King of Hollywood
Chapter 333 - Chapter 333 Chapter 57 Causes and Consequences

Chapter 333: Chapter 57: Causes and Consequences Chapter 333: Chapter 57: Causes and Consequences “You can leave now?” Adrian couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows, while Nicole sat up and turned away, using her smooth back against him as she tidied up her clothes. How surprising, just a second ago, she was eagerly matching his passion, and the next, she turned her back as if she didn’t recognize him. Who did she think she was, summonable and dismissable at whim?

Adrian was not angry. Everyone does things for a reason, and Nicole wouldn’t have made love to him for no reason, nor would she have had no reason to rush him out afterward. However, it obviously wasn’t a good time to look for answers, so after zipping up his pants and making a minor adjustment to his shirt, he said, “Well, then, I’ll take my leave.”

Nicole, still busying herself with her belongings with her back to him, didn’t speak or even look like she intended to turn around.

Although slightly dissatisfied, Adrian nonchalantly walked toward the exit, until the door slammed shut behind him. He just shrugged, and then heard another door close nearby. When he turned his head instinctively to look, both he and the person on the other side were startled.

Tom Cruise was standing about ten feet away from Adrian. Although dressed neatly in a suit, the top button of his shirt was undone, and the belt of his pants was slightly askew and not fully straightened. More significantly, there were faint lipstick marks near his neck, leaving little doubt about what had transpired in the room. Judging by Cruise’s slightly unsteady gait, it appeared the encounter had been quite intense.

The two men just stared at each other, and after a long pause, Adrian cleared his throat and forced a smile, “I really didn’t expect to meet you here… I hope I didn’t disturb you…”

Cruise gave an awkward smile, made a gesture without saying a word, and glanced anxiously at the door behind him.

Seeing this, Adrian displayed an understanding smile, gestured ‘please’ and then turned to re-enter his own room. Closing the door with a deep breath, he looked at Nicole, who had almost finished getting ready, his eyes flickering with an odd light.

Nicole, who had stood up by this time, turned her head at the sound, glanced at him, and then, as if she hadn’t seen him, continued with her final adjustments. She brushed back her hair that had come loose from the previous fervent activity and raised her leg back, leaning to slip on her high heels, naturally revealing the allure of someone recently satisfied.

A nameless emotion rose in Adrian’s heart–exciting, stirring, indescribable. No wonder she had been so proactive and passionate before, no wonder she had been so loud and uninhibited when pressed against the far-right wall. Adrian’s eyes narrowed as he watched Nicole, radiating intense and dangerous warmth.

Just the thought of Tom Cruise in the next room having an affair while Nicole Kidman had been beneath him ignited a flame within Adrian. How wonderful it would have been if he had known from the start, but it seemed it wasn’t too late to enjoy the realization.

By this time, Nicole had finished getting ready and walked up to Adrian, “Please move aside.”

Her tone was still cold, her head slightly turned away, eyelids drooping, as if she didn’t want to make eye contact. As soon as she finished speaking, there was the light sound of a click–Adrian had locked the door behind them, and in one motion, he hoisted Nicole up and strode forward.

“What are you doing! Put me down!” Caught off guard, Nicole couldn’t resist and began to twist her body, shouting in some panic. Then there was a slap sound as she was thrown roughly onto a long table, letting out a pained gasp.

“How dare you treat me like this!” Nicole propped herself up and roared, but she was quickly flipped over by Adrian, her legs pushed down against the long table, firmly pinned and immobile.

“Stop it! You stop it right now!” Nicole’s struggle intensified immediately, a stark contrast to her previous lascivious demeanor.

“Why? Weren’t you enjoying yourself just now?” Adrian chuckled as he looked at the woman he was pressing against the long table.

“Stop it!” Nicole, feeling his movements, turned her head and glared at Adrian with her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and an awkward expression, but a single sentence from Adrian shut her up.

“Do you know who I just saw coming out of the room next door?” His voice, laced with a smile, was low in her ear, and she instantly tensed up, her writhing hips coming to a sudden halt as if someone had hit the pause button.

—————————–

The 67th Oscar ceremony came to a close, and the various discussions it had sparked could also come to an end. Although, as always, some media outlets voiced their dissent over the snubbed movies, directors, or actors, the dissent was much less compared to previous years. Whether it was “Forrest Gump” for Best Picture, Adrian for Best Director, or Hanks for Best Actor, most people confirmed their merit since the film embodied American mainstream values.

“Adrian is indeed young, but so what? If someone else could have made such an outstanding movie, I believe the Film Academy’s judges would have awarded the trophy to them just the same,” read one article.

In any case, the titles of youngest ever nominee for Best Director at the Oscars, the winner of that category, and the record holder for most Oscars won in a single ceremony were now firmly associated with Adrian. While there might be hope to surpass the first record, as geniuses were rare in the world but still existed, the second and third seemed to be just wishful thinking.

After all, Adrian wasn’t even thirty yet, and if we consider the entire history of the Oscars, those who have won Best Director before the age of forty are few and far between, let alone before thirty. Moreover, to win more than three Oscar statuettes, one would need to take on numerous roles, such as screenwriter or editor–it seemed those were the only possibilities for doubling up. Even for the most gifted geniuses, juggling multiple tasks expertly and earning the picky Film Academy judges’ acknowledgment required not just talent but also luck.

Adrian was coated in another layer of aura and thus received even more attention–especially from industry insiders. However, at this moment, he was at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, checking on the filming situation of a certain movie, having arrived just three days after the Oscars had ended.

“The wires can just be removed with a computer in post-production, plus we’re using a stunt double and lots of protective gear. It’s just a few shots; nothing will happen,” Michael Bay was explaining to Adrian by his side.

“Not bad, keep it all according to your vision, Mike,” Adrian nodded, then turned to Jerry Bruckheimer on the other side, “Am I right, Jerry?”

“Of course,” Bruckheimer smiled, “When it comes to this genre, Mike is the best.”

After a few more words with the duo about the filming of “The Rock,” Adrian headed toward his target–Nicholas Cage, who was sitting on the balcony, basking in the sun while flipping through a script.

“How’s the preparation going, Nicholas?” Adrian sat down beside him and asked casually.

“Not bad, I think I could make myself look more serious and tense. Stanley might be an excellent chemist, but he’s no professional secret agent,” Cage answered without looking up, still very youthful just past thirty, his naturally morose eyebrows gave him a distinct aura.

“Could you hand me the water glass on the table, and add a fizzing tablet to it?” he said as he gestured to Adrian.

It wasn’t until the water glass was in his hand that Cage realized the person sitting next to him wasn’t his assistant. He did a double-take, gave Adrian a closer look, and then his expression turned to one of surprise, “God, you’re… Mr. Adrian?!”

“Ed, call me Ed.” Adrian laughed, “We’ve spoken on the phone before, there’s no need to be so formal.”

“But this is our first time meeting face to face,” Cage shook his head, still maintaining a respectful demeanor as he reached out his hand, “It’s nice to finally meet you, Ed, and congratulations on winning Best Director. I didn’t expect you to come here right after the awards ceremony.”

“Thank you, though it is certainly something to celebrate, there’s still a lot to do,” Adrian shook hands with him. He had spoken with Cage on the phone previously when he invited him to star in ‘The Rock’, “So I figured I might as well wait until I’ve finished up here to throw a small private party–perhaps you’d like to attend?”

“Really?” Cage’s eyes lit up. He understood what that invitation meant, “I’d be honored to.”

“You’re an exceptional actor, Nicholas, I’ve seen some of the edited footage, and though it’s only a few minutes, your performance is extremely compelling,” Adrian said with a smile.

“Edited footage?” Cage asked in confusion. He initially thought Adrian was talking about the ongoing ‘The Rock’, but how could there be edited footage if they had just started filming?

Adrian wore an inscrutable smile, “Last year, you acted in a movie, a low-budget independent film.”

Cage furrowed his brow and carefully recalled, then his expression turned to one of surprise, “You mean… the adaptation of John O’Brien’s book, ‘Leaving Las Vegas’?!”

“Bingo!” Adrian snapped his fingers, “I knew it was right to have you play the lead role.”

“Wow, I had no idea that was your investment,” Cage’s expression of astonishment grew, “It indeed was a very challenging role, I had to drink a lot for it; I nearly became like those alcoholics I went to see.”

“I also participated in the scriptwriting, though just to provide some key points and ideas,” Adrian shrugged, “After the script was finished, I considered many actors–none of them quite fit. It took a long time to settle on you, and not because of your uncle. It was the impressive performance you gave in ‘Wild at Heart’ that stuck with me, that sort of…”

He gestured as if recalling something, and Cage quickly continued, “That sick, quirky, neurotic image, yes, it’s true. Although I won the Best Actor at Cannes for that role, my family criticized me for a long time, saying I would be typecast in such roles if I didn’t change.”

At this point, Cage chuckled at some thought he had, and Adrian was curious to know what it was, but he held back and continued the conversation smoothly while subtly praising Cage a few more times.

“I fully believe that your performance will be miraculous,” he finally said. Whether Cage grasped the subtlety of the comment was now up to him.

Although Tom Hanks successfully continued his reign as Best Actor, the original plan still needed to be carried out. Naturally, the film adaptation rights for “Leaving Las Vegas” fell into Adrian’s hands–in fact, he had set his sights on this novel as early as the end of the year before last. He acquired the adaptation rights at the beginning of last year, and by the end of last year, filming had started. Up to now, post-production had already begun.

These things needed to be initiated early; if delayed, one could lose the advantage. In the past, when Adrian lacked the strength, he had to work hard to secure the adaptation rights for such novels, but now that he had developed, it naturally became much easier.

Likewise, this opportunity allowed Nicolas Cage to be drawn in. Although he had to become the “King of Bad Movies” after the turn of the 21st century due to his luxurious lifestyle, he was still a quite remarkable actor. His fame soared after winning Best Actor at Cannes in ’92. Once “The Rock” was released, his commercial value would rise even more, and besides, he was a member of the Coppola family–how could Adrian not take advantage of that?

Adrian stayed in San Francisco for two days before leaving. He actually wanted to stay a bit longer since Michael Bay was about to shoot that very famous and impressive car chase scene, which would have been worth observing. Everyone had something worth learning from, even Michael Bay, who was wholeheartedly committed to commercial films to the end.

But Charlize reminded him his schedule was tight, so after much consideration, Adrian chose to return. Anyway, the trip to San Francisco had been quite fruitful. He had not only grown closer to Nicolas Cage but also became friends with Sean Connery, the older and more handsome gentleman who truly was a typical British man, quite charismatic.

“Some things are etched in your bones and have become a part of your life,” Connery said indifferently when Adrian complimented him. However, the pride in his tone was quite evident; it was one of the British characteristics.

“I will notify you the first thing, and you must come when the time comes.” After agreeing with Cage, Adrian also invited Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer. Then he got into the car with Charlize and left the San Francisco film set.

“You must give me the complete list of guests by the morning after tomorrow at the latest. This way, I’ll have enough time to arrange everything,” Charlize said after reviewing the itinerary and other documents while Adrian watched the streetscape.

“No problem, I’ll start organizing it immediately after I get back,” Adrian replied with a smile, turning his head to her. He began giving her an up-and-down look, to which Charlize rolled her eyes and started organizing the documents.

Although he was tempted to pull her into his arms, he glanced at Grove, who was driving, and decided against it. He then continued to think about which guests to invite. Since it was a private party, aside from guests like Cage, who were invited out of necessity, those who would come would definitely be people with close relationships.

Hmm… I wonder if the Cruises would be willing to come? This thought suddenly popped into his mind, and Adrian immediately thought back to the passionate moments he had shared with Nicole at the Vanity Fair party on the Oscar night.

After the second time, Nicole lay dazed on the long table for a long while, unable to get up, her legs spread wide on the floor, her round buttocks sticking up as if she had been ravished. God knows that, while Adrian’s movements had been somewhat rough at the start, he was always caring afterward; he was never one of those men who only cared about his own pleasure.

Nicole was actually a very strong-willed woman, evident from various interactions Adrian had observed, supplementing his memory. She was not the type of woman to either bear loneliness or be willing to live in someone else’s shadow, otherwise why would she have married Tom Cruise? To handle such a woman, one had to be more dominant than her, like Cruise’s controlling nature. But Adrian was far more dominant than Cruise, and he understood better how to deal with women. So, though Nicole verbally refused, she allowed him to manipulate her and soon started to respond.

Even if Tom did come, Nicole probably wouldn’t. Adrian shook his head gently. He had to admit he had long coveted this beautiful woman, even blatantly flirting with her at the Paramount CEO’s party–since they were inevitably going to divorce, and Nicole and Cruise had their irrevocable conflicts, why bother with niceties? But he didn’t expect it to happen in this manner.

The slight trace of panic in her demeanor when she finally left made Adrian realize that further advances would be difficult. He couldn’t help but sigh softly; then, at that moment, his cell phone rang.

“Crow is looking for you.” After picking up, Charlize promptly handed the phone to him. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes at Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.)