King of Hollywood

Chapter 425: Chapter 147: Ultimately Dividing the Cake

When he returned to the hall, the song and dance on stage had just ended, and Kristo had resumed showing off his eloquence. The previous award for Best Original Score had been given to “The English Patient.” Gabriel Yared’s music was indeed outstanding, while “Saving Private Ryan” focused on sound effects, naturally unable to compete in that respect.

“Where had you been?” Blanchett asked in a hushed voice as she leaned forward, seeing him return to his seat.

“I went to the restroom, of course,” Adrian shrugged.

“That long?” Blanchett clearly didn’t believe him, knowing Adrian as she did, she was at least eighty percent sure of her suspicion. So after speaking, she glanced around, trying to spot which woman might also be taking her seat.

“I used the quiet environment afterwards to think about a few things,” Adrian explained nonchalantly, which, taken literally, wasn’t wrong.

Blanchett still didn’t believe him, but she didn’t say anything more, just huffed and turned her attention back to the stage. Adrian shrugged once more and looked up as well, although he still sneakily glanced down to the right.

He didn’t see Kirsten’s figure, which made sense because the little fairy had been watching him intently the entire time, leading him to excitedly smear more than just her cheeks, and unfortunately her hair as well. Luckily, the experienced Kirsten managed it well, keeping it off her clothes, which would have been troublesome to clean.

Even so, for the little fairy to tidy up and return to her seat would take some time, and she wouldn’t be back quickly. Moreover, like Julia and Gwyneth, she was just an ordinary guest with no nominations; situated far from the film crew, even if she returned, Adrian might not notice.

How enticing… as he recalled her innocent yet lascivious expression, he sighed deeply in his heart. He suddenly thought of Natalie in New York, wishing she would let him manipulate her in the same way.

Yet, on reflection, they were entirely different people. Kirsten, though audacious and unscrupulous in pursuing what she wanted, also revealed a strong underlying insecurity, making it easy for Adrian to keep her wrapped around his finger. In contrast, Natalie, though proactive because of his subtle seduction, clearly liked to keep control of everything in her hands, so…