~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For 20 advanced chapters, visit my Patreon:

https://patreon.com/Twilight_scribe1

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the end, no one cooked. They left that to the professional French culinary team.

And since it was a proper dinner gathering, naturally the attendees weren't limited to just Henry, Tony, and Ms. Katharine Hepburn.

Also present was a high-profile couple from the financial world—Alex Hart, the CEO of Mastercard, and his wife.

Perhaps because Henry was clearly an outsider, Mr. Hart didn't try to dominate the conversation with financial jargon. Instead, he fulfilled the role of an ideal guest, offering timely and thoughtful reactions.

But much to Tony Stark's frustration—who typically enjoyed being the center of attention—this evening, he was completely overshadowed by Henry.

Henry could name nearly every one of Katharine's films off the top of his head. He even quoted contemporary positive reviews. Not only that, he could analyze each film's strengths and weaknesses with insight and nuance.

To someone unfamiliar with film, the conversation might have sounded like total nonsense. But Katharine Hepburn? She wasn't some actress who never watched her own performances. Born from theater, she was one of the rare Golden Age actresses who truly studied the craft—not just relying on natural charisma.

So naturally, she understood everything Henry was saying. And this connection clearly stirred something in her—a sense of encountering a kindred spirit.

Katharine said, "So when you said you were my fan—and not just of that other Ms. Hepburn—you weren't lying after all."

"Ms.—" Henry began.

"Call me Katharine," she said warmly, smiling.

"Alright, Katharine. I wouldn't dare lie to such a talented and beautiful lady like yourself. If I were just making it up, I bet you'd see right through me."

From the side, Tony muttered, "What a damn suck-up."

Everyone heard it, but no one paid it any mind. They just chuckled and continued talking. It was clear they were all quite used to Tony Stark's personality.

Katharine added, "Well then, Henry, let me quiz you."

"Please, go ahead."

"Critics often accuse me of dragging out my career—saying that after forty, I've only managed to cling to the box office with nostalgia. What's your take on that?"

"Take their words for what they are, Katharine—bullshit," Henry said without hesitation. "There are many reasons why a film might underperform at the box office. But in my opinion, the fault lies mostly with the Hollywood system."

"Oh? That's a fresh answer. Finally, someone who doesn't just blame the audience for lacking taste," Katharine said.

Henry continued with sharp criticism: "Hollywood defines female roles in the narrowest of ways. You're either a pretty young girl, a sultry mature woman, or a bitter old hag. That's it.

"But women are far more complex than that. Studios use box office numbers to justify only casting those three 'types.' And then they force female actors into those roles, regardless of whether they're a good fit.

"If the result flops, they dump the blame on the actress.

"But it's not your fault. Acting is just one part of the filmmaking machine. Even with your beauty in youth and your phenomenal acting skill, it's possible to end up in a film that looks like crap thanks to bad lighting or a terrible edit.

"Directors, editors, producers—any of them can ruin a movie. But how many of them ever admit fault? Hardly any. The actor always becomes the scapegoat.

"Given the right script, a capable director, and a producer who isn't blindly overconfident, someone like you could easily deliver yet another classic performance.

"A successful film is a perfect storm of many things going right. And likewise, failure is rarely just one person's fault. In my view, the actor is usually the least responsible.

"Actors are selected through auditions. They perform under the director's vision. If an actor truly delivers a bad performance, isn't it the fault of the casting team?

"There are hundreds of actors in Hollywood. If this is the best one available, then the failure lies elsewhere. And if the actor does a fantastic job and the film still flops—well, it doesn't take a genius to figure out who's really to blame.

"And honestly, what's wrong with selling nostalgia? Would the audience rather watch a newbie who just looks the part but can't act? Or someone seasoned and talented who knows how to bring depth to a role?"

What sounded like a passionate defense still didn't entirely sit well with Katharine. She raised an eyebrow and said, "While I agree with most of what you said, there's still a tone in your words that says, 'You're old now, so go play old-lady roles.' And that, my dear boy, is infuriating."

Henry winced and said sheepishly, "That... wasn't the point I was trying to make."

From the side, Tony burst out laughing and said, "Right, Katharine. Don't let him off the hook. This guy's got a bit of wit and suddenly thinks he's smarter than everyone else. Time someone put him in his place."

Everyone at the table turned to Tony with a look that said: Seriously?

Katharine gave the death blow: "Little Tony, have you listened to your own words? Why is it that you think that flaw only applies to others?"

That one hit home. Tony looked like he wanted to argue but wisely held his tongue.

Katharine Hepburn had a way of spotting exactly where to jab the knife with her words. Even a genius like Tony Stark wasn't immune. That had been confirmed across two generations of Starks.

Trying to escape, Tony turned to the relatively quiet Mr. Hart and said, "Alex, how about we go chat in the study? My father kept a stash of rare whiskey there."

"Howard's stash? Now that's worth tasting. If I waited for him to offer it, I'd be six feet under before it happened."

The financial tycoon got up and followed Tony, leaving his wife behind with Katharine and Henry.

The fact that Henry had been left with the two women—both of whom were intentionally steering the conversation toward film—was a subtle but clear signal. The real discussion was happening elsewhere.

Henry wasn't so dense as to demand a glass of whiskey at a time like this.

In truth, Alex Hart and his wife had only come because of Katharine. Tony had asked her to extend the invitation.

It just so happened that Hart was vacationing in California—a rare occurrence since he typically worked out of New York. That gave Tony an opening.

And of course, Hart hadn't accepted the invitation out of friendship. If anyone in the Stark family could pull that off, it would've been Howard.

For Tony, who was essentially just some rich kid to him, there had to be an agenda behind the invite. Hart was curious what that agenda was—and that curiosity is what got him to this "private dinner."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Loving the story so far? Want more chapters? Drop a Power Stone to show your support! A quick review would mean the world too.Thanks, everyone! ❤️

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~