In the afternoon, at the Holby Hills estate, Richard and Ms. Theron walked side by side into Reeves' manor.
"Hey, Richard, what's wrong? You look so pale."
On the green lawn, Keanu Reeves strode over.
"Nothing, just did a bit more training than usual, need to recover."
Richard shrugged.
"Is that so?"
Reeves hugged him briefly and whispered,
"Richard, take it easy. Don't wear yourself out."
As he said this, he gave Richard's arm a couple of pats.
Richard inhaled sharply. He had overdone it earlier, and his biceps and chest muscles were slightly strained. Even walking made his chest muscles twinge. The pats from Keanu caused him to break out in a sweat; he almost couldn't resist kicking the guy over.
"Keanu, be gentle. Richard's arm muscles are strained."
Ms. Theron smirked as she spoke.
"Muscle strain? Is it serious?"
Reeves released his hold.
"It's fine, it'll be better in a couple of days."
Richard shook his head.
"Get some rest!"
Reeves raised his hand, intending to pat Richard again, but then thought better of it and lowered it.
The three of them continued chatting as they walked to the lawn area.
The afternoon sun was shining brightly. On the lush green lawn, white tables and chairs were arranged, and a few staff members were setting up the area—fruits, drinks, music, and a barbecue grill.
Reeves' mother, along with Jennifer's parents and brother, were sitting together, chatting, while a few little ones were running around playing.
Today was little Ava's birthday. She was wearing a little white princess dress, holding Jennifer's hand as she toddled around on the grass, laughing as she went.
"Ava, come to Daddy!"
Reeves squatted down, clapping his hands with a smile.
"Daddy~"
The little one clung to Jennifer's leg, turned to look at him, giggled, and then toddled over to him.
"Careful!"
Just as she was about to fall, Reeves laughed heartily and scooped her up.
"Hey, Richard!"
Reeves, holding the little one, grinned proudly.
Richard rolled his eyes and walked over to the little one.
"Ava, look, who am I?"
The little one blinked her big, dark eyes and then said, "Daddy~ Daddy, hug!"
The little one turned around and stretched out her tiny arms.
Richard laughed out loud and took the sweet-smelling little one into his arms.
"."
Reeves' face immediately darkened. "Richard, if your arm is injured, don't overdo it."
"Haha, it's okay. Even if my arm were broken, I'd still have to hug this little angel."
Richard laughed.
"Hmph, Ava, come back to Daddy!"
Reeves grinned, showing a dazzling smile, and leaned in toward Ava.
Ava looked at him, then back at Richard.
"Stop messing around!"
Jennifer pushed Reeves away in annoyance. "Why didn't you rush to hold Ava before Richard got here? Now you're just being silly."
"You two grown men are unbelievable. It's fine to compete for affection, but don't tire Ava out."
Ms. Theron laughed out loud. "That's right, Ava, come to Mommy."
Jennifer took the little one and began guiding her as she practiced walking on the ground.
"She's such a cutie!" Richard laughed.
"Yeah, so how about we call it a tie this time?" Reeves asked, crossing his arms.
Richard glanced at him dismissively, "Who was competing with you?"
"If it wasn't a competition, why were you trying to take Ava from me?"
"I wasn't trying to take her; Ava wanted me to hold her on her own," Richard laughed.
"Hmph!"
Reeves went back to the villa and returned a moment later, carrying a large wrapped box to the lawn.
"Ava, look over here! This is the gift Daddy prepared for you."
"Didn't you say you'd open it later?" Jennifer frowned.
"Ahem, it's all the same."
Reeves scratched his head and started unwrapping the box.
"Keanu, what kind of gift did you prepare?" Ms. Theron asked with a smile.
"Is it a toy?" A few kids and adults gathered around.
"Haha, you'll see in just a moment. Ta-da!" Reeves added sound effects as he revealed the surprise—a delicate little motorcycle, pink, looking like a mini Harley-Davidson, both beautiful and cool, with "Ava" printed on the fuel tank.
"Wow, that's amazing!" The kids' eyes practically lit up at the sight of the mini motorcycle.
"Richard, what do you think?" Reeves asked with a grin.
"It's nice, very pretty!" Richard nodded.
"Haha, I designed this Ava-brand mini motorcycle myself. It's definitely going to be Ava's most favorite gift."
Reeves laughed heartily.
"Not necessarily. Ava's only one year old; how can she ride a motorcycle? By the time she's old enough, this thing will be worn out. I don't know what you were thinking," Richard retorted bluntly.
"Hmph, Ava could be riding a motorcycle by the time she's three or four."
"Is that even possible? Jennifer, would you let Ava ride a motorcycle at three?" Richard asked.
"No way. Riding a motorcycle is too dangerous. Not before she's at least sixteen," Jennifer replied with a smile.
"Fifteen years to go, then."
Richard shrugged, "Sally, could you please bring out my gift?"
"You two are really something," Ms. Theron chuckled, blushing as she pulled out a square-shaped gift box from her bag. She unwrapped it, revealing a beautifully crafted box with engravings of angels and the Virgin Mary.
"Jewelry? Is that okay?" Reeves frowned.
"Don't speak yet. It would've had more impact if opened in the evening, but since you want to see it now, we'll open it now. Ava, press here."
Richard crouched down and pointed to a spot on the box.
Jennifer held little Ava, guiding her tiny finger to press the spot.
Click~ The box opened.
Whoosh~ In the sunlight, the box emitted a dazzling beam of light, like the rainbow glow from a diamond.
Inside was an opal gemstone sphere, about the size of an egg. The crystal-clear stone encapsulated a riot of colors, like a sunset ablaze with fire, with a few bright spots that resembled a starry sky, brilliant and mesmerizing.
Ding ding dong dong~ A melodious piano tune began to play.
The crystal ball slowly rotated, reflecting even more brilliant light in the sunshine.
"Wow, so beautiful!" The kids marveled, blinking in awe.
Ava, seeing the sparkling crystal ball, reached out her little hand to grab it.
"Richard, did that music box cost a lot?" Reeves frowned.
"Not really. You might not believe it, but I personally dug this stone out of an unmined area in Coober Pedy, Australia. You know, I was there filming in August and September. I got lucky, just dug it up with a casual swing."
"Really? Are gemstones that easy to dig up?" Reeves was skeptical.
"I knew you wouldn't believe it. Sally, show him the proof."
Richard said.
Ms. Theron shook her head, pulled out a stack of photos, and handed them to Reeves, "Richard really did dig this out himself, and it wasn't the only one."
Reeves and Jennifer examined the photos. They showed Richard in a tank top and shorts, covered in dust, squatting in a pit with a rock, posing for the camera.
In the next photo, he was in a workshop, under the guidance of staff, using a cutting machine on the rock.
In the following one, the stone had been shaped into a round form, revealing its stunning colors, with Richard crouching beside it, polishing it.
"Alright, you win, you win, okay!" Reeves admitted defeat, completely convinced.
"Richard, you're spoiling Ava too much!" Jennifer laughed.
"Haha, it's what I should do."
As a godfather, his responsibilities were few: preparing gifts or cards for the child's birthdays, congratulating them on academic or professional achievements, attending graduations or award ceremonies, caring about the child's growth, and stepping in to continue raising and educating the child if something happened to the parents. Being a godfather was both an honor and a responsibility.
In fact, he had five other gemstones of different kinds, which he'd already given to Gisele, Sally, and others as gifts. As for the photos, they were to increase the gemstones' value.
"Ahem, Richard, does that stone have any radiation? I've heard glowing things—"
"Keanu, that's too much," Jennifer glared at him.
"I was just saying," Reeves shrugged.
"Haha, Keanu, Richard had you figured out completely."
Ms. Theron tried to hold back her laughter as she pulled out a document from her bag, "This is the test report. The gemstone is absolutely safe, no radiation."
".You! Are! Incredible!" Reeves finally admitted defeat, bowing out gracefully. He wouldn't compete with Richard anymore.
A little while later, the guests had all arrived.
There were two other lead actors from The Matrix, director David Fincher, Sandra Bullock, as well as Johnny Depp, his girlfriend Vanessa Paradis, and their daughter Lily-Rose Depp—about ten people in total.
Once everyone was there, the party began.
Richard, following Keanu, got to know a few more people in the industry.
He wasn't too concerned about the big stars, but when he saw director David Fincher, he remembered that Fincher was working on a new movie, Mank, and thought about Naomi. Maybe he could help her get a part?
—
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