a bit uncomfortable.

He raised an eyebrow and twisted his face a bit to the left to give out the expression of ‘what-was-it-about’.

“Enjoy the party, Will.” Ashton took a step back and walked away, disappearing into the crowd.

After Ashton left, Will and Benjamin walked a bit away from the entrance. Benjamin had questions rising up in his head about the whole whisper-mutter-rival thing, but he refused to mouth them aloud.

He had seen things a lot all his life at parties.

It was then that Will noticed Amanda waving at them from a distance. As he walked towards her with bodyguards following him and Uncle Ben, he noticed someone familiar besides Amanda.

‘Scarlett McJohn.’

She was this world’s Scarlett Johansson, and Will already knew about her, having seen her in events before. He had even gone through her filmography.

“Will, you are finally here. Let me introduce you to my friend Scarlett McJohn. You must have heard of her.” Amanda introduced them and smiled. “This is Will’s uncle, Mr Charles. He handles DTA.”

“It’s nice to meet you. I have heard a lot about you.” Scarlett said, looking at Will.

Seeing Scarlett in front of him, Will wanted to leave an impression so he could get a good connection. There were a lot of roles in his previous life that she nailed — Black Widow from MCU being the role that got her the most acclaim.

“Likewise. I am a big fan of your roles.” Will said. “Especially your rom-com movie, [Speechless], your acting really brought life to a very complex character.”

[Speechless] was the movie that made Scarlett reach the status of an A-lister. It was a movie that told the story of a single mother trying to find a good father for her kid as she didn’t want her to grow up without a father.

Hearing that, Scarlet smiled. She had heard a lot of compliments about her role already, but Will was a hotshot currently, so she felt good about it.

“I’m truly flattered, Mr Evans. I’m also a huge fan of your movies. Everyone keeps talking about them at every party I go to. I personally enjoyed watching [Sherlock Holmes] and [500 Days of Summer].”

“It’s Will, please. And I’m glad you enjoyed them.” Will said, putting a constant smile on his face.

“Do you have any role for me?” Scarlet asked suddenly, but the expression on her face said that she was joking.

But her inner thoughts were very different. Recently, she had given strings of flops, and people were obviously questioning her star power as an A-lister.

If she managed to get a role in a Will Evans movie, her future would completely change, and her career might even take a sharp turn. Actors who have come in Will’s movies have really cemented their place in the industry.

“Yes, why not?” Will replied without thinking about it.

Although Will knew that Scarlett existed, and he even saw her on the day of screening in [Blair Witch Project], this was the first time they were having a conversation. Will had an idea about why Scarlett was ‘joking’, but he couldn’t let go of the chance.

But suddenly, as he was talking, he saw that Scarlett didn’t look good.

Her eyes were baggy, and she looked exhausted, worth two to three nights’ sleep. Even her concealer was not able to hide her under-eye bags.

“Are you doing fine these days? You look tired?” Will asked with a frown. He did not want to sound nosy, but the sight in front of him was concerning.

Her emotions visibly went from comfortable to awkward in a few seconds. “Nothing much, just doing a lot of work these days.”

She muttered with a smile, trying to brush off the topic. After a while, she suddenly said she needed to leave as she had an early shooting tomorrow morning.

Will nodded slightly while she walked away. Amanda also left, saying she would go talk to other CEOs, and Benjamin left to talk to one of his old friends, but Will kept an eye on him.

“You look weird.” Jeffery appeared out of nowhere and put a hand on his shoulder.

Will did look weird. He was trying to appear normal, but it wasn’t easy.

He was sweating an unusual amount considering the hall’s temperature at the moment. Jeffery, who was on alert ever since Will got here, noticed how worried he looked now and then. Even while talking to Scarlett, Will would look at the crowd and focus his attention back on her.

As far as Jeffery knew him, he was not someone who would zone out during a conversation.

“Everything’s alright. Just feeling a bit uneasy.” Will said and shook his head.

“Try to just enjoy the party. A lot of people here want to talk to you. So it’s best to make a few connections now that you are here.”

“I know.”

Will kept his gaze on Benjamin as he talked. Then, walking past different people, Benjamin reached the bar opposite the room and started talking to a waiter.

Suddenly, Will saw that the waiter and Benjamin were talking for an unusual time, and it was then that he saw the waiter put a hand in his pocket.

‘He’s taking out a knife.’

Will thought and, without wasting any time, ran towards the waiter. He almost stumbled on his way but managed to reach Benjamin.

His hand went to meet with the hand of the waiter, who still had his hand inside the pocket. The entire scene played out in one swift moment.

Benjamin looked at Will weirdly, questioning ‘what the hell was that?’ from his eyes.

“I was just asking for a handkerchief since I got some wine on my shirt. Are you okay, Will?” Benjamin asked, making Will widen his eyes.

“O-Oh, my bad.” Will apologised right away, looking at the waiter.

With the sudden incident, he was taken back a bit because he was wrong.

“You are acting very weird. Are you okay?” Benjamin put a hand on his shoulder as the waiter left. Will smiled slightly and nodded.

“Yes, just some things are in my mind—”

Then, he suddenly noticed one of the waiters rushing toward them. This time, he clearly saw the knife in his hand and the crazy smile on his face.

It was not only him who saw the waiter. The bodyguards’ Will had bought with him also saw it, and they tried to intercept him, but it was useless.

The waiter dodged them in the blink of an eye.

‘I need to protect Uncle Ben.’

Will thought and quickly shielded Benjamin’s body. Adrenaline rushed in him as his heart started beating up fast. He tried to stop the knife attack, but it didn’t work.

Stab!

Blood spilt as chaos ensued at the party.

….

//DreamNote//

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