Chapter 811: Chapter 217: Beneath the Sugar Coating
“How did it co to this, Anne?” Seeing her clinging to his leg like glue, Adrian sighed, bent down, grabbed her chin, and lifted her face up to his eyes.
The tears cascading from her eyes etched ravines on her beautiful face. Despite wearing only light makeup, it was smudged beyond recognition. The look of intertwined regret, fear, and pleading added to the desolation. Although there was an elent of performance, most of it was genuinely emotional outpouring. Adrian could see the indescribable fear deep in her heart.
Indeed, for a celebrity, especially one who enjoys a successful career, nothing is more terrifying than a complete fall from grace. Having experienced a life surrounded by countless flashbulbs, suddenly being stripped of all this, unable to retrieve it and being despised by everyone, is a feeling that could easily drive anyone with weak ntal endurance to suicide.
Now, we have a popular young actress with decent fa and a good reputation who suddenly finds herself embroiled in a fraud case. The dia claims she might be an accomplice to the fraudster, and even if she isn’t, she might have helped in so way. The police are questioning her, creating an uproar among her fans. What should she do?
Under normal circumstances, regardless of whether she is truly innocent — of course, being innocent is better — as long as she has a good legal team, everything is manageable. A good legal team would leverage her fa to garner sympathy and advantageous situations, perhaps even staging a performance in front of the caras, proving with evidence that she shares only a common association with the fraudster, and returning gifts she’s received, allowing the matter to be largely resolved with so private settlents.
Even if it cos to court, if the groundwork is well-laid, it wouldn’t be particularly hard to sway the jury to her side. If the actress has a publicist and they are smart enough, they could even craft a new image for her once the dust settles, potentially boosting her fa.
But what if circumstances are not normal? What if a very powerful tycoon doesn’t want to see her in Hollywood anymore? How would things unfold then? The dia would vigorously report the case, embellishing her alleged involvent vividly. The police might unintentionally leak phrases like, “So far, there’s no evidence proving her innocence,” and seem ready to search her place. The prosecutor is prepared to press charges… Just a hint, and subordinates would set it all up, leaving her best outco being jail ti, falling from the clouds with the label of a fraudster, never to return.
As for trying to find a good legal team, even without considering whether any firm would take the case in such a scenario, any lawyer hoping to use the case to make a na for themselves would only struggle for a few days. With the tycoon’s power, they wouldn’t just counter these lawyers in court. Furthermore, everyone she interacts with from her agent to every aspect of her work and life are all the tycoon’s people. By then, the penalty she faces will inevitably increase.
Thus, once Anne cald down amidst the sudden blow, realized the severity of her mistake, she rushed over without hesitation to plead for Adrian’s forgiveness in the lowest way possible. Even if her vision wasn’t the best, she wasn’t stupid.
“Look at yourself now,” Adrian frowned at this point, “You know, I like it when you smile gently with your lips pursed, it makes you very cute and beautiful. But when you laugh out loud, you beco very unattractive. So now, despite your wails and cries sounding mournful, you look really unappetizing.”
This teasing, spoken in a cold tone, ca across particularly blunt, making Anne, whose face was full of tears, freeze for a mont. She imdiately composed herself, lowered her voice, pursed her lips, and sobbed quietly, looking at Adrian with pleading eyes, her large eyes shimring with tears, giving an impression of pitiful tenderness.
Indeed, she was a woman who could go all out. Adrian chuckled to himself and dragged Anne, who was clinging to his leg on the ground, across the floor before sitting down in the single chair she had just been in.
“I don’t understand, am I that frightening?” Resting his elbow on the chair arm and propping his chin, Adrian sighed as he looked down at Anne.
Anne didn’t answer, just looked at him timidly, further showcasing her frail and helpless deanor.
Adrian shook his head and made a sorrowful expression: “Why didn’t you just tell , Anne? If you had stated your desire to leave, would I have stopped you? Would I insist you stay? Why creep around? And approach… a fraudster.”
This wasn’t a lie. Although he had used Penelope’s matter as a warning, he had also wanted a chance to show his magnanimity, so no one would later gossip about Natalie’s matter, though in truth not many people knew. Evidently, God had no intention of letting him realize this wish; otherwise, why would this incident happen?
One cannot help but wonder at the wonders of fate. Despite so many changes, so things still happen, just in a different way — this is one reason why the unknown is both terrifying and enticing — for instance, why did that Italian trickster Rafaelo Ferri manage to get close to Anne a year early, and she still stupidly fell for it?
What folly. Even though she spent ti at his side, her discernnt failed to improve, and she kept it a secret. After the press exposure, she avoided him until cornered at the edge of a cliff did she finally let go of everything and co plead. Isn’t she too late?
“I… I…” Anne clearly didn’t believe his words, but how could she say so now?
“I don’t know… and I was also worried…” she mumbled incoherently, lips trembling, her eyelids lowered as large tears rolled down her cheeks.
But this couldn’t move Adrian: “Worried? Don’t joke with . Have you no courage left to even try? Since you dared to use your connections with Gary Marshall for a role, why not just ask?”
Anne’s tear-streaked face grew whiter. She hadn’t expected him to be aware of her little maneuvers all along.
“I was scared, Ed, I was terrified,” she babbled hastily, clutching his calf tighter, “I… I know… I know about that Spanish woman… Soone warned … So…”
“So you thought you’d get through it quietly? Even after a warning, still trying to sneak by? Do you think I’m an idiot?” Adrian chuckled contemptuously, “Fine then, just go back, Anne. Perhaps spending ti clearing up your boyfriend’s ss would be more worthwhile.”
In the past life, Rafaelo Ferri was a fraudster. How could he change in this life, particularly when his father was also a con artist? To take him down was no harder than squashing a bug for Adrian. As a bonus, Anne got caught in it. Like ntioned before, as soon as he hinted at it, reports about her surfaced, and the police and prosecutor cooperated automatically. Convicting a big star would undoubtedly raise their notoriety. This is an era of sensationalism.
For this short-sighted woman, he had nothing more to say. Initially, he just took her as a trophy, so discarding her now held no regret. Let her try sitting in an Arican jail for a few years; they would take good care of her.
“No, no! Ed, no! Listen to , listen to !” Anne cried out in panic, “Nothing happened between Rafaelo and , I swear I didn’t sleep with him!”
“In these few months, you t with him six tis in Milan and New York, two dining occasions, two opera nights, one party, one shopping spree — oh, and he gave you a watch. Twice you returned to the sa hotel. And now you tell you didn’t sleep with him…” Adrian sighed, looking at Anne kneeling before him, “Don’t underestimate my intelligence, okay?”
“No, Ed, let explain, Ed, hear out,” Anne cried anxiously, knowing that if she didn’t speak now, it would be too late, “I really didn’t sleep with him, Ed, you have to believe . Four tis he dropped ho, or at the hotel then left, the journalists have photos as proof! As for those two tis in Milan, the first ti he stayed on the 8th floor and on the 14th floor. Although he hinted about escorting back to my room, I refused, and the hotel waitstaff can attest to that! At that ti, two waiters ca out of a room as I returned, both about thirty, one had a na tag that said Frank, the other shorter. I rember it distinctly!”
She breathed heavily, appearing quite agitated: “As for the other ti, we were staying on the sa floor, and he tried to go to my room again, or wanted to go to his room, but I refused again. There was no waiter as a witness this ti, but there are surveillance caras in the hotel corridors! I noticed them! You can have them pull up the surveillance footage from that day, you’ll see, I’m not lying! Ed, I’m not lying, I really didn’t sleep with Rafaelo!”
“Passionate and vivid, very impressive.” Adrian still seed indifferent.
“You can investigate, you can verify, Ed, it’s not hard, I beg you, look at those photos the journalists took, not to ntion kissing photos, there aren’t even any holding hands,” Annie said, sobbing uncontrollably, “I really wasn’t lying.”
“Oh?” Adrian raised his eyebrows, finally showing a hint of surprise. Well, she’s right, the journalists indeed didn’t capture any photos of her kissing or even holding hands with that guy.
But he still didn’t make any statent, just looking down at her as Annie’s sobbing beca increasingly mournful.
“I just wanted… I just wanted… maybe I could use this way… to tell you… after all, you have so many won… you don’t lack one of …” Annie choked out, though no longer crying loudly, but her pitiful appearance made it easier for people to sympathize, making it seem likely that what she said was true.
Yet Adrian remained unmoved. Everyone defends their actions, no matter the circumstances, the statents made will always be in their favor. This is instinct. Just like what she’s saying now, it’s largely her true thoughts—unless her acting has reached the level where she can even deceive him—but when she agreed to Rafaelo’s invitation to a date, she might have had the thought of finding another man she could use but wouldn’t control her—this is why deceivers succeed—and not like now, having to please one man among a group of won, anyway, the foundation for developnt is already there.
“I beg you, Ed, I now know I was wrong and very much so, please, have rcy, give another chance…” Annie pleaded once again, “As long as you let off, as long as you give another chance, I’ll do whatever you want.”
“Anything?” Adrian squinted his eyes.
Annie froze for a mont, then showed a look of delight, nodding her head vigorously through tears: “Yes, anything, anything!”
“Anything?” Adrian emphasized and asked again.
A flash of hesitation crossed Annie’s face, clearly it wasn’t a good thing for him to ask so earnestly, but after just a second, she gave a definite answer: “Yes, anything.”
There’s only one chance, if she can’t seize it, her fate won’t be much better than that Spanish woman’s, even if she faces two kinds of death, dying later is better than dying now.
Adrian laughed happily, he had just thought of a good idea, if she’s as earnest as she claid, having nothing to do with Ferri, he wouldn’t mind giving her a chance, a little chance.
“I’ll have soone verify your statent, before that, the rumors will temporarily calm down but won’t disappear completely, understand?” Adrian said leisurely looking at Annie, “Then, I have a task for you.”
You thought it would end here, dear Annie? You’ll soon know that not every seemingly good choice now remains the best choice in the future; the sugar coating may hide poison.
If Penelope had been so clingy back then… Adrian shook his head, dismissing the thought. It wasn’t possible, if she doesn’t pay a huge, staggering price, opponents may strike through his won again and again, and so won without particularly close feelings and interests might be confused for a while.
What a pity, keeping a pair of sisters completely reduced to playthings would actually be nice.
This matter ends here for now, marked by Annie’s plea at Adrian’s house, the dia’s opinion direction begins to shift. The police claim there isn’t enough evidence yet to prove Anne Hathaway is completely innocent, but there’s also no more evidence proving her participation in Ferri’s fraud case, causing much discussion.
However, this has nothing to do with Adrian, he continues to focus on his new movie. After the initial period of high efficiency, the progress of filming “Walk the Line” has gradually slowed down. Whether Joaquin or Natalie, the ti they maintain their initial state is getting shorter, needing several takes to finish singing scenes on set.
These issues aren’t really problems, no one’s life is smooth sailing all the ti, not even Adrian, a child of God, can find everything going perfectly. Ups and downs are normal. Moreover, the previous high efficiency has sped up the film’s shooting progress, so slowing down sowhat now won’t affect the overall schedule.
Also, not everyone is in poor condition; Rachel, who plays Vivian, consistently performs outstandingly. On one hand, Adrian used her suggestion, so she naturally tries her best to prove her suggestion is correct. Of course, she doesn’t know that the better she interprets this role, the harder it will be for it to be well-received after release.
On the other hand, naturally, she enjoyed pleasure with Adrian in bed, although actual instances weren’t frequent, Rachel McAdams isn’t a simple-minded woman; since deciding to strive for more opportunities, she naturally cooperated fully, both in and out of bed.
Alright, not to ntion this temporarily, in late October, good news arrived. After half a year’s effort, Gwyneth finally succeeded in getting pregnant.
“You know, Eleanor, you’ll soon have a companion. Do you want a brother or a sister?” Adrian asked his daughter while holding the two-year-old Eleanor, glancing at Gwyneth who was happily talking to Blanchett and Liv in the villa at Santa Monica where they lived together.
Pregnancy had already been two weeks, calculating carefully, it should have been from their fourso then. Although Gwyneth hurriedly and eagerly started a child-making campaign with Adrian as soon as she successfully ascended without dispute, it’s known that these three won are basically considered one, so Blanchett and Liv most often leave her a few occasions for one-on-one with Adrian, not backing down at other tis.
Gwyneth wasn’t without thoughts to strive for more, even frightened Liv about accidental pregnancy, but Blanchett supported Liv this ti, so ultimately she had to compromise, making sure that all the essential monts during their fourso would remain in her body. Unexpectedly, this truly succeeded, Gwyneth will likely face so teasing from Liv, but looking at her deanor now, she’s completely imrsed in the joy of pregnancy and certainly won’t mind.
Eleanor now opened her beautiful azure eyes, looking at her father with so puzzled expression. For her, understanding the implications of this question is still too early, but it doesn’t stop her from answering.
“Sister!” She nodded seriously and said. (To be continued. If you enjoyed this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian) to vote for recomndation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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