The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 240: A Lie Becomes Truth

Just as Clark and Hannah had predicted, the black BMW ahead of them followed Interstate 5 to the northern edge of Burbank, then turned onto the same tree-lined road that led to Matthew's house.

Is Keira moving in with Matthew? The thought struck both Clark and Hannah at nearly the same instant. They're officially moving in together!

To their surprise, the black BMW pulled into a secluded spot and swerved sharply to the side of the road.

"Hurry!" Hannah urged, sensing something was about to happen. "Clark, get past him! Those two must not have been able to control themselves. They might be... right there in the car."

Hannah didn't need to tell him twice. Clark accelerated past them while Hannah, ignoring the danger, scrambled out of the car's sunroof. She aimed her camera at the BMW behind them, firing off a continuous burst of shots that perfectly captured the front windshield, where a man and a woman were locked in a passionate kiss.

Presumably having spotted them, the couple suddenly stopped, restarted the car, and continued on their way.

"Well?" Clark asked anxiously. "Did you get the shot?"

Hannah replied with a thrill in her voice, "Of course! Too bad they didn't have sex in the car. That would have been amazing!"

Clark exclaimed, "Not bad. Let's keep following them."

In the black BMW, Matthew sped up slightly to overtake the car that clearly belonged to the paparazzi. He glanced at Keira in the passenger seat. "That was sweet."Keira pouted. "I'm wearing the same lipstick as always."

Ever since their first public kiss at the premiere of Finding Nemo, putting on a show of affection had become routine for them. She had grown used to it, and by now, passionate kisses with Matthew were no longer anything special.

"It doesn't look like there are many paparazzi following us." She glanced back and saw only one car.

Matthew replied, "I specifically chose a time when they'd be heading to dinner."

Keira frowned. "Why?"

"Don't worry," Matthew said, focusing on his driving. "There are probably plenty of reporters waiting near the house."

He understood Keira's thinking: if they were going to go through with this cohabitation stunt as planned, they had to make a big spectacle of it. Otherwise, what was the point?

As the car approached his house, Keira saw the hordes of reporters and paparazzi and realized the studio and the agency had been planning this all along.

All these reporters were here to witness them moving in together.

Matthew parked the car, and Keira got out right after him. She grabbed her bag, took Matthew's hand, and walked toward the iron gates.

Camera flashes erupted from both sides as reporters instantly swarmed them.

Clark had already parked his car and rushed over, using his agility to weave through the crowd and get close to them in seconds. "Keira," he shouted, "you've brought all your luggage from the hotel. Are you planning to move in with Matthew?"

Keira turned her head and said graciously, "What do you think?"

Another reporter called out, "Are you two engaged? Or are you about to be?"

Fearing Keira might say too much, Matthew quickly gave a vague answer. "We're enjoying our relationship right now. Keira and I love each other, and we'll always be happy."

With that, he grabbed the suitcase with one hand, took Keira's hand with the other, and headed for the gate.

The reporters and paparazzi didn't let them go that easily. A barrage of questions followed, some even probing for details about their sex life. Matthew and Keira pretended not to hear, slipping through the gate one after the other.

Behind the high wall, some reporters hurried away, likely rushing back to file their stories, while others continued to blockade the entrance, waiting for further developments.

Inside the compound, Matthew carried Keira's suitcase into the house. It was her first time here, and she looked around with curiosity.

"It's not too bad," Keira commented, turning to take in her surroundings. "Much neater than I would have expected from you."

Matthew set the suitcase down. "I cleaned up beforehand."

Keira bit her lip and asked, "Where's my room?"

"This way," Matthew said, leading her to a bedroom and pushing the door open. "I hope you like it."

Keira glanced inside and frowned. "It's empty. What's there to like?"

Ignoring her, Matthew dragged the suitcase into the room, which was indeed sparsely furnished with just a bed and a dresser.

"You're only staying for a little while," Matthew said casually.

At that, Keira walked out of the room and looked at the other doors. "Which one is yours?"

Matthew followed her out. "That one, next to yours."

Keira walked over, pushed the door open, and stepped inside. After a quick glance at the exquisitely furnished room, she immediately announced, "I'm taking this one."

Matthew followed her in. "Do I have a say in this?"

Keira shook her head sharply. "No!"

She looked at him. "Any objections?"

"No, not at all," Matthew smiled. "But I'm staying in here too, so it looks like we'll be sharing."

Keira looked at Matthew but said nothing.

Matthew closed the door behind him and reached out to wrap his arms around her waist. Without hesitation, Keira leaned in and kissed him, more naturally than she ever had before.

"Wow," Matthew's voice echoed in the closed room. "I can't believe it. They're bigger than I thought."

His comment was met with Keira's voice, cursing him through gritted teeth, followed by the faint echo of certain... indescribable sounds.

The night Keira moved into Matthew's house, she didn't go to the room he had prepared for her but went straight to his bedroom. Their nominal cohabitation had become a reality.

...

The next morning, while Matthew was making breakfast, a washed and dressed Keira sat down at the table. "You're not actually falling for me, are you?" she asked.

Matthew walked over with two porcelain plates, placed one in front of her, and countered, "Are you?"

"How could I?" Keira grumbled. "I'm just fulfilling the terms of the agreement."

Matthew set a glass of skim milk in front of her. "I'm just fulfilling the agreement, too."

The two finished their breakfast in silence. The brief exchange had been enough; they understood each other perfectly and knew there was no need to discuss the matter further.

Afterward, Matthew went out to buy a stack of newspapers. Since his house was staked out by a crowd of paparazzi, he inevitably faced another wave of harassment as he left and returned.

Back inside, he quickly scanned the papers, especially the tabloids, which were plastered with headlines like "Matthew and Keira Officially Living Together."

Keira, meanwhile, had turned on her computer and found a flood of similar reports on sites like Yahoo Entertainment.

From a purely media-attention standpoint, the so-called cohabitation plan had achieved exactly what it was designed to do.

As for whether their arrangement was real or fake, the two had an unspoken agreement not to get into an actual relationship, just as their agency and the studio had agreed not to interfere.

Matthew was no saint and coveted the glamorous Hollywood lifestyle; Keira was no innocent ingenue and enjoyed physical intimacy.

The manufactured scandal provided a significant promotional boost for Pirates of the Caribbean. Shortly after, Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films held a joint press conference to announce that a sequel was officially in development. Instead of being filmed separately, the next two installments of the trilogy would be shot back-to-back and released individually.

Disney Pictures also confirmed the return of the three main stars—Matthew, Depp, and Keira—and announced that the second Pirates of the Caribbean film was slated for a summer 2006 release.

All the buzz and positive news generated heightened interest in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, and its second week at the box office went exceptionally well.

On Monday, the box office dropped by forty-five percent compared to Sunday, earning $10.2 million.

This was an excellent performance for a commercial blockbuster.

Throughout the following weekdays, Pirates of the Caribbean continued to perform strongly, with daily earnings holding steady at around $10 million. By the time its second weekend arrived, the film had already soared past the $100 million mark in North America, reaching $105.6 million after just four weekdays.

In just one week of release, Pirates of the Caribbean had surpassed $100 million at the domestic box office.

During its second weekend, the film demonstrated an excellent hold. Its three-day earnings dropped just over thirty percent from its opening weekend, grossing another $43.3 million.

After ten days in theaters, Pirates of the Caribbean had already recouped its production costs and was closing in on $150 million in North America alone.

Simultaneously, the film opened in several overseas markets, including Latin America, Europe, Australia, and East Asia, where it earned over $110 million in its first week. It was well on its way to surpassing $250 million at the global box office.

Disney Pictures and a number of industry forecasters released their latest projections, with the general consensus being that Pirates of the Caribbean would easily gross over $500 million worldwide.

While the film was undoubtedly a massive hit, all parties involved were determined to make it an even greater success.

And the most effective way to do that was to ramp up the promotion.