Chapter 484: Chapter 205 Another Female Character
The noise in the room finally stopped, only heavy breathing still echoed. The two people on the sofa were still tightly entwined, embracing each other and kissing warmly from ti to ti.
After a while, when the breathing beca more even, Adrian’s deep voice finally sounded at Naomi’s ear, “Sorry, Naomi… I forgot to bring it.”
“That’s okay,” Naomi said softly from his chest, a smile on her face that she herself hadn’t noticed, her slightly hoarse voice filled with satisfaction, the rosy hue still lingering on her skin, “Even if there’s no dicine at ho, there’s a pharmacy not far from the apartnt, they will have so.”
She was about to get up to fetch her clothes, but Adrian pulled her back into his arms, “No need.”
“Um?” Naomi looked up, confused, lust still evident in her eyes, while Adrian’s gaze was very serious.
“But…” she whispered half a sentence, her heartbeat sped up slightly.
“No need,” Adrian emphasized, gently caressing her face with his hand, the room fell silent again. After a long ti, Adrian finally spoke, “Be my woman, Naomi.”
His tone was flat, yet it had an irresistibly firm tenor.
“What are you… talking about?” Naomi laughed softly, her eyes intently fixed on him.
“I know, I have many won,” Adrian’s tone was still flat, his hands slowly roaming over her bare body, “but I still want you to be my woman, I really like you.”
“You talk like this… don’t you think it’s too much?” Naomi tried to sound indifferent, but her voice remained soft and tender, and she even inadvertently added, “You know… Ed… we’ve only t a few tis…”
Adrian chuckled softly, kissing her lips gently, “I don’t like to lie, especially to the won I like. I want to win her fair and square.”
His intense gaze fixed on Naomi, unabashedly displaying his possessiveness, making her unwittingly lower her head, her heart suddenly clear, receiving such straightforward confession without any disgust.
“I want to have you, Naomi,” he continued, “I’ll make you happy and joyful, keeping you from worries and pain. If one day you feel I haven’t done so, or you want to leave, just tell , I won’t refuse.”
Naomi closed her eyes, burying her face in his chest again, her fingers tracing circles on his firm chest muscles. After a while, she looked up again, “Will you keep your promise?”
“I will, I swear,” Adrian nodded slowly, firmly.
“Then I agree,” she murmured, “Since you’ve managed to charm so many won, you can surely do the sa with .” She then leaned in and kissed him passionately.
Speculations about the Oscars continued, and various awards were being handed out during this period: Golden Globes, Critics’ Awards, and various Association Awards. These were often regarded as preludes to the Oscars, implying that winning these could highly increase the chances of winning an Oscar. Is that really the case? Of course not, it was just a tactic to attract attention.
These awards were generally concentrated at the beginning of the year. If a movie consistently triumphed in these, it would frequently appear in the dia. Many Film Academy judges wouldn’t watch all nominated films; sotis watching parts of them was considered responsible enough. Hence, impressions often influenced their scores, and a film’s frequent dia presence could deepen their impression. This is why films targeting the Oscars are usually released in November and December.
But managing to win the Oscar statuette was not guaranteed just by this approach. Like public relations, these were just tactics. While tactics are important, other elents are also crucial, such as quality, reputation, and alignnt with mainstream values. The so-called preludes to the Oscars were just hits of good fortune, where the prizes align closely with the Oscars over several installnts, leading the dia to label them as such.
Such titles had been attributed to the Golden Globes, the Directors Guild Awards, and various city Critics’ Associations, but they were not worth ntioning. As long as it boosted sales, the dia didn’t care if they misguided the readers; if there were any errors, they could just show regret.
“However, this year is different. Titanic looms large over other film studios, its unmatched box office, fairy-tale-like love story, the alternative interpretation of love, and the humanitarian spirit displayed are enough to sway most judges’ hearts,” Adrian said, smiling, “If other studios were smart, they’d give up competing for Best Picture and Best Director and focus on acting awards, to prevent Titanic from sweeping the major categories.”
“You’re really confident, Ed,” Kate said dryly, sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper.
Adrian shrugged and sat next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, “You wanted to analyze this year’s Oscars for you, dear Kate.”
“I didn’t say that; I just casually ntioned it, and then you continued the topic,” Kate responded without looking up, then scoffed, “I suppose ‘dear Kate’ is sothing you repeat many tis a week, isn’t it?”
“Oh, Kate, are you really counting these things?” Adrian asked with a light laugh.
“Why not?” Kate put down her newspaper and raised an eyebrow at him, “Just because I might have already accepted… does it an I can’t count these things?”
“Of course, you can,” Adrian promptly raised his hands, “You can definitely count these things, and I have no objections, please continue, Miss.”
He leaned forward, making a comically courteous gesture, and Kate glared at him but said no more.
“Actually, you could consider changing your na, Kate,” Charlize’s voice ca from outside, “Change it to sothing more unique, like mine. At least for now, I haven’t t another woman with the sa na as .”
“Why should I change it, and not soone else?” Kate replied, clearly displeased.
“Because there are too many won nad Kate and Katherine.” Charlize walked in, holding Lily.
“Is Mom changing her na?” the little one, who was just surveying the room from Charlize’s arms, suddenly turned his head and gazed curiously at his mother.
“No, dear, we were just…” Kate hadn’t finished her sentence when Lily excitedly shouted, “That’s aweso! Can Mom be nad Lily too?”
Then she grabbed Charlize and pleaded, “Can Aunt Charli change her na to Lily too? Can she, can she?”
“Why should your mom and I change our nas to yours?” Charlize asked as she pinched the little one’s tender cheeks.
“Because that way, when Dad asks to do sothing, I can pretend he’s calling you or Mom, and then I can ignore him!” Lily declared seriously, making the three adults burst into laughter.
“But, Lily, if that’s the case, you might think he’s calling you when he’s calling or your mom,” Charlize said with a laugh.
The little one tilted his head, pondered for a mont as if it was indeed a problem, then solemnly nodded, “Okay, then never mind.”
Her clever little appearance was especially adorable, prompting another round of laughter from the three.
“Okay, Lily, co here to , don’t keep clinging to Aunt Charli.” Adrian clapped his hands at that mont, and the little one jumped down from Charlize’s arms, giggling as she dashed towards her father.
Charlize then sat down next to Kate and they began to chat, speaking softly but smiling lightly. Despite their quiet voices, they seed to converse quite harmoniously. Adrian, having witnessed this scene, was quite pleased; although the won around him knew he had a daughter, only Charlize visited Kate frequently. Sarah had visited a few tis, but not as often, and surprisingly, Lily liked her.
“Aunt Charli is pretty, though not as pretty as Mom,” was the little one’s serious response when asked.
Well, enough of that; soon a maid ca to announce that dinner was ready. Charlize and Kate sat on either side of Adrian, while the little one sat next to her mom. The three adults talked as they ate, with Lily occasionally chiming in with her childish remarks. The atmosphere remained pleasant, giving Adrian a sowhat smug feeling, though that would change co bedti.
“Maybe we could talk so more tonight?” On the way to their rooms, Adrian reached out to embrace Kate and Charlize around their waists. As expected, he received a strong elbow jab from both sides.
“That’s not sothing a lady should do,” Adrian said with a feigned grimace, though the two won completely ignored his expression.
“Kate, can I sleep with you tonight?” Charlize asked.
“No problem, as long as we’re not disturbed,” Kate replied with a smile.
Then the two won walked toward Kate’s bedroom together, leaving Adrian clicking his tongue in amazent. Could they possibly have beco as inseparable as Gwyneth and Blanchett?
“This is just shocking, I didn’t know you all went this far, this is too much!” Adrian protested with righteous indignation, but only received unanimous eye rolls and middle fingers from the two won.
“Hey, this will lead the kids astray!” he continued to rant.
“Don’t tell , Ed, that you’ve forgotten what you’re supposed to do tonight.” Kate sneered as if to punctuate her words, and the distant bedroom door opened with Lily poking half her body out in her plaid pajamas, “Daddy?”
“Okay, dear, I’m coming,” Adrian replied imdiately, then sighed inwardly. However, seeing Kate and Charlize each going to their own rooms still sowhat relieved him, although they made it a point to kiss each other in front of him before returning to their rooms.
Thinking about the won around him was truly interesting. Even though he hadn’t consciously encouraged it, they still ended up pairing off in twos—Sarah and Liv, Gwyneth and Blanchett, and Kate and Charlize. Monica was no longer with Julia because Adrian had other plans, and Monica had agreed to them, as had the others.
However, Sarah and Liv paired up because they were linked by a common fate. As Liv reconciled with her father, superficially for now, changes were bound to happen soon. Gwyneth and Blanchett were paired because of their similar temperants, and Adrian deliberately stirred up competition between them, leading to a sowhat twisted relationship evolving between the two won. It was unexpected, and Adrian felt a sense of accomplishnt; as for Kate and Charlize, Adrian hadn’t been deliberate or laissez-faire, otherwise he wouldn’t have wrongfully settled their affair from years ago.
It’s hard to say which model was better. Keeping them around was like winning an Oscar statuette—not sothing that could be achieved with just one condition. Furthermore, each woman’s situation was different, with Kate and Charlize undoubtedly weighing heavily in his heart. From tonight’s events, if they developed to the level of Gwyneth and Blanchett, he might have to suffer a bit.
However, a new model might erge soon, possibly providing a valuable reference, even though Naomi hadn’t completely fallen for him yet. It wasn’t that Naomi had other intentions or was being deceitful, rather the events of that night had profoundly moved her. After all, when a person, especially a woman, was in her most desperate and helpless monts, and a handso gesture salvaged her dignity, just a little maneuvering could win her heart—not many won would be an exception.
Moreover, Adrian had invited her to play a significant role in his new movie, which was completed thanks to her, so for a long while, Naomi would belong entirely to him. But to keep her that way, he had to continue training her, and Adrian liked to train such spirited won, with the first thod about to be deployed.
“Daddy!” An angry voice at his ear made Adrian startle.
“Oh, dear, I’m so sorry, I was distracted.” Looking at his daughter lying beside him, pouting and looking unhappy, he quickly apologized.
“I’ve been calling you for a while, and you didn’t respond,” Lily said, her lips pouting so much she almost seed on the verge of tears.
“I’m sorry, dear, I thought you were asleep. You know I always have a lot of things to do every day, I’m really very sorry.” Adrian spoke softly, then sighed inwardly; being a father was indeed not easy.
Because he had promised his daughter to stay with her, tell her stories, and thus had to let go of Kate and Charlize—even if he couldn’t pull them into bed together, jumping from this bedroom to that was feasible.
Finally calming his little one down and promising to tell an extra part of the story, Adrian began to read the picture book with renewed focus, letting his daughter close her eyes before he started narrating passionately. Anyway, the final step of the first thod was set for the next few days, there was no rush; first, he would put his daughter to sleep.
“I don’t understand this script, Ed. If you look at just the first fifty or sixty minutes, there’s so logic, but it becos completely incomprehensible afterward, with all sorts of bizarre plots that are absurd. One mont Rita is Betty, and the next mont, Betty is Rita, and then they are the sa person; are you sure you didn’t write this script in a dream?” The woman sat on the sofa, legs together, elbows resting on the armrest, and her head propped up, leaning slightly to exude a lazy beauty, yet her fierce words shattered this image.
“You’re right, it’s all a dream, and dreams are illogical,” Adrian responded with a smile, “I think this role suits you perfectly, Nicole.”
In “Mulholland Drive,” apart from Naomi’s lead female role, there is another significant female part, so critical that the two roles are nearly indistinguishable in importance, thus necessitating another strong actress. However, Adrian had had soone in mind for a while to cast in this movie, particularly drawing dia attention lately due to her divorce—Nicole Kidman!(
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