Chapter 288: A Landmark Work
"Aaron—"
As soon as Catherine Zeta-Jones arrived at the hotel, she threw her arms around him.
"You're in London and didn't even tell me in advance? I would've come to pick you up!"
Aaron slipped an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek with a smile.
"I was planning to come find you tonight anyway. Besides—you're a big star in the UK now."
With the success of The Mask of Zorro and My Best Friend's Wedding, Catherine's fame had skyrocketed, captivating audiences with her unique blend of classical elegance and sensual charm—the very embodiment of a British rose.
She laughed softly, then leaned in and sealed his lips with a passionate kiss.
Not long after, the two left the The Savoy Hotel and headed into the night, arriving at Annabel's—an exclusive private club known for its discretion, frequented by politicians, tycoons, celebrities, and even members of the British royal family.
Seated on a plush sofa, Aaron held her close.
"How long have you been back in the UK?"
"A little over a month," Catherine replied, looping her arms around his neck. "I spent about two weeks at home in Swansea, then came to London to shoot a commercial."
"Sounds good," Aaron said, his hand idly tracing along her thigh. "Heading back to Hollywood next?"
"Of course," she said with a smile, brushing a kiss against his lips. "What about you? How long are you staying in London?"
"About a week. I need to visit Dawnlight's UK headquarters in Buckingham and meet with BBC's international operations team."
He continued,
"Dawnlight Television has just partnered with the BBC to adapt Pride and Prejudice into a TV series."
This collaboration between AMC and the BBC was something Aaron took seriously—he wanted AMC to expand internationally as quickly as possible.
"Our first in-house series, ER, premieres next month on AMC," he added. "I'm confident about it."
"And Friends Season One is also debuting on NBC next month. Distribution and international licensing will rely heavily on AMC as well."
"I see…" Catherine nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly asked,
"By the way, is Dawnlight's Silence of the Lambs prequel: Red Dragon still filming?"
Aaron chuckled, his hand resting casually against her waist.
"What, you're following that project too?"
"It's still in production, but wrapping up soon. Jonathan Demme is being quite meticulous with it."
After all, Demme had already proven himself with critically and commercially successful films like The Silence of the Lambs and Philadelphia.
Catherine nodded.
"I actually ran into Anthony Hopkins in London recently—I played his daughter in The Mask of Zorro."
She added with a smile,
"He seems to collaborate with Dawnlight quite often—The Silence of the Lambs series, The Mask of Zorro, and Legends of the Fall…"
Her tone carried a hint of admiration.
In The Silence of the Lambs prequel Red Dragon, the cast brought together Nicolas Cage, Anthony Hopkins, and Ralph Fiennes.
All of them had worked with Aaron before—Hopkins was a long-time collaborator, Cage had teamed up with him earlier on Phone Booth, and Fiennes had appeared in Schindler's List.
"Here—let's have a drink."
Catherine Zeta-Jones picked up two glasses from the table and handed one to Aaron.
"To celebrate Dawnlight's huge summer success—Forrest Gump has already passed $150 million at the North American box office. And overseas, it's crossed $100 million too, right?"
Aaron smiled, clinked glasses with her, and drained his drink in one go.
Later that night, at a riverside villa along the Thames in Hammersmith, London, Aaron rolled off Catherine and caught his breath.
Beads of sweat glistened on her skin as she traced a hand across his chest.
"Darling… you were especially impressive tonight."
He raised an eyebrow. "Wasn't I before?"
She laughed softly and nestled into his arms.
"That's not what I meant—you know that."
As Aaron idly caressed her, he asked,
"When we left Annabel's earlier, that couple we saw—the woman… was that Diana, Princess of Wales?"
Catherine nodded.
"Yes, it was her. The man was probably her current boyfriend."
Aaron blinked. "So… has she divorced Charles, Prince of Wales?"
"Not yet," Catherine explained. "They officially separated at the end of the year before last. You know how it is—anything involving the British royal line of succession is complicated."
Aaron scoffed lightly. "European royalty really is a mess."
Catherine only smiled and kissed him.
"Come on—let's take a shower."
At the same time, back in Hollywood, the Hong Kong action film Rumble in the Bronx, co-produced by Dawnlight and Golden Harvest, finally premiered across North America.
Opening in 1,700 theaters, the film pulled in $9.85 million over its first weekend—a new record for a Chinese-language film in the U.S.
Distributed with the full force of a commercial blockbuster campaign, it was a major success for a film made on a budget of just $10 million.
Reviews were strong:
The Hollywood Reporter: "Grand in scale, rich in settings—from parking lots to city streets, beaches to crowds—vivid and dynamic, with inventive action choreography."
Boxoffice Magazine: "Its greatest strength lies in its unique, innovative action style."
Houston Post: "Fast-paced, fun, and thrilling—an excellent introduction for American audiences unfamiliar with Hong Kong action cinema."
Starring Jackie Chan, the film had already succeeded across Asia. Its North American release marked a breakthrough—introducing him to mainstream U.S. audiences.
With its strong word of mouth and box office momentum, Rumble in the Bronx was clearly becoming a milestone—launching Jackie Chan into the North American mainstream film industry.
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