The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood! Chapter 39

On a typical weekday morning, a large crowd of entertainment journalists gathered on the beach at Paradise Cove in Malibu. They had been tipped off that the recent "relationship" between Matthew Horner and Britney Spears would be clarified today.

In reality, a clarification was hardly necessary. Few of the entertainment reporters who showed up actually believed that Matthew Horner, a country boy, was dating Britney Spears. But none of them would print that, because then no one would buy their papers.

"If they clear everything up..." Standing in line to enter the restaurant, Ilana overheard two reporters behind her discussing the situation. "This whole media frenzy will have been for nothing, and we might even get sued for spreading rumors."

The other reporter replied, "We're in the City of Angels, home to Hollywood. It's crawling with celebrities and famous people, so what's the worry about finding more gossip? Besides, we won't get in trouble for spreading rumors. Not many celebrities would waste their 'precious' time suing tabloids like us. We can just issue an apology in the paper—we don't have to pay for it. What are you so afraid of?"

Ilana glanced back at the journalist, a colleague who clearly understood the essence of the entertainment gossip industry.

Inside the restaurant, a staff member guided her to the rows of chairs. Since she had arrived early, she deliberately found a seat up front and began to set up her equipment, preparing for the interview.

Ilana found herself intrigued by one of the event's central figures, Matthew Horner. She had not only met him but had also dealt with him on several occasions, and he had proven to be a very interesting character.

Although the scandal was a carefully crafted fabrication designed to attract attention and make money, even fabrications needed to be grounded in real events. Without that image of Matthew Horner carrying Britney, her article would have been a complete joke.

"The guy knows what he's doing." As a journalist specializing in gossip and scandals, Ilana had long heard about Britney's notoriously difficult personality. "It’s amazing how well he managed to befriend her."

"I'll be standing right behind you," she told Matthew. "If you get stuck or don't know how to answer a question, I'll give you a cue."

Matthew nodded. He had absolutely no experience dealing with journalists, so her guidance would be invaluable.

Helen pulled a chair over and sat beside Matthew. "This is usually a publicist's job, not an agent's," she remarked.

Matthew spread his hands in a helpless gesture. "As you can see, I don't have one."

Given his current status and bank account, hiring an expensive PR manager would have been madness.

"Just perform well," Helen said, not dwelling on the point. "Don’t mess this up. You have no idea how long you might have to wait for your next press conference."

Matthew understood perfectly well that Helen had pulled out all the stops to make this press conference happen. She was leveraging the Britney camp's desire to defuse the scandal to continue building his profile and capitalize on the sliver of fame he had acquired through his association with the pop star.

Speaking of his career, Matthew’s thoughts shifted. "What about my next role?" he asked.

"I've secured an audition for you," Helen replied. "But it won't be for a little while."

"Can you tell me about the role?" Matthew pressed.

Helen remained reserved. "A World War II soldier. Just wait until you're done filming Britney's music video. Don't get distracted by other things."

Hearing that, Matthew stopped asking, though a question began to spin in his head: what shows were being made this year?

A crew member approached and told them to leave the temporary dressing room for the restaurant. When Britney arrived, they all walked into the main hall together.

A large number of reporters were present, and Matthew felt a pang of nervousness as he took his seat at the table.

"Relax," Helen reminded him in a low voice from behind his chair. "They're just peddlers of gossip. What are you so afraid of them for?"

Her words helped, and Matthew forced himself to relax, offering Britney a smile as she glanced his way.

It was an informal press conference, a simple affair to clear up some gossip. A moderator spoke for a moment before passing the microphone to Matthew first.

He was, after all, the man of the hour.

Matthew had memorized his lines long ago, and he delivered them now as naturally as if he were in a film. "During the music video shoot, Britney injured her leg, and I carried her to a car to get medical attention. I have a professional relationship with Britney as her co-star, but we are not dating."

The statement was designed to put the non-existent scandal to rest.

The camera flashes across the room were incessant. Matthew knew that after today's statement, his fifteen minutes of fame would soon be over.

Matthew finished his statement, and the microphone was passed to Britney.

"I'm currently single and not dating anyone."

Presumably crafted by a professional publicist, Britney's statement sounded quite reserved. "The rumors that have been circulating were just a misunderstanding. I'd also like to thank my fans and friends in the media for their concern."

A brief Q&A session followed. Britney's agency and record label knew this type of fabricated gossip had run its course, and the vast majority of reporters stuck to questions about the music video, no longer mentioning the supposed "relationship" between Britney and Matthew.

But some weren't willing to let it go so easily. Ilana was one of them.

When the microphone finally reached her, she stood and asked, "Britney, do you know Matthew Horner well?"

Matthew had already spotted the tall journalist in the crowd, and the moment she stood up, his expression tensed almost imperceptibly.

"Yes," Britney nodded. There was no point in denying it. "We're friends."

The agent standing behind her fought the urge to smack her over the head. What was this naive girl thinking? Why admit it so openly?

Ordinarily, each reporter was allowed only one question, but Ilana was not one to be timid, and since no one moved to stop her, she asked another: "You're just friends now, but could you see yourselves dating in the future?"

Britney's agent hastily whispered, "Don't answer."

But Britney was the type to say and do whatever popped into her head.

As if she hadn't heard her agent's warning, she shot a look at Matthew and answered, "Who knows?"

Britney's reasoning was simple. It was true, she wasn't in a relationship with Matthew now. But from the moment she'd met him to their conversations while she was bored in the hospital, he had made a very good impression. And even though they were just friends, she had no idea what the future might hold for their relationship.

And so she gave her honest answer.

"Mr. Matthew Horner," Ilana said, spotting a staffer moving toward her. She looked at Matthew and hastily asked, "Do you intend to date Britney in the future?"

When the reporter had questioned Britney, Helen had anticipated she might pose a similar question to Matthew. The moment the words were out of Ilana's mouth, she whispered to him, "Say that you're good friends."

Matthew repeated Helen's line verbatim: "I'm a good friend of Britney's."

As he spoke, he glanced at Britney, who seemed to approve of his statement and offered him a sweet smile.

The moment was instantly captured by a flurry of camera flashes.

Britney, however, wasn't bothered in the slightest. What Matthew had said was exactly what she was thinking—she considered him a rare and very good friend.

By this point, the event staff were openly moving in on Ilana. Seeing that her time was up, she handed the microphone back.

Matthew suddenly realized how wrong he had been a moment ago. Ilana wasn't a journalist with a conscience or professional integrity; she was more shameless and audacious than every other entertainment reporter in the room.

As this thought crossed his mind, he saw Ilana glance back and give him a subtle wink, her own form of a greeting.

Matthew ignored her. The press conference concluded, and he followed Helen out of the main hall, returning to the makeshift dressing room to prepare for filming.

"That tall female reporter—does she know you?" Helen had seen the wink and remembered Matthew mentioning he had a friend in the press. "Is she the one?"

Matthew scratched his head, not sure how to put it. "Not really a friend, no."

Helen gave him a sharp look. "Did you coordinate her questions ahead of time?"

A question like that, paired with Britney's somewhat ill-advised response, had undoubtedly given the reporters fresh material for speculation. Britney's people certainly hadn't wanted that, but it definitely worked in Matthew's favor.

"No," Matthew denied instantly. "I didn't even know she would be here today."

Helen could sense the lie in his voice. "Matthew Horner," she said, her tone serious, "I'm your agent. We're supposed to trust each other."