Chapter 94: World Cup Conclusion

In Santa Monica Palisades, at Charles' beach villa, the English rose Kate Beckinsale was showing off her skills in the pool.

Charles sat by the side of the pool, waiting for the lady to come out, and handed her a towel.

"Underworld: Evolution is about to start production. What do you think?" Charles asked.

Kate Beckinsale kissed Charles on the cheek twice, then sat down and smiled, "Whatever you decide, I don't seem to have much going on this year."

Charles smiled back. Kate Beckinsale seemed a bit down. "How's Van Helsing doing at the box office now?"

Kate Beckinsale replied helplessly, "North America hasn't even hit $100 million yet, but the overseas market has about $100 million now!"

"No wonder. The production cost of Van Helsing alone was $160 million, plus marketing expenses. But eventually, the global box office for Van Helsing is projected to be around $300 million, making it hard to recoup the costs!" Charles already knew the outcome, but Kate Beckinsale was now pretty much sidelined from big A-list productions.

Even mid-budget movie roles would be hard for her to get from now on.

Charles stood up, walked over to Kate Beckinsale's side, bent down, kissed her for a while, and then said, "Then this year, you should film Underworld: Evolution. After all, it's your series, and it can keep up your popularity! After that, I'll find a way to get you a suitable role."

Kate Beckinsale nodded. Underworld might have mixed reviews, but it had a loyal fan base.

Besides, the sequel development would soon make Underworld her most representative work.

In the bedroom, Charles held Kate Beckinsale as they lay in bed, thinking about roles suitable for her.

Initially, Charles wanted her to play the role of Reese Witherspoon in Walk the Line. But the producers, directors, and Reese herself all wanted Reese Witherspoon to play the role, so Charles didn't push it.

Reese Witherspoon had the acting skills and was the representative of the stereotypical "dumb blonde", reaching new heights in fame due to the Legally Blonde series.

This kind of sweet role was indeed better suited for Reese than Kate, who had sharp features. Plus, with the poor box office and reviews of Pearl Harbor and Serendipity, romance films weren't for her.

In terms of physique and looks, Reese Witherspoon was under 5'3", with a wide face and short legs, not exactly a classic beauty.

"Oh, by the way, I saw the trailer for The Aviator, and you looked stunning as Ava Gardner," Charles looked at the lady in his arms and said with a smile.

"I'm just a supporting role with few scenes. You know that, and not many people will notice me!" Kate replied.

The Aviator mainly focused on Leonardo DiCaprio's role as Howard Hughes and Cate Blanchett's role as Audrey Hepburn, with Kate Beckinsale having a minor part.

"Some newspapers say you had a boob job?"

Kate Beckinsale puffed out her chest mischievously, "Haven't you felt them enough times yourself to know whether I had one or not?"

Charles chuckled and felt around a bit more before laughing, "Of course I know it's all natural, just accentuated by your curves!"

As the Euro Cup would be concluded in the next few days, Charles not only took the time to meet with Paul Scheuring, the planner of Prison Break, but also began preparations for Underworld: Evolution.

Meanwhile, Screen Gems Film Company gave Underworld: Evolution a budget of $48 million, more than doubling the $23 million budget of the first film.

On this day, at the Estadio da Luz (Stadium of Light) in Lisbon, Portugal, Greece and Portugal competed for the final championship.

In the 59th minute, Greece scored a goal, causing Marion Cotillard, who was watching the live broadcast from her home in Paris, to jump up in excitement.

Waving her hands non-stop, she had little hope initially, but Greece kept creating miracles.

Finally, after 90 minutes, Greece won 1-0 against Portugal, taking home the Euro Cup championship trophy.

Marion Cotillard's heart trembled - did she just win over 8 million euros?

In contrast, in a suite of one of the hotels owned by the Bettencourt Group, Antoine Arnault had a gloomy expression. Greece won the championship?

That American upstart's 5.1 million euros bet was going to cost nearly 400 million euros in compensation. This loss was massive.

"Hahaha, great!" In Beverly Hills, Charles stood in the hall, put down the phone, and laughed heartily.

Evelyn Carpe, sitting aside, was also excited. Why wouldn't she be?

Seeing her son so happy, she walked over, hugged him, and kissed him on the cheek enthusiastically, then said, "You actually won!"

Charles's joy was evident as he pointed to his phone and laughed, "The Paris Bank representative just called to arrange a meeting in Corsica to discuss the prize."

"Have you contacted a lawyer for this? Someone professional?" Evelyn asked.

Charles nodded, "I registered a Charles Carpe Charity Foundation under Dawn Investment Company. You and I are the trustees. This time, I can only transfer up to 60% of the income into it, so there's still a lot of tax to pay."

Evelyn nodded. Charles's plan was purposeful. A private charity foundation only needed to donate 5% of its assets annually, with the rest available for investment, at just a 1% tax rate.

The 5% donation could include various expenses: buying a few cars, taking several vacations, a house, a plane - pretty standard stuff.

"That's good. France doesn't tax lottery winnings. In the U.S., federal tax would have taken 25% upfront, with individual income tax reaching up to 38%. Even after trying to avoid paying, you'd still owe that 13% income tax."

"And luckily California doesn't tax lottery winnings either. If you'd bought it in New York, you'd also owe state tax and local tax, another 10% or more gone."

Evelyn explained with a smile. Charles's win brought in over 400 million euros. With 60% going into the personal charity foundation, he still had to pay 38% income tax on the remaining 40%.

American worldwide tax enforcement was indeed harsh.

"Hmm, I'll go to France again soon. I wonder how long it'll take to gather these funds?" Charles smirked. Paris Bank and Bettencourt Group had plenty of cash to spare, but would Arnault have over 100 million euros? Can he get any funds from his dad?

Evelyn nodded, "It's good if you stay there for a few days to avoid the pesky reporters!"

*****

https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.