King of Hollywood-Chapter 608 - 16 and After

The venue fell silent, everyone craning their necks in anticipation as Benigni prepared to announce the winner. Adrian, too, couldn’t help but clench his fists. The memory of this particular Oscar award for Best Actress was profoundly ingrained—it was stunning how Annette Bening, with all her accumulated fame, critical acclaim, and her husband’s connections, was still unexpectedly defeated by Hilary Swank.

Perhaps it was destiny. From then on, whenever Annette Bening encountered Hilary Swank, defeat was inevitable. Although Adrian had put considerable effort into his public relations campaign, entrusting it to Weinstein and allowing him to leverage his resources to create such a spectacle, who could predict if something unexpected might occur? Luck is sometimes enigmatic, and every reborn individual must believe in some force beyond their understanding.

In a way, if he could secure the Best Actress award for Monica, it would prove that his goals were fully achievable, and he had already accomplished half of them. Adrian took a deep breath, gripped Monica’s hand tightly, and focused intently on the stage, utterly unaware of his surroundings.

Benigni took about two or three seconds to look at the envelope, but to many, it felt like years had passed, especially when he raised his eyebrows in surprise, making everyone’s heart skip a beat.

"This unexpected name is also... the one that pleases me the most, Monica Bellucci for ’Malena’!" Benigni announced loudly, his face alight with joy. After a year, another Italian actor had won the Oscar for Best Actress—how could he not be thrilled?

The room went quiet for about two seconds before applause erupted thunderously. Regardless of any dissatisfaction or resignation, now was the moment to salute the victor—it was only proper.

Monica sat stunned in her seat, motionless for a long while, as if she didn’t realize "Monica Bellucci" referred to her. It wasn’t until the applause suddenly burst out around her that she turned, puzzled, to look at Adrian.

"You’ve won, my dear. Go on, go claim your honor," Adrian said softly, clapping and smiling.

Monica’s eyes instantly misted over, and her chest began to visibly heave. Thankfully, she remembered where she was and how many cameras and eyes were fixed on her, so she quickly composed herself, resisting the urge to rush over and kiss him. After straightening her attire, she stood up.

Starting with Adrian, and then moving on to embrace each member of the crew, Monica made her way to the stage and took the Oscar statuette for Best Actress from Benigni’s hands.

"Congratulations, Miss Monica," Benigni said admiringly, clearly delighted to witness the scene.

"Thank you," Monica replied excitedly, nodding her head before addressing everyone in the hall, "Um... well, it’s a bit heavier than I imagined."

Laughter rippled through the room.

"So..." Monica took a deep breath, "to be honest, I don’t know what to say. I’m completely unprepared. If I had known, I should have prepared a speech."

Another round of friendly laughter filled the hall.

"I’ve often looked up to this place, never once thinking I would actually stand here one day. But there was someone who always encouraged me, saying criticism from others would only mature you, would only sharpen you. Keep going, and you will eventually reap your own glory. Now that this day has come, I don’t know how to thank you. I... I..." She stumbled over her words twice, hesitating about something, but after two or three seconds, she continued.

"Thank you, Ed, thank you. I remember every word you once told me." Monica covered her mouth, her eyes shimmering, then took another deep breath before continuing, "Also, thanks to the judges who acknowledged my efforts, thanks to my parents for their endless support, and to Marino, you are such a little gentleman..."

While Monica swiftly shifted her speech to include others, anyone with a bit of insight would understand what she had initially struggled to say. Of course, no one would point it out or make a fuss about it.

"Wonderful speech," Adrian commented with a smile as Monica returned to her seat, finally allowing himself to fully relax. "I thought you might throw caution to the wind, my dear."

"If you want, it’s not too late now," said Monica, her composure regained, and she gave him a meaningful look with teasing charm in her eyes.

Adrian chuckled lightly and didn’t continue, only holding her hand and patting it again gently. Monica didn’t respond further and turned her gaze to the stage, holding his hand even tighter.

After the Best Actress, naturally, it was time for the Best Actor, and without any surprises, Kevin Spacey clinched the title of Best Actor. Though he thanked Adrian in his speech, Adrian wasn’t particularly concerned about it; instead, he was more captivated by Blanchett in her golden evening gown, who was announcing the winner. The way her enticing red lips moved easily brought back memories of an earlier moment in the restroom, where Blanchett and Gwyneth were intertwined.

Next, without a doubt, no movie was a match for "American Beauty"; Sam Mendes won Best Director and "American Beauty" took home Best Picture.

During the Best Picture award, Adrian didn’t go up, although he was credited as a producer. The person who went up with Mendes was a producer from Universal, marking their first Oscar win since being acquired by AC Media. Of course, Universal didn’t know this was just the beginning.

"Hi, Ed."

"Hello, Mr. Adrian."

As Adrian came out of the aisle, many greeted him, and he responded with smiles. Then, a warm body crashed into his arms, "Where have you been?"

Dressed in a silky off-shoulder white gown, her long blonde hair flowing straight, Gwyneth looked enchanting with a slight petulance and allure.

"Just dealing with a little matter inside, don’t worry about it," Adrian replied cheerfully, wrapping his arm around her waist, feeling less constricted at the Vanity Fair party than at the Oscars.

"A little matter?" Gwyneth hummed lightly, inhaled deeply near him, and then looked slightly surprised, "How many times did you do it?"

Adrian just shrugged with a smile and didn’t answer, instead, he loosened his collar to appear more casual and rubbed his neck to lighten some marks. Monica’s fervor had exceeded his expectations, and she was relentless even when exhausted from his advances, clinging desperately for a long time. In fact, right after the Oscars ended, she had whispered uninhibitedly in Adrian’s ear, "I want you!" The joy of her success, unrestrained by her victory, was fully expressed but had to be contained until now, making it all the more intense.

But she wasn’t here anymore; after their passionate encounter, Monica chose to go back. They had moved back to Los Angeles from Orange County, so it wouldn’t take them long to return.

"I’ve been here for a while, attended the Vanity Fair party, and..." Monica, exhausted but clinging to Adrian, caressed his face and said, "So, I should go back and spend time with Deva and Juliet, and perhaps boast to Sophie, to make her work you harder in the future."

She laughed softly, constantly showing affectionate intimacy, "So, don’t come back too late tonight." freēwēbnovel.com

"No, my dear, tonight is just for the two of us," Adrian replied.

"...Are you serious?" Monica asked, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Of course, it’s essential, and it’s my request," Adrian raised an eyebrow and kissed her lips, "You can go back and check on the kids now, but later you must come to my place. Tonight, you’re my queen."

Facing such romantic words, what reason did Monica have to refuse? She rarely ever denied him, and besides, which woman wouldn’t want her man to devote his full attention to her, despite having accepted many things?

"Where’s Kate? I thought you were together," Adrian asked at that moment.

"Over there, with the newly crowned Oscar-winning actor," Gwyneth immediately pointed towards the right side of the party hall.

At this time, many people were gathered around Spacey, congratulating him—some sincerely, some perfunctorily, and some trying to network. In any case, there were a lot of people, and it was lively.

"How does it feel to be the Best Actor, Kevin?" Adrian asked, smiling as they high-fived.

"Oh, it’s indescribable," Spacey said, holding his drink, "It’s like suddenly flying in mid-air, yet also carrying a strong sense of unreality. If one day you became an actor, Ed, and won the Best Actor Oscar, you would understand how I feel right now."

"You know what I think, Kevin," Adrian said, looking at him very seriously, "You’ve had too much to drink, really."

The people around them burst into laughter, though envious glances still swept around Adrian. In Hollywood, probably only he could manage to have Gwyneth and Blanchett flanking him on each side.

After a few more words, Adrian made his excuse to leave but not without throwing out a bit of bait.

"Don’t be discouraged, Dan, you still have a chance. Losing to Kevin is just luck; you’ve been great these past few years, and it’s about time the Oscars awarded a new title to a Black actor," he told Denzel Washington, then he added as if an afterthought, "By the way, I recently came across an interesting script. The concept is good but the specifics are lacking, so it’s being rewritten. Maybe you’d like to try out for it when it’s ready."

Washington’s eyes instantly lit up, "No problem, Ed, whenever you need."

Such was the power of fame, from Pacino to Spacey, many actors had gained their desired accolades through Adrian. Presented with such an opportunity, Denzel Washington didn’t need to think twice—it was precisely what so many were trying to secure a relationship with the Miracle Director for.

After leaving there, Adrian chatted warmly for a few moments with Blanchett and Gwyneth before walking away; the two women didn’t cling too much, fully aware that just like last year, Adrian would be spending tonight and the next few days with Monica, and no one could change that.

Making another round, he briefly spoke with Julia, Zetajones, and Kirsten, enjoying their unique charms before approaching Nicole.

"Your wife is an excellent actress, she’s just been unlucky," Adrian stated as he stood by Nicole, smiling and making small talk with the couple beside her.

The woman, about in her forties and well-preserved with a mature charm, was very attractive. Her husband was roughly in his early sixties, and despite the unstoppable wrinkles marking his face, his former handsome looks could still be discerned. They were Annette Bening and Warren Beatty.

It should have been Annette, nominated for Best Actress at this year’s Oscars for "American Beauty," then surprisingly losing to Swank. Now she sat chatting lively with Nicole, who was nominated for the same award—it was an interesting situation indeed. Annette should have had a nomination this year; besides "American Beauty", she had other films, like the one with Gene Hackman named "Day After Day," which was quite good but reportedly pushed out by Hilary Swank—well, that last part was a rumor or perhaps just Adrian’s guess, but regardless, she did get pushed out, unfortunately.

However, Adrian’s attention was more on Warren Beatty; he had received a Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s Oscars. Although he never won Best Actor, having a Best Director and a Lifetime Achievement Award should be enough. He had heard rumors about him in his previous life; born in the 30s and famous in the 60s and 70s, he had faded a bit after the Millennium.

After being reborn, as Adrian set his goals, he inevitably remembered such a legendary figure and got to know him a bit more. Despite Beatty having once refuted a book written about his private life, claiming it was baseless, deeper investigation revealed most of the book’s contents were true.

Of course, the numbers might have been exaggerated; Chamberlain’s boasted 20,000 was actually just 2,000. Such a figure was still quite impressive, no wonder he was an idol to many.

"Seeing you is like seeing a younger version of myself, Ed. We really are quite similar," Beatty murmured to Adrian as he sat beside him while Beining and Nicole were deep in conversation. Then, glancing at Nicole, he winked ambiguously, "But your methods are much more refined than mine."

In a way, that was true. In dealing with women, both men showed due respect and invested genuine emotions, though their motivations varied. Adrian was obviously more rational, but at least neither had ever hurt a woman—well, Natalie was an exception and a blemish in Adrian’s record, but such is life, imperfect and full of uncertainties, even for the reborn.

"Thank you, but there are some achievements of yours that remain unsurpassed," Adrian replied somewhat insincerely.

When it came to numbers, he definitely couldn’t compete, even if those numbers were halved. But when comparing quality, that was a whole different story, especially since they willingly stayed by his side. Alone that was enough to make countless playboys unable to reach his level, not to mention surpass him. It was rumored that men with talent who could charm women were no match for him in power, those with power who could charm women were no match for him in talent, and those with both power and talent were no match for him in charming women.

Thus, Adrian would also be unique in the future.

"How did they come to think of chatting with you?" Adrian asked Nicole after the couple had left.

"I ran into Warren, we talked a bit, then Annette came over," replied Nicole.

Adrian raised an eyebrow then chuckled quietly. Warren Beatty, a lifelong ladies’ man, getting married probably had much to do with growing older and wanting to settle down, and perhaps Beining was also able to keep an eye on him.

"It’s a pity you didn’t win Best Actress," he changed the subject, teasing her with a smile.

"There’s always a chance," Nicole’s deep blue eyes stared at Adrian, her tone very calm.

This surprised him a bit, but also made sense. From the moment Monica was announced the winner at the ceremony, he had been watching Nicole, whose position was very close to the American Beauty and Malena casts. While the other three Best Actress nominees, excluding Streep who seemed indifferent due to her experience, Julian Moore and Hilary Swank clearly showed their disappointment, Nicole remained calm, just like now.

"You think so?" she quickly added.

It was not the kind of calm that came with resignation, like Streep’s, who could accept any outcome, but it was more confident—a calm that laid the foundation for future success. Clearly, Monica’s triumph had made Nicole rethink a few things.

"Oh, Ed, there you are," a voice reached the ears of the two as they looked at each other, "and the beautiful Miss Nicole."

"Hey, Don, how are you?" Adrian stood up at once, and Nicole, intending to say something, stood up as well.

"Not good," the formally dressed elderly man complained. "I’ve been searching all over for you here, you know I’m almost 70."

"Then sit down, what would you like?" Adrian smiled, inviting him to take a seat before snapping his fingers to call the waiter.

Donald Newhouse, Si Newhouse—also known as Little Samuel Irving Newhouse—brother, one of the heads of the Newhouse Group. He obviously wanted to discuss something with Adrian, so after exchanging a few pleasantries, Nicole tactfully left.

"It’s really something, seeing you here years ago with Si, and she was sitting with Cruise," Newhouse said, watching Nicole as she walked away, bestowing a meaningful smile. Adrian shrugged and gestured invitingly for him to speak,

"I hear your MCM record label has been experiencing some trouble recently, is that so?" (To be continued. If you like this work, we welcome you to vote and support us on Qidian (qidian.com), your support is my greatest motivation.)

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