The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 369

"You may have seen the latest news published by TMZ."

In the press room of the Beverly Hills Hilton, Charlize Theron sat at the head table, flanked by her agent and publicist. She gazed out at the sea of entertainment reporters before her. "TMZ often reports fake news," she stated, "and their methods are... distasteful."

Initially, fewer than twenty journalists had registered for the press conference. But after TMZ broke the story that she and Matthew had split, hundreds of reporters had flooded the room by the time it began.

Rather than letting her agent or publicist speak for her, Charlize made the announcement herself. "I have broken off my engagement to Matthew," she declared.

The press room erupted. The Hollywood power couple, a pair so many had rooted for, had ended their engagement after only two short months.

It was all just a publicity stunt.

That thought flashed through the minds of many of the reporters in the room.

Ilana, seated in the front row, seemed to sense what her colleagues were thinking. She sprang into action, rising to her feet. "Miss Theron," she asked, "why did you break off the engagement? Was it your decision?"

The question silenced the room instantly. Every reporter leaned in, eager to hear Charlize's explanation.

"That's right. I initiated the breakup." Charlize leaned into the microphone, her expression a careful mix of sorrow and contemplation. "As for the reason..."She seemed to struggle with the words, hesitating for a long moment as hundreds of reporters held their breath. "Matthew," she finally said, "has an especially... strong physical appetite."

Most of the journalists weren't surprised by her statement. Scarlett Johansson and Jessica Alba, both of whom had brief flings with Matthew Horner, had said similar things when asked about their time with him.

Charlize continued, "It caused me a great deal of distress, both physically and emotionally. I tried to talk to him about it many times, but we couldn't find a compromise. I..."

The entertainment reporters held their breath.

After all, who didn't know that Matthew Horner was a tough guy on screen and a formidable fighter in real life? Instead of being shocked by Charlize's claim, the journalists simply found it... plausible. For a popular movie star who trained year-round and led such a physically active life, it only made sense that he would have a high libido.

Facing the reporters, Charlize covered her face with one hand, the picture of sorrow. "I tried," she said, her voice strained, "I really tried, but I failed. Faced with such irreconcilable differences, I finally decided to end the engagement."

With that, Charlize abruptly stood and walked away, ignoring the reporters' clamor. Her agent followed, leaving the publicist alone to handle the fallout.

Most of the reporters, however, had no interest in asking more questions. The soundbites they'd just captured were explosive enough, and in their line of work, time was money.

As soon as the press conference concluded, Ilana made a call to Matthew, then rushed over to Horner Manor.

It took less than ten minutes for Matthew to get the call from Ilana and see the news of the press conference splashed across several websites.

"Charlize Theron Announces Split from Matthew Horner, Citing Irreconcilable Differences Over His Demanding 'Appetite'!"

"A Doomed Engagement from the Start! Matthew Horner's Fire Too Hot for an Icy Charlize!"

"Charlize and Matthew Split Over Sexual Incompatibility!"

Headlines like these flooded the entertainment sections of every major website. Almost no one cared about the real reason for the hasty end to the engagement; all attention was diverted to the couple's supposed troubles in the bedroom.

Given the persistent rumors about Charlize's reserved nature, and the gushing praise Matthew had received from passionate former flames like Scarlett Johansson and Jessica Alba, few people were surprised by the official reason for the split.

A short time later, Helen arrived at Horner Manor, getting there just before the paparazzi could lay siege to it. She was there to escort Matthew to the Angel Acting Agency in Burbank for his interview with Ilana.

After letting Ilana know they were on their way, Matthew left with Helen and headed straight for the Angel Acting Agency.

Ilana was already waiting at the entrance when they arrived.

Standing before the TMZ cameras, Matthew addressed the issue head-on. "Yes, Charlize and I have called off our engagement," he confirmed. "It's not that we had some irreconcilable conflict, but there was a significant difference in how we express affection. I've always believed that love should be shown through action, whereas Charlize is more reserved."

Although Matthew usually felt awkward discussing such personal matters with the press, he knew this was Los Angeles—and he was in Hollywood. There was nothing wrong with being open about it.

When he had first discussed Charlize's proposed reason with Helen, he'd been a little apprehensive. But Helen had seen it as the perfect angle, arguing that sexual incompatibility was an all-too-common reason for a relationship to end.

Everything played out exactly as Helen had predicted. By the next morning, the story of his broken engagement with Charlize was splashed across the front page of every entertainment section and website, with nearly all the media's attention focused on their supposed incompatibility.

Newspapers, websites, and blogs were all abuzz with stories about Matthew and Charlize.

Inevitably, other people started coming out of the woodwork with their own unsolicited stories.

Rachel McAdams, for instance, took the opportunity to mention to reporters at a press event that she and Matthew had been in acting school together. She revealed that they'd had a very brief relationship, adding that Matthew was indeed "exceptional" in that department.

Actresses like Scarlett Johansson and Jessica Alba, who were already known to have had brief dalliances with Matthew, also found themselves hounded by reporters.

In just a few days, the buzz around the broken engagement had snowballed into a full-blown media sensation, with tabloids and gossip sites dissecting every detail of their breakup.

The frenzy surrounding the breakup didn't seem to harm either Matthew's or Charlize's reputation. Charlize was completely unfazed by the media and public chatter about her supposed frigidity, and Matthew felt the same.

Bella even monitored several of his fan groups and reported that the male fans were envious, the female fans were curious, and virtually no one was offended.

Matthew thought the noise would eventually die down, but then an old acquaintance unexpectedly sold a story to the tabloids. A former professional driver—now a known alcoholic—claimed that Matthew had once been in a serious relationship for over a year with Britney Spears, who was now a global pop superstar. The source even alleged that she was his first love.

Once the story broke, Matthew was swarmed by reporters at his Beverly Hills estate and outside his Burbank office. Countless stories emerged from people claiming to be "in the know," all swearing they had seen Matthew and Britney together back in the day.

He contacted Britney once, then had Helen speak with her agent. Both sides quickly came to an agreement: Matthew and Britney would remain silent, neither confirming nor denying the story, and let the media continue to speculate.

Matthew was no longer the unknown actor he had been back then. This kind of publicity was beneficial for both him and Britney, fanning the flames of their ever-growing popularity.

The biggest beneficiary in this series of media storms, however, was Mr. & Mrs. Smith. The publicity from Matthew and Charlize's broken engagement certainly hadn't had any negative impact on the box office.

By the time Matthew was preparing to join the cast of Pirates of the Caribbean in the Dominican Republic for location shooting, Mr. & Mrs. Smith had already crossed the $250 million mark at the North American box office, with a worldwide gross of $512.5 million.

And its run wasn't over. Fueled by its strong domestic performance, the film's theatrical run was extended, promising even greater box office returns.

Just before he was set to leave, Matthew received a call from Britney. She wanted to meet.