Charles, leaving Matera, did not return to the United States immediately but instead traveled to Rome.
In Vatican City, west of Rome, Charles checked into a resort hotel near the city.
Standing by the window, Charles gazed at the long line of tourists in front of Vatican City, the spiritual heart of catholicism worldwide.
If a bomb were to wipe this place out, what would the consequences be?
"Donna, do you know how many Christians there are in the world?" Charles suddenly asked.
Donna Williams thought for a moment before responding, "Counting Protestants, Orthodox, and Catholics, it's at least over 1.5 billion!"
"Yes, 1.5 to 2 billion people, basically one-third of the world's population, right?" Charles said, a little astonished.
"I heard you're an atheist?"
Donna Williams nodded. Atheists are not numerous in the United States currently, less than 10%.
Charles was originally a Catholic, but the current Charles is not the same hooligan he used to be. Believe in religion? Only when there's a benefit. Anyway, Charles is just pretending to be a Catholic now.
"I think this is my first time in Europe. I don't remember if I came here as a child. What's next on the agenda?"
"The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York charity gala needs to be attended, and the brokeback mountain crew is almost ready to start filming..."
Before Donna could finish, Charles interrupted, "Let's go back to New York these two days!"
His idea of traveling in Europe was shattered. It had been two years, and Charles hadn't really taken a vacation.
Upon returning to New York, it was already late April. After two years of reconstruction, New York's economy was recovering quite quickly.
The Rosewood Carlyle Hotel in Manhattan is one of Charles's preferred five-star hotels. This time, he also stayed at this Upper East Side hotel on Fifth Avenue.
The Central Park Suite, with its massive floor-to-ceiling windows, offered views of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline.
"Producers Alliance? Oh, joining has its benefits. Capet Pictures will develop more and more large-scale projects in the future, and negotiations with the Directors Guild, Actors Guild, and Writers Guild will increase!" Evelyn said on the phone. Charles had already joined the American Film Producers Association.
"Charles, the Producers Association has always had internal strategies to regulate the finances of production companies. After all, there are over 300 independent production companies within it, many of which need investment," Evelyn's tone was somewhat downcast on the phone.
"After Capet Pictures invested in the passion of the christ, it will likely be difficult to get financial support from the Producers Alliance!"
"It's okay, Wall Street will definitely notice me, and I have ways to raise funds," Charles said, comforting her while admiring the beautiful view of Central Park from the floor-to-ceiling window.
"Good. In New York, you can attend more business receptions and fashion parties. It doesn't hurt to meet more people," Evelyn suggested.
"Got it!"
The three major associations in the American entertainment industry are the Producers Association, the Directors Guild, and the Actors Guild. These are the most important forces that prevent Agents from taking more than a 10% commission.
At the same time, the Producers Association, as capital, internally opposes the Directors Guild, Actors Guild, and Writers Guild.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York charity gala can be said to be the Oscar of the fashion world, held annually since the 1970s.
Political, business, fashion media, and film entertainment circles, among others, attract people from all over the world to participate.
In the evening, Charles Capet attended with Scarlett Johansson, who was also invited.
This year's gala theme was "Goddess: The Classical Mode," and various actresses, female singers, and socialites also displayed a myriad of styles.
The stretch from the red carpet stairs at the main entrance to the main hall was a chaotic display, with an endless stream of eye-catching and flamboyant outfits.
Charles inwardly complained, a slight smile on his face. Fortunately, his Gucci menswear was very proper; he really couldn't handle anything too flashy.
"Charles, I'm going to the restroom!" Was Scarlett going to reapply her makeup?
"Go ahead, I'll sit over there and wait for you!" Charles prepared to sit at his table and wait.
Many stars were present tonight. The newly crowned Oscar Best Actor and actress, Adrien Brody and Nicole Kidman, both arrived together.
However, Charles did spot Victoria, the wife of Premier League football star David Beckham. Charles also watches football and basketball, a casual fan.
However, his serious viewing of games was after 2008, as in his previous life, he was only ten years old at this time.
But he did remember that Beckham was about to go to Real Madrid in La Liga, and there was the famous 'boot-gate' incident.
He almost forgot, he remembered that next year's European Championship winner would be the Greece National Team, because they were a huge dark horse, just as Charles remembered last year's World Cup winner. The odds weren't very high, so he didn't bet on it.
He did know that the Chinese team's goal count was zero!
Greece National Team winning the European Championship next year—if he bought a few hundred thousand in lottery tickets, Charles would definitely make a fortune, but he still needed to be low-key.
If he won too much, would the betting company refuse to pay or fix the games? That wouldn't be good. He must remember to buy tickets next year when the time comes.
Just as Charles was thinking about betting next year, a middle-aged man approached him to say hello.
"Charles, good evening!"
"Oh, Tom!" The person was Tom Ford, the creative director of Gucci and also the creative director of Saint Laurent women's wear.