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To the east of the Chinese restaurant, there was a small park. It wasn't crowded during work hours and was also where Matthew went jogging every morning. He had arranged to meet the entertainment reporter, Elena Boyar, there.
Near the park entrance stood a small grove. In the clearing at the center, there was a stone table. Matthew sat on one of the stone benches and waited for about half an hour before spotting the tall, athletic Elena Boyar walking into the trees.
"Hey, Elena," Matthew waved. "Over here."
"I see you," Elena called back, striding over briskly.
Matthew watched her carefully. She wore a well-fitted tracksuit that showed off her toned figure. Though on the muscular side, her tall frame made her proportions look just right.
Elena took a seat across from Matthew and got straight to the point. "You called me in such a rush—did you get private photos of Britney Spears?"
Matthew didn't answer. Instead, he reached out his hand. "Your phone."
Elena frowned. "You want my phone?"
"Relax," Matthew shrugged. "I'm not robbing a broke reporter."
Elena rolled her eyes but handed him the phone. He flipped it open and glanced at the inside. Not necessary—cell phones at this time rarely had recording functions.
"Voice recorder…" Matthew extended his hand again. "Or a recorder pen?"
"Didn't bring one!" Elena snapped. "Why would I record you? You're just a small-time actor—part-time at that."
Matthew didn't reply. He just tilted his head and stared at her.
Elena looked irritated. "Don't push it, Matthew Horner."
"Me? Pushing it?" Matthew pointed at himself. "If I really wanted to push it, I'd ask you to strip."
"Hah…" Elena let out a cold laugh. "What, you wanna screw me? Right here? Don't tell me that's your condition."
"I'm not interested in you," Matthew replied bluntly. He knew she had a temper. "But how do I know you won't turn around and sell me out?"
Elena clicked her tongue and, almost defiantly, opened her handbag and dumped everything onto the table. Then she emptied her pockets one by one. Just like she said, there wasn't a recorder in sight.
"Want me to take my clothes off too?" she asked with a glare.
Matthew shook his head. "No need."
Elena packed her things back up, scowling. "You're giving yourself way too much credit. Even if I did sell you out, what would I get out of it?"
Matthew knew she had a point. He was a nobody—nobody important enough to care about.
Still, it never hurt to be cautious.
After putting away her things, Elena shot him a look and held out her hand. "So? Where is it?"
"Where's what?" Matthew asked instinctively.
"The Britney Spears photos!" Elena raised her voice. "Malibu, remember? We talked. Mutual benefit."
"I don't have any private photos of Britney Spears," Matthew said calmly.
Elena shot to her feet, her blue eyes wide and blazing. With her strong, tall frame, she looked downright intimidating.
"Are you wasting my time?" she demanded. "Or is this just a joke to you?"
"You think I'm that bored?" Matthew looked up at her, then pointed at the bench. "Sit down, Elena. I called you because I've got something you'll want to hear."
"About Britney Spears?"
He nodded.
Elena sat back down, noticeably calmer now.
"Okay, go on," she said. "Is it gossip? A scandal?"
Matthew wasn't going to spill it that easily. "It's something you could write about for a whole month—maybe even dig into it for several months. And your readers? They'll eat it up."
"Cut the crap," Elena snapped. "Just say it."
She had a temper, but she wasn't stupid. Having dealt with Matthew before, she knew there was a catch.
"I want you to write a piece for your paper," Matthew began, laying out the plan he'd worked out the night before. "About someone who might be cast as the male lead in Britney Spears' new music video."
Elena scoffed. "Just say you want the piece to be about you. Why beat around the bush?"
"It's not me," Matthew said, shaking his head. "If it were me, I wouldn't need your help."
If he'd had any better option, he wouldn't have called this hot-headed gossip reporter at all.
"Get to the point," Elena said again. "Stop going in circles."
"There's a guy I'm up against—a competitor who might become a threat to me," Matthew explained. "I want you to write a story about him."
After meeting her in Malibu, Matthew had looked into her background. Despite the serious-sounding name, the paper Elena worked for—The American News Review—was basically a Hollywood gossip rag.
"He's a nobody," Elena said flatly. "My editor won't go for it."
"But what if I told you he's linked to two actresses? You can dig deeper based on the tip I give you and uncover more juicy stuff."
Elena's irritation slowly faded as she sat and considered it.
"This is just the beginning of our partnership," Matthew said, trying to sell her. "You can check my resume. I've filmed scenes with Angelina Jolie and Winona Ryder. I worked on Ridley Scott's Gladiator—my character was even featured on a promotional poster!"
Elena seemed to recognize something and stared at him. "You played the barbarian leader."
"That's right." Matthew nodded. "You can confirm all of it with the production."
She suddenly realized she might've underestimated this "nobody" actor.
Matthew smiled and tapped his temple. "I've got a lot of inside information up here. If you're willing to work with me…" He used her own words, "We both benefit."
Elena was tempted. This might actually be worth pitching to her editor.
"Fine. I'll help," she said. "But I can't guarantee it'll be published."
Matthew understood. She was just a field reporter—no real authority. If she'd promised it would definitely make it to print, he'd have questioned her sincerity.
"Here's his info," Matthew said, pulling a folded sheet from his back pocket. On the front was a photo of Michael Sheen; the back had some basic details. "Just say he's a die-hard fan of Christina Aguilera and is about to be cast in Britney Spears' next video."
Then he added, "Preferably this week."
Elena glanced at the printout and immediately picked up on the subtext. "You're hinting that there's something going on between Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears? They were both in The Mickey Mouse Club, right?"
Matthew had done his homework. Britney had just risen to fame that year, and Christina had only been famous for about a year herself. So far, there hadn't been any stories about bad blood between them.
"It's more than a little friction—it's real tension," he said, totally making it up. "I was at the MV set and heard Britney's assistant say Britney constantly trashes Christina behind her back—called her a b**** and said she was stealing the spotlight even back in the Mickey Mouse Club days."
He looked at Elena. "There's probably some real history there. You could dig something up."
A catfight between two pop stars? That would definitely attract readers.
That was Matthew's thinking—and clearly Elena's as well.
"You're not making this up?" she asked.
"I swear," Matthew said, raising his right hand. "I swear to God I heard it with my own ears."
Elena quickly did the math in her head. This kind of scoop could be worth a lot in freelance fees. If she played her cards right, she might even land an editorial role.
But from the moment she arrived, she'd been led around by Matthew. It annoyed her.
"Maybe the assistant was just talking crap," she said, playing it cool.
Matthew raised an eyebrow. Was she backing out? Didn't seem like it…
"Even if they're not really feuding," he said, clearly annoyed, "With your tabloid skills, you can make something out of nothing, can't you?"
"That's true!" Elena slapped her thigh, eyes lighting up. "Why didn't I think of that? Even if there's no drama, we can create drama!"
She stood up, clearly excited. "I'll do my best. I've got your number!"
She had completely bought into Matthew's story.
As he watched Elena hurry away, Matthew got ready to leave as well. One part of his plan was in motion. In the next few days, he'd hang around the Disney studio lot where the MV was being shot, looking for the right moment to act.
But… he still needed a partner.
All the other actors at Angel Agency were out—they were competition and would sell him out in a heartbeat.
His agent, Helen Herman? Too calculating. No telling what she'd do.
Just as he unlocked the door to his apartment, the perfect candidate popped into his mind—Amanda. She'd probably be there for the costumed audition, had little real-world experience, and wasn't the scheming type.
He reached out to Amanda and made the rest of his preparations, all set for the upcoming audition day.