The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 277

The ballroom was overflowing with people, and every new Oscar winner was the center of an adoring circle. Charlize, of course, was no exception. When Matthew tried to approach her, he found she was completely surrounded, making it difficult to even get near.

Scarlett took Matthew's hand, pulling him to a stop. Looking up at him, she suggested, "Why don't we get out of here?"

Matthew looked down at her and asked, "Can't wait?"

Scarlett met Matthew's gaze without a trace of shyness and answered, "Yes."

A grin spread across Matthew's face. He lowered his head and kissed Scarlett, who, after a moment of surprise, began to kiss him back passionately.

The ballroom was filled with people—celebrities, directors, and producers—and there were quite a few members of the press milling about.

The two of them kissed right there in the middle of the Oscar party, completely unconcerned by the crowd around them.

Many exchanged glances.

Scarlett took a small step back, putting a little distance between herself and Matthew.

Matthew smiled at her. Noticing that the crowd around Charlize had thinned, he said, "I'll be right back."Scarlett nodded. "I'll be waiting for you."

Ignoring the stares from those around them, Matthew walked over to Charlize. "Hey, Sally!"

He opened his arms, embraced Charlize gently, and said, "Congratulations, Best Actress."

Charlize politely returned the hug. "Thank you."

Matthew stepped back and smiled. "An Oscar winner—you're in the big leagues now! I'm sure you'll make it to the superstar category."

For some reason, he saw the expression on Stuart's face—standing beside Charlize—flicker for a moment.

In fact, Matthew didn't need to guess. He knew that for an actor who was barely even a C-list star, having his girlfriend win an Oscar had to be awkward, to say the least.

Remembering the scene he had witnessed outside Depp's bar, he figured Charlize might be in for trouble. A hysterical boyfriend wouldn't just let this go.

But as an outsider, there was nothing Matthew could say about it.

"Sally," he asked Charlize, "Want to celebrate?"

Charlize offered a faint smile. "I'm heading back to South Africa next week. Mr. Mandela called me right after the ceremony ended. I'll let you know when I return, so wait for my call."

Matthew replied, "Of course."

He nodded at Stuart and turned to leave.

Perhaps after winning the Oscar, Charlize would break up with her boyfriend.

It was the so-called "Oscar curse," affecting both careers and relationships, though the relationship part had become especially noticeable since the turn of the century.

Before attending the awards ceremony, Matthew had read all about it on TMZ.

In 2001, Julia Roberts won the Oscar for Best Actress for Erin Brockovich, but three months later, she split from her handsome boyfriend, Benjamin Bratt.

Then, in 2002, Halle Berry won Best Actress for Monster's Ball. But she and her husband, Eric Benét, had separated the previous year and were currently going through a divorce.

This lovely Oscar tradition would probably live on.

He glanced back at Charlize and Stuart, then put the thought out of his mind. Taking Scarlett's hand, he led her toward the exit. Plenty of eyes followed them. They had just shared a passionate kiss and were clearly eager to leave; anyone could guess what would happen next.

From a corner of the ballroom, Angelina Jolie had been watching Matthew ever since the kiss, her curious eyes fixed on him.

"Well, well," she murmured. "Who would have thought..."

He was just as famous as she was now.

Initially, the Best Supporting Actress Oscar from Girl, Interrupted, combined with the solid box office performance of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, had put her on the verge of the A-list. But then last year's Tomb Raider sequel had been a massive flop, knocking her right back to B-list status.

If not for a few other films that performed decently at the box office, her acting career would have undoubtedly suffered a major blow.

And now look at him—he'd starred in several major Hollywood blockbusters, while she had yet to land a role in a single A-list production with a budget in the hundreds of millions.

Angelina realized with a touch of melancholy that the young man who, just a few years ago, couldn't even speak to her on equal terms, had now raced far ahead of her.

...

Knowing he wasn't yet big enough to be the main event in a ballroom where the Oscar winners would always be the center of attention, Matthew wasted no time in leading Scarlett out.

"Where are we going?"

The corridor outside was crowded, and Scarlett, sounding impatient, said pointedly, "Let's just get a room. I don't like it here."

"Yeah, me neither."

This was exactly what Matthew wanted. He pulled Scarlett toward a less crowded side of the corridor. "There's an old, wood-paneled elevator over there that's rarely used. Should we go that way?"

Scarlett looked tempted, but she hadn't forgotten their plan. "And the hotel?" she asked.

Matthew leaned close to Scarlett's ear. "We've got all night. Let's give this a try, and then we'll go to the hotel."

In truth, he just thought it would make for a better picture if the paparazzi that Ilana and Sean had arranged caught them leaving the hotel with their clothes in disarray.

Hearing Matthew's suggestion, Scarlett quickened her pace. "Whatever you say."

They both headed for the secluded elevator. Scarlett hastily pressed the button, and as the doors slid open, Matthew pulled her inside.

...

In one of the hotel's small surveillance rooms, two security guards were on the night shift. Their primary duty was to monitor the hotel's ten or so elevators to make sure they were all running smoothly.

It was their daily routine—staring at the numerous monitors.

Unlike past years, when they would take turns napping, tonight both guards were on high alert. The Oscar party was in full swing, and any incident at the hotel could lead to massive negative consequences.

Faced with strict orders from their superiors, neither guard dared to doze off during the long night.

"Hey."

The tall, thin guard suddenly said to his heavyset partner, "Someone's using that old elevator."

The heavyset guard immediately went to the monitor, took the mouse, and after a few clicks, the feed from inside the elevator appeared on the screen.

The heavyset guard froze when he saw the image on the screen. He subconsciously nudged his thin colleague, who glanced over and also froze.

Inside the elevator, a man and a woman were pressed against the wall opposite the camera. They were both still fully dressed, and the man's tall frame largely concealed the shorter woman, making it impossible to see exactly what was happening. But from the woman's flushed face and the rhythmic motion of their bodies, it wasn't hard to guess.

The heavyset guard instinctively reached out to adjust the camera angle, but he still couldn't see any details. Nevertheless, the image on the monitor was more than enough to let his imagination run wild.

"That's..." the tall, thin guard said, pointing at the screen. "That woman is Scarlett! The man... is Matthew Horner, from Pirates of the Caribbean!"

The heavyset guard stared at the monitor, his eyes wide.

The thin guard reacted quickly. "Record it all!"

"The camera is already recording automatically," the heavyset guard said, snapping out of his daze.

The thin guard exclaimed, "We'll sell this footage later! We're gonna be rich!"

For most people in Los Angeles, it was common knowledge that celebrity news and photos could be traded directly for cash.

The heavyset guard said hurriedly, "I know a journalist, we—"

"We can't sell the footage for just a few bucks," the thin guard cut in, thinking. "There's that site, TMZ. They've been paying top dollar for this kind of thing lately."

He and the heavyset guard looked at each other and laughed together.

...

The elevator soon started moving again. The two guards paid no mind to the couple exiting the elevator, instead hurrying to copy the footage from the hard drive. After confirming the copy was good, they deleted the original file to ensure no one else could get their hands on it.

The elevator descended to the first floor. Matthew and Scarlett took a moment to straighten their clothes before walking into the hotel lobby together.

As they entered the lobby, Matthew said, "I'm calling for a car. We're going to another hotel."

Scarlett was now eager for more and couldn't help but urge him on. "Let's go."

She took Matthew's arm and followed him toward the hotel exit. No one seemed to notice them as a black Mercedes pulled up to the entrance. But just as they were about to get in, a dozen reporters materialized from seemingly nowhere, their cameras aimed squarely at the couple.

As he got into the car, Matthew was a little surprised. There were far more reporters focused on them than he had anticipated.