The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 268

"Helen, Matthew."

The moment she walked in, Alexandra Daddario spotted the pair and headed toward the front desk.

Matthew smiled. "Long time no see, Alexandra. Where have you been lately?"

Alexandra returned his smile, but there was a noticeable tension in it. "I went back to New York for my exams."

Helen asked, "Did you pass?"

"Yes," Alexandra nodded. "I came to pack my things and to let you know I'm heading back to New York this afternoon. I'll be enrolling after the winter break."

Matthew didn't say a word, but he could tell from Alexandra's expression that she was actively distancing herself, trying to avoid speaking with him. In truth, he'd sensed it ever since filming wrapped on Dawn of the Dead.

The reason was simple: he had "hooked up" with Jessica Alba on set, and Alexandra had serious issues with Jessica.

It was common knowledge in Hollywood circles that feuds between actresses were far more intense and vicious than those between male actors.

"Even though I'm going to school in New York," Alexandra said, not wanting to give up on her acting career, she looked earnestly at Helen, "if a role comes up that's right for me, will you give me a call?"Helen replied, seemingly with all seriousness, "Of course. We have a contract."

Matthew, however, knew that Helen was almost entirely focused on finding work for him. Even if she did recommend Alexandra for another production in the future, it would undoubtedly be as a favor to Amanda.

Alexandra turned her head toward Matthew. "Thank you for all the help you've given me."

"Don't mention it." Matthew maintained his warm smile.

"If you ever come to New York," Alexandra offered, "be sure to call me."

Matthew replied, "I will."

Alexandra cast one last look at Matthew, a memory of what he'd done with Jessica Alba during the filming of Dawn of the Dead flashing in her mind. Not wanting to say anything more, she bid Helen farewell before quickly leaving the Angel Acting Agency.

...

Afterward, Matthew went to the finance office to sign for his final payment from the Dawn of the Dead crew, then drove to the gym in Westwood to meet Nibora. But instead of their usual sparring session, they went to a gun club on the south side of the city for some target practice.

After nearly two years of intense training, Matthew had followed professional advice and reduced the frequency and intensity of his workouts to twice a week. This was to prevent the wear and tear on his muscles and bones caused by prolonged heavy training and to lessen the risk of developing injuries.

In the two months since filming for Dawn of the Dead had concluded, Matthew and Nibora had become frequent visitors to the gun club to practice their shooting.

Matthew had even obtained a legal firearm license, allowing him to purchase guns whenever he pleased. Helen had warned him about it, though, saying that while having a license was fine, it was better not to keep any firearms at home. Getting caught on camera by the press with a gun would undoubtedly be a bigger problem than drugs or promiscuity.

Although Matthew had a fascination with firearms, he heeded her advice. After getting his license, he never actually bought a pistol, contenting himself with the occasional trip to the gun club to blow off steam.

Firearms held a natural allure for him. He'd always loved them, but circumstances had never allowed him to handle a real one. Now, not only could he touch them, but he could fire a pistol with live rounds, which was an incredibly satisfying experience.

After their session at the range, Matthew parted ways with Nibora. He had just settled into his BMW when his cell phone rang—it was an unfamiliar number.

He glanced at the screen before pressing the answer button. "Hello, this is Matthew Horner."

"Matthew, it's me."

A familiar voice came through the phone. "Rachel."

"Did you change your number?" Matthew hadn't spoken to her in a long time.

From the moment he started preparing for the fake promotional romance with Keira Knightley, he'd had to gradually cut off all contact with Rachel.

"I got a new phone recently and changed my old number along with it."

Rachel, on the other end of the line, explained briefly before adding, "Are you in Los Angeles? Do you have some time?"

"I'm in Los Angeles." Matthew glanced at his watch. "Yeah, I do."

"Perfect." Rachel suddenly let out a meaningful laugh. "Want to come over?"

Her words ignited something in Matthew, and he couldn't help but ask, "Are you still living in North Hollywood?"

Rachel replied, "No, not anymore. I moved to Santa Monica. So, are you coming?"

"Of course!" Matthew answered enthusiastically.

Rachel then gave him the address and hung up.

Matthew put his phone away, started the car, and pulled out of the club's parking lot. He headed for Santa Monica. Rachel's address was easy to find, and soon he was at her place.

Perhaps it was because he hadn't seen her in so long, or perhaps it was the allure of Rachel's rather acrobatic talents, but Matthew ended up staying in Santa Monica that night instead of returning to Burbank.

...

The next day, Matthew woke to find that Rachel was already up. After he had washed up and come downstairs from the second-floor bedroom, she had even prepared breakfast.

Although he knew the Rachel he'd once known from acting school was long gone, and that this version of her had ulterior motives, the sight of a beautiful woman cooking him breakfast still managed to stir a pleasant feeling within him.

"You'd better clean your plate."

Placing a porcelain dish on the table in front of Matthew, Rachel sat down opposite him. "I hope you like beef."

Matthew eagerly picked up his knife and fork, cut off a piece of meat, and popped it into his mouth, nodding. "This is excellent."

Rachel smiled, revealing her charming dimples. "I've always cooked for myself whenever possible to save money, so I'm pretty confident in my skills."

She stood up. "Let me get you a second helping. You must have worked hard yesterday."

Only after the words left her mouth did she realize how ambiguous they sounded. "I mean, you train constantly, so you need a lot of energy."

Matthew had indeed exerted himself last night and was ravenous, so he said nothing and focused on his breakfast.

Rachel ate very little, making small talk with Matthew as they ate.

"I remember when we were in acting class, neither of us had any money," Rachel began, reminiscing about when they first met. "We'd run to that cheap diner near the school for lunch, buy burgers, and sit on the curb to eat together."

Matthew also found himself drifting back to that time. "Yeah, it's funny to think about what life was like back then."

Rachel suddenly asked, "What's going on with your career? Any new projects besides Pirates of the Caribbean?"

"I had an audition recently, but it didn't pan out," Matthew answered casually. "Lately, I've mostly just been working with Disney on the awards season campaign for Pirates of the Caribbean. Nothing else significant."

Rachel caught the key part of his statement. "So you'll be at the Oscars?"

Snapping out of his nostalgic mood, Matthew thought for a moment, then smiled and shook his head. "There's a good chance I won't be. Pirates of the Caribbean will probably only get a Best Actor nomination for Depp. There's nothing in it for me, really."

Hearing this, Rachel didn't pursue the topic. Instead, she asked, "Are you free at the end of April?"

"The end of April?" Matthew asked, puzzled.

Rachel quickly explained, "The premiere for a movie I was in is at the end of April in New York. I don't really have any friends in Hollywood besides you, so I wanted to invite you to come."

"A new movie you were in?" Matthew asked curiously. "What film is it?"

"It's a teen movie," Rachel said, her dimples showing again. "Paramount Pictures is releasing it. It's called Mean Girls."

Matthew had never heard of the film. Looking back, he was sure he hadn't seen it in his past life. The title suggested it was a movie for girls, something he probably wouldn't have been interested in even if he'd come across it.

"Are you the lead?" Matthew asked.

"No," Rachel answered honestly. "I'm a supporting actress. The star is Lindsay Lohan."

Matthew nodded slightly. "I can't give you an answer right now. Who knows what I'll be doing at the end of April."

He thought for a moment, then said, "How about this, Rachel, I'll get back to you later."

Rachel nodded cautiously. "Okay."

After breakfast, Matthew declined Rachel's invitation to stay and left Santa Monica.

He then drove to the Angel Acting Agency to see Helen and told her about the invitation. For now, he couldn't confirm his schedule for late April; he would have to wait and see.

Before Christmas arrived, Helen finalized the negotiations with the National Treasure team. In the presence of a Screen Actors Guild representative and a lawyer, Matthew officially signed his contract with the production.