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Jack Reacher's investigation had no time limit, nor was it meant to attract attention.
So he could only conduct it quietly—digging into seemingly related matters during the gaps between his regular military duties.
On Henry's side, with Brian Mills and his team providing protection, he safely made it through the one-month bounty period imposed by the Continental Hotel.
Of everyone, the one who suffered the most during that month was Katy—the oversized "tabby cat."
Normally, Henry would take her out from time to time—camping, roaming, and letting her hunt a bit.
But with professional assassins watching him, there was no way Henry could safely take Katy outdoors. The big cat was thoroughly pent up.
At one point, a foolish petty thief tried to break into Henry's home. He even brought a drugged meat bone, intending to poison Katy.
The result?
Katy bit down on his arm like it was a meat bone and shook it until it dislocated. Then she pinned him to the ground with a paw pressed against his cervical spine—ready to kill at any moment.
It wasn't until Henry returned from work that he rescued the thief—who had been reduced to a human cushion beneath Katy—and sent him off in an ambulance, escorted by police.
Naturally, Henry bore no responsibility for the break-in.
Old Gary, however, was shaken. Incidents like this were rare in his building. And by experience, once it happened, another wouldn't be far behind.
He had to go out and "talk" to certain people—issuing warnings.
Henry didn't point out that the intruder wasn't an ordinary thief. After all, how many street punks carried Continental gold coins in their pockets?
Considering the man's arm would take a long time to recover—if it ever did—and that he'd been so terrified he wet himself and suffered a mental breakdown, Henry decided not to pursue the matter.
After all, you couldn't hold someone accountable when they weren't even mentally present.
---
When the one-month period ended, Brian and his team completed their assignment.
Henry didn't renew their contract. These seasoned professionals had their own affiliations—long-term commitments wouldn't be allowed.
Besides, the grace period was over. If Continental assassins showed up again, Henry intended to deal with them personally. Having others around would only get in the way.
Fortunately, things unfolded just as Charlie Fisher had hinted.
Once the month ended, the Continental withdrew the bounty.
Partly because the Arden family's follow-up offer… was only ten thousand dollars.
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In October, Charlize Theron's film That Thing You Do! was successfully released.
Then, in late November, came the comedy Jingle All the Way, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, where Charlize played a sharp, capable policewoman.
Compared to Henry's memories from before his transmigration, both films saw slight improvements at the box office.
That Thing You Do! originally had a production budget of $26 million, barely recouping its costs domestically, with a global total of about $34.5 million—technically a loss.
But in this world, boosted by Charlize's rising popularity, it performed slightly better: domestic earnings surpassed its budget, and global box office reached around $45 million.
Still a loss—but a smaller one.
It was hard to say how much of that extra $10 million could be credited to Charlize.
However, the film's flaws made one thing clear: Tom Hanks, despite being a two-time Oscar-winning actor, might be better suited as a producer than a director.
As for Jingle All the Way, its box office rose from $129 million in Henry's memory to nearly $150 million.
Given its estimated budget of $60–75 million, it was a clear commercial success.
These two films helped Charlize gain more influence in a project that would prove pivotal to her career—
The Devil's Advocate.
Although the film's spotlight was on its two male leads—Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves—this was Charlize's first time starring as a leading actress.
Before securing the role, she had gone through four auditions. Even after filming began, her position wasn't entirely secure.
Director Taylor Hackford worried that her beauty might make it difficult for audiences to sympathize with her character—who was meant to reflect the protagonist's tragedy, not just serve as eye candy.
Filming began on October 28, 1996, in New York.
But early production hit a snag.
Al Pacino—who had already turned down the role five times—clashed with the production, causing a temporary halt.
This conflict even destabilized the rest of the cast (except Keanu Reeves). If Pacino walked away, the director's dream lineup might collapse entirely.
To appease the Oscar-winning actor—still riding high after Scent of a Woman—Charlize organized a dinner.
Henry attended as well—and even invited Katharine Hepburn.
The three of them worked together to smooth things over, successfully persuading Pacino to stay.
It wasn't easy.
A method actor of Italian descent, raised in a single-parent household, Pacino had endured years of poverty and frustration before success.
Now, freshly crowned with an Oscar, he was at the peak of his ego.
Without careful handling—almost like dealing with a child—he wouldn't budge.
Fortunately, Katharine Hepburn, a veteran who had seen every kind of actor imaginable, took the lead in calming him down.
Of course, it might also have been that Pacino was willing to give a legendary figure like her some respect.
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While filming in New York, Charlize stayed with Katharine Hepburn, who took great care of her—going so far as to use her remaining influence to support her.
Between her positive reception in two films and her role in stabilizing the production, Charlize finally secured her footing in The Devil's Advocate.
In Henry's original timeline, Charlize had once been deported during filming due to visa issues.
But here, that never happened.
Her work visa had been handled by Stark Pictures—something Henry had made a point to ensure, so her career could proceed without disruption.
The only minor inconvenience was distance.
With Charlize filming in New York, they could only meet if Henry flew over.
It wasn't about pride or imbalance—it was simply practical.
Henry had more flexibility, while Charlize was extremely busy.
During filming, she spent an hour every day with a psychiatrist, studying how to portray schizophrenia. On top of that, her finances weren't yet strong enough to support frequent cross-country flights.
Henry visiting her made more sense.
And when he did, he could also spend time with Katharine Hepburn.
The three of them even spent Christmas together.
Charlize also invited her mother—marking Henry's first meeting with his future mother-in-law.
And so, life moved forward steadily…
Into 1997.
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