King of Hollywood-Chapter 582 - 303 There Are No Angels Here

Time always flew by so quickly, the seven days blinked away, and as the vast majority of Americans began to enjoy another weekend, Natalie found herself once again sitting in Adrian’s study. She had no other choice, she had wracked her brains for days, her classes always in a daze, dark circles forming under her eyes from lack of sleep, exuding an aura of exhaustion at all times. Her two dormitory roommates had more than once suggested she see a doctor.

She could think of no solution; the gap between the two of them was too wide. If Adrian were to go after her with everything he had, she would be powerless to fight back. Indeed, Natalie hadn’t dismissed the possibility, but given Adrian’s demonstrated character, it seemed highly unlikely that it would come to that. Even so, she waited very patiently for the right moment to lay her cards on the table.

If all went according to plan, she could do just that after attending the Oscar ceremony, as the Star Wars prequel had been completed and was only waiting to be released, effectively eliminating any possibility that Lucas would replace her in future shoots. The only uncertainty was how well it would be received after its release, but it certainly wouldn’t be so bad; after all, this was a Star Wars series.

Yet, Natalie still postponed the decision because she could not be sure of Adrian’s thoughts, until she overheard the Sisterhood members talking on the Harvard campus, and even Maimie half-jokingly asked her if she had been dating the Miracle Director. She then felt compelled to take action. If she delayed any longer, her name might get as closely associated with Adrian as Julia’s and Monica’s had, and that was exactly what she was trying to avoid—the very reason she wanted to leave him. Little did she expect that his response would completely exceed her expectations, causing her to plummet into The Abyss.

"I like standing here, admiring the view outside, especially at night. The scattered city lights give a spectacular feeling." Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, Adrian gazed at the city whose sun had just set, leaving only the twilight, and said with a sigh. Then, turning back to Natalie, he smiled, "Sorry, I’m just feeling a bit sentimental."

Natalie sat there without saying a word, her face expressionless, but the turmoil in her heart certainly hadn’t diminished. Seeing Adrian’s smile made it especially so—that kind of warm smile she had seen countless times, yet never before had it made her feel so estranged, even compared to Adrian a week ago, who had shown no expression at all.

"First, I owe you an apology, Nata," Adrian said after sitting back at his desk, his tone sincere, "What I said last week was a bit too much. Regardless, we had a very good and pleasant time together. I still remember your adorable look when we celebrated your birthday on The Professional film set; and your innocent expression when we rode together during the making of Fly Away Home in Canada. I shouldn’t have factored those simple plans into your... calculations. That was my mistake, so..."

He leaned forward, looking at Natalie very earnestly, "I apologize to you, Nata. Can you forgive me?"

Natalie couldn’t help but bite her lip; the more he was like this, the more afraid she became. She had no idea what he was thinking, and that inscrutable feeling was even more oppressive than the pressure he’d given her the week before.

"I can." She nearly squeezed the words out of her throat.

"That’s great," Adrian clapped his hands joyfully, "We’ve resolved one issue, so let’s move on to the next—let’s make a trade, Nata. Stay by my side, and I can put you at the pinnacle of this circle!"

His tone was easygoing, his smile unwavering as if the topic was no big deal, and he continued speaking without waiting for her to respond, "I know what you want, and I can give it all to you. There are many unique ways to do it, and nobody is perfect. People will always find your flaws and magnify them, so creating an image of talented and likable individual with high commercial value yet understated is nearly impossible."

"There must be a choice, and I believe you would definitely think that business value can be temporarily abandoned, but that is precisely the worst decision. A closer analysis will make it clear that at least half of everything is built on business value, with the other half closely related to it. Perhaps for a long time, you could rely on the Star Wars prequel trilogy to showcase your commercial value, but what about after that? You should understand that producers are more mercenary than anyone else.

Even independent films can’t escape this rule, and after the ups and downs, having to rely on independent films to fight for a chance to return to the forefront of the stage is a very distant prospect.

With me, it’s different. I can keep all the unfavorable aspects within a certain range, such as the relationship between you and me. Let the media guess and throw them some gossip to chase from time to time, to divert their attention. There might be unexpected situations, but they are much better than the ones I mentioned before.

I understand you, Natalie, you’re not someone who likes to be manipulated—don’t be in a hurry to deny it—you respect your father but never liked him interfering in your career. He’s sometimes too conservative, even stepping beyond the boundaries of a father and daughter, causing you to miss out on many great films.

Moreover, you have a proud heart. You want to be the finest actor and stand at the peak to receive the heartfelt cheers of people. That’s why you looked down upon the members of the Sisterhood at Harvard—please forgive my prying. It’s normal for you to look down on them. Although there are some outstanding individuals among them, the vast majority are shortsighted mediocrities completely dependent on their families. I understand because I was once one of them.

But, I think you also understand that reality isn’t always what you want it to be. Even I have things I can’t get, like you. So I think we can strike a deal. I understand your potential better than anyone else, and I am clearer about your determination than anyone else. I can give you whatever you want. I don’t need to prove myself; the achievements I’ve gained over the past few years say it all.

I really like you, Natalie, and I have feelings for you, which is why I got so worked up when I laid it all out in front of you a week ago. Although I’ve adjusted now, some words can’t be taken back. So, I was thinking maybe I could keep you by my side this way. Of course, you can refuse. The decision is in your hands."

Adrian spoke expansively, smiling the whole time as if he was talking about something very ordinary, completely at odds with the words that went straight to Natalie’s heart. It was only when he mentioned the last sentence that a sharp look flashed in his eyes, clearly indicating that if Natalie made a choice contrary to his wishes...

"Now, please tell me, dear Natalie, do you accept, or do you refuse?" He spread his hands, his tone sincere, but he no longer hid that air of superiority.

Natalie, sitting at the desk, flushed and turned pale, struggling to control her emotions. The more Adrian spoke, the more restless she felt, not knowing if it was due to the conflict or something else.

Adrian said no more, just quietly sitting there waiting. After a long while, with her face cupped in her hands, Natalie took a deep breath, raised her head, and looked straight into the eyes of the man before her: "I accept."

--------------------

After two snaps, the lights in the room turned on, immediately dispelling the darkness that had filled the room. It was then that Adrian, who had been sitting behind the desk, stood up and stretched comfortably. After Natalie left—of course, she had to leave, even though she had agreed to Adrian’s terms, but she needed time to adjust her mindset—he sat in the high-backed chair, one hand propping his chin and the other tapping restlessly on the armrest, until the sky outside had entirely darkened.

Opening the liquor cabinet, Adrian poured himself a glass of whiskey and took a delicate sip, then nodded appreciatively. Indeed, whiskey without ice tasted more mellow.

"Truly a woman of reality," he sighed softly. Although he said so much and even ended with veiled threats, if Natalie were truly unyielding, he would still choose to let go—in fact, if she simply begged and cried, he would likewise let go. There was no need to keep such a woman by his side; he wasn’t lacking in women. Yet, in the end, she made the very decision he both most longed and disliked to see.

"Matilda is Matilda; Natalie is Natalie. I never thought I’d make such a mistake," Adrian said to himself as he stood by the floor-to-ceiling window with his glass.

"Still, it’s not too late to correct it, and after all, it’s better to make small mistakes than none at all." His mood lightened, he finished the whiskey in his glass in one gulp, then looked outwards. From here, he could clearly see the beloved city lights of Beverly Hills, luxuriously brilliant against the night sky, irresistibly provoking praises.

Those words that Claude had first persuaded him with, to join him in business, echoed again in Adrian’s mind, and he sighed lightly. Then, various pieces of information about Natalie—of this life and the previous life—once again swiftly emerged and flickered through the depths of his memory.

"No Angela...," he raised his glass, gently swirling it as he murmured, "in here."

He walked back to the liquor cabinet and poured himself another whiskey: "You will like the life I’ve arranged for you, Nata."

A smile, inscrutable and profound, surfaced at the corner of his mouth.

"I promise."

-------------------

The storm had thus passed, seeming no more than a minor episode, one that no one besides the two individuals involved would know the truth of. Even Charlize only knew that some conflict had occurred between Adrian and Natalie, and that after a week of cool-off, they had reconciled. She was of course aware this wasn’t the whole story, but both Adrian and Natalie clearly wanted to handle the matter discretely, so she wouldn’t pry.

Most things continued as they should, except the shooting in New Zealand was slightly affected. This month, in addition to attending the MTV awards ceremony, Adrian had also visited London to check on the Harry Potter situation.

The months-long casting process that captivated countless people and the media concluded around mid-August, and soon after, at the end of the month, the United Kingdom government amended the Child Labor Law, thus scheduling the start of the production. It is worth mentioning that the adult actors remained largely unchanged, such as Richard Harris and Alan Rickman, but all of the child actors, apart from Hermione who was cast early on, were unfamiliar to Adrian.

From Harry to Ron, from Draco to Neville, all were newcomers. The boy playing Harry was Eric Rice, from a middle-class family in the London suburbs, with a father who had worked as a script supervisor and photographer and now was an assistant director, and a mother who was an actress. With brown hair and gray-green eyes, although not quite the description Rowling wrote in her books, he was very cute, and it was for this reason Columbus had chosen him for Harry.

As for the boy cast as Ron, George Sanders from Liverpool, he hadn’t sent any sort of dancing or dressing up tapes to the production team. Columbus had noticed him because of his uncommon red hair, which fit Rowling’s description well, and although he seemed somewhat daft on a regular day, he became clever in front of the camera, thus earning the role of Ron.

The child actors for Draco and Neville need not be detailed here. In any case, this round of casting fully demonstrated the unpredictability of chance, similar to the last year’s World Cup. If Adrian hadn’t intervened, Emma would have had almost a 99% chance of not playing Hermione. In the end, does it really matter? No one is irreplaceable, right? Besides, the girl chosen to play Ginny was very cute and pretty, and likely wouldn’t become matronly in a few years’ time.

The production power was delegated to the producers, directors, and Rowling; Adrian’s trip to London was just to check on things and to see Emma, and then to take Keira to Los Angeles. Bossworth was currently collaborating with a female director on a romantic comedy, that included a teenage daughter role. Adrian had initially thought of recommending Scarlett for it, but then he pondered that he had many opportunities prepared for Scarlett, so he decided to give the chance to someone else, thus settling on Keira.

In short, that’s what early September looked like, with much traveling across half the Earth. Shooting for The Lord of the Rings naturally slowed down. There should have been at least a week of peace for production, but then the incident with Natalie occurred, and with his mind elsewhere, Adrian let several days go to waste.

After he adjusted himself and dealt with Natalie, another important matter presented itself before him, which meant that New Zealand was still set aside.

"If it really doesn’t work out, I’ll let Peter give it a try. I need at least a week before I can return... I know, but the matters here are very important... Alright, that’s it then," Adrian said as he hung up his phone and exhaled deeply.

Although Jackson had a deep understanding of the script and Adrian’s shooting mostly followed the original, their styles still differed greatly, and Adrian’s storyboards were complex, only capturing essential footage. Thus, Jackson could handle some large scenes, but many specific details still required Adrian’s personal direction.

But there were no better solutions at the moment. Although shooting was efficient, the $350 million budget was being spent just as swiftly, with many on the crew joking that the funds were wasted in Adrian’s global travels. So, in order to move up the wrap date, letting Jackson have a go was feasible.

However, while the situation there might be temporarily resolved, the matter here was not so easily settled.

"Hi, my dear, how’s it going?" Adrian asked with a smile as he hurried into the delivery room, but in return, he received the synchronized grunts of both Monica and Sophie, sitting with legs apart on two beds.

(To be continued. If you like this book, you are welcome to cast your vote for recommendation tickets or monthly tickets at Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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