The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!-Chapter 36

"What's going on out there?" Inside a hospital room on the seventh floor, Britney's agent stood at the window, surveying the chaotic swarm of ers near the entrance. "Who could possibly drive them into such a frenzy?"
He was baffled. Britney had a small circle of friends, and even fewer who could command this kind of media circus.
Then, the agent saw a tall young man emerge from the crowd of ers. With the help of hospital security, he passed through the gates and headed toward the building.
As the young man drew closer, the agent got a better look at his face. His eyebrows instantly furrowed, and he opened his mouth, a single curse escaping his lips: "Fuck!"
The man who had arrived was, of course, Matthew Horner, the male lead from the music video Britney was filming.
Did he have any idea how much worse he was making things by showing up now?
"What's wrong?" Britney asked, looking up from the magazine she was reading while propped up against her pillows. Her agent's sudden curse had startled her. "Are the ers getting into it with my fans?"
The agent shook his head. "It's much worse. Matthew Horner is here."
"Matthew's here?" Britney didn't seem surprised. "He called me last night and said he'd come visit in the next couple of days."
"This is not a good time for you to see him," the agent warned. "Don't forget the rumors circulating about you two."
Britney waved off his concern. "That's all manufactured nonsense, and you know it. Matthew was just helping me."
Seeing Britney's insistence, the agent didn't argue further; since he hadn't been able to reach Matthew Horner's agent, it might be a good idea to talk to the man himself.
Arriving on the seventh floor by elevator, Matthew carried a bouquet to the door of Britney's hospital room. The corridors on either side of the entrance were lined with flowers. He glanced at the cards tucked among the bouquets; most were from fans.
He tightened his grip on the bouquet and knocked on the door.
A moment later, the door opened from the inside, and Matthew saw Britney's agent.
"Hi." Matthew, not knowing the man's name, simply offered a greeting. "Is Britney in?"
"Hi, Matthew!" Before her agent could say anything, Britney's voice called out from inside the room. "I'm here! Come on in!"
The agent frowned slightly, sensing that Britney harbored some rather unusual feelings for this Matthew, but he stepped aside from the doorway.
Matthew offered Britney's agent a small smile and a nod before stepping into the room. He walked over to her bed, placed the bouquet on the nightstand, and asked, "How are you feeling?"
"Much better." Britney was in good spirits. "The doctor said I just need two more days of rest, and then I can walk normally and get back to the set to continue shooting the video. No dancing for a while, though."
A look of relief crossed Matthew's face. "That's great to hear. I was worried about your leg."
Britney saw Matthew standing and pointed to a chair beside her. "Sit down. If you want something to drink, just ask my agent."
Matthew nodded with the ease of an old friend and took a seat.
But he scratched his head and added, "I came here partly to see you, and partly to apologize."
"What do you have to apologize for?" Britney asked, puzzled.
Matthew put on an apologetic expression. "Well, in the papers today... they're saying that..." He scratched his head again. "That we're dating. It's all because of yesterday, when I carried you."
"Don't worry about it." Britney waved a dismissive hand, a wide grin spreading across her face. "How could I possibly blame you? You were helping me."
Matthew returned her smile.
Britney genuinely didn't seem to mind. It was obvious the media was just using the situation to stir up drama and sell papers.
"So, have the ers been hounding you?" Britney asked.
Matthew sighed. "When I left my acting class today, they swarmed me right outside the school."
Britney nodded knowingly. "Tell me about it. They're relentless. There have been times I've wanted to just run them down with my car."
Matthew added, "It wouldn't be so bad if they just blocked the way, but the questions they ask are just... invasive and absurd."
At that, he suddenly fell silent.
Britney looked curious. "And? What kind of questions did they ask?"
Matthew just offered a wry smile, saying nothing.
"Come on, tell me." Britney grew even more curious. "I want to hear."
Matthew relented, as if he had no choice. "They asked when we were getting married."
Instead of getting angry, Britney burst out laughing.
The two of them fell into an easy, animated conversation. The agent, however, remained on the sidelines, observing them, scrutinizing every word and gesture from Matthew.
After observing him for a while, he got the feeling that there was nothing special about this guy. He seemed a lot like Britney—someone who saw things in very simple terms.
The agent was a bit surprised. Could they really just be two simple, straightforward people?
However, watching Matthew and Britney continue to chat and laugh, the agent couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Deciding to intervene, he stepped forward.
"Excuse me, Mr. Horner." The agent interrupted Matthew and Britney. "The doctor said Britney needs her rest."
Britney's smile instantly vanished. She retorted, "I'm not tired."
She had been bored to tears for the past few days, and it was rare to find someone she could have a real conversation with.
Matthew, however, stood up from his chair and smiled at Britney. "I'll see you another time."
Britney nodded. "You have to come back," she insisted. "I'm so bored here all by myself."
Matthew made a "call me" gesture with his hand. "I'll be in touch."
He headed for the door, and Britney's agent followed him.
As soon as he stepped out of the hospital room, the agent called out to Matthew, "Mr. Horner, wait a moment."
"Call me Matthew." Matthew stopped, turned to look at Britney's agent, and asked, "Is something wrong?"
The agent lowered his voice. "Can we speak privately?"
Matthew didn't know what he was up to, though he guessed it had something to do with the scandal. "Of course."
The corridor was empty. The agent got straight to the point. "This media frenzy over you and Britney is causing a lot of problems for her, and for us."
Matthew nodded. "Yes, I'm aware. That's why I apologized to her in the room."
The agent had heard his apology and was pleased with Matthew's attitude. "Actually, we should be thanking you for what happened yesterday."
Matthew replied politely, "Don't mention it. It was the right thing to do."
Pleased with Matthew's cooperative attitude, the agent continued, "The media is running wild with speculation right now. To prevent any negative fallout for you or Britney, we need to issue a clarification to the press."
"I agree," Matthew said without hesitation.
The agent felt increasingly certain that Matthew was about as sharp as Britney. "The sooner we do this, the better. I'll contact the media and the record company right now, and we—"
"Sir," Matthew reminded him, "don't forget to contact my agent."
"Helen?" The agent's mood instantly soured at the reminder that he hadn't been able to reach her. "Can't you get in touch with her?"
Matthew shook his head. "I haven't been able to reach her since this morning. I called the agency, and they said Helen went out of town on business and forgot her phone."
The agent's frown deepened. "Fine. We'll give an interview to the press to set the record straight, and you can just inform her when she returns."
The agent was already thinking about which media outlets to invite for the interview when Matthew's voice cut in, "No, that would be a breach of contract for me."
Matthew's own brow furrowed in concern, even more deeply than the agent's. "There's a clause in my contract," he explained. "Giving an interview to the media without my agent's approval constitutes a breach of contract."
Britney's agent felt a sudden urge to curse, but he held his tongue. As an agent himself, he knew all too well that companies often put clauses like that in contracts with new talent—precisely to stop them from saying something stupid to the press.
"I'm very sorry," Matthew said, his voice laced with an almost painful sincerity. "I just can't cooperate until my agent is back."
"Damn it!" Britney's agent cursed inwardly. He couldn't force the issue. "Alright, here's the plan," he said, resigned. "We'll both keep trying to reach Helen. The moment you get in touch with her, you tell her we need to discuss our next move."
Matthew nodded. "Okay, no problem."
The agent gestured dismissively. "You can go."
As Matthew was about to leave, the agent called after him, "And don't say a word to the press."
Convinced the young actor was as clueless as Britney, the agent added, "Whatever the ers ask you, say nothing. Not until we make an official statement, understand?"
Matthew said hastily, "Of course."
The agent waved his hand again. "There's a back exit. Leave that way. There are no ers there."
Matthew took the elevator down, asked a staff member for the rear exit, and slipped out of the hospital unnoticed.
As the day wore on and the rumors continued to swirl, more and more media outlets began to speculate wildly about the non-existent relationship between Matthew and Britney.
While the mainstream papers remained relatively reserved, focusing on Britney's injury, the tabloids had no such scruples. They eagerly spun wild tales, exaggerating every detail to capture the public's attention.