King of Hollywood
Chapter 503 - 224: Returning to Cannes

Chapter 503: Chapter 224: Returning to Cannes

After Vincent Price or Martin Modimmer had left, Adrian picked up the documents he hadn’t closely examined before and gently whistled. It must be said, Anthony Pellicano being known as the "Eye of Hollywood" in his former life, having many celebrity clients, and stirring up such major storms, indeed demonstrated his skills. Had Adrian not been watching him from the start, it might have only taken a few more days for the investigations to point towards him. Similarly, if Martin hadn’t cunningly taken up the role, this man would have likely retreated much earlier.

Adrian wasn’t actually worried that Pellicano would come to extort or blackmail him; although the old man was a bastard, he was also a cunning fox and well aware of who the real power players were. He wouldn’t rashly offend such figures. Apart from that, considering the abundant homeless and alcoholic truck drivers in this country, those power players could cause him unspeakable misery using merely the law, even if this particular power player was still quite young.

However, Adrian didn’t like to relinquish control to others, which is why he had Martin, whom he had persuaded to join, take charge as a test.

Of course, he wouldn’t underestimate Pellicano. It’s said that even when a lion hunts a rabbit, it uses all its strength. Adrian’s prosperous career and status were indeed aided by a foresight and assistance from Claude, but they were also inseparable from his rational character. Pellicano’s methods may be sordid, but if one were to really get entangled with him, there would inevitably be some trouble. Hence, it was necessary for Adrian to show his own strength first and then show some goodwill.

The results were very much to his liking; Pellicano had obediently backed down, and Martin’s abilities had also earned his approval, allowing the intelligence collection tasks to be confidently assigned to him. However, Adrian wasn’t about to trust Martin fully just yet. He was after all just responsible for overseeing, and with Regret watching over everything for him, there was no need to worry; time would prove everything.

"How will you thank me, Nicole?" At this moment, Adrian sighed and then pressed the communication button on the desk, "Come in, Charli."

Soon, Charli appeared at the door, her neat office lady attire made her as stunningly attractive as ever.

"Handle this, pick out the useful parts and give them to Reiner, the head of the publicity department, informally, of course." Adrian handed over the documents he was holding.

Charli took them and glanced at them, then lifted her head and gave Adrian a scrutinizing look with a grin that was both sarcastic and mocking, "It seems another woman is about to fall completely into your hands."

"Hey, Charli, what are you saying? Am I some kind of Great Demon King?" Adrian asked in a feigned displeasure.

"Are you not? Whenever you see a woman you like, you find a way to approach her, please her, bind her with what she desires the most, and eventually keep her in the palm of your hand to play with as you wish ..." Charli was saying this and suddenly thought of something, her tone became even more mocking, "just like admiring your own collection."

"I’m not sure, are you talking about a strategy guide for a video game?" Adrian laughed heartily and stood up, walking over to Charli and wrapping his arms around her waist, "My most beautiful collection?"

He looked down at her from his higher stance, not only pinching her chin gently but also letting the hand on her waist slide down to knead her round, perky buttocks. Then, leaning to her ear, he whispered suggestively, "How about we finish what we started before Martin came in?"

"Don’t even think about it!" Charlize unapologetically slapped his hand away and rolled her eyes before turning to leave, "Even if it’s just a collection, I have the right to refuse, otherwise, you should take her down from the shelf yourself."

"Ha, that’s really disappointing." Adrian sighed heavily and followed her to the door before suddenly slapping her buttocks hard. Charlize turned around and glared at him, then slammed the door, making a loud noise.

Adrian chuckled lightly, unbothered. If it weren’t like this, it wouldn’t be Charlize— not the former Oscar actress, but his personal South African Beauty Diamond—their relationship was just that interesting and delicate. Although all his women had their differences, Charlize was undoubtedly the most striking one.

Well, let’s not talk about that for now. Since Adrian had anticipated Cruise’s actions and smoothly handled Pellicano through some maneuvers, it was naturally time to deepen the impact and make sure the bitter pill was thoroughly swallowed. After all, it was destined for Cruise to take this fall, so there was no need to feel guilty. If he has already learned how to position himself, Adrian could just discreetly give him a hand in the future.

You see, I’m actually a kind person, Adrian thought with self-satisfied, shameless pleasure.

Speaking of which, were it not for being cornered, Cruise probably wouldn’t have sought the help of that old Italian man. Nicole was not an easy opponent, especially with Adrian’s support, public opinion, as in the former life, overwhelmingly sided with Nicole, and Cruise’s affair wasn’t detailed with clarity.

Salma Hayek, that was the scandalous partner Adrian had chosen for Cruise. This wasn’t a random decision; in fact, based on the intelligence collected, Salma, a sexy woman full of Latin charm, indeed had an affair with him. So, who else to choose? Of course, the evidence of Salma causing the divorce as a third party wasn’t sufficient, but why would journalists, or those rumor-mongering paparazzi bother with this? As for the public, they crave celebrity scandals, truthfulness doesn’t concern them.

More importantly, although this divorce controversy caused quite a stir, it had not reached the extent of their former life. So, with a little effort, it was possible to manipulate public opinion to solidify this narrative. As for Salma Hayek, how could she deny her association with Cruise when offered the chance of such publicity? Her statements were ambiguous—speaking volumes without conveying any clear stance, a skill politicians master.

Thus, Cruise was in deep trouble, and now that Pellicano could no longer serve him, the eventual outcome was crystal clear. Hence, a few days later, Adrian flew to France very calmly on his luxurious private jet.

As May arrived, Cannes, this seaside town in Southern France, once again captured the attention of filmmakers and enthusiasts around the world. While Europe’s three major film festivals somewhat indulged in self-entertainment, they were still more open compared to the Oscars. As long as one had confidence in their film, they could apply to participate. Whether they secured a spot was more a matter of luck.

However, the organizers were also aware of this and continuously sought innovation. It wouldn’t do for such a historic film festival to decline on their watch. Whether the proud French would accept these changes, however, was another matter.

This time, the Cannes Film Festival jury included two Americans, one being the Italian-American Martin Scorsese, and the other, Dennis Knight’s ex-girlfriend, Winona Ryder. Because of this, Dennis, who had planned to come to Cannes to unwind, changed his itinerary. With the fire in his backyard not yet extinguished, reigniting it could lead to bigger troubles.

But neither Martin Scorsese nor Winona Ryder were the Americans who attracted the most media attention at the festival. The one who caught their focus was Adrian Cowell, who six years ago had set a record as the youngest Palme d’Or winner with "Pulp Fiction," surpassing Steven Soderbergh.

The world always experiences unbelievable changes. Six years ago, Adrian was just a young director known for his low-budget films and a tiny movie company, with a nickname of ’prodigy.’ Six years later, not only had he become a media mogul in the United States, chairing a large conglomerate with various TV stations, movie companies, record companies, and gaming companies, but he had also become one of the few top directors, replacing ’prodigy’ with ’miracle director,’ and no longer just with an accurate eye for talent.

He had returned once again with his new work to attend the Cannes Film Festival, and how could the European journalists possibly let him go unnoticed?

"Mr. Adrian, why did you bring your latest production to compete rather than the two you produced last year?"

"Mr. Adrian, are you hoping to win another Palme d’Or by returning to Cannes?"

"Mr. Adrian, how do you rate your entry in the competition? What’s your opinion on both of the leading actresses, Nicole Kidman and ... Naomi Watts?"

As the car door opened and a man in a suit and sunglasses stepped out, a flurry of clicks and varied accented questions immediately filled the air. Crowds thronged outside the hotel, each person armed with long and short camera lenses, desperately pushing forward. The reporters nearly had the place blockaded, which spoke volumes of the attention Adrian garnered.

Adrian did not speak; he simply smiled and, guarded by bodyguards and hotel waiters, walked into the hotel lobby. The reporters, disheartened, immediately turned their cameras toward two women alighting from the cars behind. They didn’t recognize Naomi, but Nicole was identifiable, so the press surged forward again hoping to continue their questions. Unfortunately, the two women also smiled without responding, leaving the reporters with nothing but numerous photographs.

But how could this possibly challenge these crownless kings? The next day, newspapers across Europe published various articles.

"Miracle Director has come to Cannes once again after a hiatus of 6 years. We should welcome him, as his movies have become increasingly commercial over the years, losing the initial groundbreaking effect. He must be troubled by this, so he has brought his latest work here, hoping to rediscover what he’s looking for far from Hollywood. We all look forward to him creating better, more thought-provoking cinema," reported Liberation with the typical French arrogance and self-righteousness.

The French, having invented cinema and sparked the New Wave, see themselves as a cut above, their sense of superiority clear even when they humbly compliment you. When critiquing films, if it doesn’t match their views, they don’t hesitate to be harsh, even though Hollywood largely dominates the global film market.

However, Adrian is also a media darling in the United States, a titan whose name is recognized throughout Hollywood who had even grabbed a Palme d’Or few years back. Thus, articles like the one above not only praised Adrian but also glorified themselves.

Still, not everyone was both sycophantic and sarcastic. A piece in the World Newspaper read: "I’m not optimistic about his new film. According to the synopsis, it’s a mystery-thriller set in Hollywood. While we can say that it’s incidents like these happening around us that inspire, why limit it to Hollywood? His earlier works, at least till ’95, were creative flights of fancy. Why not now? Simply because he’s already made his name in Hollywood, he no longer needs to invest as much energy and passion. Otherwise, how could there be films like Braveheart, historically inaccurate and laughable?"

Clearly, the author was discontented—discontented about what? What else but having Sophie Marceau spirited away? Despite her lack of significant awards, she’s a goddess dearly adored by French men, yet Adrian lured her to Hollywood with Braveheart—how could they be pleased?

"Adrian Cowell has once again attended the Cannes Film Festival. The memory of Monica Bellucci’s sensual dance in ’Pulp Fiction’ six years ago is still vivid. Yet, times change; his muse has now been replaced by someone else, but whether it’s Ms. Naomi Watts or Ms. Nicole Kidman remains unclear."

"Yesterday, the Miracle Director checked into the Mookais Hotel in Cannes along with the two leading ladies of his new film, Naomi Watts and Nicole Kidman, who is currently divorcing Tom Cruise," someone had spotted them dining intimately with the two women in the hotel restaurant later that evening."

One report came from Italy’s Corriere della Sera and the other from The Sun in the United Kingdom. Although the content was roughly similar, the difference in tone was clear. Italy, deservedly named alongside France as a ’country of romance,’ described the scene in a manner that was not only suggestive but also left much to the imagination. In contrast, the British tabloid’s approach was blunt, aiming solely to gossip; they focus on attracting readers with sensational headlines and straightforward content, knowing that their gossip-loving readership doesn’t care about the Muse as long as they are told about a married woman, in the midst of a divorce, merrily cavorting with a well-known playboy—they would surely spend their money.

"It’s baffling," remarked a columnist in The Times, "according to Adrian’s track record, out of the two films he was producing last year, at least one should have been completed. So, why didn’t he use one of those films for the Cannes Film Festival, and instead opted for his latest work, which was only recently completed? Does Adrian think people aren’t ready yet to appreciate films based on Shakespeare or Elizabeth I?" This reflected significant resentment.

This was indicative of the prevailing sentiment among most British critics, who were very unhappy. Once the news broke that Adrian was bringing a new work to the Cannes Film Festival, many presumed it would be one of the three unreleased films he produced last year. Cannes has a rule that the films competing must premiere at the festival.

The film currently being promoted, The Matrix, is obviously a commercial project with a substantial budget; such a film would not premiere at a festival. Thus, it had to be one of the later productions. Adrian’s rapid filmmaking pace is well acknowledged, so even if he couldn’t finish all at once, completing one would not have been a problem. However, to everyone’s surprise, the film he brought to Cannes starred the then relatively unknown Naomi Watts and Nicole Kidman, who was in the midst of a divorce!

This infuriated the Brits—tremendously so. Just last year, they touted Adrian as a British director, but here he was at Cannes not with a well-crafted British-style film, but with a super-low-budget film rumored to be financed with just a few hundred thousand US Dollars—a blatant slap in their face—even if they had been metaphorically slapped many times before during early claims.

As for the American media, they briefly mentioned it, then the tabloids rehashed the gossip about Adrian with Nicole and Naomi but had no further reports. Americans weren’t interested in the Cannes Film Festival, not even the Miracle Director could change that.

Despite the media frenzy and the endless stream of news, as the protagonist of the event, Adrian had stayed in, adjusting to the time difference and discussing the film’s release with the local team, among other things...

The waiter rang the doorbell, and soon the door opened. A fairly petite, attractive blonde woman of about 5 feet 4 inches (165 cm) appeared at the door. She glanced at the several waiters and the trolleys they were pushing, smiled, and nodded, allowing them to pass.

After the trolleys were pushed into the room, though there was a tall man and a tall woman conversing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, the waiters, as if not seeing them, went straight to the table and began setting up the food. The food was swiftly and skillfully arranged, and had it been evening, candles would have been lit.

"Should it be separated, Mr. Adrian?" the head waiter asked in French, bowing slightly after finishing the setup, "Or separate it now?"

"Cut it, but do not separate it. No need for anyone to stay; we’ll manage," responded the man.

The team leader nodded, quickly giving directions for the cutting process. After that was taken care of, they brought over the Bordeaux of ’52 for the man to inspect. Following his approval, the waiters made their exit in single file.

"Please, have a seat, ladies," Adrian said with a smile, gesturing invitingly to the two beautiful women after closing the door. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel welcome to vote for it on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)