King of Hollywood
Chapter 324 - Chapter 324 Chapter 51 Kate Also Came

Chapter 324: Chapter 51 Kate Also Came Chapter 324: Chapter 51 Kate Also Came Under Adrian’s care, Emma was growing up very healthy. Soon to be five years old, she was already developing a quirky and mischievous personality, which everyone found adorable and endearing. Her unfortunate circumstances made nearly everyone on the set sympathize with and dote on her, and Sophie was no exception.

This provided Adrian an excellent opportunity to have another topic of conversation with Sophie. The tabloids were constantly fabricating stories about their relationship, and since he was still unsure of her feelings, he could not get too close to her at the moment. Thus, talking about the little one became the best way to communicate.

“Sometimes she acts childish, and sometimes she seems wise beyond her years, very cute,” Sophie said with a smile on her lips and a hint of melancholy occasionally flashing through her eyes when talking about Emma. Adrian saw it but didn’t say much; he just maintained the current situation, only advising the little one that when she had time, she should interact more with Sophie.

“She’s a very gentle and kind lady who’s been dealing with a lot of troublesome issues lately. She also likes you very much, so I think you can make her happier,” Adrian told the little one.

But Emma did not immediately agree; instead, she squinted her eyes and regarded him with a look that said, “What are you up to now?” Adrian accepted her scrutiny with equanimity. He admitted that, after hearing about him and Emma’s story, Sophie’s perception of him had changed–for the better–but the little one might have felt somewhat lonely over time.

Although the British staff on the set, with Adrian’s permission, had brought their children to visit the set, such as Will Knightley’s daughter Keira, who had come more than once and got along very well with Emma, children her age were still in short supply. With the majority of the crew being male and only a few female staff members, with whom the closest relationship was with Charlize, the little one now being somewhat indifferent towards others, she tended to cling to Adrian.

However, Adrian had his own plans every weekend, so sometimes Emma was quite lonely. This could be seen from the fact that she insisted on sleeping in the same bed with Adrian every day. How many children still want to sleep with an adult at the age of five?

After Sophie joined the set, her graceful and slightly hearty character and style quickly won everyone’s favor, including the little one. Therefore, encouraging her to interact more with Sophie was beneficial to both. Emma finally agreed, after all, she liked Sophie very much, and there was no communication issue since Sophie spoke English well.

“Nice job, let’s do it again from the right side, this time with a full shot,” Adrian said after reviewing the footage on the monitor following a cut. The scenes shot during this brief period were mostly simple, primarily featuring Isabella, Edward I, and Edward II in light sparring scenes.

The mood was relatively relaxed, as these shots only needed to be historically accurate, which wasn’t a problem since the crew had at least two experts on hand. Barring a few details that had to be modified for the story’s sake, there shouldn’t be any issues.

This situation was likely to continue for a few days. Although the paparazzi were kept out of the set, the tabloids never forgot to concoct stories about Adrian and Sophie–which of course helped their sales.

Although these were all baseless rumors, hearing them repeated often could inevitably lead to negative consequences. Monica, Julia, and Sarah all inquired about the situation indirectly over the phone, as they were well aware of Adrian’s character.

However, Monica just hinted at it as she had become used to it and did not take it too seriously. As long as Adrian’s attitude towards her did not change, she would not feel anxious. Many people are like this; once accustomed to something, they do not want to change. Julia seemed a bit jealous, spiking Adrian with a few pointed remarks in her conversation, although she always kept a good measure of discretion. Sarah, like Monica, did not take it too much to heart, just teasing for a bit. She had completely entrusted herself to Adrian, which spoke volumes about his capabilities.

Those few were relatively subtle, but Kate’s reaction was both direct and intense.

“Congratulations, you’ve hooked up with yet another one!” were the first words that came over the phone, full of dissatisfaction and fire, “How many women do you plan on having before you’re satisfied? A whole reinforced battalion? And then throw parties every day at home?!”

These harsh words made Adrian laugh and shake his head incessantly. He could almost envision Kate’s furious face, a scene that he had kept in his mind since their first meeting on the set of “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.”

Although Kate was so aggressive, Adrian still soothed her with kind words, after all, a pregnant woman has her privileges.

There were also some unexpected surprises. Blanchett, although she inquired indifferently over the phone, couldn’t help but show a hint of jealousy and agitation upon arriving in the United Kingdom. However, after confirming there was nothing between Adrian and Sophie, she quickly lightened up. Even though she hid it well, how could she possibly escape Adrian’s eyes?

“Frankly, this side of you is both amusing and alluring,” Adrian said. At that moment, Blanchett was leaning against the floor-to-ceiling glass of the hotel, with Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city, spread out in the night below. Without the neon lights, one might even be able to see the waves at the harbor.

But at this moment, Blanchett wasn’t listening, her face carrying an expression of pain mixed with intoxication, as she emitted enticing moans, enduring the intense onslaught from behind. Fine beads of sweat emerged on her smooth skin, her upper body arching in an exaggerated curve, her breasts pressed against the glass changing shape continually. So lost in passion and intoxication, it was clear which road Adrian was down, no wonder Blanchett couldn’t hear anything in her excitement.

The biggest gain this time was her. Adrian was more confident about certain matters, after all, Blanchett couldn’t possibly be completely unaware of his affairs. So after taking her on a trip to Scotland, he had his way with her thoroughly in the hotel. Despite using both before and after, Blanchett still kept tight-lipped, truly a pity.

That’s all the impact the news had on Adrian. As for its impact on Sophie, he wasn’t quite sure, as he was keeping a certain distance from her now. However, Adrian had caught glimpses of Sophie holding her phone and talking excitedly, yet she maintained her usual demure and melancholic demeanor during the initial filming.

Had things escalated? Adrian thought to himself. It seemed it was about that time, but his own interference brought things that should have been tacitly ignored into the open. Otherwise, Sophie wouldn’t be like this, but… isn’t this exactly what he wanted to see?

“Sad, what scenes are coming up next?” Adrian went to find the script supervisor to check the schedule, when he suddenly heard a roar of anger and a flurry of rapid speech coming from a nearby trailer, which stopped after only a few seconds. It was unmistakable who was talking, especially since Adrian recognized those few words as French.

Everyone on set stopped and turned in that direction, faces showing a variety of expressions. Adrian quickly walked over and pushed open the slightly ajar door of the trailer, then saw Sophie sitting on the couch, curled up, with her hands covering her face, her body trembling slightly, while her assistant sat next to her, continuously whispering comfort.

What happened? Adrian mouthed to Sophie’s assistant, Morgana, who responded with a shrug.

After a moment of thought, Adrian gestured to Morgana to let him take over. Morgana hesitated but eventually stood up, influenced by Adrian’s sincere look and her long-standing good impression of him.

“Tell Sad to let everyone take a break for now,” Adrian advised Morgana as she passed by him, then made a shushing gesture to Emma, who had hurried to the door.

The little girl, about to shout out, immediately got the message and covered her mouth with her hand nodding in understanding. Adrian smiled and ruffled her little head, then gently closed the trailer door.

Approaching the sofa with equally gentle steps, Adrian sat down silently next to Sophie, who continued to cover her face, saying nothing. The two of them just sat there, and it was a long time before Sophie sighed deeply and lifted her head.

There were no tear marks on her face, just red-rimmed eyes, so Adrian was the first to offer a tissue.

“Thank you,” Sophie said with a grateful smile, taking it and wiping the corners of her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Adrian said solemnly.

Sophie was momentarily stunned, then quickly understood and followed with a bitter smile, shaking her head.

“No, it’s not about you, Ed,” she whispered, “the problem has been there for a long time, this time it’s just the spark that lit the fuse.”

After a pause, Sophie continued, “We used to argue non-stop, his temper wasn’t very good, so most of the time I would give in to end it, but after making up, all that would be quickly forgotten and we’d return to the beginning. But now it seems that cycle has finally ended…”

She stared blankly ahead, talking to herself as she reminisced about their first meeting, their development together, and how she had once recklessly raised 1 million francs to buy out her contract from Gaumont Company, among other things. Adrian listened quietly, knowing that this was Sophie letting off steam, and it was his opportunity, so he continued to listen even if he lacked interest.

“He wants to settle in Poland, which is fine since it’s his homeland and he can finally go back. It’s normal to have that desire. But he keeps saying that I’ve become difficult to deal with, that I’m a big star, too high maintenance. I really don’t understand what it will take to satisfy him…” Sophie said, then let out a long sigh and stopped. She stared ahead blankly again for a long while, then covered her forehead and shook her head, murmuring, “When I was younger, I always thought that love was the most important thing, that with love, you have everything. Sadly, it’s only after losing some things that you realize how important they are…”

At this, she abruptly stopped talking and nervously glanced at Adrian.

“It’s sometimes hard to articulate feelings. One second you’re swearing eternal love, and the next, you wish the other person dead. A philosopher once said, the more you love someone, the more you can come to hate them. I understand how you’re feeling, but in the end, it’s your private matter, and it wouldn’t be right for me to say too much,” Adrian said in a comforting tone, as if he hadn’t heard the last remark.

“All I can say is that it will get better,” he looked into her brown eyes, “life is all about ups and downs. You should look further ahead, Sophie, you have a long future in front of you.”

Sophie looked into his eyes for a long time, a slight smile blossoming on her lips, faint yet like a bud ready to bloom in spring, pleasing to the eye: “Thank you, Ed.”

“Don’t mention it, I’m just thinking about the movie,” Adrian pretended to be serious, “you’re the leading lady, if something happens to you, we’d have no choice but to shut down production.”

Perhaps because she had let everything out, Sophie felt light-hearted and let out a chuckle.

“Of course, there’s another issue,” Adrian continued, “the next scenes are very important, and I’ll be extremely strict and critical. If I’m not satisfied, my words might be quite hurtful.”

“Is that so?” Sophie raised an eyebrow, apparently intrigued by his statement.

Adrian smiled without a word, his eyes saying “you’ll see when the time comes.”

“Don’t worry, I promise I’ll make you happy, your hurtful words won’t get a chance to be spoken,” she said.

“Good,” Adrian stood up, “let’s leave it at that for today. Get a good night’s rest.”

With that, he turned and headed towards the door of the trailer. Sophie watched him go, then let out a long sigh, leaned back on the sofa, and once again cupped her cheeks with her hands, but this time she seemed much more relaxed.

“Let’s call it a day, we’ll strive to make up for what’s lacking tomorrow,” Adrian said to Assistant Director David after coming out from behind the trailer. He felt equally relaxed.

Though it was just a sentence, it was enough for him to ponder a bit about Sophie’s mindset. Just as she said, young women always take love too seriously, thinking that with love, they have everything. Unfortunately, love is always fleeting, and because it’s fleeting, it becomes eternal; without a material foundation, even the most passionate flames of love will eventually extinguish.

Not to mention, since Sophie started acting in “First Kiss” at 14, had she ever won a significant award? Let alone the three major film festivals, even the Cesar Award for Best Actress, known as the French Oscar, she had not even been nominated. The Most Promising Actress Cesar Award she received at the beginning of her career was when she had not yet transitioned to more mature roles.

Moreover, in Adrian’s memory, even years later, Sophie still couldn’t escape this fate. For an actress, how could she possibly be content? The women in the entertainment industry may play various roles on the silver screen, but how can they be pure lambs in reality?

Adrian was a man of his word, and over the following days of shooting, he gradually began to show his stern side, and his long-unused harsh words reappeared, causing the crew members to complain incessantly. At the same time, they began to envy, resent, and hate Russell Crowe–his part wasn’t being shot during this time, so he was on vacation.

But the powerful Miracle Director would not reduce his verbal sharpness because of this. If someone failed to satisfy him, they were bound to be criticized relentlessly, and Sophie was no exception.

“Cut!” Adrian shouted loudly. His furrowed brows seemed to have not relaxed for days. The camera stopped rolling instantly, and everyone involuntarily took a deep breath, wondering who was about to be the unlucky one.

“Can you look even more miserable, Sophie?” Adrian walked straight up to her, looking at her with piercing eyes, “Before, you were the holy lamb willing to sacrifice yourself and deliver yourself to the tiger’s den, and now you’ve become the Little Rabbit reluctant to go to the slaughterhouse, God, have you not understood a word I said at the beginning!”

He suddenly pointed towards Gary Miles, the British actor playing Edward II, startling him into shivering: “You’re a noble French princess, you marry into the United Kingdom to achieve peace between two countries, politically naive. But now, your future husband is a homosexual, who even deserts you on your wedding night for his male lover! How is this not a great humiliation that needs to be explained again? Where’s your embarrassment? Where’s your anger?!”

“I’m sorry,” Sophie replied calmly, looking at him despite Adrian’s shouting.

“If sorry could bring back wasted time, I would be very pleased!” Adrian continued sarcastically.

Sophie didn’t speak again. She took a few deep breaths, straightened her chest, and prepared to go once more. To her surprise, Adrian, after glaring at her for a while, waved his hand: “Take a 15-minute break, I hope it’ll be good next time!”

With her delicate eyebrows slightly raised, Sophie bowed slightly and then walked back to her chair. Adrian returned to his seat as well and, taking a long breath, stretched his body.

“It’s quite surprising; you’re so unforgiving,” Kate’s voice appeared; she sat next to him, looking at him with a half-smiling, half-mocking expression.

“Is there a problem?” Adrian acted puzzled, “Or are you trying to tell me actors should be left unaccountable for their mistakes, left to figure it out on their own?”

“Of course not, I was just reminded of the time when I first worked with you on your debut film,” Kate said in a languid tone, reclining in the big, soft chair, dressed in loose clothing that was a bit lacking in taste, her belly now clearly protruding, her cheeks and figure also fuller.

Kate arrived in London three days ago. In the end, she couldn’t resist coming; after all, she was already three months pregnant, and the doctor had confirmed the fetus was well-formed, so flying wouldn’t be an issue. Adrian missed her, of course, after several weeks apart, but he didn’t want her to come at this time; after all, Kate’s family didn’t yet know about her pregnancy, and the reporters hadn’t completely left the set. But even if he refused, she could still take a passenger flight, so in the end, he had no choice but to agree. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it on , your support is my greatest motivation.)