King of Hollywood-Chapter 185 - Aftermath

Chapter 185 -185 Aftermath

“Wait for me ten minutes, no, twenty minutes,” Charlize instructed the driver Glover before straightening her casual clothes, then clutching her clutch and heading towards the brightly lit Melita Hotel.

Circumventing the throng of reporters stationed at the front door, she entered through a side entrance but was stopped outside the lobby.

“Your name isn’t on the list, miss,” said the attendant at the door.

“Indeed, my name isn’t on the list, but I am Mr. Adrian Cowell’s private assistant, and I urgently need to see him,” Charlize tried to explain, but no matter what she said, the attendant was adamant about one thing: no entry without being on the list.

Charlize was close to losing her cool when she spotted a familiar face passing through the doorway and immediately called out to him, “Laverne, thank goodness, can you please convince this guy to let me in!”

“Charli? What’s happened?” Laverne, who was stepping out for some air, recognized Charlize.

“Ed said that if there were any changes to the schedule in the next few days, I must inform him immediately. I just discovered a problem that might require all plans to be adjusted, so I rushed over, but they won’t let me in,” Charlize explained briefly.

“I understand, then,” Laverne turned and glanced at the attendant’s name tag, “Paul, listen to me…”

Thanks to Laverne’s corroboration, Charlize finally made it into the party hall, only to find she had traversed the entire hall without spotting Adrian’s figure, and instead was approached by many others.

“Mr. Claude,” she finally found a familiar face after a few minutes, “Hello, I’m Charlize.”

“Ah, the lovely Miss Charlize, is there something I can assist you with?” Claude, who was conversing with a lady, asked with a smile that soon became inscrutable, “You’re looking for Ed, aren’t you? He isn’t here; perhaps you can find him upstairs.”

Charlize’s pretty eyebrows instantly raised. She looked at Claude for a few seconds, said “thank you,” and headed towards the stairs. As she turned, she made an obvious eye-rolling gesture.

Claude chuckled softly under his breath, having witnessed the exchange, until the woman beside him called his attention back.

“She really is a beautiful girl,” the woman said with a smile that conveyed no other emotion.

“She’s my best friend’s private assistant—oh, where were we? Comparing Iguazu Falls with Niagara Falls, right? I believe…” Claude smoothly steered the conversation back.

Upon reaching the second floor, Charlize still hadn’t found Adrian after several circles, which, of course, had something to do with the hotel’s spacious second level.

“Do I have to knock on each room door and potentially interrupt him doing… something?” Charlize muttered annoyed. She decided if she couldn’t find anyone by the end of this corridor, she would just leave and not bother anymore.

As though God had heard her internal complaint, Charlize finally heard Adrian’s familiar voice near the corridor’s end. She hurried forward wanting to settle the matter quickly, but after only a couple of steps, she suddenly stopped; the voices from around the corner weren’t just Adrian’s.

“That’s enough, Ed, I don’t want to hear this anymore; that’s it, I’m going down and then leaving.”

“You know, Julie, you’re really cute like this.”

“Stop sweet-talking me, Ed, it doesn’t work anymore…sob…”

“…Ah, still sweet and fragrant. I like your lips, Julie.”

“Save those words for someone else, Ed! If you dare touch me again without permission…sob…”

“Oh, you’re just too adorable. If only I had a camera, I could capture this moment as a keepsake. Alright, let’s go to my room, don’t worry, we’ll just talk.”

“Please, Ed, stop it, okay? Don’t drag me in there! This is illegal detainment!”

“Listen, Julie, let’s have a calm talk, and you’ll cheer up.”

After sounds of kissing, arguing, and flirtatious whispers, finally, a loud bang of a door closing echoed. Standing in the middle of the corridor, Charlize stood motionless for a long time, clenched her teeth, and huffed loudly before turning around and walking away without looking back.

I really must have been out of my mind to work for a boss like that! Charlize fumed while gripping her hair. Look at what he did in London, going out on a date with a woman he’d never met before, and just a few days later fooling around in the lounge with a woman he knew. And now, just talking? Fat chance! She’d bet anything that after their “chat,” he’d definitely spend the night at another woman’s house. Just another dickhead led around by his urges!

“Drive, let’s go back,” she ordered the driver gruffly after slamming the car door shut.

Glover gave her a glance and said nothing before starting the car.

After rolling down the window and letting the cool breeze blow for a while, Charlize finally calmed down. Alright, the reason she had applied for a job at Bossworth Film Company was out of desperation. Back then, she was in a tough spot, working at a restaurant to earn money while studying, but her savings were still dwindling. Despite her decent grades and substantial internship experience, for some reason, she was still rejected by different companies.

As time went on, she was almost unable to pay the rent. Although her mother consoled her that they could find a cheaper apartment, where could they find anything cheaper? Queens County’s black neighborhood?

So, when Charlize saw the recruitment ad for Bossworth Film Company in the newspaper, she immediately sent her resume. She had indeed collected information about Adrian and remembered the man who’d encouraged her to try new things while sitting on the park bench, along with his astonishing achievements. She hoped that maybe their previous connection could alleviate her current plight.

As it turned out, Charlize was right; Adrian remembered her and offered her a well-paying job in Los Angeles. What she never imagined was that this genteel, talented, and understanding man would lead such a chaotic private life!

Whatever, as long as he remembers to pay me on time, she sighed deeply. Looking out of the car window, the motel where she was staying was approaching. With this month’s paycheck, she would be able to move out.

“Thank you, Glover.” Charlize said to the driver after getting out at the motel entrance.

“Do you not need the car anymore tonight?” the driver asked.

“Hmm… Can you wait for me a moment? I left in a hurry earlier, and there are still some things in my room I need to pack,” Charlize said, not sure why she’d suddenly said that.

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“No problem, but remember to let me know,” Glover nodded.

Damn it, what am I thinking? Why am I worried about not informing him immediately? It’s not my fault! Charlize wondered oddly to herself as she walked toward the motel.

“Hey, Charli, you’re back so soon?” a skinny black man greeted her cheerfully in the motel corridor, holding a hand-rolled cigarette-like joint between his fingers.

“Once the business is done, of course I’d come back,” Charlize responded. Although the short man enjoyed his marijuana and was somewhat sleazy, overall, he wasn’t bad—at least compared to some…

“Of course, she’s back after being used. Do you think they’d let her stay the night, Tad?” A mocking voice came from the next room. Then a young woman, heavily made up, walked out, looking at Charlize with undisguised disgust and hostility.

“Don’t be like that, Maggie,” Tad, although high as a kite, still had some semblance of reason. Unfortunately, it was too late, as several other people in the corridor began to hiss after hearing Maggie’s words.

“It’s okay, Tad,” Charlize said while looking coldly at the woman, who turned her head away guiltily but then snapped it back to glare in return.

It’s not worth getting angry over a whore. She told herself inwardly before returning to her room. Nevertheless, Charlize still felt terrible and didn’t know why. Although she’d been derided with similar words by that woman before, she had never been as upset as she was tonight, and Adrian’s image kept involuntarily coming to mind.

Alright, maybe it’s because… no, no, no, calm down, Charli, don’t overthink it, Glover is still waiting outside for your response. Charlize rubbed her temples, then had a slight epiphany. Since Adrian had left her a room in the villa, she had a key, and since she didn’t want to stay here tonight after what had happened, why not go to the villa? Ed clearly wouldn’t be there tonight, and she could give him the itinerary first thing when he returned in the morning, so he wouldn’t have anything to complain about…

Resolved, Charlize automatically filtered out some thoughts, packed up the remaining paperwork in the room, and left.

==========================

The raucous night finally ended, but the aftermath of the Oscars had just begun. For instance, the Los Angeles Times’ next-day edition ran with the headline “Another Oscar Night, the Tragic Adrian Continues His Sorrow” as its front-page story; the entertainment section of the Washington Post was dominated by a photo of Adrian, head down, leaving the music center, looking dejected; and while the New York Times displayed half-length portraits of the big winners on its front page, the news of Adrian’s “6 nominations and only 1 win” was also published in the most conspicuous spot at the top right.

Just like the previous year, the media once again overwhelmingly sided with Adrian, and even more vehemently than before. After all, three movies in a year, each with a different style and both critically and commercially successful, yet failing at the Oscars again, was enough to warrant sympathy—after all, sympathy was free and it also attracted viewers for them. (To be continued, for more information please visit . More chapters are available and, please support the author and genuine reading!)