After leaving Burbank and entering North Hollywood, the black rcedes SUV crossed Laurel Valley Boulevard. Bella, who was driving, steered the car onto the highway leading to Malibu.
As the traffic thinned out, Bella glanced over at Matthew in the passenger seat.
"What is it, Bella?" Matthew asked, having noticed her glance.
Bella looked hesitant, clearly wanting to say sothing.
Matthew smiled. "Go on."
"Well..." Bella began, keeping her eyes on the nearly empty road. "I'm just a little curious."
Matthew glanced at her, not pressing the issue, but waiting for her to continue.
Now that she'd started, Bella added with less hesitation, "I was a fan of Britney for the first few years, and I guess I still kind of am."
She forced a smile and asked cautiously, "Matthew, is everything they're writing in the papers true?"
She knew Matthew was eting with Britney Spears today.
Matthew nodded slowly. "It's true. I was with Britney for over a year. I t her when I was in her music video."
Bella suddenly rembered. "I think the tabloids wrote that Britney fell for the male lead in her music video. Right! That was you."
Realization dawned on her. "So, it's all true."
Matthew smiled again but didn't elaborate.
"Wait," Bella said, clearly recalling sothing else. "Then why..."
Then she abruptly stopped herself.
"Why didn't I capitalize on the hype?" Matthew finished for her, guessing what she was thinking. "Maybe because it was my first love."
He sighed. "Or maybe I was just a simple, kindhearted guy back then."
Bella glanced at Matthew but said nothing more. From what she had seen and heard so far—from Helen to Charlize Theron to Matthew himself—were any of them truly good people?
Perhaps there were plenty of good people in Hollywood, but unfortunately, she hadn't t any of them yet.
Bella was intensely curious how Matthew, who was only a minor actor at the ti, had managed to win over soone as famous as Britney. Was he as calculating and thick-skinned back then as he was now?
The rcedes SUV pulled up to a beach club, where a security guard glanced at the license plate and waved them through. Bella had just parked the car when Matthew was already out the door and heading toward the beach. Bella hurried after him.
A long wooden pier stretched out from the shore. At its far end, a large sun umbrella sheltered a table and several chairs.
Two people were there: a middle-aged woman and a young woman with smooth, blonde hair.
Being a fan, Bella recognized the young woman from a distance as Britney Spears. The middle-aged woman, she guessed, must be her manager or so other executive.
Matthew had already spotted Britney and quickened his pace, calling out before he got close. "Hello, Britney."
Britney smiled. "Hi, Matthew."
She turned her head to look at the middle-aged woman beside her, who gave a slight nod and walked away from the umbrella, heading back in the direction Matthew had co from. Bella, though curious, had the good sense to follow the other woman.
"It's been a long ti," Matthew said, his smile as bright as ever. "You look as beautiful as always."
"You haven't changed much either," Britney replied, gesturing to a chair. "Please, sit down."
Matthew pulled out a chair and sat down across from Britney, studying her. Britney smiled at him again and asked, "What, you don't recognize ?"
"You've matured," Matthew replied instantly.
This maturity wasn't just on the surface, but in her entire deanor.
Britney picked up a teapot and poured Matthew a cup. "It's green tea."
She poured another cup for herself and, echoing Matthew's earlier tone, said, "You used to tell
I needed to learn to grow up."
Although the two had broken up and hadn't spoken since, seeing how well Britney looked today and recalling how smoothly her career had been going, Matthew suddenly felt a sense of relief.
Everything he had said and done hadn't been in vain, after all.
Matthew lifted his teacup and took a sip.
Britney took a sip from her own cup and then said, "I'm sorry, Matthew, for causing you trouble. My father has been recklessly firing people who work for
lately, and now so of them have started talking to the dia about our past relationship."
"It's fine," Matthew said, shaking his head with a private smile. "The press isn't exactly fond of
anyway."
Even though their relationship was long over, Britney had continued to follow Matthew's career, and as she got older, his words often echoed in her mind. Looking back now, how many pitfalls had she avoided thanks to him?
Matthew looked across the table at Britney. This wasn't the girl he rembered.
The innocence was gone from her; she seed like an adult now. "I asked you to et
today mainly to say thank you."
"Thank ?" Matthew asked, curious. "Why?"
"Back then, I was very ignorant, even foolish." Britney's face was filled with sincerity. "You persuaded
again and again, you influenced , pulled
back from the brink of stupidity, taught
so much, and made
realize that there will always be bad people in this world."
She shook her head. "Without you, I wouldn't be where I am today."
Matthew understood what she ant and said, "You were my girlfriend back then."
If Britney hadn't been his girlfriend, why would he have bothered with all that?
Britney nodded. "Anyway, Matthew, I want to thank you."
"Don't ntion it." Matthew spread his hands. "We're not a couple anymore, but we're still friends."
It was the kind of line even he didn't believe; they had parted amicably, but they hadn't spoken since.
Britney seed to have finished saying what she wanted to and suddenly changed the subject. "It's a sha we don't have any wine."
She raised her teacup toward Matthew. "To your future success, Matthew."
Matthew raised his teacup, drained it in one gulp, and said in the sa tone, "You'll definitely beco a pop diva who surpasses Madonna."
Once they had finished their tea, Matthew knew it was ti to leave and stood up. "I have to go."
Britney didn't try to make him stay. "Goodbye, Matthew."
Matthew gave her a slight nod. "Goodbye, Britney."
He turned and walked back the way he had co. The Britney of today wasn't the Britney he had known; this version of her had a much better chance at great success.
People are always growing up, and the Britney who, in his mory, had only matured after too many setbacks, had finally grown up ahead of ti.
Deep down, Matthew still wanted Britney to succeed and do even better than before.
He wasn't a saint, but he didn't harbor the kind of resentnt that if a woman broke up with him, her whole family deserved to be ruined. He was happy to see soone who had genuinely treated him well have a smooth career.
Under the umbrella, Britney kept her eyes on Matthew's retreating back, no longer the foolish, ignorant girl she used to be. She knew they couldn't go back to the way things were, and frankly, she didn't want to.
"You want to be a Hollywood superstar." Britney rembered Matthew's wish clearly. "Then I wish for you to beco the greatest Hollywood superstar of them all."
Tearing her gaze away, Britney turned to look out at the calm ocean, not glancing back at Matthew.
After this eting, it was best to let those past events remain as mories.
Matthew walked off the pier and saw Bella standing by the railing, looking bored. He gave her a wave and headed for the car.
Bella hurried after him, glancing at her watch. Only ten minutes had passed.
After getting into the car, she was about to start the engine when Matthew spoke from the passenger seat. "Bella, in the future, if any major news about Britney appears in the papers or the dia, be sure to let
know."
"Okay," Bella nodded slightly.
Matthew thought for a mont, then added, "Tell Helen I t with Britney when you get back."
Bella kept nodding. "Okay."
She asked, "Should we still keep quiet about it?"
"Yes, no change in plans," Matthew said, his tone even. "It doesn't seem like there are any photos or videos to prove anything about my past. The dia will speculate for a while, and then they'll naturally toss the story aside when it stops being interesting."
He changed the subject. "Go back, get prepared. You'll be coming with
to the Dominican Republic."
The day after tomorrow, the cast and crew of Pirates of the Caribbean were flying from Los Angeles to the Dominican Republic for filming. According to his acting contract, Matthew was allowed to bring a personal assistant, and the production would cover her salary during the shoot.
This was a common privilege enjoyed by Hollywood stars.
And Matthew planned to take only Bella, which was certainly low-key compared to Johnny Depp.
Johnny Depp wasn't just bringing an assistant; he also had a nutritionist, a stylist, a masseuse, and so on. And again, the production was footing the bill for all of them.
Regular actors and A-list stars were, without a doubt, on two completely different levels.
After his eting with Britney, Matthew went back to pack his things and et up with the film crew in ti to catch the charter flight to the Dominican Republic.
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