King of Hollywood
Chapter 485 - 206: The New Miracle Girl for Real

Chapter 485: Chapter 206: The New Miracle Girl for Real

Before the Oscar nomination list was announced, the rumors of Cruise and Nicole’s divorce were just rumors, although the cold war between the two was well known, and many people were gloating and waiting to watch the drama, swearing that their divorce was just a matter of time, but no one could be a hundred percent certain. After all, they had once been Hollywood’s model couple — although this title is of the same nature as "closest to an Oscar" — and Nicole had always been seen as just a trophy wife, far less famous than Cruise, her title as Mrs. Cruise was more well-known than her own name, making it hard to say if she would be willing to divorce.

However, by now, rumors had turned into fact, and while many were incredibly disappointed, countless reporters swarmed them like sharks smelling blood, tracking wherever they went, and ready to snap fervently with their cameras, making Adrian very cautious in arranging a meeting with Nicole today. Of course, Cruise also helped a lot, being a star in Hollywood, he garnered much more attention than Nicole.

However, Cruise made the mistake of not being tactful again, feeling impatient after being discovered by reporters on his solo outing, he blurted out without thinking, "I have nothing to do with her anymore, why should I answer these questions!"

The next day, several newspapers published headlines like "Seven Years of Affection, Now All Gone." You know, even if you have many grievances against your partner, the best practice is to maintain silence and composure until the divorce proceedings officially start and before the other party has hurled insults, otherwise you just put yourself in a vulnerable position. Cruise proved this well, and Nicole soon issued a statement, "...Although irreconcilable differences have emerged between us, the past times still linger in my heart, hearing such words, I am truly very disappointed and hurt..."

With Adrian’s direction, she responded so politely and then after packaging, grooming, and media steering, Nicole quickly positioned herself as the aggrieved and weaker party, garnering most of the public’s sympathy, and as a result, Cruise faced a lot of criticism and couldn’t voice his grievances.

Even so, this divorce turmoil wasn’t as intense as Adrian remembered, partly because it happened much earlier, the prenuptial agreement was in favor of Cruise, he didn’t need to rush; secondly, Adrian didn’t advise Nicole to demand too much, better to part amicably and insured that what she lost now, she would regain from him.

However, Nicole still fought with Cruise over the division of assets, as a woman like her wouldn’t rely entirely on Adrian, especially since he was so "notoriously bad," she needed to fight for her interests herself. Besides, Adrian wouldn’t agree with her being too generous by letting everything go as it seemed too contrived and could arouse suspicion, better to keep a low profile in such matters.

So, although this divorce scandal wasn’t as stormy as Adrian remembered, it would attract attention for a long time.

"So, I definitely have to agree?" Nicole picked up the script, flipped through it, and then threw it back on the coffee table in front of her.

"I really hope you will agree, Nicole," Adrian said earnestly, "I’ll strive to complete this low-budget movie in two months and then take it to Cannes. You can fully utilize this supporting role to showcase the acting skills you’ve kept hidden, and also warm up for the next movie I’ve arranged for you, where you can perform even more perfectly."

"Wait," Nicole suddenly raised an eyebrow, "which role do you want me to play? Betty? Or Diane?"

"Didn’t I say?" Adrian asked, recalling.

"One minute Betty is Diane, the next Rita is Betty, how am I supposed to know who you are actually talking about?" Nicole snorted lightly.

"Alright, Rita first, then Betty, the woman with the black hair," Adrian simply said.

Nicole responded with a non-committal "Oh," but her eyes looked elsewhere, then after a pause, she said, "I don’t look good with black hair."

"Then dye it dark brown," Adrian quickly suggested, and silently chuckled to himself, thinking how different she was acting now compared to her earlier coyness and refusal. Of course, Adrian could see through her thoughts, but if she thought this would get her out of his control, she was being too naive.

"Listen to me, Nicole," Adrian got up, sat on the couch where she was lying and cradled her legs in his arms, after a brief struggle from her, she stopped moving, "Both roles are almost equal in screen time and both are very demanding in terms of acting, there’s no better or worse between them, if you are not satisfied, you can outperform her during the shooting."

Nicole coughed dryly right away, shooting Adrian a somewhat displeased look. Yet, she also seemed helpless. Adrian was always direct in these situations, leaving her no room to retort.

Luckily, he didn’t dwell too much on the topic and continued, "Moreover, the script was completed because the experiences of the chosen actress inspired me. The role was tailored for her, just like the role in the script I arranged for you was tailored for you. So, don’t worry too much. I believe you’ll do very well, whether in this role or the next."

"Are you sure?" Nicole felt a bit dazed when she heard the words "tailored for you."

"Of course, that’s what I said," Adrian replied with a lift of his chin in an unrivaled tone.

"Alright, then let’s agree on that," Nicole said after sighing, and then slightly annoyed, she asked, "How long do you plan to keep touching?"

"As long as I feel like it," Adrian chuckled, and after pulling Nicole’s legs into his lap, his hands were no longer just roaming over her even legs. Her all-black attire, from the velvet dress to the belt to the stockings, added a mysterious beauty and allure.

"Ed..." Nicole straightened up, wanting to say something, but in the end, she merely called out his name softly.

"What’s wrong?" Adrian asked, while his right hand gently grabbed her right foot and began to knead it. His fingers occasionally tickled the sole of her foot, sending a warm and tingling sensation through Nicole, causing her body to nearly collapse on the sofa.

"Nothing," she finally said after a while, turning her head to look out the window, "It’s just... a bit blurry outside."

Despite her vague words, Adrian grasped her meaning—nothing significant, just a bit of regret. It was normal. Though there were many reasons she had married Cruise, after so many years, feelings remained. Anyone who wasn’t heartless would inevitably feel some reluctance and a desire to hold on when parting. After all, she knew she couldn’t control Adrian.

Of course, she wouldn’t know that even if Adrian hadn’t intervened, she and Cruise would still be getting a divorce in two years. Some cracks couldn’t be mended, and the spectacle would be far greater than it was now.

Naturally, Adrian wouldn’t let her dwell on the memories, so he timely changed the subject, "Speaking of which, the lead actress is someone you know."

"I know her?" Nicole’s head snapped back, and she slightly furrowed her brow.

"Yes, Naomi Watts," Adrian nodded, "N-a-o-m-i, Naomi, W-a-t-t-s, Watts."

"Naomi Watts?" Nicole appeared reflective, but didn’t speak again for a long time.

"She said she attended the same drama school as you in Australia," Adrian reminded her.

"Ah... Yes! I remember now, Naomi Watts, with her beautiful blonde hair and grey-green eyes, very beautiful. She even attended the bachelorette party I had before my wedding!" Nicole exclaimed excitedly, but then fell silent again, seemingly recalling something else.

Adrian raised his eyebrows in surprise, not expecting them to have such a relationship. No wonder the media had always claimed they were best friends. But if that was the case, why did Naomi end up in such a state? Even if Nicole’s fame hadn’t reached its peak a few years later, she was still an A-list celebrity. Helping should not have been a difficult task, right?

However, he soon chuckled to himself, realizing from the fact that Nicole had to rely on his hints to recall their relationship that the two women were not as close as he remembered. As for the future, well, that was only too normal since they knew each other, were classmates, and shared a decent camaraderie, all being Australians—it was only expected they support each other.

"How is she now?" Nicole quickly recuperated and asked, "You mentioned earlier that this script was based on her experiences?"

"Exactly, she’s rather sharp," Adrian praised silently, then nodded, "Yes, I could only say it’s not too bad."

"Is that so?" Nicole squinted thoughtfully, then suddenly withdrew her legs from his lap and stood up, speaking in a chilly tone, "Alright, I understand. Let’s leave it at that."

How... interesting. Adrian raised an eyebrow; it seemed the first plan was not viable, so he would resort to plan B.

He stood up as well, "Very well, then I shall take my leave."

As he spoke, he turned Nicole around before asking, "May I show my appreciation before I go?"

"I think that’s not necessary..." Nicole hadn’t finished her sentence when he embraced her, covering her lips with his, and she whimpered a few times before she complied.

"How tempting," Adrian remarked after savoring her lips, then walked away under her resentful gaze.

News that the Miracle Director had started a new movie spread across Hollywood within hours, mainly because the exterior scenes were being shot right in Hollywood.

First, a tourist noticed that a crew was filming outside a café, which was nothing unusual here in Hollywood. While the actors were not very famous, someone quickly recognized the director, prompting a call that brought reporters to the scene. Although they were soon barred from entering, it confirmed that Adrian was indeed directing the film.

"His energy is really something. If I remember correctly, he made three movies last year, and none have been released yet. Has the Miracle Director fallen in love with production to the extent of not planning to release them? Or just making them for his viewing pleasure? Or does he plan to release all four movies at once? If that’s the case, movie fans will surely be confused. Once the movies of Miracle Director get released, which one should they watch first? Might as well watch all in one go, and then perhaps never want to watch any again," a reporter wrote sarcastically.

No wonder there are such reactions. As the journalist described, he had indeed made three films last year, none released so far, and yet he was beginning a new film. This was completely uncharacteristic of him, although the sci-fi film named "The Matrix" had already started its marketing. What exactly was he thinking? That was something many who researched him wanted to know.

Actors wanted to know how to get acquainted with the Miracle Director, as he always preferred to select his actors, with only minor roles going through auditions; budding directors wondered how to get investments from him, as he always liked supporting new directors; and investors wanted a share of the spoils from his films—though he was not opposed to sharing, he did keep a lot of the best to himself.

What about the people around Adrian?

"Just remember to check in on the company’s matters," was Claude’s response upon learning of his plans to start a new film. He had become immune to his antics.

As for the women, they basically just shrugged and spread their hands, even after finding out who the two main female leads were, as they had gotten used to it.

Only Sophie complained about Adrian not being able to go to France during the Christmas-New Year holiday—he used to visit Paris at least once a week—and became more hesitant about whether to buy property in Los Angeles.

"Very good, that’s the feel we need, let’s do this again." In front of the bustling street, Adrian clapped his hands loudly and then gave Naomi a thumbs up.

"Mulholland Drive" didn’t have many filming techniques, and the camera framing was quite standard. What made it sought after was mostly the eerie atmosphere and the various hints, which would require a lot of work during editing. As long as the actors could convey their characters’ emotions, the filming would be quite fast.

The scene being shot was of Naomi playing Betty/Diane leaving the airport, finally arriving in Los Angeles and taking a huge step towards her dreams with a radiant smile on her face, and everything was beautiful.

For Naomi, mastering this emotion was not difficult at all; all she needed was to remember how she first came to Los Angeles, so these shots usually took no more than four takes.

"Well done, Nami!" After nailing the shot with the aunt and uncle in one take, Adrian couldn’t help but praise aloud.

"How about it, do you need a break?" he then asked Naomi loudly.

"No, I’m fine," Naomi replied, sweeping a strand of hair behind her ear and taking a deep breath. She had cut her hair short, wore a somewhat vintage red silk jacket on top, black capris below, and low-heeled leather shoes of the same color, which made her look somewhat plain, but undeniably charming.

"You might be able to keep going, but they can’t," Adrian humorously pointed at the surrounding crew, "Let’s take a short break and then try to nail the last four shots in one go."

After giving a few instructions to the assistant director and discussing the upcoming scenes with the assistant director, Adrian approached Naomi, who was sitting and drinking water. "How do you feel?"

"Great, couldn’t be better," Naomi pursed her lips and said, her gaze slowly sweeping around, lowering her voice to the minimum, "I’ve dreamt of this scene more than once, standing in the middle of the set, people buzzing around me, everything serving my purpose... Every time I dreamed about it, I could only wryly smile. I didn’t know if I could ever realize this dream... until today..."

Her voice trembled slightly with excitement; Adrian immediately put his hands on her shoulders, "This is just the beginning, Nami, believe me, your path ahead will be much broader."

"I believe," she lifted her head and smiled at Adrian, "I believe you, Ed."

Although it was an airport scene, it didn’t mean they had to shoot at an airport, which, even if it was not years later, would be too troublesome to apply for just for a shot. So they just set up an entrance in the studio and shot some street scenes outside, and later cutting them together would suffice. Right now, they were about to shoot the scene where Betty/Diane leaves the airport and hails a taxi, and with people coming and going on the street, inevitably some would blend in. Even though they couldn’t take pictures, their eyes could see and their pens could write, so the next day the headline "The New Miracle Girl Officially Debuts" was promptly published.

Compared to Zetajones, Naomi undoubtedly fit the bill better, taking the lead role in a movie directed by the Miracle Director and being closely associated with him. Reporters hiding in the crowd couldn’t take pictures, but their descriptions were as exaggerated as possible, portraying normal conversations between them as intimate, especially since Adrian had his hands on her shoulders.

"Undoubtedly, another lucky one has won the favor of the Miracle Director, especially Miss Naomi, who, despite several years of acting experience, has never played any notable or impressive roles. She doesn’t seem to have anything special, except being very pretty. How did Adrian discover her? Although he has proven his foresight with many facts, one can’t help but wonder here if such a girl can truly shoulder the heavy responsibility of being his movie’s leading lady?" wrote one newspaper. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote and recommend at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)