The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 294

Lately, Jennifer Aniston had been noticing a strange phenomenon. Whenever she attended parties and events, she would invariably hear people talking about her husband, Brad Pitt, their eyes filled with pity as they looked at her.

But the comments they made were deeply unsettling.

A week earlier, for instance, while attending a sponsored party, she overheard someone say that Brad Pitt hadn't married her for love at all, but simply because she would give him a significant boost in fame and a major step up in his career.

This loose-tongued gossip also cited as evidence all of Pitt’s starring roles in films that had underperformed at the North American box office, claiming that the only reason filmmakers kept casting him was because of the immense attention their marriage attracted.

There was also a lot of talk that without this marriage, Brad Pitt would be a B-list star at best.

Although she knew that stars were always the subject of gossip, Jennifer found it deeply unpleasant to hear this directed at her.

Over the past few days, she had heard even more comments about her and Brad Pitt.

Specifically, when she was at a fashion event a few days ago, she vaguely overheard a model say that Brad Pitt sometimes slept with other women right in their own home while she was away at work, and that he was also having some kind of affair with their nanny.

Given these rumors, Jennifer had traveled to New York the day before yesterday for an announcement and was scheduled to return the day after tomorrow. But she deliberately flew back to Los Angeles early, without telling Pitt.

In truth, there were plenty of rumors circulating about Brad Pitt and other actresses; a while back, one tabloid swore that Pitt had gotten together with Angelina Jolie.Jennifer didn't know why, but she felt a growing unease deep down. She had always trusted Pitt, but these rumors...

Entering the mansion, Jennifer hung up her handbag, not seeing the nanny who was almost always waiting by the door when she returned.

She slipped into a pair of soft-soled slippers, glanced around the living room, and then pricked up her ears. Strange sounds were coming from the bedroom. Her expression tightened with anxiety as she quickened her pace toward the master bedroom door.

The bedroom door was ajar, leaving a narrow gap. Jennifer had only to peek inside for a chill to shoot through her, as if she had been plunged into an ice cave.

There were three people inside. Brad Pitt was standing in the middle of the bedroom, and the nanny was kneeling before him.

Lying on Pitt's bed, Angelina Jolie watched Pitt and the nanny with an amused expression.

Stunned, unable to believe what she was seeing, Jennifer subconsciously reached out and shoved the door open.

The door swung wide. The three people inside turned their heads, one after another, and saw Jennifer, the mistress of the house.

The nanny, startled, scrambled to her feet.

Pitt hastily pulled up his pants and froze.

Angelina, however, simply smiled and waved at Jennifer. "Hi, Jen. Care to join us?"

Pitt shot a furious glare at Angelina before turning to Jennifer. "Jen, it's not what you think. Just let me explain."

Jennifer didn't listen. After all, having fought her way up from the bottom of Hollywood, she knew their world was full of this kind of filth. She said nothing, spun around, and slammed the door behind her with such force that it rattled loudly in its frame.

At that moment, anything she said, and anything those people in the bedroom might say, was meaningless. The truth was right in front of her.

Jennifer walked straight toward the front door.

****

Outside the mansion, two paparazzi affiliated with TMZ were watching the entrance intently from behind the thick trees lining the road. One of them was on the phone.

"Yeah, I'm sure," the paparazzo said into the receiver. "Ms. Ilana, Jennifer Aniston went inside. Nothing's happening, it's business as usual."

He forced a bitter smile. "We've been watching her for a week, just like you asked, but with no luck. Could you maybe give us another assignment? You know, I've already—"

Suddenly, the paparazzo next to him nudged him and said excitedly, "Look!"

The man on the phone immediately turned his head, saw what was happening, and hung up. "Sorry, Ms. Ilana, looks like I was wrong."

With that, he and his partner raised their cameras, one aimed at the mansion's door, and saw Jennifer Aniston run out in her slippers, followed by a disheveled Brad Pitt. The two were clearly arguing.

Then, Angelina Jolie sauntered out of the couple's home. Jennifer began questioning Angelina—her voice faintly audible—accusing Jolie of interfering in her marriage.

The two paparazzi exchanged a look, their eyes alight with excitement. They had definitely stumbled upon a story with explosive impact!

Finally, Jennifer got into a taxi she had called, while a grim-faced Brad Pitt and a nonchalant Angelina Jolie headed back into the mansion.

The first paparazzo took out his phone again and dialed. "Ms. Ilana, it's me! Yes, yes, big news! Go tell the boss to save the headline on the website's front page! Christian and I are coming back right now."

After hanging up, the two paparazzi didn't linger and hurried back toward the TMZ editorial office.

***

The pair arrived at TMZ and immediately met with their boss, Ilana, who took one look at them before escorting them, along with the video and photos, to the editor-in-chief's office.

According to the traditional practices of entertainment media, major news involving an A-list star would typically be cleared with the star and their agent before publication—after all, the entertainment media and celebrities were not in complete opposition to one another.

But TMZ was not a traditional media outlet, and in an era of fierce online competition, it desperately needed a massive story like this to establish its position in the industry.

So, an hour after Ilana entered the editor-in-chief's office, the corresponding photos and videos were plastered in the most prominent spots on the TMZ website.

As the two paparazzi received their very hefty bonus checks and continued to eagerly follow the developing story of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, Ilana returned to her office in a particularly good mood. Landing this story had made her position at TMZ more secure, and her chances for promotion had just skyrocketed.

She had also demonstrated her value to the TMZ management. Securing this kind of news was enough to show her bosses that she had a sufficiently good source of information in Hollywood.

In the end, working with Matthew and Helen had brought her enormous returns.

She picked up the phone and dialed Helen's number.

"Helen, it's me, Ilana," Ilana announced. "Check the TMZ homepage!"

"Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston?" Helen asked.

Ilana replied, "Yes, my people got video and photos. It's just incredible."

She smiled. "Thanks for the tip."

Helen, on the other end of the line, responded in an even tone, "You're welcome."

Every time she spoke with Helen, Ilana felt a sense of tedium. Helen's consistently flat tone always made her feel like she was talking to an answering machine.

Ilana decided to end the call. "And pass my thanks on to Matthew."

She had met with Matthew before and knew this was a piece of gossip he had heard from people in his circle. She had initially taken it with a grain of salt, though with some excitement—after all, whenever Matthew provided information, most of it turned out to be true.

But she never imagined that things would turn out to be far more shocking than the information Matthew had provided. Instead of just capturing Brad Pitt's affair with his nanny, her paparazzi had recorded video of Angelina Jolie interfering in Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston's marriage, caught in the act by Jennifer herself.

It was no exaggeration to say that this would be a sensation across America, if not the entire world!

***

Just as Ilana had predicted, as soon as the video and photos were published on the TMZ website, public opinion in the United States erupted. No one had expected that Hollywood's onetime golden couple would come to this, and that the third party would be Angelina Jolie, who already had a notorious reputation.

The global entertainment media went into a frenzy.

More news began to surface, but Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, the parties involved, never issued a response.

However, just two days later, a stunning piece of news broke: Angelina Jolie had fainted in the studio during post-production dubbing for the film Alexander and told director Oliver Stone and the crew that she was pregnant with Brad Pitt's child.

As soon as the news came out, Jennifer called a press conference. Her agent and publicist issued a statement on her behalf, saying that her marriage to Brad Pitt had come to an end.

(Author's Note: Pitt did have an affair with the nanny, and there were rumors that Aniston caught him with Jolie. Jolie did faint on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith and then announced she was pregnant with Pitt's child, supposedly as a deliberate move to make the affair public. I've combined these events for the story.)