Standing at the entrance of his apartnt, Ben Affleck gazed into the living room, filled with images of Martin Davis.
On the walls, posters of Martin Davis, the Sect Hierarch of the Cola Cult, covered the surface.
On the display stand, there was a photo of Tony dressed in a pristine wedding gown beside Martin, though the setting was oddly a DVD store.
In front of the sofa, on the coffee table, there also lay a handcrafted Joker statue.
The rest were too nurous to count.
Tony, an outsider to Hollywood, had no understanding of the Foot Clan or the Face Gang, those rarely publicized groups, and upon seeing Ben lost in thought, said, "I'm a huge fan of Martin, the fervent kind, and I've been obsessively following him."
Ben pointed to the frad picture, "I can tell, you even donned the wedding dress."
Tony handed Ben a bottle of water, smiling, "I was really fanatical at that ti. All I could think about was Martin and nobody else."
She seed to have been isolated for a long ti and was inclined to say more now that she finally had a decent friend, "Back then, all I wanted was to marry Martin. I felt he was my everything."
Ben responded, "I've been through that phase too. When I was young, I was a huge fan of Warren Beatty. He was my idol."
"Martin was more than an idol to ," Tony said, talking nonstop about the one she adored, "He was also my hero, my safe harbor, my future support..."
Ben looked puzzled, "Future support?"
Unconsciously, Tony's hand rested on her stomach, gently stroking it.
"No way?" Ben now noticed another picture fra on the TV cabinet, which contained a photo of Martin being awarded at the White House lawn.
This was the award poster for when Martin received the prestigious Presidential dal of Freedom!
The picture wasn't very clear, as if it were made from a poster, but Ben seed to overlook this, shocked as he pointed to the fra, "Tony, last ti in the hospital, you told the father of your child attended the Independence Day celebration!"
He asked, "You're not saying it's Martin Davis, are you?"
Hesitating for a mont, Tony revealed a contented smile and nodded lightly, "Yes, it's him, Martin!"
Ben, though he had his suspicions, was still exceptionally excited to hear this answer.
It was not an excitent of shock, but of thrill.
Tony added, "Ben, please keep this a secret for now, so I can have this child in peace."
"We're friends, Tony," Ben said, sitting next to her on the sofa, "I swear to God that I will keep your secret."
Such a juicy piece of news was surely not for others to know, "You'd better not talk about this to anyone else. Martin is now Arica's national hero, a top Hollywood star. If paparazzi and entertainnt journalists find out, they'll hound you every day."
Tony nodded, "No one besides you knows."
This made Ben suddenly consider sothing, and he tentatively asked, "Does Martin know?"
Instead of answering, Tony beca a bit guarded.
Ben, having observed this, said, "Don't get wrong, I'm a father of two myself, and I fancy kids a lot. Even though my situation isn't great at the mont, I'm still a Hollywood actor with a lot to offer about Hollywood, and maybe I can help you."
Tony had seen Ben bringing his kids to the apartnt building and, after hesitating, said, "I haven't told Martin yet; he doesn't know for now."
"I'm just speaking from a Hollywood perspective to help you anticipate potential issues you might face," Ben stated, needing to make sure of sothing, "You're certain that Martin is the father of this child?"
Because Ben had prepped her, Tony wasn't agitated and answered, "Completely certain! Ever since 'The Dark Knight' premiered last year, and I fell madly in love with Joker and Martin, I have not been with any other man, nor accepted anyone else's genetic material."
She got lost in her mories, "That night, he filled up, then I quietly left, and after that, our child ca to be, belonging to and Martin. DNA can prove all of this!"
Hearing Tony speak of DNA, Ben felt assured and said, "You're a good girl, and Martin should be lucky to have a girl like you fancy him."
Tony relished hearing this.
Ben started leading the conversation towards his own thinking, "But there's sothing I must remind you of as a friend."
He spoke very seriously, "Many big Hollywood stars have had children out of wedlock, like Martin's buddy Jack Nicholson. You can look it up, Tony. When Nicholson's love child scandal broke out, it was a citywide controversy, and he still stubbornly denied it, even up to now, with no change in his stance."
Tony's smile gradually faded.
Ben continued, "Have you considered what to do if Martin refuses to acknowledge the child you're carrying?"
"That won't happen." It was the first ti since her pregnancy that Tony's fantasy had been challenged by reality, and the reality upset her, not wanting to face it, "The Martin I know is sunny, handso, and responsible. He's a hero, not that kind of person."
"Just rember," Ben reminded, "Jack Nicholson is his close friend."
Tony fell silent, then after a while, spoke, "No matter what, I will have the child."
"You're doing the right thing," Ben encouraged her, "Fathers have responsibilities to their children, both morally and legally."
Tony placed both hands on her belly, "I don't care about myself, but my child deserves a father and should grow up surrounded by both paternal and maternal love."
"You're absolutely right," Ben said, reminiscent, "I'm also a father, I've had a family, I have children."
Though he was an average actor in Hollywood, he was more than equipped to handle Tony, "As a father, I can't stand the idea of a friend's child growing up fatherless. Tony, I'll help you."
Realizing that the issue might be more complicated than she had thought and that having soone from Hollywood to strategize with could be beneficial, Tony said, "Ben, when the ti cos, I'll ask for your advice."
Ben laughed and nodded, "You can call anyti."
Tony felt encouraged, thinking that even if difficulties arose, she would be able to solve them.
Ben quickly said his goodbyes and left Tony's house. Once he reached the elevator, he couldn't help but clench his fist, swinging it vigorously a few tis.
After such a long ti, he had finally found Martin's weakness.
Back at his apartnt, Cassie Affleck was waiting for him and asked, "Are you certain?"
Ben couldn't hide his excitent, "Yes, it's Martin Davis's secret child."
"I had actually thought he was the exception among Hollywood stars," Cassie said with a disdainful smile, "Turns out he's no different from the rest."
Ben replied, "This is Hollywood, where is anyone who doesn't cheat, have affairs, coerce won, father illegitimate children, or flatter their way to the top?"
Cassie burst into hearty laughter.
Ben continued, "Tony still has a while before she gives birth. Our task during this ti is to protect Tony and ensure she has the baby safely. Once we have the child, we can truly seek justice."
Cassie nodded, "I'll protect her from the shadows, and you take care of her in the open."
The two of them were even more concerned than when Jennifer Garner was pregnant.
Now, all they needed to do was to ensure that Tony safely gave birth to the child.
...
In Beverly Hills, Bruce drove his Escalade into the neighborhood, not too far away when Martin noticed a sedan stopped ahead.
Two people were arguing beside the car; his neighbors, Charlize Theron and Stuart Townsend.
Martin didn't want to ddle, but seeing Stuart's face, he suddenly rembered the incident with the trash a few days ago.
"Old Cloth, stop the car," Martin said.
The Escalade pulled up behind the sedan, and Bruce, recalling the damaged trash bin, said, "You're not really going to turn his slander into reality, are you?"
Holding his chest, Martin replied, "Being wrongly slandered is a horrible feeling, you know? I hate rumors the most!" As he got out of the car, he threw a question back, "Old Cloth, do you know what's the simplest way to debunk a rumor in this world?"
Bruce, knowing this man too well, muttered under his breath, "Turning the rumor into truth, and the rumor collapses on its own."
Martin stepped out of the car and overheard the two in the middle of a fierce argunt.
He didn't care who was right or wrong; at this mont, appearance was the face of justice.
Martin shouted over, "Sally, do you need to call the police?"
Stuart, in the midst of his rage, turned around and spotted Martin, sneering, "Oh, and you have nothing to do with each other? I argue with you, and you call him over for help?"
Charlize was too angry to speak.
Martin, standing on the other side of the car, asked again, "Are you alright?"
Stuart barked, "None of your business!"
Martin ignored him, asking Charlize, "This is a busy place, shall I take you ho first?"
Charlize, not wanting to argue in public, said, "I'd appreciate that."
She brushed past Stuart and headed towards Martin's Escalade.
Martin went over to help her open the car door. They both ignored Stuart and got into the Escalade, one after the other.
Bruce drove away imdiately.
Stuart, nearly driven mad with anger, viciously kicked the wheel of the sedan.
In the car, Charlize said, "Sorry for making you witness that spectacle."
Martin consoled her, "Elizabeth and I have our argunts too."
Charlize shook her head, "He's completely unreasonable. I just got back from an outdoor shoot, and he started arguing with on the road."
She glanced at Martin, "He actually slandered , saying I was having an affair with you."
"It's my fault," Martin brought up the incident from the other day, "I went out to take out the trash and ran into Stuart. He confronted right there, asking if I was involved with you, you know. I denied it and argued with him, which only made him angrier, and he ended up kicking my trash can out of shape."
He sighed, "If I hadn't argued with him that day, maybe he wouldn't have fought with you today."
Charlize, unaware of this, felt no guilt regarding Martin as nothing had happened between them, which made her even more aggrieved at Stuart, "I'm sorry, Martin. I didn't an to drag you into my personal issues."
Martin smiled, "It's okay, we're neighbors as well as friends, and we help each other."
The Escalade stopped at Charlize's house, and she got out and went inside.
After Martin returned ho, he temporarily set aside those concerns. Tom Cruise had invited him to a party the following evening.
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