The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 278

The sun climbed slowly from the east, its light spilling through the car windows.

Helen woke, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She opened the door, stepped out, and stretched with a groan. Turning back to her bag, she pulled out a compact mirror to check her reflection, then found a pack of gum, popped a piece into her mouth, and began to chew.

She glanced at her watch and saw it was just after five in the morning.

Then, looking toward the hotel ahead, she wondered what time Matthew would emerge.

As she averted her gaze, Helen noticed a tall woman approaching. It was Ilana, now the editor-in-chief of TMZ, who had been personally directing the show the night before.

"Hey," Ilana said as she walked up. "You've been on duty here all night?"

"Apparently so." Helen habitually slid on her sunglasses.

Deep down, she knew exactly how crucial "Dawn of the Dead" was for Matthew. If the film succeeded at the box office, it would not only break him out of the niche of period action films but also prove his ability to draw an audience on his own.

"Pirates of the Caribbean" had been a success, and Will Turner was a hit, but she would never forget that the most popular character in the film would always be the one played by Johnny Depp.

Matthew was now firmly established on the B-list, but he needed three or so box-office hits to confidently ascend to the A-list. The importance of "Dawn of the Dead" as the first step on that journey could not be overstated. If the film could just recoup its costs in the North American market, his path to the top would be smooth.And sometimes, publicity and marketing could have a greater impact on a film's box office than the film itself.

Leaning on the car door, Ilana stood beside Helen and said, "Last night didn't go exactly as planned. Besides the people Sean brought and a few persistent reporters, there was another group of people guarding the entrance."

Helen frowned slightly. "Another group of people?"

A thought flashed through her mind. "Are they from Scarlett's camp?"

"Possibly." Ilana glanced toward the hotel. "They're still watching the entrance, just like my cameraman."

Helen propped her chin on her hand, took a few steps forward, and said, "I recall Scarlett was cast in Michael Bay's DreamWorks film, 'The Island,' and the preliminary promotion for it just started."

With that, she felt certain. "Ilana, it seems we weren't the only ones who thought of using the Oscar buzz for promotion."

Ilana couldn't help but shake her head. "I guess Matthew isn't as charming as he thought he was."

Suddenly, her phone rang. She pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and brought it to her ear.

After a few brief words, she hung up and told Helen, "I'll be right back. If Matthew comes out, wait for me."

Helen nodded without asking any questions, her mind already on Scarlett.

If what Ilana said was true, then last night's events were fascinating: she, Matthew, and Sean trying to use the Oscar fever to generate buzz for their film, while Scarlett and her team had the very same idea.

She got back in the car and found a notebook, trying to find the contact information for Scarlett's agent.

In a short time, Helen had already considered how to proceed and maximize their advantage. The best way was to join forces. That kind of joint publicity often had a compounding effect.

Helen searched the notebook thoroughly but couldn't find the contact information for Scarlett's agent. She pulled out her mobile phone and dialed her assistant. "Get me the contact details for Scarlett's agent. I need them within five minutes."

After hanging up, she got out of the car, walked toward the hotel entrance, found a discreet corner, and waited.

...

Inside the hotel lobby, Matthew led Scarlett out of the elevator area. They had long since changed out of last night's formalwear and into casual clothes the hotel had specially sent up for them.

Holding hands, they walked out the hotel doors, and the moment of parting arrived.

"How are you getting home?" Matthew asked Scarlett. "Want me to give you a lift?"

Scarlett made sure her agent was nearby and shook her head. "No, my car should be waiting close by."

Matthew nodded and waved toward a black Mercedes parked in front of the hotel, which immediately drove up.

Scarlett's eyes scanned their surroundings. She noticed several paparazzi near the hotel entrance and knew the time had come to do something more.

But before she could act, she felt a pair of large, rough, strong hands cup her face, and then a searing kiss descended upon her. Scarlett was instantly reminded of the almost frantic sensations of the previous night and reached up to wrap her arms around Matthew, returning the kiss with equal passion.

The paparazzi swarmed around the entrance, their cameras and video recorders pointed in their direction, shutters clicking rapidly, capturing every moment.

The Mercedes pulled up to the hotel entrance. Matthew broke the kiss with Scarlett and smiled. "See you later."

Scarlett nodded slightly. "Bye, Matthew."

Matthew got into his car, and the Mercedes drove him up the road. But instead of leaving, the driver turned around and headed for the parking lot across from the hotel, pulling up next to the Angel Agency's car.

"Head back to the office," Matthew told the driver as he stepped out.

Helen, who seemed to have just returned, was standing by her car, holding the door open for Matthew. "Get in."

The two of them settled into the spacious vehicle one after the other.

The car didn't start, as they were waiting for Ilana. Matthew was more than a little surprised to hear Helen's theory. "Are you saying it's not just us looking for a publicity boost? Scarlett's doing it too?"

"Yes," Helen answered calmly. "She was just recently cast as the female lead in a Michael Bay project, a film called 'The Island' that's never been announced. I'm guessing DreamWorks might be behind it."

Matthew scratched his head. "No wonder Scarlett agreed so easily and quickly. And here I thought she was just the type who'd jump into bed with any guy she fancied."

Helen nodded. "She has a reputation."

Matthew had to admit, judging purely by her performance in the hotel room last night, Scarlett was one of those relatively experienced young women.

He wasn't really surprised. This was California. Most ordinary nineteen-year-old girls here had already had several boyfriends, let alone a nineteen-year-old Hollywood actress.

Matthew looked at Helen and asked, "So what are we going to do about this?"

Helen shared her thoughts. "I'm trying to find a way to contact Scarlett's agent. If we can confirm this is true, we can team up with them. The combined power of both our teams will be far more effective than us trying to generate hype on our own."

It was a publicity stunt, so of course Matthew had no objections. "Perfect."

Just then, there was a knock on the car window. Helen pressed the button for the electronic lock, and Ilana, carrying a bag, opened the door, slid inside, and closed it, staring at Matthew with a strange look in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Matthew asked.

Ilana took off her bag, pulled out a laptop she had brought from her car, and took a flash drive from her coat pocket. "Matthew, you're just too impatient. Who would've thought, right inside the elevator..."

She held out the flash drive. "The two of you were caught by the elevator camera. I paid five thousand dollars for the recording."

Matthew remained calm. "I had my back to the camera the whole time, and my clothes stayed on. What's there to be afraid of?"

Ilana was astonished. "You knew you were being filmed, and you still went at it?"

"Couldn't help myself," Matthew said quite frankly. "And I don't think it's a bad thing. Even if we let the camera capture something minor... we were going to create a buzz anyway, right? Won't it work even better with a video?"

In truth, his actions at that moment had been calculated. If the camera was just for show, he would forget about it. If it was actually recording, he had planned to go and get the video today. He just hadn't expected it to be discovered and sold to Ilana so quickly.

If he had truly been in a rush and oblivious to everything, there were four walls in the elevator. Why would he have chosen the one spot where he could block the view with his own body?

He was tall enough to stand there and completely shield Scarlett from the neck down.

Ilana then opened her laptop, plugged in the large USB drive, and played the footage. Helen leaned in to watch. On the recording, two people inside the elevator were moving intensely, but neither was undressed, let alone exposed.

While most people would find watching such a video awkward, the three of them were consummate professionals; embarrassment wasn't even a consideration.

"Yes. Release the recording at the right time," Helen said calmly. "This is guaranteed to grab the public's attention."

Then she turned to the other two and said, "Alright then, let's get started as soon as possible."