At the Oscars party, Jennifer glanced at Lucas and said, "I don't think it's a great idea to offend him, you know. He's Harvey Weinstein."
Lucas scoffed, "So you think I should accept his ridiculous offer? No way."
After thinking it over, Jennifer nodded, "You're right… But I'm still worried."
Lucas could understand why Jennifer was so worried; after all, Harvey Weinstein was not just anyone. However, he reassured her as he patted her shoulder, "Don't worry about it. We'll be fine."
Jennifer could only nod in response.
***
The Oscar parties hosted by various entertainment media outlets had come to an end, with Harvey leaving the event red-faced. He had boasted to his influential connections, including Sean Combs who was nominated for his documentary "Undefeated" and others, that he would bring Lucas and Jennifer with him, but he failed to deliver on his promise, causing him great embarrassment.
Meanwhile, several reporters were waiting to interview Lucas about the accusations made against him by his parents. However, when Lucas appeared, he ignored their questions and simply got into his car and drove away.
The reporters felt insulted by Lucas's evasive behavior.
"Lucas thinks he's so special now that he's been nominated for an Oscar. What a joke," Gavin scoffed, and the other reporters nodded in agreement.
"He's become too arrogant," one of them said.
"I agree. All this success has gone to his head," another chimed in.
However, not all the reporters shared their sentiments. Some thought Lucas was justified in his actions.
"Guys, lay off the kid. If he doesn't want to answer now, he doesn't have to. We'll just wait for the day he decides to address his stepmom's accusations," one of them said, defending him.
"You really think he'll ever respond to those allegations?" someone else scoffed, sounding doubtful.
"Even if he doesn't, we still have enough material for a juicy story," a third reporter interjected. "So it doesn't matter in the end."
---
Before the start of the "Hunger Games" Project in March, Lucas and Jennifer spent their time together, enjoying each other's company. They played video games, explored Los Angeles with face masks on, and most importantly, they delved into the depths of each other's bodies, experimenting with various erotic positions.
As they were about to part ways, Lucas couldn't help but think of the film "Like Crazy," and he said, "I never thought you'd be my Anna in this lifetime…"
Jennifer chuckled but playfully retorted, "No, I don't want to be Anna. You're not cursing our relationship, are you?"
Lucas laughed it off, "My bad."
After that, Lucas and Jennifer shared a passionate, deep kiss that seemed to last for a full minute. Their tongues danced together in a sensual tango, their hands roaming over each other's bodies, as if they were trying to memorize every inch of one another's skin.
Finally, they reluctantly pulled away, gasping for air. "Bye," Lucas said, his voice husky with desire.
"Bye," Jennifer echoed, her cheeks flushed.
As she watched Lucas leave, Jennifer's phone buzzed with her manager's name flashing on the screen. She had been calling for days, but Jennifer had been too caught up in her time with Lucas to answer. "I feel so bad," she muttered to herself, before picking up the call.
---
The "Hunger Games" project was set to begin on March 15, 20211, so Lucas still had some time to spare before he needed to dive into the project. He decided to use this opportunity to visit his hometown of New York.
The plane landed in New York, and Lucas made his way to his apartment. Dust had settled on his belongings since it had been quite a while since his last visit.
He cleaned up the place and turned on his computer. Checking his Bitcoin wallet, he was not surprised to find that he now owned 275,000 Bitcoins.
Lucas thought to himself that with such a fortune, he'd be set for life in the future.
After turning off his computer, Lucas decided to visit Liza's restaurant. As soon as he stepped inside, a group of people at a table noticed him and exclaimed, "Lucas!"
He was taken aback, as New Yorkers usually didn't make a fuss over celebrities, but a man from the group ran up to him, clutching an album.
"Lucas! I'm a big fan! Can you sign this?"
"Of course," Lucas smiled, signing the album.
The man was ecstatic, and soon, others in the group also approached him for autographs and selfies.
"I can't believe this! We've been waiting for you here for almost a week!" one of them gushed.
"How did you guys know I'd be here?" Lucas asked, baffled.
"It was all over social media that you used to work here before you were famous, and that the manager is your friend," another fan explained.
"Yeah, and we found out about it through some investigation," another added.
Lucas couldn't believe it. "You guys found out through social media?"
"Yeah, haha," they laughed.
Lucas was starting to realize the power of social media. "Maybe I should create an account…" he thought to himself.
He chatted with his fans for a while, not minding that some of them were recording their interaction.
Suddenly, Liza spotted him and rushed over, "Lucas!"
Lucas excused himself from his fans and hugged her. After catching up, he looked around and asked, "Where's Leonard?"
Liza chuckled, "That guy Leonard got inspired by you. He wants to be an actor now too."
Lucas was taken aback, "Really? I didn't think he had dreams of becoming an actor."
Liza scoffed, "Of course not. He just wants to be an actor to get girls."
"Sigh, figures," Lucas sighed, shaking his head.
"Let's not talk about him. How have you been doing?" Liza asked, changing the subject.
Lucas smiled as he began to share his experiences in Hollywood, omitting any mention of Jennifer to respect her privacy. Instead, he focused on Harvey, the ridiculous offer, and the rumors surrounding him.
"Hollywood is a scary place," Liza sighed, listening intently.
"What are you going to do about him? You offended him, and with that guy's influence, I don't think you stand a chance…" she said, her eyes filled with concern.
Lucas shrugged, "To be honest, I don't care what he has planned for me. I'm not scared to face him."
Liza patted his shoulder, "You need to be careful, Lucas."
"I will," he nodded. "Anyway, how are our friends doing?"
"They're doing well, and they miss you," Liza smiled.
"I'll be here for a while, so let's catch up with them tomorrow."
---
Back in his apartment, Lucas turned on his computer and decided to create a Twitter account.
He tried "Lucas_Knight", but it was already taken. He then tried "Lucas_Knight777", but that was also taken.
Lucas couldn't help but scratch his head in frustration. He then decided to use his birthdate, 4-15-90, and added it at the end of his username. However, it was still taken.
"Fuck it," he muttered, and added an 'x' between his name and last name. He typed in "@LucasXKnight" and to his surprise, it was available.
Lucas couldn't help but smile. "This must be the work of the meme gods," he thought, foreshadowing Elon Musk's future takeover of Twitter, changing the bird logo to an 'X'.
After registering, Lucas took a selfie with his iPhone, which, while not as high-quality as future cameras, was good enough for now. He set it as his profile picture and then browsed the platform.
He searched for posts about himself and came across a recent topic.
"Lucas Knight is a disrespectful, rebellious guy, according to his stepmother," one user posted, attaching a picture of Lucas at the Oscars press interview.
Seeing the mixed reactions, Lucas frowned. Some netizens criticized him, but others defended him, citing Myla's questionable reputation. Relieved, he sighed.
Lucas's manager had already briefed him about the situation, but he didn't want to fan the flames by responding.
While he was annoyed with his stepmother, he knew this wasn't the time to pick a fight. He'd expose her one day, but not now. He couldn't afford to make more enemies in the industry, especially with Harvey already after him. Besides, the baseless accusations from someone as untrustworthy as Myla hadn't gained much traction, so it hadn't affected him much.
The most popular topic regarding Lucas was his performance of "Viva La Vida" at the Grammys. The YouTube clip had already amassed 8 million views in a short time. Fans were requesting a studio version, eager to hear the final product.
After browsing through more posts, Lucas decided it was enough.
Days passed, and he visited Bellevue Hospital with Liza to see their friends. They spent a few more days catching up before Lucas bid them farewell and headed back to Los Angeles for the "Hunger Games" project.
Apprivoaching the set, Lucas realized he had arrived earlier than expected. He greeted the crew and director warmly. Moments later, Jennifer appeared, and their eyes met, sharing a knowing look. They began rehearsing their lines together before the rest of the cast arrived. Once everyone had assembled, they all took some time to get to know each other.
The director then stepped in, "Great to see you all here and on time. Let's have one final rehearsal before we dive into filming. We're aiming for a natural and organic flow, so don't be afraid to improvise if you feel it's right for your characters. Any questions?"
A few cast members raised their hands and directed their questions towards the director, who patiently answered each one of them. Once everyone's doubts were cleared, they all dispersed to rehearse with their respective scene partners.