Chapter 842

"A glass of champagne." Natalie said to the bartender as she sat down. She then looked at Rachel, who was supporting her face with her hand and fiddling with the glass with ice and lemon in it.

"Hi, Richel." She greeted him in a very ordinary tone. "How does it feel to be the best supporting actress?"

Richel didn't answer immediately. Instead, he fiddled with the glass for a long time. Then he raised his finger and took a sip of the Gin Tonic. Then he turned his head and looked at her with a faint smile. "I should ask you, Natalie. How does it feel to be the best actress, especially … the second youngest best actress."

Her face was flushed, and there was a hint of drunkenness between her eyebrows. Although the taste of Gin Tonic was very suitable for women, it could still be counted as a hard liquor.

"Do you think it's normal?" Natalie didn't talk nonsense with her. They were both smart people, and they had been imprisoned by Adriaan for a long time. There was no need to hide it.

"Normal?" Richel raised his eyebrows and then let out a chuckle with a hint of mockery, which made Natalie feel uncomfortable. But she still looked at her calmly.

"Of course it's not normal! How many women are like us, tied up by a man with a rope and humiliated and trampled by him? They have no dignity or status. They are like dogs. When they are happy, they throw a bone, and when they are unhappy, they kick them. How is this normal! " Although Richel kept his voice low, the feeling of unwillingness and hatred was very obvious. His hand holding the glass became tighter.

A hint of joy flashed across Natalie's eyes, and then she said in the same tone of unwillingness, "Don't you think … we should do something to change this situation?"

Although she didn't have much contact with other women of Adriaan, she was smart enough to find out a lot of things over the years. Sarah was very easy to talk to, and Britney was simple-minded. So Natalie chose Richel. It was said that Adriaan liked to torture her, trample on and humiliate her. Poor Richel was miserable.

Of course, Natalie also knew that what she heard might not be true. Sarah thought that Adriaan sometimes went too far, while Britney thought that there was nothing wrong with her master's behavior. But she had no better choice. Natalie didn't understand why those women would … be so self-degrading. Yes, he was powerful and talented. Yes, he was one of the top media moguls in the world, but … but …

Every time this happened, she would subconsciously avoid some questions and then leave it alone. In short, among all kinds of women around Adriaan, only Richel was the most suitable. Especially tonight at the Vanity Fair party. Seeing her sitting there alone, Natalie thought it was the perfect time.

A normal woman wouldn't endure that kind of torture forever. So she just needed a chance, a chance to open up the thing that she didn't dare to release in the depths of her heart. Anyway … she didn't need an ally. She couldn't resist and didn't even dare to probe too much. But she didn't want to sit still and wait for death. So it was necessary to find a cannon fodder in front of her to explore the way.

"Change?" Richel's eyes became a little misty, and her expression became hesitant. It seemed that what she said before had worked. Natalie was about to continue, but she suddenly laughed hysterically. "Why should I change?"

Natalie stared at her for a few seconds. After thinking back and making sure that she didn't say anything wrong, she suppressed her anxiety and asked, "Why not?"

"Why should I?" Richel immediately asked. Natalie couldn't help but shut her mouth. If she continued to ask, they could argue about this for the whole night.

But Richel didn't wait for her answer. His expression became lazy. "I know what you want to say, Natalie, but don't worry, I just … I just have Stockholm syndrome."

Natalie's face suddenly turned pale. As a person who majored in psychology at Harvard, she certainly knew what Stockholm syndrome meant, but … but …

"Hey, you two, what are you doing here?" A familiar voice suddenly came into her ears. Her hand holding the cup suddenly tightened, but she still controlled her emotions and looked up at the scary man.

"Nothing, we are chatting." Richel looked up and said with a smile, "We are talking about some psychology things."

"Can I know the details?" Adriaan asked with a smile.

"Oh, it's very simple." Natalie wanted to change the subject, but Richel didn't give her a chance. "We are talking about my Stockholm syndrome."

She took Adriaan's hand and smiled more and more seductively. With her blushing face and slightly tipsy eyebrows, she looked particularly sexy and attractive. "Eide, let's find a place to talk in private, okay? I already … can't wait for you … to rape me, whip me, torture me … I won the best supporting actress. Aren't you going to reward me? "

The more she spoke, the more rapid her breathing became, and the more she looked at Adriaan. It was as if she was using her actions to explain Stockholm syndrome. Natalie's face became paler.

"In fact … I'm very willing, Richel, but …" Adriaan seemed a little surprised and looked at Natalie sitting next to him.

"Yes, I know. As usual, you have to accompany the best actress tonight." Richel waved his hand indifferently. "It doesn't matter. At least you are free now, aren't you?"

She stood up as she spoke, leaned in front of him, and blew at him. Then she swayed her plump body and walked aside.

Adriaan looked at her back and whistled softly. It wasn't until she was far away that he turned back to look at Natalie. "Sorry, Nada, I have to excuse myself, but I think this is appropriate, right? Of course, don't forget that you are mine tonight. "

Without saying a word, he immediately chased after Richel. Natalie glanced around blankly. Although there were people everywhere at the party, no one noticed them. It was normal for a playboy to be rejected again by someone he had always rejected, and then pursue another target who threw herself at him.

But the humiliation of being treated as a plaything had always gripped her heart, making it hard for her to bear. Neither the doubts of the media nor the exclusion of other women could compare.

"Not as good as Annette Bening? Not as good as Hilary Swank? I think the guy who wrote this report must have hit his head. "Gwyneth clicked her tongue and then threw the newspaper in her hand aside.

"You should be immune to this kind of thing, Gwyneth." Blanchett walked over with some snacks. "Isn't this what reporters often do?"

"I'm just complaining for Natalie. She played an excellent role in 'Go Forth'. Even Cash's children think so. And before that, almost all the media thought so, but after the award ceremony, the wind immediately changed. It was incredibly fast, "Gwyneth said, raising her eyebrows.

"I said, this is a common thing. When I won the Best Actress Award, didn't the reporters immediately stand on your side?" Blanchett said as she poured three red cups and handed one of them to Natalie. "So, don't worry about it, Natalie. Of course, I believe I don't need to remind you, right?"

"Yes." Natalie picked up the cup and took a sip. Although there was a smile on her face, she snorted coldly in her heart.

Of course, they would defend her. After all, they all relied on Adriaan's works to become the Best Actress. If the reporters questioned her, it was the same as questioning them. If it had been something else, they would not have spoken to her so amiably. Even if they were to protect her, the unapproachable tone in their words was very obvious. In their eyes, she was an intruder.

Thinking of this, Natalie felt a burst of annoyance. Although Adriaan's humiliation was nothing compared to the Oscar night, it was still very uncomfortable. Why did he bring her here?

Just then, Adriaan's voice was heard. "Hey, aren't you going to come and help? I don't have three hands. "

At the same time, two children were crying. Turning around, she saw Adriaan standing there with a one-year-old child in one hand and a few years old child in the other. The one-year-old child was fine. He was just crying, but the older one was holding one of his legs, making it difficult for him to walk. Natalie knew that the younger one was called Aibo, the child of Adriaan and Gwyneth, and the older one was called Eleanor, the child of Adriaan and Blanchett. In addition, he had several children, all of whom were born to different women.

Every time she thought of this, Natalie hated this man more and more. She knew that he had children with some women, but she didn't know until today that he had seven or eight children, and their mothers were all different. "These women are crazy," Natalie thought. Especially when she saw that they got along well, she felt even more strongly.

"Isn't it your duty, Eide?" Gwyneth laughed.

"I remember someone said that we don't need help," Blanchett added.

"Alright, so you're just going to stand there and watch the children cry?" Although Adriaan rolled his eyes, he didn't seem angry or unhappy. He looked more like a joke.

"Let me do it." Blanchett said as she walked over. At the same time, she gestured to the nannies who followed her but did not dare to make a move. She asked them to carry Eleanor over to her. Gwenis also went to carry Eleanor.

Natalie took a deep breath and looked down at the newspaper in her hand. It had been more than two days, and the news about Miracle Director's record-breaking win for Best Director was still occupying a lot of pages. After all, it wasn't that no director had won Best Director many times in the past few decades, but it was the first time for a director to win Best Director two years in a row.

What's more, the winner itself was quite controversial in this aspect. Adriaan's identity as a media mogul had led people to say that he was both a contestant and a referee. Gossip such as bribing the academy had always been popular. However, the most eye-catching thing was the celebration by the gay organizations. They thought that Brokeback Mountain winning Best Director and Best Actor was another major victory after its release and nomination. Small demonstrations broke out again in San Francisco, Boston, and other places.

Of course, there were also many people who felt that it was wrong not to have won the Best Film Award. This was blatant discrimination. Some critics also criticized the academy for awarding the Best Film Award to a movie like Crash at the last minute. However, this did not garner the support of most people. On the contrary, some people thought that they should stop while they were ahead. Therefore, the previously united gay organizations began to split. Even though they held demonstrations in many places across the United States, the momentum was much smaller than before the Oscars.

As for the conservative group, other than expressing their disappointment in the academy and stating that they were not targeting the Miracle Director himself, they did not say anything else. It looked like the gay group had won this battle, but only those who stood at a higher position could see the truth.

In short, no matter how many people cried injustice for Eastwood and Scorsese, especially Scorsese, according to a poll, 80% of people thought that the old Italian man should have won Best Director long ago. However, everyone knew that the poll was conducted by FOX TV.

Even so, with the support of the gay organizations, comments such as "Miracle Director won Best Director by playing tricks" were only circulated in small forums. Most people still thought that he was lucky and had chosen a good theme. It was precisely because he was standing in front of her that Natalie didn't receive much questioning. It was more like a routine matter.

Unfortunately, she was not happy — except for one thing. His children were all daughters, which made her feel a little happy.

"I'm finally free. Hey, what are you looking at? Why are you so focused? " Adriaan, who was relieved, sat down on a chair and then turned to Natalie, who was flipping through the newspaper.

"Nothing, just some comments," Natalie replied calmly.

"You don't look too happy." Adriaan didn't care about her attitude. "Why don't you go out and play tennis?"

"No, there's no need." She shook her head perfunctorily, then added, "There's no need for anything."

"You have to do something, right? It's not good to stay in the house all the time, "the man said in a caring tone, which sounded sincere.

Natalie bit her lip subconsciously. This was the most difficult thing for her. No matter which woman he was with, Adriaan was patient and considerate. Different types of women had different responses, and it was easy to gain the other party's favor. But … but no matter who it was, it was impossible not to change after experiencing such an accident. At least she would never forget his coldness and ruthlessness that day, but he looked as if such a thing had never happened in his life.

Therefore, Natalie was always afraid and worried. She was afraid of her fate, worried about her future, and wanted to use all means. What was even more difficult for her to accept was that if she wanted to completely forget it, she would be sent to the peak in bed by him. She was tortured to the point of going crazy, so she took the risk to contact Richel.

"Well, I want to say … maybe I should go back." After taking a deep breath, Natalie said so. She wasn't sure if Richel had told Adriaan about her trying to rope her in, but she really wanted to be alone.

"So soon?" Adriaan raised his eyebrows.

"It's been two days, I … I have to go back to meet with friends, or you want to change …" Natalie pursed her lips. Although the traditional media had not paid attention to it yet, the gossip about her and him had become more and more intense on the Internet. Whether the playboy had slept with the talented girl from Harvard had become the hottest topic among netizens. After all, there was no miracle girl who was nominated for two leading roles in a movie directed by a miracle director, not to mention that she had already gotten one.

This was another part of Natalie's uneasiness. She began to realize that the atmosphere that Adriaan had created, that she was the only woman that he had not been able to woo, was gradually starting to bind her.

"Okay!" After pondering for a while, he unexpectedly replied, "Since you want to go back to New York, I can't force you to stay. Let's confirm something first."

As he spoke, he glanced at Gwyneth and Blanchett, who were taking care of their two daughters. He then gave her a look, got up, and walked out. Although she did not understand what he wanted to do, Natalie still followed behind him.

"I asked someone to give you a script a week ago, have you read it?" Adriaan asked when they were outside the living room.

"Hmm … Yes, it's not bad." Natalie thought about it and replied.

"If we start filming now, can you fully interpret the inner world of the character?" Adriaan continued to ask. "Or, are you ready? I will start filming after May. "

"I have already grasped some of the characteristics of the character, but I still need time to figure it out. After all, psychological activities are the majority, I want … Wait!" Natalie suddenly stopped, and then she widened her eyes in disbelief. "You mean … You mean … You mean …"

"That's right, I will personally direct and produce this movie, and you will be the protagonist of this movie, the only protagonist." Adriaan looked at her and nodded very seriously.

Natalie only felt a buzz in her head. Everyone in Hollywood knew what it meant to be the female lead in a movie directed by Miracle Director.

But … But she has … This year has … But looking at him, it seems like he really intends to … How is this possible … But he is Miracle Director, he made Hanks win the Best Actor Award consecutively, and he has already won the Best Director Award consecutively, and he even … God, this is unique …

Great surprise and great fear enveloped Natalie, making her completely speechless. She could only stare at him blankly.

Adriaan smiled, then took out his phone and dialed, "It seems that you are not ready yet, it's okay, today is just the right day — Hey, Yini, it's me, I need to change my schedule, I will go to the Notrey Treatment Center … Yes, with my dear Nada."